Looking Back

Hapless Researcher card art

2023 is nearly in the books; it is time to take a look back at the year in Magic.

Keeping with recent trends, Wizards released a ton of product in 2023. Ignoring the digital-only releases on Arena, the main pack-based releases this year were:

- Dominaria Remastered (compilation set)

- Phyrexia: All Will Be One

- March of the Machine

- March of the Machine: Aftermath

- Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth (modern legal, but not standard)

- Commander Masters (compilation set)

- Wilds of Eldraine

- Doctor Who (commander decks & collector's packs only)

- Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Except for Tales of Middle Earth, I largely ignored these, collecting some singles but not playing much. I am overwhelmed by the pace of releases and getting tired of trying to keep up (mentally and financially).

According to Card Market, here are the most-sold singles in 2023:

10. Faerie Mastermind

9. Skrelv, Defector Mite

8. Orcish Bowmasters

7. The Mycosynth Gardens

6. Venerated Rotpriest

5. Kami of Whispered Hopes

4. The One Ring (Borderless)

3. Haywire Mite

2. Up the Beanstalk

1. Lorien Revealed [and] Troll of Khazad-dum

It is interesting that 6–10 are all rares, but then the top five (really six cards) feature three uncommons, two commons, and one mythic. And four of the cards are from the Lord of the Rings set.

Personally, my year in Magic centered on the reduction of my collection. That took forever but was worth it (I think/hope). On the blog, I did the standard smattering of posts, looking at various things to include rules, artists, some favorite tribal types, lands, and 'card talk'—a new series I quite enjoyed. While I'm not quite in a sustainable structure, I'm trending that way.

My Arena stats for the year:

What will next year hold? More on that tomorrow.

Artist: John Avon

His inspiration for this card was his wife

Continuing artist month, today I look at John Avon.

Avon started illustrating Magic cards in 1997 (for Fifth Edition) and is still going strong in 2023. His art shows up in lots of reprints, too.

As always, Scryfall is our source for searching cards. The following commands in Scryfall
artist:"John Avon" not:digital not:artseries
artist:"John Avon" not:digital not:artseries unique:prints
show that he has illustrated 232 cards that have appeared an astonishing 1,231 times (some show up in multiple sets or special releases). Why? Because John is known for lands.

Land cards make up ~40% of most Magic decks. Avon has done a ton of them; 882 of the 1231 printings mentioned above are of land cards. Here are some of his basic lands that I particularly enjoy:

Here are some of my non-basic land favorites (plus an 'explore' thrown in for good measure):

I lack the vocabulary and talent to articulate John's style. Light is often a big part of it, though I'm sure it wouldn't qualify as luminism. His style can be varied enough that I cannot always identify a John Avon card on sight; nevertheless, I generally enjoy his material and make sure my basic lands have a healthy dose of John Avon printings.

Artist: DiTerlizzi

Continuing artist month, today I look at the art of DiTerlizzi.

DiTerlizzi started illustrating Magic cards in 1997 (for Visions) and last appeared in 2022 (for Dominaria United Commander). His art has shown up in reprints since.

As always, Scryfall is our source for searching cards. The following commands in Scryfall
artist:"DiTerlizzi" not:digital not:artseries 
artist:"DiTerlizzi" not:digital not:artseries unique:prints
show that he has illustrated 91 cards that have appeared 181 times (some show up in multiple sets or special releases). Here are some of my favorites:

DiTerlizzi's art is fun and whimsical. (It's not surprising that his influences include Normal Rockwell, Dr. Seuss, and Arthur Rackham.) He can portray 'scary' creatures in soft ways. His work reminds us that this is just a game; don't take it too seriously.

Artist: Rebecca Guay

Youthful Knight card art

Continuing artist month, today I look at the art of Rebecca Guay.

Rebecca Guay started illustrating Magic cards in 1996 (for the Alliances set), continuing as a staple in releases through 2009 (Magic 2010). Her art has shown up in reprints since.

As always, Scryfall is our source for searching cards. The following commands in Scryfall
artist:"Rebecca Guay" not:digital
artist:"Rebecca Guay" unique:prints not:digital

show that she has illustrated 162 cards that have appeared 329 times (some show up in multiple sets or special releases). Here are some of my favorites:

Guay's art is romantic, soft, and evocative. (It's not surprising that most of her cards feature on white, blue, or green cards and depict angels, faeries, or elves.) Her watercolor-heavy illustrations are a pleasant change from the standard fantasy style. Instantly recognizable, I love her work, and have bought a few Magic cards specifically because she was the artist.

As she hasn't done new Magic art for years, I doubt we'll see her again in this space. But I hope we do.