Melissa Li Says ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Is Making Huge Gender Strides

I can’t lie: Growing up, I dabbled in Magic: The Gathering. I owned one measly deck, but I adored the artwork and cryptic quotes. Yet even as a sixth grader, it felt like a Man’s World; boys gathered zippered cases of precious cargo, cackling over the casting of their mana and feverishly building their decks for lunchtime tournaments. And yet, as James Brown so famously warbled — it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl.

Self-described as “the world’s best strategy game” that invented the very notion of a trading card game, Magic has evolved into a powerful beast the likes of which could inhabit its own world. Now 23 years old with 15,000 unique cards, Magic continues to captivate the world with its intricate and beautifully wrought world of castings, spells, and conjuring creatures. (There are around 20 million fans and active players, and Magic is currently printed in 11 languages and played in over 70 countries.)

We caught up with Melissa Li, one of the creators behind the latest deck to drop — Eldritch Moon. Li joined Magic’s story team in the summer of 2015; she contributes to Uncharted Realms, serves as the creative lead…