Three heads are better than one! This week, the team behind the Chicago Cube shares their philosophy for the project and the value of working as a team. We explore the use of lighthouses in cube desig...

There's no school like the Oldest School! Alex guides us through The Oldest School, a nostalgic retro-frame environment where Shivan Dragon and Serra Angel rule. We discuss recreating the feel of play...

Saddle up for a wild ride through the Okk Corral! Jesse guides us through this bespoke (bespokke?) environment that celebrates everyone's favorite lumbering goblin. We discuss the importance of goals,...

This week, Brendan guides us through The Kuleshov Cube, a non-Red, enchantment- and graveyard-focused cube. We meander through discussing the Jace test, Crash Bandicoot, legibility, tentpole cards, pa...

Pink Sleeves was all my joy, Pink Sleeves was my delight. This week, Stephen guides us through Pink Sleeves, the blog and the eponymous cube. We discuss atomic effects, a library of agency, how acces...

Recross the Paths is one year old! Kade takes a moment this week to celebrate how far the project has come. For those curious, the first episode aired as a podcast on June 25th, 2024. Regular int...

This week, my good friend Bones gives us a tour through the Sticker Cube, a wild project about building community through collaborative game design. We unpack the particulars of his version as well as...

This week I'm joined by Noah, the Cube Dungeon Master. We wax poetic about Old-Frame formats like Old School as well as the Alternate History Powered Cube, his take on a Vintage environment without se...

This week I'm joined by Nick, a positive part of the New York cube community. Beyond dog talk, we discuss the benefits of escapism, cubing for mental health, as well as a Recross the Paths first - a l...

This week, the incomparable Zach Barash and I joyfully meander through conversation on parenting, self-toppling carts, implicit promises, creative projects being icebergs, and much more. Zach on Cube...

What do you want out of a cube draft? In this episode, Sam talks through his experience as an avid retail limited player and how it relates to cube play and design. We discuss building toward open-end...

This week, Parker of Lucky Paper walks us through Atavus, an accessibility-focused environment that asks (and answers) foundational questions. In this conversation we discuss curatorial triangulation,...

We're having a ball! In this conversation, Jane unpacks her inaugural experiences with The Ball Pit, a desert cube where every card can be played face-down as Chromatic Sphere. Join us on this wild ri...

This week, Illuminous gives us an overview of the Chromatic Cube project, a mono-colored (and colorless) exploration of color-focused cubes. We discuss singleton breaks, striving for an ideal goal, bu...

A G.O.A.T. by any other name would still be a sweet draft! This week, Dave guides us through his synergy-driven peasant environment. We discuss designing for synergy in an increasingly powerful game, ...

In this conversation, Alex and I talk about cube and not about cube. We explore Upkeep, Alex's zine about cube as an outlet for other creativity, community, and chaos. Buckle up and enjoy the ride thr...

Enjoy a brief archival recording this week! Jake, Joe, Bones, and I talk about feedback on a quick car ride. Midwinter: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/midwinter World War of the Spark: https...

"Garden as though you will live forever" - William Kent In this episode, Scott (the mind behind Upkeep New York and Cube for a Cause) shares his insight on The Garden, a context-shifting cube where p...

May (also known as Myagic) unpacks finding the fun through May's Fae Cube! In this conversation we discuss aesthetics vs. gameplay, objective subjectivity, cube being like an ant farm, and much more. ...

On this episode, Danny guides us through the graveyard-focused Soskube: the Second Hand. We also explore Cogwork Librarian, a tool he developed for advanced cube-building queries and creation. We disc...

"Creature spells? Where we're going, we don't need Creature spells!" - Ollie, probably On this episode, Ollie guides us through The Creatureless Cube and - spoiler alert - there may be some creatures...

Join us in the Junderdome! In this episode, Tyler - the tyrant of The Jund Cube - guides us through this accessibly harsh tri-color environment. We discuss curating for an ethos, pitfalls and opportun...

Me: Can we draft Ikoria? Mike: We have Ikoria at Home. This week, Mike guides us through the 'big three' pillars of the Ikoria at Home cube - the iconic cycling archetype, kindred humans, and mutati...

This week, Haiyue unpacks the art of casting for coverage and casting ultimatums! We discuss following an emotional cadence, building for greed, holding onto the reins of your own projects, and more. ...

"The modernity of yesterday is the tradition of today, and the modernity of today will be tradition tomorrow." - Jose Andres In this thoroughly Modern conversation, Jabs takes us through The Modern D...

This week, Anthony of Lucky Paper talks through several of the cube design tools he's helped craft as well as the joy of curating cubes and play groups. We explore building thoughtful processes, chain...

Blink and you'll miss it! This week, Ian shows off the value and fun of the Bant Cube. We also talk about his ongoing interview project, Cuberviews. We explore building from cards you own, designing i...

When in Loam... This week, Gwen guides us through the intricacies of Loam Cube and talks about his role as the founder and admin of CubeCobra. We unpack considering archetypes in a color-imbalanced en...

This conversation is a landing place for curious designers and players about the particulars of building and interpreting land-restricted draft environments - Desert Cubes! Bones brings his tremendous...

This week, Arlo, the famous (or infamous) gaytransmulldrifter, guides us through a wild ride of projects and philosophy. We discuss how boring Jace, the Mind Sculptor is, building things your friends ...

This week, Rojja shows off the bespoke and eclectic Rusty Box o' Goblins (also called the Cash Box). We discuss moonshine-flavored cards, jam sessions, the dangerous idea that other people were right ...

I took things slow for the holidays this week, so enjoy a totally self-indulgent custom design retrospective with my friends Bones and Kyle. Bones and I have worked on several custom projects over the...

Color pie? Where we're going, we don't need the color pie! Dan guides us through the Devoid Cube and the Colorshifted Cube, two projects that challenge notions of color in cube construction. We discus...

As iron sharpens iron, so one drafter sharpens another! Matt coordinates weekly drafts for designers and players in preparation for CubeCon. We discuss the process of hosting a digital draft for play ...

This week, Joe guides us through the Alternate Timeline, a curated world without the peculiarities of modern Magic. We discuss intentional exclusions, Lunchables, balancing feedback with goals, and mo...

Dive into the gold mine of Daniel's Reading Rainbow cube this week, an all-multicolor experience! We discuss building projects you care about, balancing an opportunity-rich environment, making your cu...

All aboard! Join TrainmasterGT as he leads us through the Highball 4K. We discuss capturing a nostalgic feeling, using (and not using) format barometers, trains, and more. Highball 4K [https://ri...

Attention campers! Neal guides us through the intricacies of his Micro Cube and the joy of bringing people together. We discuss the weight of decisions in small environments, embracing being a learner...

Catastrophe equals opportunity! Morgan explores the design and decisions behind Disaster Movie Cube. We talk card and spreadsheet aesthetics, balancing mechanics, playing what you love, and more. ...

Here there be Dragons! Chill walks us through the frozen reaches of his beautiful Vorthos Desert cube. We unpack building a thematic world, managing overt complexity, being part of a welcoming communi...

Long live the king! Warren walks us through treacherous tri-color realms and the decisions that led to their creation. We discuss balancing a broad environment, strategies for playtesting, working wit...

Join us for a spell! Brett talks about his background in Scrabble, being bold to make changes, being the final arbiter of design for your cube, and more. Brett (aibretty [https://cubecobra.com/use...

Secret, Gift, or Competition? Henry unpacks the fascinating draft environment of Hanamikoji and its uses in Magic micro-projects. We also explore telling stories, participation vs. spectacle, and much...

Not all those who wander are lost! Thomas discusses his road to CubeCon, the challenge and reward of building a set cube, judging cube events, and more. Thomas (magesandmentors [https://cubecobra....

Cher talks through finding stability in The Elysian Cube and empowering players to play what they want in The Citadel of Madness. We discuss building around themes, using lands effectively, and much m...

There's no Tempo like the present! Turner uses The Tempo Cube to discuss building for the gameplay you want, multi-level interaction, choosing 'sub-optimal' cards, and more. Turner (grenrut [https...

Let's get weird! In this episode, D.S.B discusses building for tension, small-form design, creating for yourself, and much more. D.S.B is d.s.b on Discord! D.S.B (dsbcubes [https://cubecobra.com/...

Two heads are better than one and Mike and Dan are out to prove it! In this double-length episode, this duo from Madison unpacks finding a connection, designing together, the benefits of Bar cube, and...

Every Penrose has it thorns... or at least a Thornglint Bridge. Lincoln unpacks designing toward archetypes and breaking free of rarity restrictions. Capitol Cube Championship [https://www.eventbr...

Jake unpacks the art of making losing fun in Bodleian Cube! Join us as we explore how to give and receive better feedback as cube designers and players. Jake [https://cubecobra.com/user/view/60e64...

Three life, but perfectly balanced - as all things should be. Keldan shares about walking the razor's edge of designing Bolt Cube to be both novel and fun. Connect with Keldan on Discord @theoinkinat...

Leave no stone unturned as Nick guides us through the Desert Rose! This beautiful environment embraces a challenging narrative through a compelling aesthetic and thoughtful design. Nick (Strogie) [ht...

The numbers don't lie! Daniel walks us through how hundreds of data points yield a fresh, fascinating look at building a cube. The Data Generated Vintage Cube is the quintessential result of his handi...

Kade joins me on this episode to discuss subverting expectations with their bite-sized Esper Commander Cube. Kade's profile (Irreleverent) [https://cubecobra.com/user/view/5d856a7e0abb36733315df93...

On this episode, Greg joins me for my inaugural Cube interview. We dive into Companion Cube and explore how changing one rule can radically redefine an environment. Greg's profile (dinrovahorror) ...