Design - Articles on Lucky Paper

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Articles in our “Design” series

Cube and game design articles.

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Unearth Does Cube Synergy Perfectly

October 5th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

An ode to one of Limited Magic's all-time greats, and a deep breakdown of the lessons Cube designers can learn from it.

The Self-Defeating Irony of Cube Conceits

September 28th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

By trying to center their cube around a single mechanic, color, or gameplay style, designers often achieve the exact opposite effect. Here's why variety is the foundation of strategic replayability.

Try Exhibition Matches. Thank me later.

July 6th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

What if I told you that the best draft format for 7 and 9 players was also the best way to finish a whole cube night in less than 3 hours? This is my new favorite way to play Magic.

The Best 0-3 0-6 Draft of my Life

April 7th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

An elegy for a game store: Or, what an improbably bad tournament weekend teaches Cube designers about compelling, mysterious, irresistible gameplay.

Dinner Party Cube Design

March 2nd, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

For all the cutting-edge theory and rational analysis of card power level, a weekly Cube night has more in common with a dinner party. Let's talk about how to build durable, local draft communities.

Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation: A Retro Design Review

February 16th, 2026 — Emma Glenister

Lucky Paper's Eygptology correspondent returns for a design-focused look back at 2017's Amonkhet block. Find out from the expert how to make aggression and Auras tick like a well-oiled machine in your Limited formats.

Why I'm Selling My Legacy Cube

January 26th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

I began a Legacy cube nearly ten years ago, and this month I'm selling it off. A design confession (or three), a love letter to Philly, and a resolution.

Weak Cards Are Good For Your Cube

December 22nd, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Cube designers often cut their weakest cards for stronger "upgrades." Not only is this process self-defeating, but it also fails to utilize the unique design advantages of the right weak cards. Weak cards rule, and we'll show you why!

Four TCGs in Magic's Trench Coat

December 1st, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Magic's design has changed so radically over 30+ years that it might as well be four different games. We break down those eras of design, and what they imply for the deckbuilders and Cube designers who create Magic's metagames.

The Risks Of Hybrid Mana

November 17th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Hybrid mana is a frequent design tool for Wizards and for the Cube designers who follow in their footsteps. But hybrid cards exhibit some predictably risky tendencies in Cube. Read on to find out why, and what to do about it.

The Game Design Pitfalls of Crossovers

November 3rd, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

We're living in an age where Magic embraces crossovers. The effects that crossovers have on the quality of the game design itself have largely flown under the radar -- until now.

Removal Vs. Synergies in Cube

October 27th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

It might seem like removal spells are incompatible with synergy decks, but the reality is more complex. We discuss an versatile, evergreen tool to fine-tune a cube's synergies.

Amonkhet: Fact and Fiction

September 29th, 2025 — Emma Glenister

With Amonkhet, Magic stepped into Ancient Egypt, a culture with three thousand years of history and religion to draw on for inspiration but also a minefield of stereotypes and tropes. Our chief Egyptology correspondent weighs in: did Wizards thread the needle?

The Typal Paradox: A Historical Design Survey

July 27th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Creature type synergies like Elves or Goblins are incredibly popular in Commander and Constructed, but notoriously tricky in Limited and Cube. We survey four historical formats to see what makes typal decks tick.

Synergy is Dead. Long Live Aesthetics.

July 7th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Cube design has historically focused on mechanical novelty because Magic's aesthetics were chosen for us. That time is past. It's time to start designing our cubes' art and flavor with as much care as their mechanics.

Every Cube Night has 12 Losers

April 29th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Because Cubes are designed and owned by super-invested players, we sometimes forget a simple truth: half our players on any given night will lose more than they win. If it's fun to lose at Cube, winning will take care of itself.

How Heirloom Blade Made Me A Better Cube Designer

January 21st, 2025 — Usman Jamil

Join us as Usman shares some evergreen Cube design lessons from eight years of love for one special Equipment.

When Trivia Beats Strategy

December 10th, 2024 — Parker LaMascus

Many cubes pursue strategic depth, but sometimes what appears to be depth is really trivial memorization. We diagnose these tricky design problems and offer ways to make your cube more replayable!

Pulp Nouveau — A Tribute to Drafting Basic Lands

October 16th, 2023 — Parker LaMascus

Find out how to design a cube where the basic lands must be drafted! We trace the history of land-restricted cubes and go start-to-finish on a new cube design.

A Guided Tour of the Wizard’s Tower

September 12th, 2023 — Alex Houstoun

A reintroduction to one of Magic’s classic sandbox formats: self-contained, zero setup, and fully customizable.

Building a Cube from a Collection

April 13th, 2023 — Anthony Mattox

The options for Cubes are practically infinite, but the best building materials for your favorite cube may already be at hand.

Set Cubes & More

March 14th, 2023 — Anthony Mattox

Set Cubes are one of the easiest entry points to Cube – the perfect opportunity to recapture bygone draft formats, reimagine a draft format, or dive deep into a plane or theme.

A Guide to Battle Box

April 26th, 2022 — Anthony Mattox

Battle Box is a unique twist on Magic: a quick, self-contained format, without resource variance, great for pick up games between other activities.

An Introduction to the Degenerate Micro Cube

December 14th, 2020 — Andy Mangold

A primer on a cube with a 15 card minimum deck size that pushes the most powerful strategies in Magic’s history to their limits — a drafted format that plays like constructed Vintage.

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Unearth — Don Hazeltine