Lucky Paper Radio is a podcast about Magic: the Gathering hosted by lifelong friends Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox. Focused primarily on sandbox formats like Cube, which are free of banlists, rotation, and net decking, the show is about the best parts of Magic and how to get the most out of the game.
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A panel show about design featuring Andy Mangold, Matt McInerney, and friends.
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Each week, Andy calls Linda for a sincere conversation about friendship, getting older, creative work, and butts.
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Podcast by Matt McInerney and Andy Mangold
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On the Grid is a podcast featuring Matt McInerney, Andy Mangold & Dan Auer thinking out loud about design weekly.
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1
Using Little Pieces of Paper as a Supermassive Random Number Generator
1:02:39
1:02:39
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1:02:39
Andy and Anthony talk about randomness in Magic, and specifically just how much randomness there is in a Cube draft. They talk about where randomness comes from and how different mechanics use the library or other sets of cards as a random source to make them work. They also go into their own preferences and how they thing about randomness in their…
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Andy and Anthony talk about some of the past and pending Cube events they are attending. This year has seen a proliferation of new small Cube events. Anthony reviews his experience at the Capitol Cube Champs and they talk about what they’re excited about in the upcoming Cube 4 Charity hosted by Upkeep New York. View all cards mentioned in this epis…
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No regular episode of Lucky Paper Radio this week, sadly, but in an effort to not leave y’all empty handed and to help highlight a great new Cube podcast, we’re bringing you and episode of Kade Goforth’s Recross the Paths. Discussed in this episode: Bloomburrow and Bloomburrow Commander Surveys Recross the Paths on Spotify Recross the Paths RSS Fee…
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Andy and Anthony each rank every evergreen creature ability and then, tier by tier, discuss what they love each adds (or doesn’t) to the game. View all cards discussed in this episode. Discussed in this episode: Bloomburrow and Bloomburrow Commander Surveys Evergreen Keyword Abilities Tier List Maker dinrovahorror’s Draft of the Neoclassical Cube T…
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Bloomburrow First Impressions, Mechanics, and Personal Cube Additions
1:24:02
1:24:02
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1:24:02
Andy and Anthony take a first look at Bloomburrow, breaking down the mechanics, flavor, and the cards their interested in giving a try in their on Cube environments. View all cards mentioned in this episode Discussed in this episode: Bloomburrow Community Survey Commander Set Survey Bloomburrow Mechanics Overview Episode 193: 100 Ornithopters in a …
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Book Club: The Beauty of Games by Frank Lantz
1:32:48
1:32:48
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1:32:48
In the first “book club” episode, Andy, Anthony, and Parker talk about The Beauty of Games by Frank Lantz. The book sets out to defend the thesis that games are artistic works (or, more descriptively, “aesthetic works”) worth the same level of appreciation as other art forms and teach sophisticated, systems-thinking. After reading the book, our hos…
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Text, Subtext, and Cards with Secrets
1:00:23
1:00:23
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1:00:23
Andy and Anthony talk about complexity in Magic. After their discussion on the previous episode on Andy’s Neoclassical Cube comparing arguable simplicity of old school Magic cards, and continued discussion on the MTG Cube Talk Discord, they talk about the nature and different types of complexity. They compare cards which are simpler to read vs to p…
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It Feels Good to Riffle Shuffle Duals: Preparing the Neoclassical Cube for Steel City
1:07:31
1:07:31
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1:07:31
Andy and Anthony talk about Andy’s Neoclassical Cube. They talk about some of the changes Andy’s been making leading up to it being played by a wider audience at Steel City Cube. They talk about how the design philosophy has evolved and their recent experience playing the Cube. View all cards mentioned in this episode. Timestamps 0:00 - Introductio…
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Modern Horizons 3 Cube Community Set Review
1:14:12
1:14:12
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1:14:12
Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of the Modern Horizons 3 Cube Community Set Review. As usual, we asked the Cube community to share what cards from the set they’re interested in trying in their Cubes, for whatever reasons that are relevant to their own curation goals, and how confident they are the cards will be hits. We compiled the re…
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Boston Cube Party Tournament Report with Patrick ‘Dirt’ Doherty
1:17:24
1:17:24
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1:17:24
Fresh off of Boston Cube Party, Andy, Anthony, and Patrick recap their weekend of Cubing. They talk through highlights of the event and the Cubes they drafted over a great weekend of Magic. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Boston Cube Party Episode 206, with Richard Garfield Andy’s Twitter thread recapping the …
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The Joy of Gaming with Richard Garfield
1:06:06
1:06:06
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1:06:06
Andy and Anthony are joined by Richard Garfield, legendary game designer and the creator of Magic: the Gathering. Richard talks about how he got interested in modifying and tweaking games, his concept that players can be loosely understood as either ‘honers’ or ‘innovators’, and why some games with great mechanics have no soul as a result of overde…
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Full Vintage Rotisserie Draft with Alex and Aran
1:10:13
1:10:13
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Anthony is taking a break this week and it takes no less than two other people to fill his shoes, so Andy is joined by two other friends from their Baltimore playgroup to discuss two recent roto drafts of the full vintage card pool. They share their strategies surrounding this complicated draft format and talk about whether or not it led to actuall…
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A Review of All the Coolest Cards from Modern Horizons 3
1:21:06
1:21:06
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1:21:06
Andy and Anthony take a first look at Modern Horizons 3. The latest installment of this Time Spiral-esque series continues the tradition of a huge range of cards and an abundance of callbacks and remixes of classics. Our hosts talk about their overall impressions of the set and go into individual cards their interested in generally and for specific…
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Andy and Anthony talk about the history of architecture and the design of the physical spaces we inhabit. They draw parallels to design more broadly, the design of games as mental spaces, and specifically Cube design. Discussed in this episode: The Beauty of Games Buckminster Fuller Tech Won’t Save Us, Episode 221: Tech’s Plan to ‘Ethnically Cleans…
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Reading Series — The Creator of ‘Magic the Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where it All Went Wrong
1:22:13
1:22:13
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1:22:13
Andy and Anthony read and comment on the entirety of a recent article on the early history of Magic and it’s creator’s struggles with the game. The article, including quotes from an interview with Richard Garfield, explores his complex relationship to his creation. It explores his perspective on games, and why he values them. Since it’s first publi…
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Commitment to the Bit — On Context Shift Cubes
55:51
55:51
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55:51
Andy and Anthony talk about novelty Cubes. Many Cubes are built around a novelty concept or design restriction. Novelty designs can be fun and light, but gimmicks can also pigeonhole cubes, making them feel unworthy of serious attention. Our hosts discuss their experience with novelty design, from its benefits to its challenging implications. View…
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Andy and Anthony celebrate their 200th episode!! They look back at where they were and how they approached Magic when they started the podcast vs now. Andy reverse engineer’s his Cube list from the time and talks about how his tastes in Magic have changed. Anthony goes a little off the rails as they talk about how to still get the most enjoyment ou…
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Tutors in Cube Design: Creating Variety by Reducing Variety
1:00:02
1:00:02
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1:00:02
Andy and Anthony talk about “tutors” in Cube and how cards that give you access to any card in your library impact the game. Historically, both of our hosts have tended to avoid them in most of their Cube designs, but the serve a unique function that could make them worth considering. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this ep…
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Outlaws of Thunder Junction Cube Community Set Review
1:11:54
1:11:54
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1:11:54
Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of our Cube community set survey for Outlaws of Thunder Junction. As with every set, we asked Cube designers which cards they’re excited about from Magic’s latest world of hats, and how confident they are in them remaining in their Cubes long-term. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in…
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Cube Design Iron Chef: Goblin Charbelcher
1:07:17
1:07:17
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Andy and Anthony revisit designing a Cube starting with a single card as inspiration. Starting with Goblin Charbelcher, they each explore themes and mechanics that could make the card relevant in a Cube, and build off those to create rough Cube skeletons. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Episode 182: Emergent C…
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The Hardest Part is Just Getting Started, with Sam from Rhystic Studies
1:23:20
1:23:20
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Andy and Anthony are joined by Sam from Rhystic Studies to talk about his first Cube design project. Sam, who produces thoughtful, carefully written videos on Magic, has been interested in Cube design for years and has finally made the leap to create his own list. They talk about what motivates Sam’s design goals, how he’s approached the project, a…
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Magic on the Holodeck: Outlaws of Thunder Junction First Impressions and Personal Cube Additions
1:16:49
1:16:49
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1:16:49
Our Cube Prospective Surveys for Outlaws of Thunder Junction is now open! Let us know what you are testing in your cube from the latest set. Andy and Anthony talk about their first impressions of Outlaws of Thunder Junction and the cards their interested in for their own Cube lists. Anthony is not too impressed by the aesthetics of the set, but the…
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Striving for a More Accountable and Inclusive Playgroup
1:08:05
1:08:05
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1:08:05
Guests Tara, Jenn, and Haiyue join Andy and Anthony for a discussion on making play spaces that are more accountable and inclusive to help grow more diverse playgroups. Tara brings her perspective as a professional diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant; Jenn, their experience organizing and judging events; and Haiyue what she’s learned managi…
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Andy and Anthony talk about Andy’s newest Cube experiment: a cube who’s only creatures are Ornithopters. Andy couldn’t help but entertain the idea of an all-ornithopter Cube in a humorous tweet, and a recent draft of it in the Cube Con discord inspired him to flesh out the idea even further. Our first playmat is currently available for pre-order! I…
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The episode concerning the art provokes.
1:17:44
1:17:44
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Our first, limited edition playmat is now available for pre-order. The playmat is designed and illustrated by Andy and custom printed to order. Orders will only be available for a limited time. Pre-order a mat here. Andy and Anthony talk about “ART!” loosely as it relates to Magic: The Gathering. They talk about the role of creative work in the gam…
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Vibes-Forward Cube Design with Ryan Overturf
1:06:30
1:06:30
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Andy and Anthony are joined by Ryan Overturf, sharing his Cube design wisdom. Starting with Ryan’s articles on power outliers and letting fun drive Cube design, they talk about their approach to Cube design and how they let play experience, vibes, and taste inform their processes. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episod…
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Murders at Karlov Manor Cube Community Set Review
1:00:55
1:00:55
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Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of the Murders at Karlov Manor Cube Community Survey and discuss the top cards, tested by the most Cube designers. They dig into some trends, patterns, and surprises in the cards people are giving a chance in their environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Usman…
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Andy and Anthony talk about layers of interaction in Cube design. Some cards interact with particular effects. Other cards are, in turn, resistant to those responses. Inevitably other cards get around those resistances. Our hosts talk about how they approach these orders of interaction. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this …
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Peasant Cube, Accessibility, and Playing within Restrictions with Emma Partlow
1:00:27
1:00:27
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1:00:27
Well, it’s my (Andy’s) final week of writing the show notes as punishment for losing a bet against Anthony. But that’s ok, because writing these particular notes is a privilege, as we are joined by special guest Emma Partlow on this episode! We’be been trying to get Emma on the show for a long time and I’m really glad we were finally able to make i…
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Murders at Karlov Manor and Ravnica: Clue Edition Personal Cube Additions
1:11:08
1:11:08
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Well folks, it happened. I lost the bet on air last week about whether or not Wizards would include a physical, punch-out reminder for “suspected” creatures in the pre-release kit for Murders at Karlov Manor, so here I am writing the notes. I still think it’s weird that they literally include a counter for a mechanic that they explicitly designed t…
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Murders at Karlov Manor and Ravnica: Clue Edition First Impressions
52:34
52:34
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Andy and Anthony discuss the mechanics of Murders at Karlov Manor, along with satellite sets, and their first impressions of the set for Cube.View all cards mentioned in the episode →Discussed in this episode: Set Surveys: Murders at Karlov Manor Mechanics Mothership Article A new Returning Mechanic, but Tweaked, @luckypapermtg on Twitter Boonta …
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Solving Game Design Issues with Marshmallows
1:10:11
1:10:11
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Andy and Anthony talk about Anthony’s experimental Battle Box where players start at three life, can cast spells without paying their mana cost, and start the game with two Lightning Bolts on the stack. They talk about rapid prototyping and challenges in game design. The novel design didn’t initially play as hoped, and they brainstorm ideas to make…
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Designing and Playtesting a New Archetype for the Turbo Cube
1:07:44
1:07:44
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Andy and Anthony talk about updates to Anthony’s Turbo Cube and how changing a few cards can impact the way a cube feels. In this environment, all spells and activated abilities cost generic mana less. They cut some of the most potent win conditions including Teferi's Tutelage, and added a handful of cards to bolster black discard focused strategie…
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Designing and Drafting a Cube on a Budget
1:11:27
1:11:27
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Andy and Anthony talk about cubing on a budget. Between cards, sleeves, and other needs, putting a cube together is not without costs, but the format has some unique attributes that can still make it approachable on a budget. But first, they talk for a long time about Tetris. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Af…
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Andy and Anthony talk through emergent cube design by example. Starting with a listener submitted card — Trade Routes — they explore ways to create a context where the card is a role player. Moving beyond direct synergies, they demonstrate how they’d use on card as a seed crystal to generate ideas for a mechanically coherent Cube. View all cards m…
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Andy and Anthony talk about gold cards in Cube. They talk about how they effect decks and drafts and their roles in their own cubes. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: Uber Cube Podcast Episode 21: Commander Legends and a Cube that Glitters How Many Lands Should You Include in Your Cube Lucky Paper Radio Cubesmas…
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Live from Maro’s Lap: the Cubesmas Wishlist Spectacular
1:01:12
1:01:12
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1:01:12
Andy, Anthony, and Parker climb up on Maro’s Lap and share their Christmas Cube wishes for the coming year: what cards do they want to see printed for their Cubes, what cycles do they want to see completed, and how much of a Grinch can Anthony be. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Timestamps 0:00 - A very long and involved series of intro…
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The Changing Landscape of Magic — 2023 in Review
1:17:32
1:17:32
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1:17:32
Andy and Anthony take a look back on 2023, and what a year it’s been! Our hosts discuss some of their favorite things happening this year, including the second annual CubeCon, and a growing number of Cube events. They talk about how valuable Magic has been as a vector for creative outlets. In a candid, critical discussion they share how Magic as a …
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Andy and Anthony open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners. Our hosts answer all your burning questions about Cube, soup, and probably egg nog? View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: I got a fever of 103 Boonta Vista Murphy’s Law Moore’s Law Sturgeon’s Law Ship of Theseus Heraclitus Midnight Diner bigso…
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Andy and Anthony talk about combos. What is a combo? Is it a spectrum? Almost certainly. How are they related to the aggro-midrange-control metagame? How do they affect the draft and gameplay of a given Cube? Does Anthony hate combos? Does Andy hate combos? Only one way to find out. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this epis…
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The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Cube Community Set Review
54:11
54:11
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54:11
Andy, Anthony, and Parker discuss the results of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Cube community survey. As always, we asked cube designers to share what cards they’re interested in from Magic’s newest premier set. Our hosts discuss the results: the top, and top rated, cards, as well as other patterns and surprises they found in the results. View all ca…
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What Can and Cannot Be Learned From Studying Draft Pools
53:10
53:10
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53:10
Following CubeCon 2023, all pool lists were released to let Cube owners learn about what was successful, or not, in their environments at the event. Andy and Anthony review and discuss the decks drafted from their cubes, how they feel about each environment, and how the outcomes may inform future changes. If you drafted the Bun Magic Cube, Regular …
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The Lost Caverns of Ixalan First Impressions, Mechanics, and Personal Cube Additions
1:31:07
1:31:07
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1:31:07
Andy and Anthony take a first look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. They talk about the set in broad strokes, what they think about the mechanics and how they can potentially slot into different Cube environments. Then the look into individual cards they’re interested in for their own, curated environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode →…
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Riding Siege Rhinos to Victory with Tim Meyers
1:42:14
1:42:14
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Andy and Anthony are joined by Tim Meyers, a.k.a. donald_k_magic, CubeCon 2023 Champion who shares his wisdom and experience of his path to ultimate Victory! In a field of 400 Cube enthusiasts, Tim’s love of the game carried him to a spot in the top 64, to 3-0 is draft to earn a spot in the top 8 draft, and finally, working with a deck he felt had …
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Refreshingly Dangerous Confusion with Dom Harvey
1:26:32
1:26:32
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1:26:32
Dom Harvey joins Andy and Anthony for a recap of the second annual CubeCon. They discuss their experience at the con, the variety of cube they played, and get Dom’s take on how to be successful when approaching new, and sometimes strange, environments. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: MTG Cube Con Worlds 2012 C…
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Cube Accessibility: Making Magic Approachable and Welcoming
50:47
50:47
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Andy and Anthony talk about accessibility in Cube design: why it’s important, especially to the many of us who are trying to expand our local Cube playgroups, and key things to consider. They talk about the practical, surface level issues of cards that can be difficult to understand, as well as ways to design a Cube to make drafting it for the firs…
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We’re on our way to the second annual CubeCon! If you’re not able to attend, make sure to tune into the live stream, which Andy, Justin, and the rest of the coverage team have been working really hard on. If you’re attending CubeCon, we can’t wait to meet you or see you again. Please introduce yourselves and remind us of your online handle, if rele…
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Andy and Anthony talk about mana curves in cubes. They talk about how it influences gameplay and the relationship between curve, speed, and the more difficult to pin down “power level”. They also talk about how they as cube designers think about the mana curve. View all cards mentioned in the episode → Discussed in this episode: You Look Nice Tod…
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Spike University Part Two with Justin Parnell
1:34:13
1:34:13
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1:34:13
Andy, Anthony, and Justin continue last weeks discussion through the Cubes that will be featured in the imminent Cube Con of 2023 reviewing the second half of the cubes that will be featured on live and recorded coverage. They talk about their approaches to drafting each unique environment and what to expect. View all cards mentioned in the episod…
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Spike University Part One with Justin Parnell
1:51:30
1:51:30
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This is your last chance to pre-order a Cube Map Print for Cube Con! Pre-order now Andy and Anthony are joined by Justin Parnell to talk about the Cubes that will be featured on coverage in Cube Con 2023. They go through the first half, cube by cube, and talk about what the Cube is, and how they’d approach drafting it, ending with a pack 1 pick one…
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