45 Episodes Tagged “Cube Design”
Episode 264
Tuning Control in 100 Ornithopters (Again)
August 11th, 2025
Andy and Anthony talk about disenchant control decks in Andy's 100 Ornithopters Cube - again. They review their continued overperformance, why that conflicts with Andy's goals, and what's he's going to do about it.
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Episode 257
The Big, Beautiful World of Set Cubes with Jenn the Judge
June 23rd, 2025
Andy and Anthony are joined by Jenn who shares her expertise in designing all manner of set cubes.
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Episode 256
A Eulogy for the Degenerate Micro Cube
June 16th, 2025
Andy and Anthony send off Andy's Degenerate Micro Cube, talking about it's highs and lows and why Andy's disassembling it.
Cube Design
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Episode 255
A Tale of Two Cubes with Parker LaMascus
June 9th, 2025
Andy, Anthony, and Parker talk about Parker and Andy's respective "simple" cubes, Atavus and Sacred Geometry, and what it means to design a clean, approachable cube.
Cube Design
Guest
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Episode 253
Every Cube a Painting with Jane and Arlo
May 26th, 2025
Andy and Anthony are joined by Jane and Arlo to talk about taste in Cube design. What is 'taste' in Magic? Can it be intentionally cultivated? Exactly what does Rothko have in common with Spirit of the Night?
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 250
The Cube Design Paradox
May 5th, 2025
Andy and Anthony talk about the specific challenge in cube design trying to play a counter point to others, but finding them supporting each other instead.
Cube Design
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Episode 248
Boston Cube Party Two and Sacred Geometry First Impressions
April 21st, 2025
In the afterglow of the second annual Boston Cube Party, Andy and Anthony recap their experience at the tournament, paying special attention to reviewing the deckslists from the first few drafts of Andy's new cube, Sacred Geometry.
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Episode 247
The Barash Files 005 — Playtesting and Cube Feedback
April 14th, 2025
Andy, Anthony, and Zach talk about playtesting Cubes and how to ask for and use feedback from players.
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 246
The ↑↑↓↓←→←→ABCs of Combo
April 7th, 2025
Andy and Anthony talk all things combo including their personal history with a sometimes divisive deck strategy and how they approach it in Cubes they design.
Cube Design
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Episode 240
Our Favorite Cards from 2024
February 24th, 2025
Andy and Anthony discuss each of their top ten new cards for cubes from the last year.
Cube Design
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Episode 237
Debriefing Vertex Philadelphia & 100 Ornithopters Unite
February 3rd, 2025
Andy and Anthony recap their recent Magic events: the 100 Ornithopters Unite charity stream and Vertex Philadelphia respectively.
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Episode 235
Using the Foundations Starter Collection as the Base for Your Own Cube — with Carmen Klomparens
January 20th, 2025
Andy and Anthony talk with Carmen Klomparens, lead designer of the Foundations Starter Collection, about the set and how it could be used as a Cube starting point.
Cube Design
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Episode 233
The Barash Files 002 — On Terminology, Communication, and Community
January 6th, 2025
Andy and Anthony and returning guest Zach talk about Cube terminology: how the language we use shapes the conversations and community we form.
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 199
Tutors in Cube Design: Creating Variety by Reducing Variety
May 6th, 2024
Andy and Anthony talk about "Tutors" in Cube. How do cards that give you access to any card in your library impact the game?
Cube Design
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Episode 197
Cube Design Iron Chef: Goblin Charbelcher
April 22nd, 2024
Andy and Anthony revisit designing a Cube starting with a single card for inspiration and each follow paths branching off Goblin Charbelcher.
Cube Design
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Episode 191
Vibes-Forward Cube Design with Ryan Overturf
March 11th, 2024
Andy and Anthony are joined by Ryan Overturf to talk Cube design, starting with two of Ryan's recent articles on his own process.
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 188
Peasant Cube, Accessibility, and Playing within Restrictions with Emma Partlow
February 19th, 2024
Andy and Anthony are joined by writer, podcaster, and Magic raconteur Emma Partlow to discuss her history with the game.
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 185
Solving Game Design Issues with Marshmallows
January 29th, 2024
Andy and Anthony talk about rapid prototyping and difficult design challenges with a new, experimental Battle Box.
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Episode 183
Designing and Drafting a Cube on a Budget
January 15th, 2024
Andy and Anthony talk about building a Cube on a budget, selecting, acquiring, and safely storing cards.
Cube Design
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Episode 182
Emergent Cube Design by Example
January 8th, 2024
Andy and Anthony talk through how they would use a single card as a seed crystal for generating ideas for a brand new Cube.
Cube Design
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Episode 181
Gold Cards and You
January 1st, 2024
Andy and Anthony talk about all things gold, how multi-colored cards play into the drafts and games of cubes.
Cube Design
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Episode 177
The Nature of Combo in Cube
December 4th, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about everything ‘combo' - how combos fit into the game and how they effect drafting and playing cubes.
Cube Design
Mechanic Focus
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Episode 175
What Can and Cannot Be Learned From Studying Draft Pools
November 20th, 2023
Andy and Anthony review the decklists from drafts of their cubes at CubeCon 2023, discussing what they can learn from the decks and potential future directions for their cubes.
Cube Design
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Episode 171
Cube Accessibility: Making Magic Approachable and Welcoming
October 23rd, 2023
Andy and Anthony discuss cube accessibility, the importance of, and how to make a cube more approachable and inviting to help grow your playgroup.
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Episode 170
In Praise of Lower Mana Curves
October 16th, 2023
Andy and Anthony discuss the mana curves of Cubes, how it influences the way they play and how they think about it as designers.
Cube Design
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Episode 165
The ABCs of Control
September 11th, 2023
Andy and Anthony break down everything about control decks in Cubes.
Cube Design
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Episode 163
Draft Matters
August 28th, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about mechanics and cards that interact with drafting — with a special emphasis on Cogwork Librarian.
Cube Design
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Episode 161
Man vs. Machine 2: Judgment Day
August 7th, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about the cards Cube Cobra's analytic tools recommend they cut from their main Cubes, and about the limitations of, and necessary context to understand, these tools.
Cube Design
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Episode 160
Restrictions Breed Podcast Topics
July 31st, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about Cube restrictions. Designers impose all kinds of restrictions on the cards they put into a Cube to help them push boundaries, meet budges, or found a clear identity for an environment.
Cube Design
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Episode 159
Wishes, Lesson/Learn, and Companions: The Dynamics of Outside the Game Mechanics
July 24th, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about the unusually class of "wish" cards, why they're interesting, and the challenges they present in Cube design.
Cube Design
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Episode 151
Xerox Theory and You
May 29th, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about "Xerox Theory", a strategic Magic concept. Andy explains the history and origins of the idea and how it applies different to early and contemporary Magic.
Cube Design
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Episode 146
Big and Small Games Revisited
April 24th, 2023
Andy and Anthony follow up on their discussion with Sam Black on 'big' and 'small' games considering community feedback and attempting to quantitatively analyze their own Cubes.
Cube Design
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Episode 133
The Common Pitfalls of First-Time Cube Designers
January 23rd, 2023
Andy and Anthony talk about the most common pitfalls new Cube designers fall into and how to avoid them.
Cube Design
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Episode 125
How to Test Your Cube
November 28th, 2022
Andy and Anthony talk about testing their Cubes. How do you create a feedback loop and assess whether or not your design decisions are having their intended effect?
Cube Design
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Episode 120
The Duality of Power Outliers
October 24th, 2022
Andy and Anthony respond to an episode of The Eternal Glory Podcast and discuss reasons and motivations to ban cards in formats. They compare the creative process of banning cards to Cube design.
Cube Design
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Episode 104
Deciding Which Cards to Cut from Your Cube
July 4th, 2022
Andy and Anthony talk about the least fun aspect of Cube curation for many designers: making cuts.
Cube Design
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Episode 99
How To Build a Cube From Your Collection
May 30th, 2022
Andy and Anthony discuss building a Cube from your existing collection, including the pros and cons of working with what you have and a process for shaping a Cube.
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Episode 88
How To Use the Other Half of Your Cube
March 7th, 2022
Andy and Anthony answer a question from the Cube subreddit about signaling cards and how we evaluate them differently as designers and players.
Cube Design
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Episode 71
The Use and Abuse of Archetype Driven Design
November 8th, 2021
Andy and Anthony talk about the pros and cons of designing your cube with 10, two-color archetypes as the guiding light.
Cube Design
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Episode 70
Evolving Cubes and the Power of Novelty
October 25th, 2021
Andy and Anthony talk about a few topics including novelty, Cube evaluation, and player feedback.
Cube Design
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Episode 68
Mark Rosewater is My Personal Design Intern with Jason Waddell
October 11th, 2021
Andy and Anthony talk with Jason Waddell about Cube, game design, and the complications of Magic as a hobby.
Guest
Cube Design
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Episode 65
Cube Feelbads: Breaking Zero-Sum Fun in Magic
September 20th, 2021
Andy and Anthony talk about the ‘feel bad’ moments in Magic and the cards that are more likely to create them.
Cube Design
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Episode 62
Atomic Spells: The Role of One Mana Cards in Cube
August 30th, 2021
Andy and Anthony talk about the role and importance of one mana spells — how the first play of a deck is the foundation of a plan, and mana costs dictate the sequence of gameplay.
Cube Design
Mechanic Focus
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Episode 49
Hope Tender & Devoted Druid & Ragavan & Laelia
May 31st, 2021
Andy and Anthony are discussing the nuanced differences in their approaches to Cube design, taking a few cards as case studies to help them articulate their goals.
Cube Design
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Episode 39
A Flat Power Level
March 22nd, 2021
Andy and Anthony are discussing power level and its impacts on designing a cube. How do big outliers affect an environment? Is a truly flat power level possible, or even desirable?
Cube Design
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