Magic: The Gathering's Head Designer Admits He's Still Trying To Like The Commander Format

Jason Fanelli
10/8/2025

Mark Rosewater, head designer for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast, has designed cards for all of Magic's playable formats. At MagicCon Atlanta, during a question and answer session with press, Rosewater spoke candidly about his experience with the game, including one interesting tidbit: He's not a fan of Commander, the most popular format currently available to MTG players.One question Rosewater received was about player fatigue with Universes Beyond--Magic's regular collaborations with outside intellectual property. Rosewater said he understands players who aren't fully on-board with the crossover sets, because he isn't fully on-board with some of the other popular things Magic is doing--especially the Commander format.Marvel Super Heroes, Magic's next Marvel-themed expansion."I'm not a Commander fan," Rosewater said. "To me, Magic is a strategic game. I love it because I win when I'm outthinking my opponent. Commander is not a strategic game. It is a political game; you're playing the people."Continue Reading at GameSpot...

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