Lucky Paper Radio

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 it happen. We use her  Peasant Cube  as a jumping o...

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 to NOT include a physical counter, but I forgot the...

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 Vista Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 3:37 - Ward...

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 it work. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the episo...

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 strategies. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the episode...

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: After 34 Years, Someone Finally Beat Tetris Tetris J...

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 mentioned in the episode →⁠ Discussed in this episo...

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 Special Power Thesaurus [Cheugy]( https://en.wiki...

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 intros 7:37 - Overview of episode structure 9:03 - Park...

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 game, and a product, has fundamentally changed i...

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 bigsofttitty.png Cubes Mentioned Regular Cube Ryan Saxe...

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 episode: Lucky Paper Radio — The ABCs of Aggro Lucky P...

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 cards mentioned in the episode →⁠ Discussed in thi...

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 Cube, or Turbo Cube we’d love your feedback incl...

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 →⁠ Discussed in this episode: “It’s Not Too Late” —...

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 some rough edges, to win the entire main event....

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 Cube Draft CubeCon VODs Sam Black’s Podcast Episo...

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 first time feel easier. ⁠View all cards mentioned in t...

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 relevant, as we are old and have awful memory. We...

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 Today Lonely Sandwich Magic Data Science CubeCon Anal...

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 episode →⁠ Discussed in this episode: Spike University P...

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 from every Cube. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the...

Andy and Anthony give a primer on drafting Andy’s  Bun Magic Cube . They talk about how the environment compares to similar Cubes that play many of the most iconic, powerful cards in the game. They discuss key cards, strategies, and potential pitfalls players could fall into. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the episode →⁠ Discussed in this episode: Cube Con 2023 Cube Map Print Regular Cube Draft Prim...

Andy, Anthony, and Parker review the results of the  Cube community set review of Wilds of Eldraine . They discuss the top cards from the set. No surprise, adventure cards dominate. They also reflect on some of the potentially changing attitudes of the Cube community reflected in the differences between this, and past set reviews. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the episode →⁠ Timestamps: 0:00 - Intr...

Andy and Anthony talk finally follow up on  episode 6  and discuss control decks. They talk about what makes a control deck, what it takes to make them functional, and the different ways they look in different Cube environments. ⁠View all cards mentioned in the episode →⁠ Discussed in this episode: Episode 132: Designing Set Cubes with Aran Episode 6: The ABCs of Aggro Control Decks | MAGIC: THE G...