Podcasts about Mark Rosewater

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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 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 Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Design Lead Adam Prosak to talk about the set's design.

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

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.

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).

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.

We're going back to Tarkir and it's time to Dragonstorm off with the “Jeskai Striker” (white/blue/red) precon reveal! Check out this brand new spellslinger deck, including 10 never-before-seen cards! Then, just to add some fury to the flurry, we've also included our $50 budget upgrade guide so you can really show off your prowess at your next game night! -------- Link to Full ‘JESKAI STRIKER' Deck List: -------- Support the show and become a Patron! Be a part of our community, receive awesome rewards, and more! https://www.patreon.com/commandzone -------- GAME KNIGHTS FAN AUDITION WINNERS: We have a winner! Two, in fact! Want to see which fans will be making a guest appearance on Game Knights? Then stick around until the end of the episode. -------- FACTOR:  Eat smart with Factor. To get 50% off your first box plus free shipping, use code FACTORPODCAST at  https://www.factormeals.com/factorpodcast  SHOPIFY: Power your business with Shopify. Start your one-dollar-per-month trial period today by going to: https://www.shopify.com/tcz  -------- CARD KINGDOM: The Command Zone is sponsored by Card Kingdom! If you want to receive your cards in one safe package and experience the best customer service, make sure to order your Magic cards, sealed product, accessories, and more at Card Kingdom: http://www.cardkingdom.com/command  ARCHIDEKT: Discover, build, catalog, and playtest on Archidekt, the deck-building website that makes it easy to brew brand new lists or manage your old favorites. Go to http://www.archidekt.com/commandzone to get started today!  ULTRA PRO: Huge thanks to Ultra PRO for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to check out their amazing APEX sleeves and super classy MANA 8 product line. If you want to keep your cards protected and support the show, visit: https://ultrapro.com/command -------- Relevant Links: The Professor: Bluesky: @tolariancommunitycollege.com Twitter: @TolarianCollege YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tolariancommunity "Storm Scale: Khans of Tarkir Block" by Mark Rosewater: https://tinyurl.com/storm-scale-ktk -------- Follow us on TikTok: @thecommandzone Follow us on Instagram: @CommandCast Follow us on Bluesky: @commandcast.bsky.social Follow us on Twitter: @CommandCast @JoshLeeKwai @jfwong @wachelreeks Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commandcast/ Email us: commandzonecast@gmail.com -------- Commander Rules and Ban List: https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list -------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.

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

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

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

MagicCon: Chicago was the biggest MagicCon ever, in part because The Dive Down was there to experience it. This week's show features conversation we had at the Con with Mark Rosewater, Blake Rasmussen, and Athena Froehlich. We chat about a couple cards revealed from Tarkir: Dragonstorm and gather some WOTC insights following December's Modern unbans. A Preview Panel! A Chat with Blake! MaRo's 20 Cards of All Time! Become a citizen of The Dive Down Nation!: http://www.patreon.com/thedivedown Show the world that you're a proud citizen of The Dive Down Nation with some merch from the store: https://www.thedivedown.com/store Upgrade your gameplay and your gameday with Heavy Play accessories. Use code THEDIVEDOWN2025 for 10% off your first order at https://www.heavyplay.com Get 25% Cashback after 3 months of service with ManaTraders! https://www.manatraders.com/?medium=thedivedown and use coupon code THEDIVEDOWN Try out our new promo code for Magic Mind! Visit https://magicmind.com/divedownUse or use code DIVEDOWN at checkout to get up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchase of Stan's new favorite mental performance shot. And now receive 8% off your order of paper cards from Nerd Rage Gaming with code DIVE8 at https://www.nerdragegaming.com/ Timestamps: 7:26 - This week's show/housekeeping 14:05 - The Dive Down begins: MagicCon Chicago! 23:06 - The MagicCon Chicago Spoiler Panel 47:44 - An interview with Blake Rasmussen 1:16:03 - The MaRo Q&A 1:50:35 - Wrapping up Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name? email us: thedivedown@gmail.com (mailto:thedivedown@gmail.com)

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

It's a mailbag episode! JLK and Rachel sit down to answer all your burning inquiries: Which Commanders do we REFUSE to play against? Which colors do we find the most powerful? What's the best way to find a new playgroup? What do we think about Rule 0 commanders? And so much more! No question will go unanswered, so you're not going to want to miss this one. -------- Support the show and become a Patron! Be a part of our community, receive awesome rewards, and more! https://www.patreon.com/commandzone -------- GAME KNIGHTS LIVE - CHICAGO: The Greatest Show in the Multiverse returns to The Windy City for MagicCon Chicago! Don't miss this epic and hilarious Commander battle as four fierce competitors race to the finish line on Friday, Feb. 21st starting at 6pm. Find Event Badge Info here: https://mcchicago.mtgfestivals.com/en-us/badges/buy-badges.html  -------- RAYCON: Raycon's latest model of Everyday Earbuds are better than ever! To save 15% on your entire Raycon order go to: https://www.buyraycon.com/command  SHOPIFY: Power your business with Shopify. Start your one-dollar-per-month trial period today by going to: https://www.shopify.com/tcz ROCKET MONEY: Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and manage your finances by going to: https://www.rocketmoney.com/commandzone -------- CARD KINGDOM: The Command Zone is sponsored by Card Kingdom! If you want to receive your cards in one safe package and experience the best customer service, make sure to order your Magic cards, sealed product, accessories, and more at Card Kingdom: http://www.cardkingdom.com/command  ARCHIDEKT: Discover, build, catalog, and playtest on Archidekt, the deck-building website that makes it easy to brew brand new lists or manage your old favorites. Go to http://www.archidekt.com/commandzone to get started today!  ULTRAPRO: Huge thanks to UltraPro for sponsoring this episode! Be sure to check out their amazing APEX sleeves and super classy MANA 8 product line. If you want to keep your cards protected and support the show, visit: https://ultrapro.com/command -------- Relevant Links: Cards that Change Your Deck's Power Level | The Command Zone 584: https://youtu.be/0qnFxDNz0bI Magic has changed A LOT since 1994 | The Command Zone 642: https://youtu.be/QtWyOJHUiFU DJ: Twitter: @jumbocommander TheProxyGuy: Bluesky: @cardsbyprox.com ALK Alters: Bluesky: @alkalters.bsky.social The Professor: Twitter: @TolarianCollege Bluesky: @tolariancommunitycollege.com Jacob Holloway: Twitter: @JacobHollowayIV FAN vs Game Knights | Episode 24: https://youtu.be/bG4h_C9eUHg Crim Nguyen a.k.a. TheAsianAvenger: Twitter: @Theasianavenger Bluesky: @theasianavenger.bsky.social Game Knights Live w/ Mark Rosewater & Becca Scott | MagicCon Las Vegas 2024: https://youtu.be/MZEWmkzAgFU The Blue Beetle Plays MTG Lord of the Rings | Xolo Maridueña | Game Knights 62: https://youtu.be/x7N1A1AmuSM Exactly How Good is Sol Ring? Commander Gameplay STATS (pt1) l CZ 238: https://youtu.be/Iwdb_kPCwNU Which Color is the Strongest? Gameplay STATS (pt2) l The Command Zone 239: https://youtu.be/ttGjuNXWxpY -------- THE END STEP: Once Upon a Galaxy: https://galaxygame.gg/ -------- Follow us on TikTok: @thecommandzone Follow us on Instagram: @CommandCast Follow us on Bluesky: @commandcast.bsky.social Follow us on Twitter: @CommandCast @JoshLeeKwai @jfwong @wachelreeks Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commandcast/ Email us: commandzonecast@gmail.com -------- Commander Rules and Ban List: https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list -------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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 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 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.