#012 - Mike Turian talks about life at Wizards and creating Jace, the Mind Sculptor! (Part 2)

"Magic is kind of mind-blowing." Mike Turian is one of the greatest Limited players ever in the history of the Magic Pro Tour, and a bona fide Hall of Famer. He is also a key driving force within Wizards of the Coast, having held key roles in R&D, Organized Play, Technology, Magic Online, and Magic Duels teams. In this no-holds-barred conversation, I talk to Mike about both his illustrious playing career (Part 1) and the decade that he's spent at Wizards of the Coast (Part 2). Mike has tons of great stories and learnings to share, so please do come along for the ride! Time stamps -- Part 2: [02:06] How Mike started working at Wizards [05:22] The most important advice that Randy gave Mike at the beginning [06:53] Working at Wizards vs. being a competitive player — tough decision? [09:28] Winning for the community vs. for yourself [11:08] Summary of Mike’s different roles at Wizards [11:57] Insights Mike gained from the Market Research team [14:53] The best way to provide user feedback for Magic Online [15:58] The Magic expansion sets that Mike led from a development perspective [16:38] Leaving R&D to drive the Planeswalker Points program [17:14] How hard was it to leave R&D? [20:36] Most memorable R&D moments [23:25] Developing the planeswalker card type [26:35] “With [Jace, the Mind Sculptor] we wanted to make a card that people loved, and I think we accomplished that.” [31:09] Favorite cards that Mike’s worked on [36:23] Advice for folks who want to work in Magic R&D [42:10] Mike’s current role in the Brand team — what does it involve? [46:53] Most exciting thing in Mike’s current role [49:54] Advantages of working in the digital domain [52:08] Favorite colleagues [55:27] The unsung heroes of Wizards [56:48] Personal and career goals — and the one competitive goal he’s yet to achieve [58:15] The competitive fire, and the purity of tournament Magic Photo Credit: Wizards of the Coast