All Episodes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1236 in total
#1236: Mel
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
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 cha...
#1234: Vorthos
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.
#1233: Arc Planning
In this podcast, I talk about the team that figures out what in-Multiverse Magic sets we'll be doing in the future.
#1232: Spike
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
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
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
In this podcast, I sit down with Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Design Lead Adam Prosak to talk about the set's design.
#1228: Timmy and Tammy
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.
#1227: Tarkir: Dragonstorm Vision Design
In this episode, I walk through the vision design for Tarkir: Dragonstorm and talk about the evolution of the Dragon subtype and clan mechanics.
#1226: Replies with Rachel and Sarah
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....
#1225: Interrupts in Limited Edition (Alpha)
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 (Alp...
#1224: Why We Do Themes
In this episode, I explain the value of themes by going through the various teams that work on a Magic set.
#1223: Design Feedback
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.
#1222: Top 20 Most Influential Designs, Part 3
This is part three of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.
#1221: Top 20 Most Influential Designs, Part 2
This is part two of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.
#1220: Top 20 Most Influential Designs, Part 1
This is part one of a three-part series going over a talk I gave at MagicCon: Chicago 2025.
#1219: MagicCon: Chicago 2025
In this episode, I talk about my recent trip to MagicCon: Chicago.
#1218: Weatherlight
This episode looks back at the design of Weatherlight, the third set in the Mirage block.
#1217: Visions
This episode looks back at the design of Visions, the second set in the Mirage block.
#1216: How to Make Losing Fun
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.
#1215: BroadwayCon 2025
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 ...
#1214: Why Is Magic So Good?
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.
#1213: Aetherdrift Set Design with Yoni Skolnik
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.
#1212: Drawbacks
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
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 o...
#1210: Rarity Changes
In this podcast, I walk through the various reasons why we reprint cards at a different rarity.
#1209: Protection
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
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
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 de...