Gavin Verhey reveals he applied for Magic: The Gathering career at 11 years old

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Gavin Verhey leads the design of Magic: The Gathering and plays a major role in creating the game’s unique themes and how it’s played. He recently spoke with TopMob at PAX Australia in October 2025, sharing insights into his work on MTG – from its history to what’s coming next.

Before our meeting with Gavin, we watched him interact with fans at the huge Magic: The Gathering booth. Seeing him sign autographs, pose for pictures, and chat with players, it was obvious his passion for the game and his job is genuine – you can’t put on that kind of enthusiasm.

Before becoming well-known in the Magic: The Gathering community, Gavin was already a successful competitive player, earning numerous wins and awards. He had a strong track record with the game long before joining the team at Wizards of the Coast.

When we spoke with Gavin, he shared fascinating stories about landing his dream job at Wizards, how he grew to love working on the Commander format (even though he didn’t initially!), and what kind of fantastical world he’d most like to see featured in Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond series.

MTG’s Principal Designer applied for the job when he was 11

Gavin Verhey knew from a young age that he wanted to work with Magic: The Gathering. He started playing at age 10 and by 11, had decided he wanted to design the cards themselves, as he shared with us.

You might think this sounds like a kid’s imagination, but Gavin Verhey is actually the Principal Designer for Magic: The Gathering. He’s been a key creator of many of the game’s cards over the last ten years. And it wasn’t just a dream for him as a child – at eleven years old, he was already taking steps to make it a reality and work for Wizards of the Coast.

Gavin recounted a memorable encounter at a Seattle event where, at age 11, he boldly approached the company’s then Vice President of Game Design. “I told him, ‘I want to work for you – I’m ready to be hired!’” he explained.

He looked at me with a very serious expression and said, ‘Listen, you’re going to need two things. First, you need a college degree.’ I remember feeling discouraged because I was only eleven and it seemed like it would take a lifetime to get one.

The President of Game Design also emphasized that they only hire people who are highly skilled at Magic: The Gathering. Believing it would be simpler than earning a college degree, Gavin decided to pursue a career as a professional MTG player.

He turned professional at 15, began college at 16, and earned his degree by 20. Shortly after graduating, he was hired by Wizards.

Even though he misses the excitement of competitive gaming, Gavin is happy with his career. After 14 years designing for Magic: The Gathering, he’s exactly where he wants to be.

When you join Wizards, you need to approach the game with a different mindset. When playing professionally, the focus is on winning – finding the strongest deck and figuring out how to beat your opponent, as he explained. But during playtesting, that all changes. He focuses on whether the game is enjoyable, if a card needs adjusting, and whether the opponent is also having fun. The goal is to ensure the card doesn’t ruin their experience.

Gavin has spent nearly ten years thinking a lot about the Commander format in Magic: The Gathering. But if someone had told him back in 2011 that this would be a major focus for him, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.

‘Commander’ in chief

In 2025, Verhey is known as the go-to person for all things Commander. He leads the Commander Format Panel, which acts as a voice for players, communicating their feedback to Wizards of the Coast. He also regularly shares his insights and discusses the format on his YouTube channel.

Gavin was likely chosen for this role because much of his design work for Magic: The Gathering has focused on the game’s casual, multiplayer formats. It’s notable that this wasn’t the career direction he initially envisioned.

I joined Wizards of the Coast as a competitive player, and honestly, I didn’t care for Commander at all. I had no interest in playing it,” he explained. So, when he got the chance to lead his first design project, being assigned to Commander 2017 wasn’t his first choice.

He remembered spending the weekend considering his options. During that time, Gavin visited New York and stumbled upon a local game store called The Uncommons, where people were celebrating the launch of the Commander 2014 card sets.

Gavin was introduced to the ‘Guided by Nature’ precon deck – led by the character Freyalise – by a group of players, and he enjoyed it so much that he immediately decided to buy the set. He explained that he had so much fun during that first game that he told his manager he was in, returning to the store on Monday to purchase it.

Verhey says that one game is the reason people now see him as ‘the Commander guy’. He explains that four strangers invited him to play Commander, handing him a pre-constructed deck and immediately making him feel welcome. He emphasizes that this instant connection with others is a core part of what makes Magic: The Gathering so special to him – the ‘Gathering’ aspect of the game is incredibly important.

I’ve been following Gavin’s work for a while now, and he’s been involved in so many amazing Magic: The Gathering sets! He’s led the teams behind Commander Masters, Commander Legends, and even the recent Murders at Karlov Manor Commander release. But honestly, I was blown away by what he did with Final Fantasy Universes Beyond – it was a huge hit and broke all sorts of records! It’s clear he really knows what players want.

We’re also watching for potential future Magic: The Gathering collaborations, like another set from the Universes Beyond series (possibly Expedition 33), and any other video game partnerships. Until then, we’ll have to be patient and stick with the release dates we currently know.

The next Magic: The Gathering set, inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, will be fully released on November 21, 2025.

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2025-11-14 05:20