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:

Smells Like Synergy May 03, 2021

Show notes

Our Strixhaven set review episode is coming to you next week. We weren’t able to do the episode in a timely fashion due to life circumstances, but we’re going to make sure we bring the quality. Thanks for your patience!

On this week’s episode, Andy and Anthony talk about Cube and synergy. Synergy means many things to many different cube players and designers and is used to talk about both environments and decks. We tease out a few ways to define synergy, and how we use it to frame our goals as cube designers and how it’s part of our strategies as players. We discuss how ‘synergy’ overlaps with structured, low power, cubes with color pair driven archetypes and high power combo strategies. Anthony shares his enthusiasm for a new cube with its own set of ’rares’, and his excitement about small doses of radically draft warping cards.

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Ryan’s Peasantish Cube. Thank’s Ryan!

Discussed in this episode:

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
3:08 Pack 1, Pick 1
12:08 What is synergy?
49:01 Anthony’s Beta Cube with Rare Sauce
1:02:32 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you have a question for the show, or want us to do a pack 1, pick 1 from your cube, email us at mail@luckypaper.co. Please include how you’d like to be credited on air, your pronouns, and if you’re submitting a cube for the pack 1, pick 1, a link to said cube.

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Strixhaven Mechanics and Kinds of Decisions Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Our Strixhaven and Commander 2021 Cube surveys are open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new sets.

Andy and Anthony talk about the new mechanics in Strixhaven and what they have us most excited for in cube. They cover the unique draft mechanic of Learn and Lesson and the ways it can be applied to cube, and the exciting expansion of spells matter and protection mechanics.

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from captainawesome’s The Awesome Cube chock full of awesome borderless cards. Read all about the history of this awesome cube in the detailed blog.

Discussed in this episode:

The 540’s delightful observation on Lessons
Strixhaven Mechanics

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
2:26 Pack 1, Pick 1
12:02 Variance and different kinds of complexity and decisions
26:27 Learn and Lessons
38:25 Magecraft
43:04 Ward
48:09 MDFCs
53:53 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

The Show Must Go On Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

Our Strixhaven and Commander 2021 Cube surveys are open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new sets.

Due to the loss of a close, personal friend, Andy and Anthony are off this week. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please consult the resources available from The American Association of Suicidology. If you’re able, please consider donating blood through The Red Cross.

This week, guest hosts Parker and Kennedy discuss their most recent Cube draft adventure. When is Boros better than Mono-Red? What does it take to make Vendetta first-pickable? What’s the big deal about Kird Ape? And, most importantly, what is the secret to amazing homemade salsa?

Discussed in this episode:

Timestamps:

2:03 Intro
4:21 Listener Submitted p1p1
14:24 Nepotism p1p1 from Parker’s “Mordor’s Cube” and contextual card evaluation.
25:12 Outro and Kennedy’s Salsa Recipe

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Cube, Art School, & Critical Discourse Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Our Strixhaven and Commander 2021 Cube surveys are open! Please take a few minutes to let us know what you’re testing in your cube from the new sets.

This week, Andy and Anthony share a little of their personal history and how important their tools for critical discourse they learned in art school have been to their lives, Magic very much included. They talk about how they first met and the ubiquitous art school critique.

From their pack 1, pick 1 of Jean’s Fast Multiplayer Cube they delve into they change their card evaluations in a multi-player format. I’m not saying it’s a spoiler, but The Akroan War gets a little special attention for it’s flavorful top down design, complex play patterns, and stunning artwork.

Discussed in this episode:

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
5:11 Listener Submitted p1p1
18:09 Dwell on [[The Akroan War]]
25:28 Cube and Art School
44:20 A Crash Course in Critical Discourse
1:07:25 Summary of Main Topic
1:13:33 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Cube Is Not a Monolith Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

This week, Andy and Anthony take aim at the dominating rhetoric about Cube which takes for granted it is a format showcasing the most powerful cards in Magic. They tackle the big effects that small patterns in language can have, excluding huge areas of creative cube design. Our hosts reflect on just how effective the Cube Map is at visualizing the existing diversity in the format, and hinting at the vast empty spaces yet to be explored.

Our pack 1, pick 1 comes from the Nega Cube, currently taking the spotlight on MTGO, which features only cards not included in any other MTGO cube.

Timestamps:

2:32 Tech Support: the Problem of Mismatched Mental Models
8:58 P1P1 from the Nega Cube
20:13 Dismantling the Monolith of Cube
51:38 Andy’s Soapbox: Don’t Call Cards “Boring” or “Interesting”
54:58 Andy’s Soapbox Stacked on a Soapbox: “Please Wizards, we’re good over here”
1:01:30 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

More Mana, Faster Mana Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

This week, Andy and Anthony discuss changes to Andy’s Bun Magic Cube, updated to include a dramatic increase in the number of mana fixing lands and filling out a suite of fast mana. Our hosts discuss how this level of mana fixing changes a draft, and what questions they’re asking themselves to try to recalibrate expectations when drafting the shifted environment. Andy argues increasing the amount of ‘broken’ fast mana decreases variance, creating a more fun draft environment. And Anthony, uncharacteristically, defends a six drop that isn’t Colossal Dreadmaw.

We take a pack 1, pick 1 from listener John’s 360 Card Cube for 2. In the spirit of the cube, we open a grid draft pack and try to maximize the best three cards from a pack of 9.

Timestamps:

4:12 Listener Submitted Pack One, Pick One
15:28 Adding More Lands to a Cube
32:05 Fast Mana in a Fair Environment
55:18 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Introducing the Cube Map Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

The Cube Map: Exploring over 20,000 Magic: the Gathering Cube lists

On this very special bonus episode, Andy and Anthony are joined by Jett to tell everyone about a project they have been working on for a long time: the Cube Map! Read more about how the map was made in Jett’s in depth article. A huge thanks to Cube Cobra for providing us with the data to make the map possible. If you have the means, please consider donating to their Patreon to show your support for community driven, open-source and open-data Cube tools.

No listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 on this bonus episode, but keep those cube lists coming!

Discussed in this episode:

Philosophize This

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

A Flat Power Level Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Anyone who has spent any time in Cube design circles has heard the supposed virtues of an environment with a “flat” power level, where the worst card is no less appealing or less playable than the best. On this week’s Lucky Paper Radio, Andy and Anthony are unpacking this truism and discussing the impacts of individual card power delta on a given cube more broadly. They two also touch on Magic as a spectator sport, PVDDR’s Youtube channel and subsequent article on Star City Games, Andy’s biggest weakness as a player (or at least one of them), whether or not power level delta and 4-5 color “goodstuff” decks are causally linked, and Anthony’s radical idea for his next cube project.

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Nate’s “Peasant Combo” cube. Thanks, Nate!

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction
5:45 Listener Submitted p1p1
16:23 Power Level Disparity within a Cube
48:09 Build-Arounds and out-of-strategy cards
58:58 Summary of Power Level Discussion
1:11:35 Outro and Anthony’s Pita Bread Recipe

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Cubers Anonymous with Justin Parnell Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Andy and Anthony welcome Justin Parnell on this week’s episode of Lucky Paper Radio. Justin was one of the first Magic writers to write about Cube and graciously shares stories from the format’s earlier days. From curating his own cube to designing environments for open, competitive play, we get a glimpse into how Justin thinks about Magic.

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Dan’s “Ancient Times” cube. Thanks, Dan!

Discussed in this episode:

Timestamps:

0:53 Introduction
9:18 Listener Submitted p1p1
26:10 How Justin First became Interested in Cube
42:23 Cube in the Time of Covid
53:11 Thinking as a Player vs. Thinking as a Designer
1:05:26 Designing Cubes for Different Contexts
1:20:08 The Player’s Cube
1:26:09 Outro

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Spring Cleaning Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Do you like your podcast episodes to be carefully planned and tightly edited, with the hosts staying laser focused on the topic at hand? If so, then this episode of Lucky Paper Radio is probably not for you! This week, Andy and Anthony are jumping around between a couple of topics, some only dubiously related to Magic, so let the timestamps be your guide if you think musings on world geography are a waste of your time.

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Pablo’s cube “Fundies”. Thanks, Pablo!

Discussed in this episode:

Timestamps:

1:24 Introduction and GeoGuessr Gab
15:42 Listener Submitted Pack 1 Pick 1
25:13 A Bold and Brave Apology from Andy
51:01 A Correction on [[Esika’s Chariot]]
55:42 Updated Rules Text Rundown
57:57 Outro and Pickled Mushroom Recipe

Anthony’s Recipe for Soy-Pickled Mushrooms:

2 cups (40g) Dried Shitake Mushroom Caps
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
1/4 cup White Sugar
1 or 2 oz Crushed Ginger
1/2 tsp White Pepper (optional)
—
Soak mushrooms in hot water to soften (15 - 30 minutes)
Drain (reserving liquid)
Thinly slice mushrooms (or whatever)
Combine mushrooms, 1 cup soaking liquid, and other ingredients in a pot, simmer for 30 minutes
Discard ginger, pack mushrooms in a jar, and add enough brine to cover
—
Fills a 2 cup mason jar

Original recipe from Momofuku by David Chang

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

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