Tucked away in an independent office building near Lake Washington lies the headquarters of Game Magic: The GatheringThe longest-running collectible card game in existence. For the first time, a collection of journalists has been invited to the heart of Wizards Of The Coast to discuss the history of MagicAs well as a small look ahead at the upcoming Duskmorn And Basics Sets.
Set up as a private convention, we were brought into the secured headquarters and presented with three separate panels. The first was a Q&A with a group of key decision-makers inside Magic. This includes Mark Rosewater who has been with the company for 30 years, Jackie Jones, Ken Troup, Mark Heggen, Aaron Forsythe, and Chris Kiritz. The second event was a discussion of the upcoming Duskmorn set, with senior art director Ovidio Cartagena and a precon commander deck breakdown. And finally, a play test of the new one Basics Set in November 2024.
The People and Stories Behind Magic: The Gathering
A collection of individual journeys
When we entered the headquarters of Wizards of the Coast, we were immediately confronted by a massive statue of a female Shivan dragon, frozen in time and surrounded by a collection of her victim’s bones. Her name is Mitzi, and her presence was great in the lobby as we checked in and received our guest badges. Adorning the walls around the check-in area are shelves full of Dungeons & Dragons Player books, awards, dice and latest Game Magic: The Gathering Booster boxes.
One thing that stood out to me were the signs announcing open-game events for employees to participate in, including specific RPG & Commander game nights. A reminder that work and play can go very much hand-in-hand when creating some of the most creative games on the planet.
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Once in the meeting room, we were introduced to the “who’s who” of people who shaped the game Magic for years. It was a simple Q&A where we got to listen to the stories of all the incredibly creative people. In an introductory moment, when asked “Why has magic stood the test of time?“Chief designer Mark Rosewater simply said,”Magic is the greatest game ever made.“
After a little coaxing, he continued “One of the most amazing things about Magic is that it allows each individual player to make the game whatever they want it to be. If you want the game to be very light and build your deck around elves to play with your friends, you can. If you want to compete at the highest possible level and play for millions of dollars, you can do that too. It is a game of great depth, a living, breathing, ever-changing thing.“
“Magic is the greatest game ever made.”
The presentation continued with each individual panelist describing how they came to join these Magic team, and what makes it special for them. It was an honor to sit and listen to so many people dedicated to this 31-year-old game. They discuss what goes into bringing each set to life and how cards are created, playtested and adjusted.
They even discussed an insider group called “The Council of Colors” where each member is in charge of their specific color. If a card doesn’t feel like it fits the blue theme, that council member will speak up and start a discussion. It was impressive how many small “checks” on the path of creating a single Magic card there really were.
Duskmorn, Foundations and Beyond
A continuing legacy for MTG
After the story Q & A, we quickly moved on to the latest upcoming Game Magic: The Gathering Set, Duskmorn. Led by Senior Art Director, Ovidio Cartagena and Executive Producer, Mike Turian. The discussion was basically a rehearsal for the PAX East panel they were scheduled to do the next day. We went through the new card reveals and had some deep discussions with Ovidio and Senior Game Designer Emily Teng about how Duskmourn was thematic.
As a horror fan myself, I was incredibly impressed with the depths they reached to make this new set feel like a proper homage to 80s horror, with some modern creeps sprinkled throughout. Each card and mechanic shows a different side of scary, from hidden elements in the Lurking Evil versions to the jump-scare-like effect of Manifest Dread. The entire set includes themes and author’s latest episodic stories We grant Improve the story even more.
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The future of Magic is strong. In addition to this upcoming September set, Wizards of the Coast has one more product line in store for 2024. Foundations is a beginner’s box to teach new players how to play Game Magic: The Gathering. The product comes with 10 themed jumpstart packs, two game boards, reference cards and an incredibly well-detailed tutorial for brand new players.
We all gathered in groups of two and sat down to try the beginner tutorial. I was lucky enough to partner with TheGamer’s Eric Switzer, who is much more than a Disney Lorcana Expert. However, the step-by-step nature of Wikipedia’s tutorial quickly bested me in our Cats vs. Vampires starter scrimmage. After a good number of tutorial-dictated rounds, Eric felt comfortable enough to continue on his own and pull off the win. It was a devastating blow to my ego, and I could never recover.
Foundations were clearly created with new players in mind, and I think it will be an incredibly successful way to bring in more Magic Fans to the free. If you’re a long-time player, there’s not much here for you other than a collection of basic jumpstart decks.
Overall, if there’s one thing I took away from the whole day, it was an appreciation and respect for the game itself. There have been times I’ve cracked open a pack only to quickly shuffle through it, disappointed I didn’t draw a mythic or a new squirrel for my Chatterfang deck. However, the pack isn’t just 15 random throwaway cards, each one has a story. Each card is created, tested, changed, tested again and verified. It was discussed in the Council of Colors about its viability in whatever setting it was created for.
Then it was off to the art department to find the perfect art, artist, border and possible treatments. Hundreds of little meetings and discussions had to happen for this one card to be created, approved, printed, packed, delivered and opened by me. Each card is a thousand creative decisions by a large group of dedicated people who really love the game, and I think Mark Rosewater was right, Game Magic: The Gathering is the greatest game ever made.