Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

This podcast talks about the history of Charms in Magic.

In this podcast, I talk about the design of Secrets of Strixhaven.

This podcast is all about how Magic design interacts with nostalgia.

It's been over a decade since I did a podcast about Blogatog, my blog where I answer questions daily, so I felt it was time for a second podcast on it.

Last year, I celebrated my 30th anniversary of working at Wizards of the Coast and on Magic. In this episode, I look back and explore how I've changed as a designer over the last three decades.

In this episode, I sit down with Senior Director Lindsey Bartell to talk about Secret Lair.

This podcast is another in my ongoing quest to talk about every Magic expansion. In it, I talk about the third set in the Scars of Mirrodin block, New Phyrexia.

Do I have 30 minutes of content about collector numbers? It turns out I do.

In this podcast, I respond to a post that proposed Magic should "stick to its fantasy roots." As a Magic historian, I make the case that Magic has been stretching the boundaries of what fantasy is since Limited Edition (Alpha). For those who like deep dives into Magic history, this episode is for you.

For this week's podcast, I sit down with Magic: The Gathering® | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lead Designer Eric Engelhard to talk about the set's design.

One of our latest design processes involves a slideshow where we show off every card in an upcoming set and make final comments before everything is locked down. In this podcast, I talk all about the evolution of the slideshow.

This podcast is all about the journey of the energy mechanic, from its original inception during Mirrodin design all the way to its first appearance in Kaladesh and beyond.

This podcast is a companion to this year's "Nuts & Bolts" column. I talk all about how to slowly add mechanics to your set.

The Magic Dojo was the very first major online gathering spot for the Magic community. In this podcast, I speak with its creator, Frank Kusumoto, to talk all about it.

This podcast is another in my quest to record a podcast about every Magic expansion. This time, I talk about Mirrodin Besieged, the second set in the Scars of Mirrodin block and a set with one of the most unique Prereleases of all time.

In this podcast, I talk about a core element of every design: making sure your creatures can get through and help the game end.

Every year, my oldest daughter Rachel and I attend BroadwayCon, a convention dedicated to Broadway, and each year I make a podcast about it, taking all the things I learned and comparing them to Magic design. This podcast is about this year's trip.

In this podcast, I sit down with Jadine Klomparens, the play design lead for Lorwyn Eclipsed, to talk about how the set was structured and balanced.

I spent eight years working on the Pro Tour overseeing the feature matches and final-day video coverage. Those eight years just happened to overlap with the greatest run in professional Magic where Pro Tour legend Kai Budde won seven Pro Tours in five years. This podcast honors Kai, who sadly passed away last week, talking all about that epic run.

In this podcast, I sit down with Neale LaPlante Johnson, the creative lead of Lorwyn Eclipsed, to talk all about the worldbuilding for the set.

In this podcast, I talk about a big theme from Lorwyn Eclipsed called "color matters."

In this podcast, I talk about a very narrow type of design: Magic cards that interrupt the game and initiate a subgame.

In this podcast, I talk all about the vision design for Lorwyn Eclipsed.

A common topic on my blog is why some players want to return to blocks. I spend this podcast talking through the various reasons this is unlikely to happen.

Part of a designer's job involves figuring out what to include and what not to include. In this podcast, I talk about subjectivity in Magic design.

In this podcast, I talk about the third set of the Shards of Alara block.

In this podcast, I call the upkeep step the appendix of Magic. Why? Listen in as I talk all about the origin and history of upkeep.

In this podcast, I talk about the second set of the Shards of Alara block, Conflux.

This is my fourth and final episode talking about 30 big design evolutions since I started working at Wizards of the Coast in October 1995. This is based on a three-part series I did in my Making Magic column.

There are a lot of costs you can pay other than mana. In this episode, I talk about different types of resources in Magic.

This is part three of a four-part series talking about 30 big design evolutions since I started working at Wizards of the Coast in October 1995. This is based on a three-part series I did in my Making Magic column.

In this episode, I talk about how the color pie has evolved over the last three decades.

This podcast is part two of a four-part series talking about 30 big design evolutions since I started working at Wizards of the Coast in October 1995. This is based on a three-part series I did in my Making Magic column.

In this podcast, I sit down with Melissa DeTora, the leader of the Casual Play Design team, to talk about Commander design.

This podcast is part one of a four-part series talking about 30 big design evolutions since I started working at Wizards of the Coast in October 1995. This is based on a three-part series I did in my Making Magic column.

In this podcast, I talk all about the design of the fourth set in the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block, Eventide.

In this podcast, I talk about the design of every card with Mox or Lotus in the name designed as a spiritual successor to Limited Edition (Alpha)'s Moxen and Black Lotus.

In this podcast, I sit down with Lead Set Designer Chris Mooney to talk about the design of Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™.

This episode talks about why it's good for R&D to design around a format you play.

This podcast is all about how to start a podcast of your own.

Sometimes, the greatest design skill is to never give up. In this podcast, I talk about times it took a while for an idea to make it to print.

This podcast is another in my "Lessons Learned" series where I talk about sets I led or co-led and walk through all the design lessons I learned. This time, I discuss Murders at Karlov Manor.

When the Commander Format Panel visited Wizards, I gave a presentation pitching why I felt it was important to change how hybrid worked in Commander. This podcast goes over the contents of that presentation and explains my reasoning for the change.

I just returned from New York Comic Con. This podcast talks all about it.

This podcast talks about the history of the proliferate mechanic.

This is part three of three going over my talk from MagicCon: Atlanta looking at the top 20 most influential Magic expansions of all time.

This is part two of three going over my talk from MagicCon: Atlanta looking at the top 20 most influential Magic expansions of all time.

This podcast is part one of three going over my talk from MagicCon: Atlanta looking at the top 20 most influential Magic expansions of all time.

I just got back from MagicCon: Atlanta, and in this podcast, I talk all about it.

This podcast is a look back at the early creatures that only cost one mana.

In this podcast, I talk about the things I have to do to prepare for an upcoming MagicCon (in this case, MagicCon: Atlanta).

This podcast is another in my quest to talk about every Magic expansion. This time I talk about the third set in the Champions of Kamigawa block, Saviors of Kamigawa.

In this podcast, I talk about the times we returned to settings that we'd already visited.

This podcast is another in my quest to cover every Magic expansion.

This podcast is about the most hated mechanic in the history of Magic, ante.

In this podcast, I talk about a specific aspect of the color pie and how modern design requires that we care about it.

This podcast is a companion to my three-part Making Magic series on the history of tokens. You can read the third and final column on Monday, September 8.

In this podcast, I sit down with Corey Bowen, the lead set designer of Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel's Spider-Man, to talk about the set's design.

In my podcast on Igniting the Spark (the new Magic documentary), I talked about doing a podcast that covered something the documentary didn't. How did Magic grow from a one hundred million-dollar game to a billion-dollar game?

In this podcast, I talk about a key component of design: set structure.

This is another podcast in my ongoing quest to record a podcast about every expansion. This episode is all about Prophecy, the third set in the Mercadian Masques block.

A documentary about how Magic debuted at Gen Con. I had the pleasure of participating in it, and this podcast talks all about that.

This is another podcast in my ongoing quest to record a podcast about every expansion. This podcast is all about Nemesis, the second set in the Mercadian Masques block.

Every year, I write a "State of Design" column where I talk about how I feel the last year of Magic design went. This year's column starts with Bloomburrow and goes through Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™. With six sets to talk about, I ended up having a pretty lengthy article, so I made a supplementary podcast where I walk through every new mechanic to give my thoughts on how they went.

This is another podcast in my ongoing quest to record a podcast about every expansion. This podcast is all about Mercadian Masques.

Magic is made not by a single designer but by a large group of people. In this podcast, I talk about how that affects game design.

In this podcast, I talk all about my trip to this year's San Diego Comic-Con.

The very nature of a trading card game is that it's always evolving. In today's podcast, I talk about what that means for Magic design.

In this podcast, I see if I can talk for 30 minutes about the Magic card back. (Hint: I did it.)

In this podcast, I sit down with Andrew Brown, the set lead designer of Edge of Eternities, to talk about the making of the set.

In this podcast, I talk about an R&D expression, "The juice isn't worth the squeeze."

In this podcast, I sit down with Ethan Fleischer, the vision design lead for Edge of Eternities, to talk about the making of the set.

In this podcast, I walk through the history of how we've used colorless in design.

This podcast explores how each of the colors interacts with enchantments.

In this podcast, I talk about how it's not enough for a mechanic to be good in a vacuum.

This podcast explores how each of the colors interacts with creatures.

In this podcast, I talk about the use of repeat mechanics on singular card designs.

This podcast explores how each of the colors interacts with artifacts.

In this podcast, I answer a question from my blog about how we decide when to name and not name mechanics.

I recently wrote a three-part article about the history of typal themes in Magic. This is my podcast on the topic.

In this podcast, I talk all about Exodus (the third expansion of the Tempest block).

In this podcast, I talk all about Stronghold (the second expansion of the Tempest block).

In this podcast, I talk about a concept called futureproofing where we design mechanics to better enable us to use them in the future.

In this podcast, I sit down with the lead designer of Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ to talk about the set's design.

We design a lot of mechanics. Most don't make it to print. Why? That's my topic for this podcast.

This podcast talks about a tool we use to playtest new mechanics.

Someone on my blog asked me if I ever designed any Magic formats. It turns out that I have, so I spent a podcast episode talking about them.

In this episode, I walk through many of the design issues that occur during vision design.

In this podcast, I talk about times we decided to reuse mechanics and times we chose to tweak mechanics into something new.

Inspired by this year's "Nuts & Bolts" column, I walk through how mechanics are created.

In this episode, I walk through the history of Magic and talk about how communicating with players has changed over the years.

This podcast is part three of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.

This podcast is part two of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.

This podcast is part one of three on my series about the 20 worst mechanics of all time, based on my talk at last year's MagicCon: Las Vegas.

This is part two of a two-part series on the aesthetic profiles. This time, I talk about Mel, the player who aesthetically appreciates mechanics.

When Richard Garfield first made Magic, he liked to say it was "a game bigger than the box." In this episode, I walk through what exactly that phrase means and the challenges of making a game that accomplishes this.

This podcast is part one of a two-part series on the aesthetic profiles. Up first, I talk all about Vorthos, the player who aesthetically appreciates flavor.

In this podcast, I talk about the team that figures out what in-Multiverse Magic sets we'll be doing in the future.

This podcast is part three of a three-part series walking through the three psychographics. Today, I  explore the psychological analysis of Spike.

In this podcast, I sit down with the creative lead for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Lauren Bond, to talk about the worldbuilding and creative execution of the set.

This podcast is part two of a three-part series walking through the three psychographics. Today, I explore the psychological analysis of Johnny and Jenny.

In this podcast, I sit down with Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Design Lead Adam Prosak to talk about the set's design.

This episode is part one of a three-part series walking through the three psychographics. I start today with exploring the psychological analysis of Timmy and Tammy.

In this episode, I walk through the vision design for Tarkir: Dragonstorm and talk about the evolution of the Dragon subtype and clan mechanics.

Many years ago, I would drive my eldest daughter to school, and occasionally, we did a segment called "Replies with Rachel" where the two of us would answer questions. I then did another segment with my youngest daughter Sarah called "Small Talk with Sarah" when I drove her to camp. Today, for the first time, I have both my daughters and all three of us answer your questions. I will note the audio quality for this podcast isn't my best, but I hope the content makes up for it.

Magic's very first set had a card type that no longer exists called interrupts. In this episode, I walk through all the cards of this card type in Limited Edition (Alpha).

In this episode, I explain the value of themes by going through the various teams that work on a Magic set.

In this episode, I explain the numerous ways designers give feedback to each other by going through the entire exploratory design and vision design process.

This is part three of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.

This is part two of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.

This is part one of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.

In this episode, I talk about my recent trip to MagicCon: Chicago.

This episode looks back at the design of Weatherlight, the third set in the Mirage block.

This episode looks back at the design of Visions, the second set in the Mirage block.

One of the truisms of game design: make sure your players enjoy losing your game. How do we do that? This podcast walks listeners through six key lessons.

Every year, my eldest daughter, Rachel, and I go to a convention dedicated to Broadway called BroadwayCon. It's interesting going to a convention from the perspective of a fan. In this episode, I talk about this year's trip, the things I learned, and apply my learnings to Magic design.

I do a lot of interviews. A question I often get is, "Why is Magic so good?" I have a lot of answers to that question, enough for a 30-minute podcast.

In this podcast, I sit down with Yoni Skolnik, the lead set designer for Aetherdrift, to talk about the design after it was handed off for set design.

I talk about the history of drawback mechanics, what they are, how we design them, and how they've changed over the years.

I recorded this podcast two years ago when I handed off the Aetherdrift vision design to the Set Design team. Hear my thoughts on Magic's latest set as it came fresh out of design.

In this podcast, I walk through the various reasons why we reprint cards at a different rarity.

In this podcast, I talk about the history of the protection mechanic, starting from Limited Edition (Alpha) to present day.

In this podcast, I walk through Magic's history to talk about how the use of creature types has changed over time.

This is another in my "Lessons Learned" podcasts where I talk about sets I led or co-led the design for. I walk through the various lessons I learned in leading the design of the set. This episode is about The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.

Almost every randomized booster product is designed to be drafted. To do that we have to build around what we call draft archetypes. In this podcast, I talk all about them.

In this podcast, I sit down with JC Tao, the lead designer of Innistrad Remastered, to talk about the making of the set.

In this podcast, I talk all about the design of Apocalypse, another set from the Invasion block.

In this podcast, I talk all about the design of Planeshift, a set from the Invasion block.

I gained a love of games from my father and a love of psychology from my mother. This podcast talks about how my interest in psychology has impacted me as a Magic designer.

Part of writing a weekly Magic column involves writing card preview articles for new sets. In this podcast, I talk all about what goes into writing them.

This is part two of my two-part series where I talk about the history of two-in-one cards.

This last fall, I wrote a two-part article about what I call "two-in-one cards," or "two-in-ones" for short. These are designs where more than one spell is represented on a single card. My dividing line is that each spell has its own name. There are a bunch of different ways we've made two-in-ones. This podcast talks all about their history. This is part one of two.

Variance is an important aspect of Magic design (and game design in general). In this podcast, I explain what it is and how we use it.

There are two ways to begin a design: from the top down, where you start with flavor, and from the bottom up, where you start with mechanics. In this podcast, I talk about how these two design processes have evolved over time.

My favorite metaphor for Magic design is that it's like running a buffet. I talk about where this metaphor came from and why I feel it's so accurate.

This is another history podcast where I explore how an element of Magic came to be and evolved over time. This time, I look into the history of drafting.

In this podcast, I talk about how to use brainstorming to come up with ideas.

On this podcast, I talk about how we design cards for the mythic rare rarity.

In this podcast, I talk about an important quality of Magic mechanics: stickiness. What is it and how do we use it? This podcast dives into the topic.

I went to MagicCon: Las Vegas and have many stories to tell. This podcast tells those stories.

This episode is the eighth and final part of my eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

At MagicCon: Las Vegas, I was honored to participate in Game Knights Live. I have my three fellow players, Josh Lee Kwai, Jimmy Wong, and Becca Scott, on the podcast to talk through all that went into putting it on and share a bunch of the behind-the-scenes stories.

This episode is part seven of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

In this podcast, I sit down with Carmen Klomparens, lead designer of the Magic: The Gathering Foundations Starter Collection, to talk about the design of the product.

This episode is part six of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

In this podcast, I sit down with Foundations's Lead Set Designer Bryan Hawley to talk about the design of the set's product suite.

This episode is part five of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

In this podcast, I go through all the mechanics that interact with the graveyard in some way.

This episode is part four of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

When we design new Magic cards and mechanics, we have to be conscious of how those cards will play with the cards and mechanics that already exist. In this podcast, I talk about what we do to make sure they play well together.

This episode is part three of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

Once a week, the Magic designers get together to talk through technical design issues. That meeting is called "Cardcrafting," and I talk about it in this podcast.

This episode is part two of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

In this episode, I take all the sets I talked about in my "State of Design 2024" article (The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ through Modern Horizons 3) and walk through every new mechanic with my personal thoughts on them and what we've learned about them.

This episode is part one of an eight-part series where I go through the entire history of Magic design to talk about design evolution over the years.

In this episode, I sit down with Emily Teng, the Duskmourn: House of Horror worldbuilding lead, to talk about the creation of this brand-new plane.

In this podcast, I talk about what divides normal Eternal-legal Magic mechanics from silver-bordered and acorn mechanics.

In this podcast, I sit down with Jules Robins, lead set designer of Duskmourn: House of Horror, to talk about the design of the set.

This is another episode in my "Lessons Learned" series where I look back at sets I led or co-led and walk through the many lessons I learned from doing the design. In this podcast, I talk about what I learned designing March of the Machine.

In this podcast, I sit down with Ovidio Cartagena, the art director for Duskmourn: House of Horror, to talk about the visual look of the set.

In this podcast, I sit down with Annie Sardelis, the lead vision designer of Duskmourn: House of Horror, to talk about the early design of the set. Annie also led the design of the set's Commander decks, so we talk about those as well.

In this podcasts, I talk about the history of various Magic card borders and frames.

We banned a card this week that stirred up a lot of talk. I then wrote a blog entry on it that stirred up additional talk. This podcast is me explaining the issue with the extra context that having 30 minutes to talk provides.

In this podcast, I explore why the colors are allies with those next to them in the color pie and enemies with those across.

Each August, I write an article where I review the last year's worth of Magic design. This podcast looks into the history and philosophy behind these articles.

In this podcast, I sit down with Zack Stella, Bloomburrow's art director, to talk about the visual look of the set.

Thus far, there have been seven stages of Magic design. In this podcast, I walk through each stage and explain the changes each brought to the game.

In this podcast, I sit down with Neale LaPlante Johnson, the lead worldbuilding designer for Bloomburrow, to talk about the making of the plane.

This podcast is all about my trip to this year's San Diego Comic-Con where I ran the Magic panel.

I sit down with Play Designer Jadine Klomparens to talk about the play design of Bloomburrow.

In this podcast, I talk about the various ways we can make the hand matter mechanically.

In this podcast, I talk about the design technique of making a new theme by combining numerous mechanical themes.

In this podcast, I examine what exactly power level is and how it impacts design.

In this episode, I sit down with Set Design Lead Ian Duke to talk about the later design of Bloomburrow.

In this podcast, I examine what makes for fun gameplay.

In this episode, I sit down with Vision Design Lead Doug Beyer to talk about the early design of Bloomburrow.

This podcast is part two of a two-part series based on a Making Magic article where I look back at the first 30 years of Magic and pick the top design contributions of each year.

This podcast is part one of a two-part series based on a Making Magic article where I look back at the first 30 years of Magic and pick the top design contributions of each year.

In this podcast, I talk about the Fallen Empires expansion.

In this podcast, I talk about the early portion of design where the sky is the limit.

In this podcast, I talk about how design needs to evoke an emotional response from the players.

In this podcast, I talk all about the history and design surrounding the exile zone.

In this podcast, I sit down with Lead Designer Corey Bowen to talk about the design of Magic: The Gathering® – Assassin's Creed®.

This podcast talks about the spectrum of giving players what they're asking for and surprising them with things they never thought of.

I talk all the time about the strengths of each color. This week, I delve into their weaknesses and how those present themselves mechanically.

In this podcast, I talk for 30 minutes all about every aspect of power and toughness.

In this podcast, I talk about why we don't have colors show up in different amounts in sets.

In this podcast, I sit down with Set Design Lead Michael Majors to talk about the set design for Modern Horizons 3.

In this podcast, I talk about how we design tokens and the cards that create them.

I sit down with Erik Lauer, Modern Horizons 3's lead vision designer, to talk about the making of the set.

I've talked a lot about the color pie over the years. In this episode, I talk about its history and how we've treated it as it has evolved over time.

In this podcast, I sit down with Scott Larabee, Sheldon's best friend, to talk all about the man and his life. We talk about many aspects of his huge impact on Magic (it's not just Commander) and who he was as a person.

This podcast is another in my "Lessons Learned" series where I talk about design lessons from sets I led or co-led. This episode is about the design of Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

In this episode, I talk about how we design typal cards (i.e., cards that mechanically care about creature types).

What exactly is a lead designer responsible for? In this podcast, I walk through what the lead designers do during exploratory design, vision design, set design, and play design.

In this podcast, I talk about how we design monocolor themes for both Constructed and Limited.

In this podcast, I talk about how R&D uses the alphabet to design Magic cards. I walk through the alphabet, explaining how we use each letter.

In this podcast, I sit down with Ari Zirulnik to talk about how we name Magic sets.

Back in 1999, the Magic rules had the biggest change in the history of the game in conjunction with the release of Sixth Edition. In this podcast, I walk through the major changes that happened.

My father, Gene Rosewater, died on April 17. In this podcast, I share stories about him that relate to Magic. Warning: This one's a bit of a tear-jerker.