Games

Lucky Paper Radio

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.

Latest Episodes:

Cube Ennui Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony some of the challenges with saying engaged with Cube design as a hobby and in particular how Andy feels about his current roster of cubes.

Discussed in this episode:

Take Five
100 Ornithopters
Sacred Geometry
Neoclassical Cube
Portlandia Sketches We Can Pickle That and Put a Bird on it
Obscura Cubes

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
1:35 - Looms and LaserDiscs
13:48 - Cube Ennui
17:32 - MTGO and Draws
22:28 - Universes Beyond
24:48 - Take Five
31:59 - Crossroads
37:29 - Ambition
44:11 - Sacred Geometry
50:48 - Balancing Projects
54:06 - Criticism

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Monument Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk with Jane about her Obscura cube based on the prompt ”Monument.” Starting with a heavy dose of memorials, obelisks, and other monumental structures she designed a cube that itself feels like a monolith. Players draft 4 packs of 15 in this desert cube and can’t make any cuts, forcing them to engage with, and find a way to use, every card they draft.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
7:34 - History
10:34 - Small Creatures and Enchantments
15:55 - Lands
24:08 - Aesthetics
27:59 - Power Outliers
31:39 - Vorthos
35:22 - Postgame
38:53 - Anthony’s Draft
42:10 - NASA Tampons
52:46 - Flavor Text
55:58 - Lessons

Set Review Backlog: Edge of Eternities to Reality Fracture Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

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Rejoice! Parker is back in the studio for a second episode in a row! He’s joining Andy and Anthony to do a little speedrun through all the recent sets they haven’t reviewed on the podcast — from Edge of Eternities to Reality Fracture. Which sets have been the most popular for cubes across all of Cube Cobra? Which cards and mechanics do they like the most? Why does it seem like every Universes Within set is a nostalgia-laden, Modern Horizons style callback? Does “genius” exist?

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
0:00 - Intro
2:31 - Genius
7:55 - Set Roundup
10:08 - Edge of Eternities and Warp
19:36 - Cryogen Relic
23:18 - Ourobouroid
28:18 - Spider Man
30:42 - Badgermole Cub
33:43 - Lessons
36:44 - Lorwyn and Nostalgia
41:43 - Jellyfish
45:17 - TMNT
48:27 - Secrets of Strixhaven
55:38 - The Hobbit
58:16 - Reality Fracture
1:04:28 - Zeta Set
1:05:52 - Wrap Up

Book Club: The Score by C. Thi Nguyen Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Andy, Anthony, and Parker tackle C. Thi Nguyen’s The Score in their fourth episode of “Book Club.” Nguyen’s book compares how metrics apply to and effect games and social structures. He argues that while metrics are a defining construct that allow games to exist and be fun, when applied to social situations and optimized they are often destructive. Our hosts discuss this theses and other arguments presented in the book.

Discussed in this episode:

The Score by C. Thi Nguyen
Merlin Bird I.D App
Episode 206: The Joy of Gaming with Richard Garfield
Games and the Art of Agency by C. Thi Nguyen
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein
How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell
End Times Fascism by by Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor
The Nerd Reich by Gil Durán

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
5;30 - Birds and Value Capture
15:35 - Stakes and Metrics
19:24 - Andy Doesn’t Like Books
23:40 - The Art of Decision Making
32:27 - How to Stop Playing Someone Elses Game
38:12 - Lecturing
46:05 - Neologisms
53:54 - Cube Design and Events
1:02:28 - Big Tech

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Legacy Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk with Gabor about their Obscura Cube designed from the prompt “Legacy,” a very loaded term in the Cube space. Skipping past the obvious interpretation, Gabor chose to look to legacy board games for inspiration — games that permanently change across a series of play sessions. Starting with a nostalgic list of iconic cards, Gabor altered the Cube over the course of the weekend, swapping in cards from an second list with input from players. Drafters made choices about host the cube changed and also altered cards from their decks. At the end of the weekend, the cube was left more powerful and marked by each player.

Discussed in this episode:

Gabor’s Cube: “Legacy”
C4AC Obscura
Legacy Board Games
Oath, Board Game by Cole Wehrle
“King Me”: A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design, talk by Cole Wehrle
Sisterhood of the Traveling Cube
Roguelike Celebration

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
1:29 - Legacy
12:03 - The List
17:16 - Goals
22:10 - Predictions
26:32 - Postgame and Top 8
28:43 - Mystery
33:33 - Sharpies and Stickers
42:48 - Trust

Inland Northwest Cube Fest II Recap Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

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Andy recaps his experience at the second annual Inland Northwest Cube Fest to Anthony. He talks through each of his four drafts at the event, recounting how he handled novel Cube environments and gameplay highlights. He talks about the overall experience of the event including the printed cube companion guides, hosting a draft of 100 Ornithopters, and other extra-curricular activities.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
2:29 - Inland Northwest Cube Fest II
7:15 - Bridges Over Troubled Water
20:20 - Secondhand
29:46 - 100 Ornithopters
32:47 - Middle Child
41:47 - The Shepard Cube
52:47 - Magic is Hard
53:25 - Extras

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Feudal Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

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Andy, Jane, and Anthony talk about Andy’s Obscura cube, prompted with the word ”feudal.” His attempted to capture the experience of feudalism in gameplay by putting the powerful cards in certain spots that would force players to build decks a certain way. Powerful, high devotion lords, as much as possible represented by sinister human creatures, motivate players into mono colored decks. Players have no option but to fill out their decks with individually weak, under-rate creatures. As a foil, players eschew the high devotion lords and unite the individually weak cards multi-color deck rewarded by domain payoffs.

The talk about Andy’s design process. Then looking at the decks drafted at the event, they reflect on how successful these specific design goals were.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
4:12 - Feudal
9:06 - Monocolored Decks
12:28 - Flavor
16:56 - Multicolor Decks
24:30 - Scarecrows
30:25 - Predictions
37:17 - Metagame Breakdown
46:49 - Changes
51:53 - Manabases
58:09 - Balance
1:00:30 - Does any of this Matter

The Paradox of Balance in Cube Design Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

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What makes a cube “balanced”? When a card or deck performs very differently in the hands of especially skilled players, are they using their greater knowledge of the game to exploit a balance issue that others can’t see? Or are they just having the predictable success you would expect from a more skilled player? Is the experience of strong players a better indicator of a cube’s balance because they use cards optimally? Or are they exploiting the cards in a way that, if balanced for, would negatively impact the play experience of the average player?

We sure as hell don’t know, but you can listen to us try to figure it out for an hour if you want.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
3:30 - Balance
14:56 - Fun
19:45 - Expectations
23:14 - 100 Ornithopters Balance
28:10 - Metagame Development
37:47 - Smash Ultimate
49:33 - Starter Decks

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Déjà Vu Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk with Brett about his Obscura Cube. Prompted with the phrase “Déjà vu” Brett explored some wild, logistically impossible ideas before settling on a cube filled to the brim with subtle repetitions. The feeling of things having happened before manifests in my ways from multiple copies of Accumulated Knowledge, Memory Lapses that create repeated moments, and repetitive single card engines.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
1:14 - Déjà vu
11:46 - One Card Decks
14:55 - Balancing
20:50 - Hatebears
26:02 - Defining Déjà vu
29:44 - Callbacks
34:44 - Postgame
38:08 - Familiarity
41:21 - Blue-White Blink
45:25 - Blind Cubes
47:53 - Tension
49:32 - Moodboarding
51:58 - Future Updates

Capitol Cube Championship 2026 Tournament Report Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony recap their experience at Capitol Cube Championship in Washington D.C. They talk about the five different cube drafts they did between them and their overall experience at the event.

Discussed in this episode:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

You can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box:

Lucky Paper
PO Box 4855
Baltimore, MD 21211

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps