Like most within the Magic: The Gathering team, global play lead Ken Troop's background is that of a player. As he expresses in a recent interview with us, his connection with games like MTG was forged long before he began his almost 20-year career with Wizards of the Coast. "Growing up, D&D and magic were my two favorite games of all time," he muses. "To be a part of a group of amazing people that really consider themselves the stewards of Magic is a treat, a delight, an honor, and a responsibility."
With design credits on the beloved Return to Ravnica and a catalog of Magic: The Gathering fiction behind him, Troop has certainly lived up to that responsibility. But beyond his earlier work as a writer and designer on one of the best card games, he has also made significant efforts to push MTG into digital environments through his involvement in projects like Duels of the Planeswalkers and Magic: The Gathering Online.
Outside of being an additional avenue for existing MTG fans to enjoy the game, there's also an unappreciated value Magic: The Gathering video games have for new players. Alongside WPN events, these digital clients help ease discomfort around walking into your first Friday Night Magic or Commander Night. With a couple of games of Arena under your belt, you can feel confident enough in your understanding of the game's basic systems and be able to focus on making connections with the community.
In that same vein, Troop describes how unraveling negative misconceptions of gatekeeping around MTG remains at the center of his decision-making. "There was a lot of Spike focus in R&D for many years. So, one of the things we started talking about is how we want magic to be for everyone. [...] One of the big things I really do try to highlight is that Magic has so many different things for so many different people. It is not all serious and competitive and Spike-y."
Timmy, Johnny, and Spike make up a trio of player archetypes created by Mark Rosewater back in 2002.
Magic for a Timmy is a simple, fun power fantasy. They love wrecking their opponents with big spells and even bigger creatures. The Johnny fancies themself more of a deck artist, being most satisfied when they see their complex combos and unique synergies pay off.
However, a Spike just loves the thrill of winning. They min-max the heck of their decks and keep a careful eye on the meta. Basically, a Spike is a massive sweat.
There's still high-stakes competition to be had (there's no doubt about that) but Magic is working to actively embrace more casual and social forms of play.
Moves like this, he argues, are crucial for the evolution of Magic, both paper and digital: "We talk a lot about how if we change nothing, Magic dies, we're very confident about that. If we change too much or too much too soon, Magic either dies or creates some unfun times for all. [...] We do a lot of deliberation internally about what are the right tweaks to make to keep this game continuing to feel fresh and exciting, but also still resonant and like 'my Magic'."
No doubt this balance is a delicate one, and criticism has been levied by some who claim that Commander has been overly prioritized to the detriment of the game's overall health. These are feelings which were only further heightened by the recent controversy around the Nadu ban. Troop seems to be particularly in touch with this tension, and despite the popularity of EDH, he asserts that efforts are continually made to give TLC to other formats too.
"Right now, Commander is obviously the most popular format," Troop explains, "You know, the way I think about it, it's the center of gravity for Magic. So yeah, we want to embrace that. At the same time, we still love Standard, Modern, Draft, and all these different ways of playing Magic."
Regardless of the environment or the format you choose to play in, all Magic: The Gathering players are united by a shared appreciation of really great cards. Be it stunning art, satisfying mechanics, or captivating lore, we all have picks we’re particularly fond of. So, what is Ken Troop's favorite card? "Any card I've designed," he jokes. I … I have to admit that’s a pretty good answer.
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