Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

636
Leisure #89Games #10

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!

Recent Episodes
  • #1190: The History of Magic Design, Part 8
    Nov 15, 2024 – 36:02
  • #1189: Game Knights Live with Josh Lee Kwai, Jimmy Wong, and Becca Scott
    Nov 15, 2024 – 42:26
  • #1188: The History of Magic Design, Part 7
    Nov 8, 2024 – 32:12
  • #1187: Foundations Starter Collection Design with Carmen Klomparens
    Nov 8, 2024 – 34:51
  • #1186: The History of Magic Design, Part 6
    Nov 1, 2024 – 34:07
  • #1185: Foundations Design with Bryan Hawley
    Nov 1, 2024 – 41:12
  • #1184: The History of Magic Design, Part 5
    Oct 24, 2024 – 32:25
  • #1183: Graveyard Mechanics
    Oct 24, 2024 – 35:03
  • #1182: The History of Magic Design, Part 4
    Oct 18, 2024 – 30:51
  • #1181: Backwards Compatibility
    Oct 18, 2024 – 30:36
  • #1180: The History of Magic Design, Part 3
    Oct 11, 2024 – 31:53
  • #1179: Cardcrafting
    Oct 11, 2024 – 30:54
  • #1178: The History of Magic Design, Part 2
    Oct 4, 2024 – 31:21
  • #1177: 2023–24 Mechanics Review
    Oct 4, 2024 – 37:45
  • #1176: The History of Magic Design, Part 1
    Sep 27, 2024 – 31:18
  • #1175: Duskmourn Worldbuilding with Emily Teng
    Sep 27, 2024 – 29:47
  • #1174: The Un- Line
    Sep 20, 2024 – 31:41
  • #1173: Duskmourn Set Design with Jules Robins
    Sep 20, 2024 – 33:40
  • #1172: Lessons Learned – March of the Machine
    Sep 13, 2024 – 33:44
  • #1171: Duskmourn Art with Ovidio Cartagena
    Sep 13, 2024 – 30:51
  • #1170: Duskmourn Vision Design with Annie Sardelis
    Sep 6, 2024 – 29:04
  • #1169: Borders and Frames
    Sep 6, 2024 – 31:57
  • #1168: The Nadu Situation
    Aug 30, 2024 – 33:55
  • #1167: Ally and Enemy
    Aug 30, 2024 – 30:22
  • #1166: State of Design 2024
    Aug 23, 2024 – 32:05
  • #1165: Bloomburrow Art Direction with Zack Stella
    Aug 23, 2024 – 27:52
  • #1164: Stages of Design
    Aug 16, 2024 – 32:06
  • #1163: Bloomburrow Worldbuilding with Neale LaPlante Johnson
    Aug 16, 2024 – 31:44
  • #1162: San Diego Comic-Con 2024
    Aug 9, 2024 – 33:38
  • #1161: Bloomburrow Play Design with Jadine Klomparens
    Aug 9, 2024 – 28:29
  • #1160: Hand Matters
    Aug 2, 2024 – 29:26
  • #1159: Batching
    Aug 2, 2024 – 31:51
  • #1158: Power Level
    Jul 26, 2024 – 35:02
  • #1157: Bloomburrow Set Design with Ian Duke
    Jul 26, 2024 – 32:58
  • #1156: Fun
    Jul 19, 2024 – 32:57
  • #1155: Bloomburrow Vision Design with Doug Beyer
    Jul 19, 2024 – 35:51
  • #1154: Looking Back, Part 2
    Jul 12, 2024 – 39:12
  • #1153: Looking Back, Part 1
    Jul 12, 2024 – 34:58
  • #1152: Fallen Empires
    Jul 5, 2024 – 32:27
  • #1151: Blue Sky Design
    Jul 5, 2024 – 35:25
  • #1150: Emotional Center
    Jun 28, 2024 – 34:32
  • #1149: Exile
    Jun 28, 2024 – 30:23
  • #1148: Assassin's Creed with Corey Bowen
    Jun 21, 2024 – 29:16
  • #1147: Demand vs. Innovation
    Jun 21, 2024 – 31:11
  • #1146: Color Weaknesses
    Jun 14, 2024 – 29:44
  • #1145: Power and Toughness
    Jun 14, 2024 – 31:40
  • #1144: Color Imbalance
    Jun 7, 2024 – 32:38
  • #1143: Modern Horizons 3 Set Design with Michael Majors
    Jun 7, 2024 – 29:35
  • #1142: Designing Tokens
    May 31, 2024 – 31:22
  • #1141: Modern Horizons 3 Vision Design with Erik Lauer
    May 31, 2024 – 30:15
Recent Reviews
  • Mr. Fletcherr
    Great show, longtime listener
    Love Mark’s podcast. Only minor criticism is that his microphone seems to be popping and crackling lately, so he might have to get a new one soon. Keep up the good work!
  • JB Townsend
    Great show, fix the audio/microphone problems
    The constant pops from the cheaper microphone destroy my eardrums.
  • rbelknap
    Enjoying the show
    I’m newish to Magic and I’m enjoying the insight and information behind the creation. I like the length of the episodes and it makes a fun listen on my way to or from work. Great variety of topics.
  • Eric the Red 1969
    Episode 1131
    Just finished listening to the episode of Mark talking about his dad. Still crying what a wonderful man and Mark is so brave for talking about it. Great podcast. The whole podcast is such a nice thing that he does to give us an insight into his end of the spectrum thank you so much, Mark
  • T. Elsasser
    Have listened to almost every single one
    Mark is great for doing this it gives insight most people take for granted, and it has taught me SO much about game design over the past years he’s done this. So much wisdom packed in, a little eclectic at times but you never fail to hear the passion he carries for the game. Magic has its great faults, but this podcast is one of magic’s wins, much like the color pie. Thanks for everything mark.
  • mathiue777
    Mark is amazing
    Mark is so genuine, intelligent, and full of energy. i’ve listened to this podcast for years and just listening even after I stopped playing really makes me appreciate what goes into this product. The way, Mark approaches. It is such a science of creativity, even if you don’t play magic you could actually apply how he approaches this subject and create a similar process for things in your life that would benefit you.
  • kamuishirou
    Loved since the beginning!
    Great story telling and a lot of inside information. MARO is an amazing and wonderful Magic creator.
  • Ollie the Goon
    Thank you MaRo
    My son, who got me into this amazing multi-plane world, is my Sensei for all things Magic…I asked him how he can retain all the facts and figures from Magic’s long history, and he attributes MaRo’s podcasts for keeping him constantly refreshed…And I never miss them!
  • Lazarus2099
    Very good, but not perfect.
    If you’re interested in looking under the hood and behind the scenes of Magic: The Gathering, you’re going to enjoy this show. Even if you don’t care about Magic, this is a great resource for the aspiring game designer. I still love the show, but Mark did something uncharacteristic in 2022 that annoyed me. He did literally TEN consecutive episodes about Unfinity. I fully accept that I’m not going to interested in every episode topic. But if you fully know that a majority of your audience doesn’t care about a particular set, why would you spend ten episodes in a row on that set? Of all people, Mark is the last person I would expect to alienate his audience that way.
  • Jk75279536
    Mtg is fortunate to have this access
    Always fascinating to listen to Mr. Rosewater
  • WrigleyFieldMarshal
    WotC is garbage
    People should proxy everything and avoid paying for overpriced playing cards.
  • Axel Larrs
    How can you not love Mark?
    Nobody has a passion for the hobby, and a better insider perspective. I love Mark’s enthusiasm, experience and the breadth of topics covered here .
  • Slit the Bunny's Throat.
    Cardboard game for 13-year-olds
    Listened to multiple episodes and I found the rambling structure off putting.
  • sciiiiiiitles
    Love this podcast
    Is always great to find the interesting bts that goes into my favorite card game. I love how I can learn more about game design so that I can someday make my own game. (Also codenames for v-z are vault wakeboarding X-country yo-yo and zorb)
  • MuTuMamaof3
    Super great mark is epic
    😆
  • Meh 163737586492648
    How many times can Mark say the exact same thing in a row?
    This entire podcast is basically just Maro repeating himself, making the same 3 points over and over again. The podcast would definitely benefit from more structure, because Mark’s ad libbing skills aren’t the best. But if you’re looking to learn about MTG history and game design, this the podcast for you.
  • Qwe1234566789
    Top rate
    Great behind the scenes podcast for mtg with a wonderful host!
  • Ben428
    Nunfthv
    Cool podcast thank you for going back to pre-pandemic type episodes!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Kkjhgfddddddssssss
    Great podcast but.....
    Mark you’re a great podcaster and a poor interviewer. For the love of phyrexia stop the interviews and get back to magic content!!
  • WorstNess
    Not driving to work
    I really like your normal content more than the interviews. I like some of the interviews but other interviews I just don’t listen to. I like your old content more and the new black green episode is great. I just wanted to voice my opinion. This show is amazing though and I will always love it no matter where it goes
  • Auralox
    Used to be a great cast, except for the gendered pronouns
    I used to love listening to Mark pontificate about the history of magic. However, the continual use of the “he” pronoun and the “goodbye guys” at the end of the cast threaten to make it almost unlistenable in the present historical context and with our current political and social climate. Please please start using de-gendered references rather than masculine ones!! Also, I find it kind of sad: Though many previous episodes used to focus on the sets and cards that have been released by wizards over the past 25+ years, it seems that type of content has basically vaporized in lieu of interviews with other WotC employees over the past few months. If you love Magic: the Gathering, older episodes of this podcast have tons of historical content and opportunities to learn more about magic trivia, it’s creation, management, design and glimpses into the future of the game. I hope the cast finds its way back to that type of content soon.
  • fattybobattyyo
    MtG Behind the Scenes
    If you’re at all interested in the history and what goes on behind the scenes with the best game on the planet, this podcast is for you! I appreciate Maro’s honesty and candor talking about the game we all love. Keep up the great work!
  • ahhhhhhshshs
    Why the interviews?
    I thoroughly enjoy when this podcast is going over the design of the set because I am big into Magic’s design history. When Mark started doing interviews as opposed to the other kinds of episodes he did, I decided that I didn’t want to here Mark networking his way around during the pandemic. He also needs to acknowledge his job and how the new cards were added. If he can’t, then he is provably avoiding the actual game that he helped design. If he can’t face that and tell us what happened, he should be removed from his position because of his denial.
  • L Wilde
    Informative, fun, and great for commutes.
    I used to listen to this podcast all the time. Problem was, my drive to work was only a few minutes, so I started biking instead. This is great content, there’s rarely an episode I’m just not interested in at all, and learning about the back end of magic is very fun.
  • dontremoveoldepisodes
    Great Magic content from the source, great life lessons
    I love his voice and and his amazing energy!
  • Sbress
    Nails on a chalkboard.
    I enjoy magic content but skew more towards limited podcasts. I cannot stand the sound of this man’s voice. When he calms down it’s fine but as soon as he gets excited its just screechy nerd voice that fries my brain and gives me physical pain.
  • the super nerdy science dude👽
    👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
    I really like this podcast. It provides insight into the development of magic sets, and is very fun.
  • Fizzlebear
    Awesome Podcast
    I have only been playing for about two years, but listening to this podcast has made me a better, more knowledgeable player. I loved the guild podcasts especially. It’s interesting and helpful. Definitely watch.
  • Takethelguy
    I love it
    It is an amazing podcast, I listen to it all day
  • [mtgo]castekn2796
    I LOVE Design [blank]
    Great insight into the games design cant wait for more, revealing hand effects would be amazing. gitaxian probe
  • Mark Rosewater is my Mom
    Mark Rosewater is the boss
    Our father of the the greatest game ever talks to us about the greatest game ever...
  • Sad in ohio
    Sad
    Self hating cultural Marxist.
  • The TCG Guy
    MaRo is my HeRo
    Imagine how much someone must love their job, that even on their drive to work they’re producing content about their work. MaRo’s passion and genuine enthusiasm are impossible to contain, and he always has something to teach to aspiring designers or fans in general. If you’re into game design or just Magic’s history, this podcast is a must
  • Jfjurjdmmfdd
    Good magic podcast
    Great source of history from someone who was there from the beginning. If you want to know how and why they make magic this is the show for you. Great insight into the bigger picture. While there are some amazing episodes here... the content could come out less frequently with a more interesting podcast.
  • Toshi Kitty
    It’s great
    This show is the best show ever. So far
  • Sad Planeswalker
    Great Insight
    A great and enjoyable look into game design, Magic, and more. My one major issue is that when he goes over cards from old sets, he says the CMC of each card twice, in 2 different ways. This is entirely unnecessary and fairly annoying, as even the newest Magic players understand how to read mana costs, much less people who listen to this podcast.
  • Tosub
    Very engaging
    Can be difficult to follow. He bounces forward and back in his descriptive narrative about magic. Knows practically everything about the historical development of the best game ever made.
  • T 6573
    Awesome
    Mark Rosewater is the of (un)official historian of MTG. I love hearing him talk about days past as well as how the design process works. If like Magic: The gathering, you'll love hearing baout it first hand from one of the driving forces of the game.
  • ZebadiahM
    Great, even if you don't like magic
    I love the passion, enthusiasm, and huge breadth of knowledge.
  • Caljoones
    Awesome.
    This podcast is a must listen for any Magic fan who wants to "see behind the curtain." Fantastic content, thanks MaRo.
  • DreamVmu
    Love It!
    I have been a listener for a few weeks now and I have enjoyed each and every episode. I've been playing MTG since Beta, but I haven't played an actual game in over 15 years. I really love the history elements of your podcast! I also enjoy all the wisdom and fun stories that only you could share about MTG. I recently listened to your Chris Rush episode. A major loss to the world. I never met Christopher Rush, and now I have a little understanding of how great he was. Thanks for letting me share in the joy of your journey! Please keep them coming!
  • Morrdak
    Every MTG player should listen
    This podcast is quite good. Sure, some times the topics aren't my cup of tea or I'll completely disagree with his ratings on top 10s or showdowns (IE delirium/emerge/madness in Innistrad Showdown... Mark, players like complex mechanics!!) but Mark gives amazings perspective on what it takes to make Magic the amazing game it is today and how far it has come. Like the title says, every player of Magic should listen to this.
  • MrFootstones
    A great podcast for driving to work
    This podcast is both incredibly entertaining and full of great info. Maro is a walking mtg encyclopedia and this is your chance to get first hand information about the history and making of your favorite game. If you play magic and enjoy behind the scenes type stuff do yourself a favor and subscribe. This makes my commute to work an enjoyable experience.
  • aderps
    So Good
    If you enjoy Magic the Gathering in any way, Mark is going to do his best to give you what you want somewhere along the line. This is also a great podcast for anyone interested in game design in general. The sound quality is not the greatest, but the fact that Mark does these all uncut unedited driving in a car while still remaining plenty articulate and audible is astounding and far outweighs and mic quality issues. Mad props to Mark Rosewater. Thank you for taking the time to do this podcast in your obviously very busy life.
  • Chad from Hawaii
    An extensive dive into one of the creative minds at the heart of Magic The Gathering
    During his ongoing career with Magic, Mark Rosewater has been considered both an end-bringer and a savior of the beloved collectible card game. Who better than him to offer insight into the creative process as well as the trials and triumphs along the way to keeping the magic alive.
  • Sleezy_E
    Wonderful
    I have never been more inspired to follow my dream of one day working for wizards of the coast creating the wonderful game I love so so much. Very clear and concise with his speech which is HIGE and on top of that it could be one of the most informative podcasts I've ever listened to. 6/5 stars is that possible? Thank you Mark, if you're reading this get back to making magic!! (Or talking it)
  • "Mike" of house "Burns"
    When playing the game just isn’t enough<3
    I love this podcast<3 Nice bite sized episodes. Easy to listen to one at a time or as a marathon. Drive to Work is full of intriguing insider information and incredibly fun stories. It has given me even more appreciation for the game and it’s creators. I love that it doesn’t feel like a radio show too, it feels like you’re just hanging out with Mark :)
  • Rockynitro
    Awesome podcast!
    Love this podcast! It brings a really good perspective into the world of magic. You Rock Maro! Thank you for taking the time in creating this podcast.
  • J. T. E.
    Whether or not you care about Magic: the Gathering, listen to this!
    Want to hear a great, extremely successful game designer share fun stories, insights about life, and general theory about how games work? Listen as Mark Rosewater drives to work. If you also care about MtG, it’s even better, because he has a lot of fascinating stories about how the game comes to be. But even if you aren’t big into Magic, you’ll find a lot to appreciate about this podcast.
  • Kultcher
    Great Insight and Energy
    MaRo provides a lot of great info for game designers of any stripe, and does so with gusto. What he may lack in raw "host-ness" charisma, he more than makes up for with enthusiasm and love of the game and his audience.
Similar Podcasts
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.