180 MTG

Ryan Overturf talks through the myriad decisions that players make while drafting and playing Cube and how to abstractly approach the agency of players in Cube design. 

In the first individual card spotlight on 180 MTG, Ryan Overturf talks about how Tarmogoyf forever altered the landscape of Magic, ruminating on how that impact has been felt and how it can be applied to Cube design.  Scryfall search for every future-shifted card from Future Sight  for those interested. 

Ryan Overturf breaks down how The Tempo Twobert has changed since it was first designed, outlining shifts in philosophy and where the list is at today.  The Tempo Twobert on Cube Cobra 

Ryan Overturf concludes his first impressions Cube review of Secrets of Strixhaven, going over individual appealing cards for Cube! 

Ryan Overturf begins his first impressions Cube review of Secrets of Strixhaven, going over the set's mechanics and themes! 

Ryan Overturf breaks down his most Vorthos-y design, a Twobert showing off the crew members of the Skyship Weatherlight, and what kitchen table Magic looked like for him when he started playing.  The Life and Times of Gerrard Capashen on Cube Cobra . 

Ryan Overturf breaks down how to design a 180-card environment along color lines, seeding five explicit archetypal lanes for four-player drafts. 

Ryan Overturf takes a look back at blue/black Faeries from 2008, how that deck shaped his perception of Magic, and how Faeries offers concrete examples of different categories of cards that can inform Cube design. Support Mutual Aid Networks in Minnesota Antti Malin's 2008 World Championship winning Faeries deck

Ryan Overturf talks through his experience attending the first ever Shoebox event, highlighting the various Cubes that he drafted over the weekend.  Eiganjo Drift  Budget Synergy Cube Spicy Ramen Cube The Ball Pit The Fire Swamp Bonus Cube: 100 Black Lotuses

Ryan Overturf talks through how experience with competitive Constructed Magic informs his personal Cube design and the ways it can inform Cube design generally, calling on examples from his history playing Standard and Modern Prowess. 

Ryan Overturf concludes his first impressions Cube review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, going over individual appealing cards for Cube!  Support Minnesota Mutual Aid ! Donate to the Kansas ACLU and ACE Foundation !  Get your tickets for Shoebox ! 

Ryan Overturf begins his first impressions Cube review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, going over the set's mechanics and themes!  Support Minnesota Mutual Aid ! Donate to the Kansas ACLU and ACE Foundation !  Get your tickets for Shoebox ! 

Ryan Overturf talks about his relationship with powered Cubes and why unpowered environments have been capturing more of his attention lately.  Support Minnesota Mutual Aid  Register for Shoebox

Ryan Overturf breaks down the design of 30-50 Feral Hogs, a Twobert designed around drafting and winning games with an obscure Limited gem from New Phyrexia.  Support Minnesota Mutual Aid Register for Shoebox Cube Cobra Page for 30-50 Feral Hogs Cube Cobra Page for 100 Ornithopters and corresponding Rhystic Studies Video

Ryan Overturf breaks down the design of The Tundra- a Twobert that heavily breaks singleton where you have to draft even your (Snow-Covered) Basic Lands!  Good Luck High Five fundraiser/giveaway Minnesota Mutual Aid and article on Ashley Fairbanks Cube Cobra page for The Tundra  

Ryan Overturf expresses why he prefers maintaining singleton in Cube design, and the mythos that is inspired by making every individual card special.  Minnesota Mutual Aid Orgs   Good Luck High Five Fundraiser/Giveaway  Rhystic Studies Dear Gonti, Love Sophie Andy Mangold's 100 Ornithopters 

Ryan Overturf concludes his first impressions Cube review of Lorwyn Eclipsed, going over individual appealing cards for Cube!  Minnesota Mutual Aid Orgs   Good Luck High Five Fundraiser/Giveaway  For reference if needed, CNN published a rather thorough and well-documented overview of the situation in Minnesota: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/01/09/us/dhs-immigration-crackdown-ice-arrests-pro...

Ryan Overturf begins his first impressions Cube review of Lorwyn Eclipsed, going over the set's mechanics and themes!  Minnesota Mutual Aid Orgs   Good Luck High Five Fundraiser/Giveaway  For reference if needed, CNN published a rather thorough and well-documented overview of the situation in Minnesota: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/01/09/us/dhs-immigration-crackdown-ice-arrests-protes...

Ryan Overturf advocates for at least the occasional game of multiplayer Magic, and goes over his favorite ways to play with more than two players!  References:  Free-for-All Magic:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Free-for-All Two-Headed Giant:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Two-Headed_Giant  Star Magic:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Star  Emperor:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Emperor  Grand Melee:  http...

Ryan Overturf breaks down the design of his Omniscience Stack- An emblem Cube based on Omniscience Draft on Magic Arena and reminiscent of Type 4!  References:  Omniscience Stack Cube Cobra Page:  https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/91bb6713-5a13-4af9-9caa-29aea609e326  Omniscience Draft Wiki:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Omniscience_Draft  Type 4 Wiki:  https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Type_4  Pai Gow Mag...

Ryan Overturf goes over every major Magic release in 2025 in terms of aesthetics and mechanics and breaks down what the year meant for the world of Cube!  References:  Corey Bowen's article on designing Spider-Man- https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/spider-man-and-pick-two-draft

Ryan Overturf recounts one of his first tournament experiences at the Saviors of Kamigawa Prerelease and breaks down what a 20 year old memory can tell us about Cube design and the importance of enabling players to steal games.  Rhystic Studies' "The Zugzwang Machine":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I06luPguzrk  

The progenitor of the Grixis Cube talks about imbalancing colors or fully excluding some in Cube design! Find out what impact eschewing one or more of Magic's five colors has on a Cube, and what that means for individual designs! 

Ryan Overturf breaks down the concept of Bonus Sheets in draft, going over some versions of Bonus Sheets he's tried in his own Cubes and floats some considerations for different approaches to Bonus Sheets for other Cube designers!  SCG Bonus Sheet article: https://articles.starcitygames.com/magic-the-gathering/how-bonus-sheets-play-in-my-twobert-magic-cubes/

Ryan Overturf breaks down how you can use the concept of familiarity as a tool in Cube design to make your Cube more approachable and to get to the fun part of drafting again and again!