Cube Abhors a Vacuum with Sam Cote

Welcome to the thirteenth bonus episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the craft of Magic: The Gathering cube design! On this special bonus episode, I am coming to you live from Capitol Cube Championship in Washington DC, a fantastic event ran by Lincoln for charity! Join me as we talk to the players at the event, talk to the designers of the cubes I played, hear about my and others experiences in the cubes, discuss our favorite plays and decks, and much more! If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more deep dives into cube design on future episodes of Cuberviews!Also, ConnectiCube 2027 is happening March 13th and 14th next year! It is a 128 person cube event with a bevy of really unique and exciting cubes available to play. Lunch will be provided within the cost of the ticket for both Saturday and Sunday. Cube submission is still available and ends 12/31/2026, so if you have a cube you would like to see in the event, submit it!If you purchase your ticket before 2027, you will get a reduced ticket price!Cube Submission: ⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4M_6l2lEY_u_R-ljObImJ-UFGoRh-mmfy-4GJDNxFWztgGg/viewform?usp=header⁠Ticket Purchases here: ⁠https://buy.stripe.com/8x2fZh0bSa7VaJ2eXLak001⁠ConnectiCube Website: ⁠https://connecticutcube.com/⁠ConnectiCube Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/MTmrH7enkV⁠Follow us on Bluesky for updates: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/connecticube.bsky.social⁠Capitol Cube Championship: https://capitolcube.org/My Trinket Cube: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/trinketMusic By Michael Vekstein: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusic

Welcome to the 63rd episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design!Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Chris Moore to talk about a cube all about casting spells from anywhere other than your hand, The Exile Files!In today's episode, we're diving into the 'exile matters' mechanic in cube. Is it right for your environment? We'll break down how it works, explore hidden gems that support the strategy without directly referencing exile, and a whole lot more!Enjoy!Also, ConnectiCube 2027 is happening March 13th and 14th next year! It is a 128 person cube event with a bevy of really unique and exciting cubes available to play. Lunch will be provided within the cost of the ticket for both Saturday and Sunday. Cube submission is still available and ends 12/31/2026, so if you have a cube you would like to see in the event, submit it!If you purchase your ticket before 2027, you will get a reduced ticket price!Cube Submission: ⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4M_6l2lEY_u_R-ljObImJ-UFGoRh-mmfy-4GJDNxFWztgGg/viewform?usp=header⁠Ticket Purchases here: ⁠https://buy.stripe.com/8x2fZh0bSa7VaJ2eXLak001⁠ConnectiCube Website: ⁠https://connecticutcube.com/⁠ConnectiCube Discord: ⁠https://discord.gg/MTmrH7enkV⁠Follow us on Bluesky for updates: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/connecticube.bsky.social⁠CubeCon: ⁠https://cubecon.org/The Exile Files: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/Sammich-Exile-FilesMusic By Michael Vekstein: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusic

Welcome to the twelfth bonus episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the craft of Magic: The Gathering cube design! On this special bonus episode, I am coming to you live from Madison Wisconsin for CubeCon 2026, one of the premier cube events! Join me as we talk to the players at the event, talk to the cube designers of the cubes I played, hear about my and others experiences in the cubes, discuss our favorite plays and decks, and much more! If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more deep dives into cube design on future episodes of Cuberviews!Also, ConnectiCube 2027 is happening March 13th and 14th next year! It is a 128 person cube event with a bevy of really unique and exciting cubes available to play. Lunch will be provided within the cost of the ticket for both Saturday and Sunday. Cube submission is still available and ends 12/31/2026, so if you have a cube you would like to see in the event, submit it!If you purchase your ticket before 2027, you will get a reduced ticket price!Cube Submission: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4M_6l2lEY_u_R-ljObImJ-UFGoRh-mmfy-4GJDNxFWztgGg/viewform?usp=headerTicket Purchases here: https://buy.stripe.com/8x2fZh0bSa7VaJ2eXLak001ConnectiCube Website: https://connecticutcube.com/ConnectiCube Discord: https://discord.gg/MTmrH7enkVFollow us on Bluesky for updates: https://bsky.app/profile/connecticube.bsky.socialCubeCon: https://cubecon.org/Music By Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusic

Welcome to the 62nd episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design!Today, I am excited to be joined by Brian Christeson to talk about his sci-fi themed cube, The Chrome Wars!On this episode, we discuss how a cube's complexity can mean different things depending on the unique backgrounds and experiences your players bring to the draft, how spaceships and spacecrafts have played in the cube, the thematic and aesthetic choices behind the archetypes chosen by Brian, and much more! The Chrome Wars: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/chromewarsMusic by Michael Vekstein: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusic⁠Art by Tyler Reed: ⁠Funnylittleguys.com

Welcome to the eleventh bonus episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the craft of Magic: The Gathering cube design! On this special bonus episode, I am coming to you live from Brooklyn, New York for Cube For A Cause Obscura, a cube event where all of the cube lists were hidden to the players at the event! Join me as we talk to the players at the event, hear from the mystery cube designers, discuss our favorite plays and decks, and recap how we felt this event compared to normal cube events. If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more deep dives into cube design on future episodes of Cuberviews!Music By Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicUpkeep New York Discord: https://discord.gg/RyCV964uUqCube For A Cause: https://www.upkeepnewyork.com/c4ac

Welcome to the 61st episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design!Today, I am thrilled to be joined by Alan of Mental Misplay to discuss his long-running multiplayer cube project, A Cube With No Name—a cube filled with conspiracies, Un- cards, Mystery Booster cards, unknown event cards, and tons of other crazy stuff.On this episode, we dive into the many stories behind how cards found their way into the cube, how the project wouldn’t be possible without all of Alan’s travels to different events, some incredible gameplay stories, and much more!A Cube With No Name: cube // Commander (Progenitus) deck list mtg // Moxfield — MTG Deck BuilderMental Misplay YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalMisplayMusic by Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicArt by Tyler Reed: Funnylittleguys.com

Welcome to the 60th episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design!Today, I’m happy to be joined by my good friend Sam Cote to discuss a special topic inspired by the ancient philosophical concept attributed to Aristotle: “nature abhors a vacuum.” In this episode, we explore how cube can similarly “abhor a vacuum” and how you can design an environment to fill gaps in your local playgroup’s ecosystem of cubes.We talk about examples of how this has happened in our own local playgroup, Sam’s newest project, Like Tears in Rain, which will be featured at CubeCon 2026, and much more!I hope you enjoy the episode! If you do, like and subscribe to keep up with new episodes.Like Tears in Rain: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/3b63f9b4-99b1-41f0-ab05-b3dc7850c9c1?view=primerMusic by Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicArt by Tyler Reed: Funnylittleguys.co⁠m

Welcome to the 59th episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design! Today I am very excited to be joined by Jack Kerns to discuss The Trading Post Cube, a cube where each player starts the game with a hexproof and indestructible copy of Trading Post in play. In this episode, we discuss how Trading Post adds both unique gameplay and cube design opportunities while also posing problems that Jack has addressed in his cube design, how all four of the abilities of Trading Post are highly utilized in the cube, including hate cards in your cube, and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode, and like and subscribe to keep up to date with new ones! The Trading Post Cube: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/TheTradingPostCube?view=primerMusic By Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicArt by Tyler Reed: Funnylittleguys.co

Welcome to the tenth bonus episode of Cuberviews, where I sit down with friends to explore the craft of Magic: The Gathering cube design!In this special edition, I'm coming to you live from Boston Cube Party! Join me as we recap an action-packed weekend of drafting. From the play-by-play of my own drafts to deep dives into the variety of environments featured at the event, we cover it all. You’ll hear from the event organizers, hear drafting stories from other drafters, and sit down with the tournament winner to discuss what it takes to draft a winning deck in a high-level environment.If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and stay tuned for more deep dives into cube design on future episodes of Cuberviews!Music By Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicBoston Cube Party Discord: https://discord.gg/fdC3DBFzxtDeck Photos: https://imgur.com/a/R3JyvteBoston Cube Party: https://bostoncubeparty.com/

Welcome to the 58th episode of Cuberviews, a podcast where I sit down with friends to explore the world of Magic: The Gathering cube design! Today I am ecstatic to be joined by Caleb Durward to discuss how Vintage Cube has evolved over time. In this episode, we discuss how its curve has lowered over the years, the rise of snowballing threats, how the power level of different colors has shifted, the changing role of raw card advantage, and so much more. I hope you enjoy the episode! Also, be sure to check out Caleb's content!Caleb's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/calebdmtgCaleb's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/calebdmtgMusic By Michael Vekstein: https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJesseMakesMusicArt by Tyler Reed: https://funnylittleguys.com