Lucky Paper Radio

Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox
  • 4.7 (115)
  • 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. 4D AGO

    The Last Echo of a Boon

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - 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

    1 hr

  2. FEB 23

    Packing and Mapping Synergies in Cubes

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - 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

    56 min

  3. FEB 16

    Power Level and Game Impact in Cube Design

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - 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

    52 min

  4. FEB 9

    Lunchbox Tournament Report

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy, 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 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 - 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

    1h 1m

  5. FEB 2

    Star Magic — The Best Way to Cube with Five Players

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy 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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - 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

    54 min

  6. JAN 26

    The Death of Magic

    View all cards mentioned in this episode It’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 mail@luckypaper.co or our p.o. box: Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211 Musical production by DJ James Nasty. Timestamps 0:00 - 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

    1h 4m

  7. JAN 19

    Sacred Geometry Draft Along

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy and Anthony each draft the same seat in a virtual pod of Andy’s Sacred Geometry Cube. They talk through each of their picks and their overall draft strategy and the final decks they end up with. If you want to draft this same seat as well, either before or after listening to the episode, follow these steps: Download the predetermined booster packsOn Draftmancer:If you enjoy this episode, check out our previous draft episodes. 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: 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 - Intro7:28 - Pack 141:48 - Pack 253:03 - Pack 301:03:59 - Draft Results

    1h 12m

  8. JAN 12

    The Open Lane “Problem”

    View all cards mentioned in this episode Andy and Anthony discuss feedback received by a fellow cube designer: that particular decks are sometimes too dominant when they go uncontested, or as they put it “The Open Lane Problem”. They talk about whether or not this is a real problem in different contexts and ways you might be able to mitigate it. Discussed in this episode: 100 OrnithoptersBun Magic CubeRegular CubeNeoclassical CubeTurbo CubeSupport The Podcast on PatreonIf 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 - Intro2:43 - Mailbag!7:35 - The Open Lane Problem14:19 - The Effect of Narrow Cards26:44 - Powering Up Archetypes35:36 - Player Preferences42:09 - Solving the Open Lane Problem45:34 - Changing Cube Size

    55 min
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4.7
out of 5
115 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
    304
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Andy Mangold and Anthony Mattox
  • Show Website
    Lucky Paper Radio

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