Lucky Paper Radio17 Tammi 2022

What We Talk About When We Talk About Magic

Andy and Anthony talk about the language we use to talk about Magic. Language is fundamental to social experiences, our favorite game included. Creating new language helps us communicate more effectively and helps us think about and compartmentalize concepts, shaping how we thing about things. But jargon has its drawbacks.

View cards mentioned in the episode

Our listener submitted pack 1, pick 1 this week comes from Mozart’s Cube.

Timestamps:

4:02 — Introduction to language and Magic
4:59 — Pack 1, Pick 1 from Mozart's Cube
9:04 — Why do we use specific shorthand and jargon in the first place?
12:52 — Linguistic relativity: naming things shapes communication and how we think about concepts
15:43 — How specific language can hinder communication
22:16 — Why the most rigorous, theoretical terminology can sometimes be the least useful
24:25 — Why context is critical to all language
25:56 — The dangers of oversimplification
26:55 — Grizzly Bears, Goblin Pikers, and Hill Giants
33:38 — Thinking in terms of card classifications
36:56 — Jargon makes Magic less accessible
38:35 — Magic lingo speed round

Discussed in this episode:

Venn diagrams and Euler Diagrams
Venn diagrams for high number of sets
Radiolab on linguistic relativity
Language Thought and Reality
List of sandwiches
Gravity wells
Patrick Chapin’s Next Level Deckbuilding
Grizzle Bears alignment chart
Andy’s “two mana renaissance” Cube update
Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon
Enigma Machine

Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.

You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:

If you have a question for the show, or want us to do a pack 1, pick 1 from your cube, email us at mail@luckypaper.co. Please include how you’d like to be credited, your pronouns, a link to your cube if relevant. You can also find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord.

If you’d like to show your support for the show, please leave us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.

Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(346)

Set Review Backlog: Edge of Eternities to Reality Fracture

View all cards mentioned in this episodeRejoice! Parker is back in the studio for a second episode in a row! He’s joining Andy and Anthony to do a little speedrun through all the recent sets they have...

2 Marras 1h 11min

Book Club: The Score by C. Thi Nguyen

Andy, Anthony, and Parker tackle C. Thi Nguyen’s The Score in their fourth episode of “Book Club.” Nguyen’s book compares how metrics apply to and effect games and social structures. He argues that wh...

26 Loka 1h 8min

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Legacy

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk with Gabor about their Obscura Cube designed from the prompt “Legacy,” a very loaded term in the Cube space. Skipping past the obvious int...

22 Loka 52min

Inland Northwest Cube Fest II Recap

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy recaps his experience at the second annual Inland Northwest Cube Fest to Anthony. He talks through each of his four drafts at the event, recounting how he ...

19 Loka 55min

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Feudal

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy, Jane, and Anthony talk about Andy’s Obscura cube, prompted with the word ”feudal.” His attempted to capture the experience of feudalism in gameplay by put...

15 Loka 1h 8min

The Paradox of Balance in Cube Design

View all cards mentioned in this episodeWhat makes a cube “balanced”? When a card or deck performs very differently in the hands of especially skilled players, are they using their greater knowledge o...

12 Loka 1h 2min

Bonus Episode — Obscura: Déjà Vu

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk with Brett about his Obscura Cube. Prompted with the phrase “Déjà vu” Brett explored some wild, logistically impossible ideas before settl...

8 Loka 53min

Capitol Cube Championship 2026 Tournament Report

View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony recap their experience at Capitol Cube Championship in Washington D.C. They talk about the five different cube drafts they did between them and...

5 Loka 1h 21min