Lucky Paper Radio

Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox
  • 4.6 (118)
  • Games
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 8h ago

    Expensive Spells We Actually Like

    View all cards mentioned in this episode 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 MarxThe Score by C. Thi NguyenIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro5:20 - High Mana Value Cards13:25 - Pseudo Expensive Cards22:00 - Baneslayers36:35 - Interaction40:14 - Texture43:02 - Board Wipes44:31 - Other Threats49:54 - Lessons

  2. 4d ago ·  Bonus

    Bonus Episode — Obscura: Anti-War

    View all cards mentioned in this episode 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: Anthony’s Anti-War Obscura Cube ListPacifism CubeC4AC ObscuraThe Fire SwampYayoi KusamaIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro5:42 - Anti-War10:15 - Power Outliers and Balance19:38 - Feedback29:00 - Postgame30:25 - Edits35:08 - Titan of Industry39:41 - Things Happening42:19 - Reflections

    Bonus Episode — Obscura: Anti-War

  3. Sep 7

    Summer 2026 Cube Zeitgeist

    View all cards mentioned in this episode 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: The ScoreTake FiveTurbo Cube100 OrnithoptersThe Amonkar DesertLoxodon Mierarchs Desert CubeThe Giver CubeThe Ball PitGoblin GameResplendentObscura Cube Lists: Legacy by GaborMonument by JaneFeudal by AndySynesthesia by LincolnOmelas by Zach BarashCavalier by Dan SchneiderGenesis by MaggieRitual by ParkerCollapse by GabeDangerous by OllieTelemetry by GwenRedemption by John ClaraSublimate by MaxWorship by ScottPeriodic by JakeAntiwar by Anthony MattoxDeja Vu by BrettIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro1:12 - Recent Cube Design Trends8:18 - Art Cards16:36 - Asystematic Singleton Breaks30:05 - Desert Cubes39:44 - Minimal Deckbuilding Cubes47:48 - No Deckbuild Logistics54:17 - Other Trends

  4. Aug 31

    What Makes a Card “Sacred?”

    View all cards mentioned in this episode 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: Feudal Cube Auction on EbaySacred GeometryHellraiserRegular CubeVirtually French 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro4:07 - Sacred Geometry Ruminations8:52 - Slots11:42 - Tokens13:07 - Fixing15:29 - Card Naming Thesaurus20:13 - Power Deltas23:30 - Oracle Text29:47 - Artifacts40:14 - Artifact Ramp43:14 - Resonance Problems48:44 - Mindslaver50:31 - Conclusions

  5. Aug 24

    Open Drafting Take Five

    View all cards mentioned in this episode 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 DraftmancerTake FiveIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro0:00 - Glasses2:20 - Draft Along - Take Five6:14 - Pack 1 Pick 1 - How Important are Lands?16:29 - Scroll of Fate27:18 - Pack 240:22 - Pack 349:45 - Final Cuts53:34 - Review and Grade

  6. Aug 17

    Exploring Cube Cobra’s New Winrate Analysis Features

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy and Anthony explore Cube Cobra’s new analytic tools for card and deck winrates. The new features allow you to upload decks and their matchup records, or import matchup data if a Cube has been played at an event using Hedron Network to track matches. After Andy diligently imported hundreds of decks for 100 Ornithopters, they talk through all the different visualizations and how they might use them as Cube designers. Discussed in this episode: Intro SourceCube CobraHedron Network, the software for running Cube events100 OrnithoptersWinrate Analysis for 100 OrnithoptersAndy’s Video Deep Dive on the Winrate Analysis for 100 OrnithoptersJett’s Article on winrate analysisElo Rating SystemIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro1:30 - Draft Data5:51 - Caveats12:37 - Takign good Deck Photos16:50 - Winningest Ornithopter Deck18:03 - Winrate by Color24:07 - WR by Type and Mana Value29:00 - Color Performance30:50 - Matchup Matrix32:50 - Color Pair Performance34:33 - All Color Combos39:35 - Archetype Map44:12 - Matchup Matrix47:24 - Win Rate vs Elo52:24 - Top Synergies53:36 - All Cards55:43 - Surprises and Takeaways

  7. Aug 10

    Summertime Mailbag

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy and Anthony first talk about their upcoming series of interviews related to Cube For a Cause: Obscura. The event will feature 17 secret Cubes from 17 well known designers created just for the event. Until the first packs are cracked, the contents of each have been kept completely unknown. Each episode in the series will feature a designer talking about their plans going in before the event and a post-mortem discussion of how their cube played. With announcements and logistics out of the way, Andy and Anthony open up the mailbag and answer some questions from listeners. Discussed in this episode: Our Patreon where you can support us for faster releases of the Obscura InterviewsAndy’s Videos on YoutubeRyan Overturf’s VideosDegenerate Cuber featuring Lucky Paper crossed out in the thumbnailBook Recommendations: A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray SilversteinA People’s History of the United States by Howard ZinnBlindsight by Peter Watts. The full text is available here for free from the author.The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le GuinInfinite Jest by David Foster WallaceTop Reddits: r/ramenr/fermentationr/kojir/xbikingr/tattooadvicer/tattoobeginnersIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro2:03 - Opening up the Mailbag5:06 - Obscura9:34 - Patreon Support for Bonus Episode Releases15:51 - Obscura Interview Series17:52 - Andy's Youtube Videos20:45 - How have we managed to keep the podcast going so long?24:12 - What's a sign a cube isn't for you?25:30 - What does 'winning' mean for a cube designer?28:00 - What's up with that time you stabbed yourself?33:47 - What's the biggest argument Andy and Anthony have had?38:03 - What are your favorite dishes the other cooks?40:54 - Recommend some books.43:22 - What are your top subreddits?48:59 - What are your other favorite TCGs or other games?

  8. Aug 3

    Cross Pod Cube Throw Down: Regular Cube vs Sacred Geometry

    View all cards mentioned in this episode In a strange experiment, Andy and Anthony organize drafts of their cubes Sacred Geometry and Regular Cube and then pair players against the opposite cube. The two cubes have some major similarities, and clear differences. They wanted to see how drastically skewed win records would be towards one cube, and see what else they can learn. The experiment highlighted some unexpected differences and individual cards that skewed up or down when played against a different battery of opponents. Discussed in this episode: Sacred GeometryRegular CubeBun Magic Cube100 OrnithoptersThe Red TerrorIf 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro01:45 - The Experiment - Regular Cube vs Sacred Geometry11:10 - Post-Draft12:32 - Anthony’s Draft13:56 - Andy vs Anthony18:33 - Max Aggro20:51 - Control Mirror26:47 - Impossible Mirror30:21 - Anthony is Outclassed33:30 - Results41:08 - Texture vs Density42:29 - Subverted Expectations46:11 - Expanding on the Concept50:43 - Mana Fixing53:23 - More Cube vs Cube

See All (333)

Trailer

4.6
out of 5
118 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    333
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox
  • Show Website
    Lucky Paper Radio

You Might Also Like