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:

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Dangerous Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk with Ollie about their Obscura Cube with the prompt “Dangerous.” Ollie’s interpretation of the prompt led them to build a desert cube where all lands cost life to generate colored mana. Limiting each player to 20 colored pips of mana over the course of a game reshapes the way player’s engage with their life total as a resource and creates a truly dangerous feeling sensation.

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
2:54 - Dangerous
12:45 - Lifegain
20:09 - Swamps
32:40 - Flavor
35:42 - Postgame
37:02 - Coverage
40:38 - Maintaining Dangerous
45:21 - Feedback
51:53 - New Cards

Leveraging Scarcity in Cube Design and Play Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

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Andy, Anthony, and Parker talk about how to draft cubes better by framing their thinking in terms of the scarcest resource in any give context. Flipping the perspective, they talk about how to leverage a diversity of themes as a cube designer.

Discussed in this episode:

Birds of Paradise Fundraiser
Level Up Your Cube Drafting With Scarcity article by Parker
The Self-Defeating Irony of Cube Conceits article by Parker
Parker’s Articles on Cascade Cascade
Turbo Cube
Tupelo Honey
100 Ornithopters
Sacred Geometry

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
5:15 - Turbo Cube
16:11 - Tupelo Honey
20:18 - Scarcity
26:41 - Applying Scarcity to New Cubes
34:24 - Scarcity for Designers
41:29 - Metagame Degeneration
56:57 - CASCADE CASCADE

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Collapse Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

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Gabe joins Andy and Anthony talk about his Obscura cube, starting with the prompt “collapse”. Gabe chose to build on the theme in both aesthetic and mechanical ways. Pulling heavily from zendikar sets he set a tone of a world after the collapse of civilization. Mechanically he hoped to create gameplay that put players in committed positions that could easily crumble. In the first half, before the event, they talk about the design process and fears and expectations. In the second they reflect on how the cube played out.

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
3:12 - Collapse
7:17 - Risk / Reward
14:05 - Balancing Vibes
18:21 - Expectations
23:09 - Postgame
26:31 - Hatching Plans
29:10 - Speed
31:45 - Landcallers
36:33 - Inferno Titan
40:21 - Desert Cubes
45:31 - Hindsight

Drafting and Designing Weird Cubes with Ryan Overturf Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony are joined by Cube icon Ryan Overturf to talk about drafting and designing weird cubes. They talk about his experience at CubeConbroadening his experience into novel designs. They go more in depth into Ryan’s cube Stadium Stampede where all players start with a copy of Strixhaven Stadium in play.

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
1:16 - Welcome Ryan Overturf
8:29 - Weird Cubes
14:11 - CubeCon
26:02 - Stadium Stampede, Ryan's Strixhaven Stadium Cube
31:40 - Uninteractible Permanents
36:43 - Stampede Continued
42:02 - Conceit Breaking
56:50 - Trusting Cube Designers, or Not
1:06:46 - Taking Weird Cubes Seriously

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Cavalier Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk with Dan, best known for creating the Devoid Cube, about his cube for Cube for a Cause: Obscura. Starting with the prompt “cavalier” Dan dove into the world of knights and found himself with a cube pulling heavily from the plane of Eldraine.

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
3:42 - Cavalier
7:53 - Eldraine at Home
12:45 - Flavor v. Mechanics
13:56 - Goals and Apprehensions
22:00 - Aesthetic Breaks
26:57 - Planar Cube
29:16 - Postgame / Selling the Cube
38:48 - The Other Prompts
41:42 - Resonance
48:05 - Lessons
50:40 - Bulk Sorting

Expensive Spells We Actually Like Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk about expensive cards in Cube — how high mana value cards fit into their cube designs. They talk about specific expensive cards they love, break down some specific roles they see the cards playing, and how variety makes cubes more fun.

Discussed in this episode:

Status and Culture by W. David Marx
The Score by C. Thi Nguyen

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
5:20 - High Mana Value Cards
13:25 - Pseudo Expensive Cards
22:00 - Baneslayers
36:35 - Interaction
40:14 - Texture
43:02 - Board Wipes
44:31 - Other Threats
49:54 - Lessons

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Anti-War Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

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In the first installment of Obscura cube design discussions, Andy and Anthony are joined by Ollie to talk about Anthony’s cube designed around the prompt “anti-war”. Moving past the literal interpretation of a cube without war, Anthony chose to make his cube all about presenting the profound horrors of war. The cube features cards that aesthetically or mechanically express brutality, hopelessness, greed, and resource extraction.

In the first half, recorded before the event, they talk about their hopes and expectations for the cube. In the second, post-event half they reflect on how well the design met its goals.

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
5:42 - Anti-War
10:15 - Power Outliers and Balance
19:38 - Feedback
29:00 - Postgame
30:25 - Edits
35:08 - Titan of Industry
39:41 - Things Happening
42:19 - Reflections

Summer 2026 Cube Zeitgeist Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony talk about recent trends in Cube design. After looking through the revealed Cube lists for the recent Cube for a Cause: Obscura our hosts noticed a few design features popping up again and again. They talk about them in the broader, evolving context of the Cube design community discussing if they reflect bigger trends. In particular, reflect on “art cards” — cards included for purely aesthetic reasons, desert cubes, cubes with no or minimal deckbuilding, and a casual approach to singleton breaks.

Discussed in this episode:

Obscura Cube Lists:

Legacy by Gabor
Monument by Jane
Feudal by Andy
Synesthesia by Lincoln
Omelas by Zach Barash
Cavalier by Dan Schneider
Genesis by Maggie
Ritual by Parker
Collapse by Gabe
Dangerous by Ollie
Telemetry by Gwen
Redemption by John Clara
Sublimate by Max
Worship by Scott
Periodic by Jake
Antiwar by Anthony Mattox
Deja Vu by Brett

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
1:12 - Recent Cube Design Trends
8:18 - Art Cards
16:36 - Asystematic Singleton Breaks
30:05 - Desert Cubes
39:44 - Minimal Deckbuilding Cubes
47:48 - No Deckbuild Logistics
54:17 - Other Trends

What Makes a Card “Sacred?” Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

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Sometimes a card design just sings — all of the individual elements come together to make an elegant, resonant game piece. In this episode Andy and Anthony talk about this concept through the lens of Andy’s cube Sacred Geometry as he considers committing even harder to the bit.

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
4:07 - Sacred Geometry Ruminations
8:52 - Slots
11:42 - Tokens
13:07 - Fixing
15:29 - Card Naming Thesaurus
20:13 - Power Deltas
23:30 - Oracle Text
29:47 - Artifacts
40:14 - Artifact Ramp
43:14 - Resonance Problems
48:44 - Mindslaver
50:31 - Conclusions

Open Drafting Take Five Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

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Andy and Anthony collaboratively draft Andy’s Take Five cube, discussing their strategy through a whole draft and how they might approach this unique environment. To follow along, or try the draft yourself before listening, you can download the seeded pack list and upload it to Draftmancer.

Also check out the cards mentioned page for the pack by pack view and final deck.

Discussed in this episode:

Download Pack List to upload to Draftmancer
Take Five

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