Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

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Magic: The Gathering Head Designer Mark Rosewater shares stories, insights, and more while driving to work. Listen in and learn more about Magic!

Wizards of the Coast


    • Sep 12, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 35m AVG DURATION
    • 1,276 EPISODES

    4.8 from 647 ratings Listeners of Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast that love the show mention: mark rosewater, making magic, game ever, play magic, card game, game design, magic the gathering, mtg, i've been playing, guild, uncut, fun stories, cards, mechanics, drive to work, thank you for taking, insider, sets, behind the scenes, i've always.


    Ivy Insights

    The Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast is a fantastic resource for fans of the game who are interested in learning more about its development and history. Hosted by Mark Rosewater, a renowned game designer for Magic, this podcast provides a behind-the-scenes look into the world of card game design. Rosewater's enthusiasm and passion for the game shine through in each episode, making it an enjoyable and informative listen.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the wealth of information it provides about game design. Rosewater discusses various aspects of designing and developing Magic sets, giving listeners insight into the creative process that goes into creating new cards and mechanics. He also shares stories from his own experiences working on the game, providing a unique perspective that can be inspiring for aspiring game designers.

    Another great aspect of this podcast is Rosewater's engaging personality. His enthusiasm for Magic and his genuine love for the game come across clearly in his discussions. He has a knack for storytelling and often shares interesting anecdotes or fun facts about different cards or sets. This makes each episode entertaining as well as educational.

    However, one potential downside to this podcast is that some episodes may not appeal to all listeners. While some topics may be fascinating to those deeply invested in Magic, they may not hold as much interest for casual players or those unfamiliar with the game. Additionally, there are occasionally interviews with other individuals in the industry, which may not resonate with everyone.

    In conclusion, The Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast is a must-listen for fans of the game who want to delve deeper into its development and history. With Mark Rosewater's infectious enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge, this podcast offers both entertainment and valuable insights into the world of card game design. Whether you're an avid player or simply curious about how games are created, this podcast is definitely worth checking out.



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    Latest episodes from Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

    #1276: Ante

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 30:35


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

    #1275: Aesthetic Color Pie

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 33:29


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

    #1274: The History of Tokens

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 35:03


    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.

    #1273: Marvel's Spider-Man Set Design with Corey Bowen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2025 35:22


    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.

    #1272: How Magic Grew

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2025 31:27


    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?

    #1271: Structuring Sets

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2025 34:22


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

    #1270: Prophecy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2025 35:03


    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.

    #1269: Igniting the Spark

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2025 30:45


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

    #1268: Nemesis

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2025 31:46


    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.

    #1267: State of Design 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2025 32:22


    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.

    #1266: Mercadian Masques

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2025 30:40


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

    #1265: Group Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2025 30:11


    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.

    #1264: San Diego Comic-Con 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 30:48


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

    #1263: Flux

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 35:28


    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.

    #1262: Magic Card Back

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2025 30:19


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

    #1261: Edge of Eternities Set Design with Andrew Brown

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2025 29:53


    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.

    #1260: The Juice Isn't Worth the Squeeze

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2025 35:11


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

    #1259: Edge of Eternities Vision Design with Ethan Fleischer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2025 31:28


    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.

    #1258: History of Colorless

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2025 35:31


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

    #1257: Enchantment Color Pie

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2025 30:49


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

    Drive to Work #1256 - Right For This Set

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2025 35:58


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

    Drive to Work #1255 - Creature Color Pie

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2025 37:29


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

    Drive to Work #1254 - Cameo Mechanics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2025 31:45


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

    Drive to Work #1253 - Artifact Color Pie

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2025 29:52


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

    #1252: Why We Name Mechanics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025 33:45


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

    #1251: History of Typal Themes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025 32:39


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

    #1250: Exodus

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 34:14


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

    #1249: Stronghold

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 30:59


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

    #1248: Futureproofing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 39:43


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

    #1247: FINAL FANTASY with Gavin Verhey

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 31:22


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

    #1246: Why Mechanics Don't Make It

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 33:35


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

    #1245: Test Decks

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 30:43


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

    #1244: Formats I Made

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 31:38


    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.

    #1243: Vision Design Issues

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 36:15


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

    #1242: Repeats and Tweaks

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 31:31


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

    #1241: Making Mechanics

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 31:46


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

    #1240: Communications

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 30:44


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

    #1239: Top 20 Worst Mechanics, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 33:10


    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.

    #1238: Top 20 Worst Mechanics, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 30:40


    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.

    #1237: Top 20 Worst Mechanics, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 30:42


    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.

    #1236: Mel

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 31:58


    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.

    #1235: Bigger Than the Box

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 31:11


    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.

    #1233: Arc Planning

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 31:35


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

    #1234: Vorthos

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 32:45


    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.

    #1232: Spike

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 31:05


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

    #1231: Tarkir: Dragonstorm Creative with Lauren Bond

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 29:51


    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.

    #1230: Johnny and Jenny

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 34:00


    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.

    #1229: Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Design with Adam Prosak

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 36:15


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

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