Andy and Anthony take a look back on 2023, and what a year it’s been! Our hosts discuss some of their favorite things happening this year, including the second annual CubeCon, and a growing number of Cube events. They talk about how valuable Magic has been as a vector for creative outlets. In a candid, critical discussion they share how Magic as a game, and a product, has fundamentally changed in the recent years and how in many ways it no longer supports they way they most deeply engaged with it.
Discussed in this episode:

Episode 130: Cube Community Building
CubeCon
California Cube Champs
Washington Cube Champs
The Ice Cube
bmktpt Local Playgroup Website Source Code on GitHub
Cultic Bestiary Tokens
Hasbro’s Christmas Layoffs on Polygon
hbomberguy: Plagiarism, on YouTube
Princess Bride Secret Lair
Color of Magic
Eley Hose Reels
Sturgeon’s Law
The Collapse of the Atlantic Northwest Cod Fishery
Fairy Circles

Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
3:35 - Episode breakdown
5:31 - The good stuff — the second Cube Con and a battery of smaller, grassroots Cube events
12:22 - The joy of using Magic as a creative outlet
18:08 - Hasbro layoffs and the incentive structures of the business of Magic
36:08 - The costs of Magic’s growth and expansion
52:14 - Universes Beyond and the fractured identity of Magic
1:13:59 - Andy and Anthony’s Cube cards of the year!!
Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.
You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

Andy’s “Bun Magic” Cube
Anthony’s “Regular” Cube

If want us to do a pack 1, pick 1 from your cube submit it on our website. Send in questions to the show at mail@luckypaper.co. You can also find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord.
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Musical production by DJ James Nasty.