Retro Reviews - Articles on Lucky Paper

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Articles in our “Retro Reviews” series

Design-focused reviews of past Magic sets.

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Shadows Over Innistrad: A Retro Design Review

January 12th, 2026 — Parker LaMascus

Ten years after its original release, we investigate (get it?) Shadows Over Innistrad from a cube design perspective. It might just be the best graveyard set in Magic's history, and that's not even our favorite part.

Kamigawa and The New York Yankees

October 6th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Kamigawa is a lightly fictionalized version of real-world Japan. What does that mean for the set? What does it mean for its players? A meditation on trading cards, cultural exchange, and baseball.

Gatecrash: A Retro Design Review

September 8th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

We reassess the game design of Gatecrash. Though it may be nearly identical to its predecessor, the differences are striking – and instructive for Cube designers!

Odyssey: A Retro Design Review

August 18th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

To prove that I'm not just a sucker for the Mirrodin border, we're going even further back in time with our design-focused set reviews, to a troubled classic: graveyard-focused Odyssey.

Return to Ravnica: A Retro Design Review

August 4th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

Five incredibly good mechanics, seven-mana rares that rock, and two-color Draft architecture: Return to Ravnica is a special set. In this design-focused review, we'll break down lessons for modern-day Cube designers.

Alara Reborn: A Retro Design Review

July 21st, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

We're finishing a block of Cube-focused design review with Alara Reborn, an ambitious set whose every card was gold-framed. We'll discuss which themes are successful, and which Modern powerhouse is only sometimes worth the trouble in Limited.

Conflux: A Retro Design Review

July 14th, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

It might be a series! Once again, we're reviewing older Magic sets to level up our current-day Cube design. This time: Conflux, a set with good intentions that overcommits to nearly everything Shards of Alara got right.

Shards of Alara: A Retro Design Review

July 3rd, 2025 — Parker LaMascus

A look back at one of Magic's first multicolor sets. Which features of Shards of Alara are most useful for present-day Cubes, and which cards might be overlooked? Find out in this design-focused retrospective!

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Sigarda, Heron's Grace — Chris Rahn