

Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast
Mark Rosewater
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!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 20, 2025 • 34min
#1252: Why We Name Mechanics
In this podcast, I answer a question from my blog about how we decide when to name and not name mechanics.

Jun 20, 2025 • 33min
#1251: History of Typal Themes
I recently wrote a three-part article about the history of typal themes in Magic. This is my podcast on the topic.

Jun 13, 2025 • 34min
#1250: Exodus
In this podcast, I talk all about Exodus (the third expansion of the Tempest block).

Jun 13, 2025 • 31min
#1249: Stronghold
Dive into the creation of Stronghold, the second expansion of the Tempest block, featuring the introduction of innovative mechanics like Shadow and Buyback. Explore the epic Weatherlight Saga, focusing on character development and plot intricacies. Discover iconic cards such as Volrath Stronghold and Dream Halls, and their gameplay impact. Learn about unique mechanics like Burgeoning and Fling, all while unraveling the crew's adventure to escape a castle, linking gameplay with an engaging narrative.

Jun 6, 2025 • 40min
#1248: Futureproofing
In this podcast, I talk about a concept called futureproofing where we design mechanics to better enable us to use them in the future.

Jun 6, 2025 • 31min
#1247: FINAL FANTASY with Gavin Verhey
In this podcast, I sit down with the lead designer of Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ to talk about the set's design.

May 30, 2025 • 34min
#1246: Why Mechanics Don't Make It
We design a lot of mechanics. Most don't make it to print. Why? That's my topic for this podcast.

May 30, 2025 • 31min
#1245: Test Decks
This podcast talks about a tool we use to playtest new mechanics.

May 23, 2025 • 32min
#1244: Formats I Made
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.

9 snips
May 23, 2025 • 36min
#1243: Vision Design Issues
In this episode, I walk through many of the design issues that occur during vision design.