The 540

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'The 540', a Magic: The Gathering podcast from Star City Games, features Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discussing their favorite Magic format of all time — Cube!

Star City Games


    • Feb 25, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 47m AVG DURATION
    • 52 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The 540

    Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Cube Review (Part 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2022 129:41


    Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe conclude their Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set review for Cube, focusing on the green, multicolored, and other remaining cards!

    Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Cube Review (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2022 115:18


    Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe continue their Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set review for Cube, focusing on the black and red cards.

    Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Cube Review (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2022 127:54


    With all of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty previewed, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe begin their set review for Cube, starting with the blue and white cards.

    Ninjas in Cube Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2022 70:56


    In the spirit of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe dedicate this episode of The 540 to a deep-dive on the various Ninjas in Cube!

    The Artifact Cube Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 92:29


    You could say we're some kind of "metal" head

    The Art of Joyful Drafting

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2022 75:14


    We're all here to have fun, right? On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe discuss Cube from a "joyful drafting" perspective - prioritizing cards and strategies you enjoy and focusing on making them work.

    Modular Cube Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2022 71:38


    Flexibility is the name of the game! On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe share everything they know about Modular Cubes.

    2021 Cube Year In Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2021 117:43


    How did 2021's set releases treat Cube fans? On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe discuss the impact of each new MTG set on Cube as a format, as well as their Top 8 cards from 2021.

    Breaking Singleton

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2021 72:32


    Is it ever necessary to break Singleton when designing a cube? On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe discuss the pros and cons of adding duplicate cards.

    Archetype Diversity VS Archetype Redundancy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2021 88:22


    What's the difference between archetype diversity and archetype redundancy when designing a cube? On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe explain the difference between archetype diversity and archetype redundancy when designing a cube as only they can!

    Non-Sanctioned Cards For Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2021 93:35


    On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe discuss the viability of various non-tournament legal cards for use in paper Cube play.

    The Persist Combo Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 74:10


    On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe discuss everything they know about Persist Combo!

    Innistrad: Crimson Vow's Impact On Cube (Part 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2021 113:31


    On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe break down their picks for the best green, multicolored, and other cards for Cube from Innistrad: Crimson Vow.

    Innistrad: Crimson Vow's Impact On Cube (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 117:53


    On this episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Ryan Saxe break down their picks for the best blue and white cards for Cube from Innistrad: Crimson Vow.

    Innistrad Crimson Vow's Impact On Cube (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2021 108:39


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf break down their picks for the best blue and white cards for Cube from Innistrad: Crimson Vow.

    Cube Mailbag

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 151:28


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf open the Cube mailbag to answer questions from listeners!

    Vintage Cube's 8 Most Overrated Cards

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2021 94:04


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf break down the Top 8 most overrated cards in the MTGO Vintage Cube

    Peasant Cube Overview

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 109:11


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf share everything they know about Peasant Cube, including how to draft one, the pitfalls to avoid, their personal experiences, and more.

    Pauper Cube Overview

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2021 102:16


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf share everything they know about Pauper Cube, including how to draft one, the pitfalls to avoid, their personal experiences, and more.

    The "Spells Matter" Deep Dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2021 92:43


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf share everything they know about the "Spells Matter" Cube archetype.

    Innistrad: Midnight Hunt's Impact on Cube (Part 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2021 145:53


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf close out their set review with a look at the best green and multicolored cards and beyond!

    Innistrad: Midnight Hunt's Impact on Cube (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2021 130:00


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf review the best black and red spells from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt for Cube!

    Innistrad: Midnight Hunt's Impact on Cube (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2021 146:49


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf review the best white and blue spells from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt for Cube!

    Top 5 Innistrad Cards For Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2021 95:21


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the historical significance of Innistrad sets for Cube, plus directions for building set specific Cubes and more!

    Physical Cube Logistics

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2021 102:32


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the physical logistics of Cube, including which sleeves and boxes you should buy, the best practices for shuffling, and how many lands, tokens, and dice you'll need!

    Magic Online Cube Retrospective

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2021 111:12


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf take a look back on Magic Online's Bant, Temur, and Classic Cubes.

    Managing Your Cube Size

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2021 95:39


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf examine the different options for Cube size and help identify when and why you should consider increasing or decreasing your card count.

    It's All About The Lands (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2021 96:19


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf continue their discussion on lands for Cube, this time examining their impact on Draft, including when to take them, how many you want, and more!

    It's All About The Lands

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2021 101:17


    Land, Ho! On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf breakdown the goal of lands in Cube, including how many you should include plus a ranking of the best land cycles.

    Making Your Cube Draft Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2021 84:55


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss how to identify the cube draft metagame, what roles individual cards have, and continue their war on pips.

    Finding Your Drafting Lane

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2021 96:26


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss how to best interact with the first pack of the draft, when to solidify your strategy, and when to switch colors/archetypes.

    Adventures in the Forgotten Realms' Impact On Cube (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 156:50


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf review the best red, green, multicolored spells, and more from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms for Cube.

    Adventures in the Forgotten Realms' Impact On Cube (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2021 161:55


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf review the best white, blue, and black cards from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms for Cube!

    Commander Cube 101

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2021 70:31


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the proper way to construct, play, and operate a Commander Cube!

    Modern Horizons 2 Impact On Cube (Part 3)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2021 167:32


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf go in-depth on the set's green, multicolored, colorless, and land cards!

    Modern Horizons 2 Impact On Cube (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2021 168:06


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf go in-depth on the red and black cards of Modern Horizons 2! 

    Modern Horizons 2 Impact On Cube (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2021 153:25


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf go in-depth on the white and blue cards of Modern Horizons 2! 

    Developing Cube Archetypes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2021 93:07


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf expand on a fan-requested topic and detail the process of developing Cube archetypes!

    Building Your First Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2021 88:19


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf teach you everything you need to know to build your first Cube, including the common pitfalls and how to avoid them!

    Analyzing The Cubes of Magic Online

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2021 118:27


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf take a retrospective look back at three popular Magic Online Cubes: Proliferate, Pioneer, and Legacy!

    All It Takes Is Two

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2021 111:20


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the design and strategy for seven (yes, 7!) unique ways to play Cube with just two players!

    Twoberts: Building A Cube For Two

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2021 94:10


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the design and strategy behind a two-player, 180-card Cube!

    Commander 2021's Impact On Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2021 94:05


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf analyze Commander 2021 in search of the best new cards for Cube.

    Cube Three Ways

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 109:39


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf dissect the positives and negatives of the Nega-Cube, the MenguCube and the Arena Cube.

    Strixhaven's Impact On Cube (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2021 190:50


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf conclude their Strixhaven Cube review with a deep dive on the multicolored cards from Magic's newest set.

    Strixhaven's Impact On Cube (Part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 146:43


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf begin their Strixhaven Cube review with a deep dive on the monocolored cards from Magic's newest set.

    Strixhaven's Best Cards For Cube (So Far)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 110:35


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the Strixhaven previews they're most excited about, plus the products they'd most like to see printed strictly for Cube!

    Where Form Meets Function

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2021 76:41


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf discuss the aesthetics of Cube building and the benefits that come with developing the perfect look and feel!

    Adding Snow To Your Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2021 71:46


    On this episode of The 540, Justin Parnell and Ryan Overturf put on their winter jackets and discuss the best ways to add Snow as a theme or archetype to your favorite Cube.

    All Things Vintage Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2021 84:45


    This week on The 540, Ryan and Justin talk draft strategy and tell their favorite stories from MTGO's most recent Vintage Cube update on Magic Online.

    Top 5 Kaldheim Cards for Cube

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2021 81:04


    On the premiere episode of The 540, Ryan Overturf and Justin Parnell countdown their Top 5 cards for Cube from Magic: The Gathering's most recent set - Kaldheim!

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