Mark Rosewater

Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

Leisure EN ↓ 1362 episodes

Join Magic: The Gathering Head Designer Mark Rosewater as he shares stories, insights, and more while driving to work. Listen and learn more about how Magic is made!

Author

Mark Rosewater

Category

Leisure

Podcast website

magic.wizards.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

#1212: Drawbacks 31.01.2025

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

#1211: Fresh Out of Design – Aetherdrift 31.01.2025

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.

#1210: Rarity Changes 24.01.2025

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

#1209: Protection 24.01.2025

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

#1208: History of Creature Types 17.01.2025

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

#1207: Lessons Learned – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan 17.01.2025

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 .

#1206: Draft Archetypes 10.01.2025

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.

#1205: Innistrad Remastered with JC Tao 10.01.2025

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

#1204: Apocalypse 03.01.2025

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

#1203: Planeshift 03.01.2025

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

#1202: Psychology 27.12.2024

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.

#1201: Card Preview Articles 27.12.2024

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.

#1200: Two-in-Ones, Part 2 20.12.2024

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

#1199: Two-in-Ones, Part 1 20.12.2024

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.

#1198: Variance 13.12.2024

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.

#1197: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Design Evolution 13.12.2024

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.

#1196: The Buffet Metaphor 06.12.2024

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.

#1195: The History of Drafting 06.12.2024

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.

#1194: Brainstorming 29.11.2024

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

#1193: Designing for Mythic Rare 29.11.2024

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

#1192: Stickiness 22.11.2024

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.

#1191: MagicCon: Las Vegas 2024 22.11.2024

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

#1190: The History of Magic Design, Part 8 15.11.2024

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.

#1189: Game Knights Live with Josh Lee Kwai, Jimmy Wong, and Becca Scott 15.11.2024

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.

#1188: The History of Magic Design, Part 7 08.11.2024

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.

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