The massive collaboration and years-long process behind creating the new edition of venerable card game, Magic: the Gathering.

A hunter stalks his prey through a forest. Both are planeswalkers, wizards who travel between worlds and duel each other. Years ago, a necromancer named Liliana cursed the hunter Garruk, turning him into a mindless killer. He has gained some control of this cursed rage, but can he master it completely before he kills again?

Such is the narrative underpinning of the new release of the 2015 set for Magic: The Gathering, which puts the popular character Garruk back at the forefront of the story. It’s just the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the popular game.

The premise for Magic: The Gathering is simple, sort of. Players control wizards who duel each other, using different kinds of magic: green is for nature, red is for destruction, blue is for mental magic, white is for protection, and black is for necromancy. Cards are played to summon creatures or cast spells, all with the goal of reducing your opponent’s health to 0 and defeating him. Complex strategies emerge where the special abilities of various cards play off one another.

This game of strategy is given new life each year. Publisher Wizards of the Coast release a base set in the summer and followed by an expansion block throughout the rest of the year. In July 2013, Wizards released Magic 2014, aka M14, and, subsequently, the Greek-mythology themed Theros. And the game was renewed again with the release of M15 on July 18. Such constant revitalization of the game’s rules and story elements is a complex undertaking that gets started years in advance.

Read the full article at Co.Create.