Power Level and Game Impact in Cube Design

View all cards mentioned in this episodeIn the third book club Episode, Anthony and Parker talk about Donald Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things. Originally published in 1988, the book was an influential criticism of the built world and interfaces establishing many concepts fundamental to user interface and industrial design today. It also introduces a metric ton of jargon per page.Our book club members talk about how these concepts apply to game and Cube design and their thinking about things more broadly.Discussed in this episode:The Design of Everyday Things by Donald NormanEnshittification concept and book by Cory DoctorowStatus and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change by W. David MarxBlank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century by W. David MarxBlood In the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian MerchantOther Book Club EpisodesIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro2:42 - The Design of Everyday Things7:43 - Mental Models12:04 - Trouble With Mapping16:58 - Cube REL/Humility19:40 - Don Please Turn off the Podcast21:03 - Types of Errors26:30 - Games are Intentionally Bad Design32:04 - Constraints34:55 - Knowledge in the World42:28 - Learned Helplessness48:20 - Neologisms50:59 - Choosing the Next Book

View all cards mentioned in this episodeIn this explicit episode of Lucky Paper Radio, Andy, Anthony, and Patrick recap their experience at Shoebox in St Paul, Minnesota. Shoebox celebrated a range of casual formats including team limited, pauper, and, of course, Cube! They talk about highlights from the weekend and the decks they drafted.Discussed in this episode:The Monster FuckDee Dee Mega Doo DooArties CubeShoeboxEiganjo DriftAquaone PoweredPenrose CubeHeatherCubeBoudican Destruction Horizon100 LotusesIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro7:23 - Fistfights12:04 - Pottery Studio16:28 - Weather and Planes18:58 - Microfame20:32 - Andy’s Draft of Artemis’ Cube24:19 - What is Shoebox29:41 - Anthony’s Draft of Eiganjo Drift32:09 - Patrick’s Draft of aquaone Powered36:51 - Andy’s Draft of Penrose Cube41:33 - Anthony’s Draft of HeatherCube45:31 - Andy’s Stone Soup53:30 - Anthony’s Stone Soup55:19 - Patrick’s New Friends57:22 - Pizza Time63:03 - Andy’s Draft of Boudica68:33 - Patrick’s Draft of Boudica72:10 - James’ Microcube72:56 - 100 Lotuses78:17 - Closing Thoughts79:36 - Anthony’s Draft of Companion Cube

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony finally just talk about epistemology and sort of address Magic: the Gathering. They talk about the way we all generally learn things and incorporate them into our understanding of the world around us, and how that manifests in the smaller world of the game.Discussed in this episode:ContraPoints on YouTubeThe Beginning of Infinity by David DeutschEvery Living Thing by Jason Roberts100 OrnithoptersRegular CubeCascade CascadeCube MapIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro4:55 - Epistemology11:43 - The Enlightenment14:43 - Authority20:29 - Empiricism26:49 - Explanations29:58 - Science as a Creative Process33:18 - Knowledge in Magic37:04 - Emergent Properties41:54 - Aggro-Midrange-Control45:53 - Cube Experiments51:10 - Mailbag!

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk with Greg about his Companion Cube. In this Cube, each player chooses a card from their deck before each game to be their ‘companion’, which their guaranteed access to. They talk about the history of the cube and the difference between the early days of frequent edits and the longer stable phase with less frequent changes.Greg is also one of the organizers of Shoebox an event happening next week in St Paul, Minnesota. Shoebox will prominently feature Cube as well as other formats that don’t usually get center stage and much more.Discussed in this episode:”Still Alive” from PortalCompanion CubeC4AC StreamShoeboxMuseum of ModernTake 5If 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro2:27 - Greg AKA Dinrovahorror4:16 - Shoebox10:35 - Companion Cube15:57 - Cube as Nostalgia18:48 - Power Level27:49 - Responding to Feedback32:22 - New Player Pitfalls35:42 - Comparing Companions40:49 - Control Decks42:37 - Clones46:13 - The Future

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about cutting a long-standing, controversial card from 100 Ornithopters: Echoing Boon. They talk about gameplay experiences with the card and why Andy decided to include a conspiracy in the cube in the first place. The ‘always on’ nature of conspiracies put certain constraints on the cube’s design. Andy talks about some of those limitations and changes he’s planning to make after they’re gone.Discussed in this episode:100 OrnithoptersCube For a CauseRhystic Studies Video on 100 OrnithoptersShoebox, St Paul, Minnesota, Mar 13-15, 2026If 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro4:46 - Echoing Boon13:20 - Why Cut Echoing Boon22:30 - Regrets25:23 - Leyline of Resonance30:55 - Blazing Shoal33:39 - Reverse Dunning-Kruger35:46 - “Must Cuts”38:20 - More Additions47:29 - City on Fire50:06 - Lunar Frenzy51:25 - Slip Through Space53:12 - Actual Cuts54:35 - Time Sieve57:51 - Mailbag

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony discuss how they think about themes within cubes. As always, our hosts beginning with a thorough defining of terms. They talk about how they think about thematically related sets of cards and how many they think can fit, or would want to, in a Cube. Andy has been exploring fitting a tight network of synergistic cards in his cube Take Five.They also talk about a new app Anthony built specifically for mapping synergies between cards within a cube. It lets you create a force directed diagram of every card in a cube and draw connections between individual or sets of cards. Give it a try with your own cube!Discussed in this episode:Regular CubeNew App: Cube Synergy MapperTake Five CubeAndy’s Take Five VideosCommander Spellbook - Magic Combo DatabaseSacred GeometryShoeboxMagic Card List SpellcheckerIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro3:01 - Cube Packages and Themes9:56 - Theme's in Anthony's Regular Cube14:41 - New App For Mapping Synergies withing a Cube16:46 - More Regular Cube Themes21:13 - Take Five and Combos23:07 - Theme Density25:12 - The Take Five Clown Car28:05 - Game Speed30:26 - Themes vs Good Cards34:35 - Fitting More Themes in Your Cube36:51 - Thematically Disconnected Cards40:29 - Synergies in Context47:03 - Wrap up

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about the concept of power level band or range in Cubes. It’s sometimes said a Cube should have a pretty even power level, with the strongest card being not too much stronger than the weakest, is a good idea. Our hosts talk about why that doesn’t always make sense and strategies for making Cubes with a wide band of power that still make sense.Discussed in this episode:Regular CubeSacred GeometryRecross the PathsNeoclassical CubeBun Magic Cube100 OrnithoptersIrregular CubeIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro4:48 - Power Levels16:34 - Against a Narrow Power Band19:55 - Absolute vs Relative Power24:09 - Bombs26:37 - Enablers vs Finishers32:01 - Absolute Game Impact36:28 - Power Curve46:35 - Summary

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy, Anthony, and Patrick recap their experience at Lunch Box, a 1 day Cube event in their home town of Baltimore raising funds for the Maryland Food Bank. They discuss the cubes they drafted, the highs and lows of their matches, and their overall experiences at the event.Discussed in this episode:Lunch BoxTwilight CubeRed TerrorLibrary of BabelScience CubeIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro2:34 - Lunchbox7:33 - Andy Draft 1 of Maggie's Twilight Cube13:45 - Patrick Draft 1 of Red Terror16:19 - Anthony Draft 1 of Red Terror20:04 - Andy Draft 2 of Library of Babel27:16 - Can we lose graciously?36:46 - Patrick and Anthony's Draft 2 of the Science Cube42:39 - Event Highlights

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about Star Magic, a unique multiplayer format that also happens to be a way to accommodate a draft with 5 players — a notoriously awkward number.In a Star Magic game, 5 players engage in a free-for-all game with a specific win condition. The game ends when any one player eliminates the two others seated furthest from them. Players sitting next to each other are neutrally affiliated but are motivated to collaborate by their one shared enemy, or not to if another is about to defeat both of their enemies.Our hosts talk about their recent exploration of the format and how they feel it’s a multiplayer experience that both applies to their own gameplay tastes, and to a typical cube not intentionally designed for multiplayer, than a full free-for-all game.Discussed in this episode:Star Magic Draft Format ExplanationStar Magic on the MTG WikiSacred GeometryRegular CubeIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:32 - Star Magic6:20 - Rules17:14 - First Impressions21:48 - Scaling from 1v125:46 - Politicking33:22 - Choosing a Cube for Star Magic41:22 - Munchkin46:54 - Final Thoughts

View all cards mentioned in this episodeIt’s been said that Cube Will Outlive Magic, but would it really? Andy and Anthony wildly speculate on the future in a thought experiment: what if Wizards of the Coast stopped existing tomorrow and no new cards were designed or printed. They theorize about how it would impact different elements of the player base and how it would impact their own relationship to the game, despite their relative independence from the flow of new cards.Discussed in this episode:King of Collectibles on NetflixNetrunnerIf 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:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro3:16 - The Death of Magic10:39 - Optimism12:49 - Pessimism15:02 - Playgroup Decay22:40 - Content Creators26:16 - Kitchen Table Players36:17 - Logistics44:59 - Spending Money on Cards is Kind of Dumb47:33 - A Called Shot53:36 - Netrunner