GAVIN VERHEY principal designer of MAGIC on gamebreaking FF8 Vivi, Universes Beyond & potential Australia set

The SIFTER team had a chance to talk to Gavin Verhey from Wizards of the Coast at PAX AUS 2025. Gavin is the principle designer of Magic: The Gathering and also the lead designer on many Magic sets including the record breaking Final Fantasy set.

We chat about the infamous Vivi Ornitier card and what it’s like designing cross over sets for Magic. We ask Gavin about points based formats like Australian 7 Point Highlander, his thoughts on Australia and if there will ever be Magic set inspired by Australian themes?

Finally we pitch Gavin a handful of ideas for Universes Beyond (crossover) sets, turns out some of them might just be his wildest dreams!

If you’re a fan of Magic: The Gathering or Final Fantasy you won’t want to miss this episode of Lightmap!

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