Show Notes
This week, Dirk talks about turning trash into treasure with the Trash Bag Cube, a collaborative project built from the local bargain bin. We also unpack his journey from a tournament grinder to a cube designer and what he's learned along the way. We explore creating positive discomfort, playing Magic for the love of the game, and remembering that no cuber is an island... not even the Blue players.
Trash Bag Cube: https://www.cubecobra.com/cube/overview/Thisistrash Dirk on CubeCobra: https://www.cubecobra.com/user/view/62450f237dd4c3409e7c9fc9 Dirk on Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/dirkjay.bsky.social
Email the show at [email protected]
More from Recross the Paths
Let's take it again from the top! This week, Wally walks us through Alpha Reimagined, his take on Magic's original set from a modern design sensibility. We also touch on his Unplayables Cube, a chance for forgotten cards to shine even though they couldn't in their own environments. We discuss pursuing nostalgia through play patterns over specific cards, the relationship between goals and implementation, letting your players feel like they've broken the game, and much more. Alpha Reimagined on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/alpha-reimagined?view=primer Unplayables Cube on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/unplayables?view=primer Wally on Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/machineschooling.bsky.social Wally is MachineSchooling on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/MachineSchooling/ Wally is @machineschooling on DiscordEmail the show at [email protected]
Save the date: Garden State Cube - January 9-10, 2027 in Edison, NJ https://sites.google.com/view/garden-state-cube/home This week, Mike walks us through the inspiration and execution of BARTIFACT, a Green-less, artifact-themed bar cube with the most adorable mascot. We explore Mike's journey with this project from it's beginnings as a small head-to-head environment to it being one of the featured cubes at Boston Cube Party. We discuss the strengths and challenges of breaking singleton, whimsy in cube play and design, embracing heroes and villains in a cube, and much more. BARTIFACT on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/87f695d4-ca23-4827-b4d2-b3db65c7fe35?view=primer Mike on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/user/view/6019d60f832cdf1039899376 Mike on bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/djmikeysaxx.bsky.social
In cube, not everything is black and white... except in Dichotomy Cube. This week, Chris guides us through his stellar project about embracing conflict and creating stories - with the help of appropriately colored sleeves of course. We discuss the joy in so many aspects of Magic, cube's strengths as a casual format, a thoughtful exercise for designing cubes, and much more. Dichotomy Cube on CubeCobra (be sure to check out the visual spoiler sorted by tags!): https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/dichotomycube?view=mainboard&s1=Tags&display=spoiler Omen Machine on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/ecb0c43e-bfdf-4ab3-8724-b014cee0f265?view=primer Chris on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/user/view/5f303c917649e8102a6c806b Chris is @_mendicant on Discord If you're inspired to try starting a design from a random set of 360 cards, https://coglib.sosk.watch/ has you covered! There's lots under the hood of this amazing tool. Thanks Jawn.snow!
This week, Patrick takes us behind the velvet rope to explore the Million Dollar Cube. This high-octane environment aims to emulate constructed vintage and push the limits of what a powered cube can be. Patrick shares from his experience as a champion of Washington Cube Champs, California Cube Champs, and a multi-time Pro Tour competitor. We discuss setting (and breaking) rules for yourself, tips for promoting 2-color mana bases, making sure cards have multiple homes in your cube, and much more.
Class is in session! This week, Mark gives us the overview for Strixhaven Study Abroad, an alternate take on the Strixhaven limited environment where students explore ally-pair archetypes from planes across the multiverse. We discuss building on Lesson and Learn, finding and following guiding stars in design, taking risks on your main themes, and much more. Strixhaven Study Abroad on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/about/stx-study-abroad?view=primer Mark on CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/user/view/5f9c4f3e9b11040fd151a093 Mark is on Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/fourdeltavictor.bsky.social Mark is @mark.restrepo on DiscordEmail the show at [email protected]