The Art of Old

Magic is more than a game- it's a showcase for artists. The art of Magic has changed quite a bit as the game has progressed. I miss how it used to be- we no longer get cards like Durkwood Boars (see above image). This post is a very basic history of Magic art.

One difficulty in launching Magic was the amount of artwork needed- about 300 pieces- for just one set. Remember, Magic was not a polished juggernaught at that time. It was a completely new concept- a new genre- and it needed a lot of fantasy art quickly.  The original art design was directed by Jesper Myrfors, and he convinced a number of students at nearby Cornish College in Seattle to lend their talents to the game. The artists were given a good deal of freedom (modern sets are far more artistically cohesive). Look through the art of the first set, Alpha, here on Scryfall and observe the diversity of styles (now look at Zendikar Rising, released 27 years later, and observe the comparative homogeneity). But note, too, the overall tone the art sets for the game: those diverse styles worked together wonderfully to convey Magic's fantasy theme and diverse possibilities. It's light-hearted but a serious game. There are thousands of deck possibilities, with different themes and strategies, and the art reinforces that. You don't know what to expect- in the game or in the art. And it's a bit geeky.   

Over time, the art would get more consistent (within a given set) and perhaps of higher quality. And certainly feature more realism and power in its imagery. (In a way, it reminds me how video games have graphically progressed since the days of the 8-bit NES. As designers have more bits and computing power, the product gets increasingly real and menacing.) To see what I mean in Magic, let's look at some cards that have been reprinted several times over the years with new artwork. Check out how Serra Angel, Drudge Skeletons, Shivan Dragon, and Llanowar Elves have evolved over the years:

  

See the trend? The mechanics of the game are the same as they were almost 30 years ago, but the art has taken a more 'real' and serious tone. I wish I had the art knowledge and vocabulary to better articulate how this is conveyed, but it's clearly there.

Today, each set's art is planned right along with the theme and mechanics. Artists are restricted in color and style. The result is more cohesive but (perhaps) less original or unpredictable. And recents sets feature showcase cards (see Eldraine's here) that more closely reflect the inspiration for the set (Eldraine's was fairy tales).

The modern Magic game has tightened up the wording, mechanics, and cohesiveness within a set. It's improved in many respects from the original offerings. That said, art of old holds a special place in my heart. I miss that whimsical fantasy flavor and the game in its more original state- but more on that next time.

The Art in Magic

Some time ago, I came across an article from a dedicated Magic player reflecting on a piece of card art that particularly grabbed him.  It made me think of my own enjoyment of the art in Magic.

Magic is great for many reasons,and the card art is (to me) a bigger part of the game than I consciously realize.  The art is, after all, what people first notice.  Your immediate reaction to it may play a sizable role in determining whether you play the game or not.  And for me, on more than one occasion I've included a card in a deck (or even centered deck construction around a card) because of its art.  Greg Staples' Lord of Atlantis and Hypnotic Specter (below) comes to mind.

Lord of Atlantis

Hypnotic Specter

In reflecting on this subject, too many cards and artists come to mind to be comprehensive.  In general, I enjoy the art of Terese Nielsen and Rebecca Guay, both of whom have done many Magic cards over the years.  Their respective styles are distinctive and instantly recognizable.  The aforementioned Greg Staples is also fun; I could go on.  But what really gets me, more than anything, are the land cards.

Magic decks are generally 40% land cards- you'll see them more than anything else as you play.  Basic land cards (plains, island, swamp, mountain, forest) are the most plentiful and easily acquired cards in the game.  Hundreds of versions of these have been produced.  And, I confess, I will pursue specific releases based on their art.  I like lands by John Avon, Jung Park, Michael Kormack, Jonas De Ro, Raoul Vitale, Rob Alexander, James Paick, Yeong-Hao Han, Quinton Hoover, Doug Shuler, Adam Paquette . . . I could go on.  Below are my favorite versions of each of the five basic land types.

Plains

Forest

Island

Mountain

Swamp

Other Thoughts
Magic is a fantasy card game with deliberate fantasy themes.  That said, there are a few cards dear to me for the reminders they evoke of real places.  For example, Birds of Paradise, with the cathedral in the background, reminds me of Europe:

I was recently shocked to see a Magic card with terrain I had visited:

I'll prove it to you:

taken by the author

What is this?  Did Wizards know the artist had used a real-life location?  Of course they did; it was part of a series called Euro lands.  So cool . . . I had no idea.  This link has those Euro lands and many other examples of basic lands and how they've changed over the years.

This post is already too long. . . I'll conclude with this thought: art is beautiful, and matters in games as well as life.

Opening a Collector Booster of The Hobbit

As I did last time, today I explore The Hobbit set through opening packs. Today, one collector booster.

I will say it up front: collector boosters are not worth the money. I got one with a draft night box (contents: 12 play boosters + 1 collector booster + basic lands). While I love opening collector packs, there is no way they are worth the price tag associated with buying them 'in the wild' (where they are generally marked up well over MSRP). But even at MSRP ($38), your chance of 'breaking even' value-wise is slim. Anyway, on to the pack.

Simplistically, a collector booster contains 15 Magic cards + 1 art card or token. The Magic cards are 9 foil uncommon/commons, 1 foil basic land, 2 foil rare or mythic rares, and 2 non-foil "booster fun" cards, and 1 foil "booster fun" card. But there are nuances . . . from the official site, one collector booster pack contains:

• 15 Magic: The Gathering cards
• 5 Traditional foil common cards
• There are 60 common cards (89.6%) and 5 common dual lands (7.5%) from the main set that can be found in these slots.
• There are 2 scene cards that can be found in these slots (3%).
• 4 Foil uncommon cards
• There are 55 traditional foil uncommon cards from the main set that can be found in these slots (84.6%).
• There are 4 traditional foil scene cards that can be found in these slots (6.2%).
• There are 6 traditional foil Dragon hoard cards that can be found in these slots (9.2%).In 1 of 10 Collector Boosters, a surge foil Dragon hoard card appears in this slot.
• 1 Traditional foil Middle-earth journey basic land
• 2 Traditional foil rare or mythic rare cards
• There are 53 rare (87.6%) and 15 mythic rare (12.4%) cards from the main set that can be found in these slots.
• 2 Non-foil Booster Fun cards
• A rare HOB scene card (10.1%)
• A rare HOC scene card (14.2%)
• A rare (13.1%) or mythic rare (4.5%) Dragon hoard card
• A rare (4.2%) or mythic rare (3.3%) book cover card
• A Middle-earth classic artist card (11.9%)
• A Dwarvish language card (1.5%)
• A rare (30.9%) or mythic rare (1.2%) extended-art HOB card
• A mythic rare extended-art HOC card (5.3%)
• 1 Foil Booster Fun card
• A traditional foil rare HOB scene card (11.0%)
• A traditional foil rare (14.3%) or mythic rare (4.9%) Dragon hoard card
• A surge foil rare (6.5%) or mythic rare (2.4%) Dragon hoard card
• A traditional foil rare (4.6%) or mythic rare (3.6%) book cover card
• A surge foil rare (2.4%) or mythic rare (1.8%) book cover card
• A surge foil Middle-earth classic artist card (11.9%)
• A traditional foil Dwarvish language card (1.6%)
• A traditional foil rare (33.8%) or mythic rare (1.3%) extended-art HOB card
• A gleaming gold Smaug the Magnificent headliner card (approximately 500 copies available)
• 1 Art card (35%) or double-sided foil token (65%)

My last post broke out some of the above terms, so I won't repeat that here.

My pack is pictured below.

My rares/mythics were:

- Smaug the Impenetrable ($26.23)

- Getaway Barrel extended art foil ($0.64)

- Elven Passage dragon hoard frame ($1.91)

- Fateful Discovery foil ($6.87)

- Rhovanion Rampager foil ($0.30)

Those total $35.95; adding the common/uncommon foils, the pack would cost $40 to buy. For MSRP, that just breaks even. But right now, buying an individual pack has a median market price of $73 . . . insane. These are lottery tickets, folks.

If you like collector boosters, I recommend getting one through a draft night box. Those products are (generally) not marked up as much.

Until next time . . . keep exploring.

Card Talk 2

Arni Metalbrow card art

Today is the second post in my Card Talk series.

Reminder on how Card Talk works:

• I go to Scryfall and select 'Random Card'
• I present and blog about the card. I could discuss any aspect: the art, abilities, cost, set, impact on the game, and so on. Stream of consciousness.

For me, Card Talk is a fun, uncurated way to look at Magic's cards, mechanics, history, art, sets, and so on. And of course it exposes some of my own preferences, biases, and memories of the game. 

Today's card is . . .

Pestilence Rats

Rats. Another black card. Anyway . . .

Magic has a fair number of rat creature cards (73 as of this post). Almost all are mono-black; five are either white/black, blue/black, or black/red. But you get the point: rats are evil little creatures. A handful of rats have discard or exile effects, but I will focus on a more intuitive ability for this creature: strength in numbers.

Pestilence Rats gets stronger when other rats are on the battlefield. Anyone's rats—even those controlled by other players. This "even opponents' creatures matter" theme is typical of older tribal cards (see Lord of Atlantis or Elvish Champion as examples). More recent cards in this vein tend to focus on your creature only (Blex, Vexing Pest or Captivating Vampire). But I digress.

Rats like other rats, so casual decks focusing on this creature might include Pack Rat, Rat Colony, Plague Rats, or Relentless Rats. Two of those (Rat Colony, Relentless Rats) let you violate the "only 4 copies of any card" rule. (I have a fun blue-black rat deck featuring 20 Rat Colony pairing with Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugivite to make them unblockable.) 

Pestilence Rats came out of Ice Age. Released in 1995, I was getting into Magic around that time, and Ice Age helped draw me in—I loved the packaging art (see below).

image from here

The art was cool, but the set wasn't; Ice Age had cards that were too wordy and too weak. Even today, the most valuable card from the set goes for just over $30; most other sets in that era are far more valuable. And Pestilence Rats is an example of that: it is underpowered for its mana cost (and still cheap; you can get a copy for $0.34 even though it was never reprinted). To have any hope of viability, you would need 4 copies in your deck and require one (or more) opponents to have the same. Almost certainly will not happen.

Speaking of art, this artwork was done by Jeff Menges, who drew 58 Magic cards, 15 of which were in the first set, Alpha. His Black Knight, Grizzly Bears, Bog Wraith, Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, and Swords to Plowshares stand out to me.

What I like most about Pestilence Rats? The set it belongs to and the associated memories. I do not think I own the card, and would never play it if I did.

Framing the Future

As I said in a previous post, Magic has had three main card frames in its lifetime:

Frame 1 (1993-2003)            Frame 2 (2003-2014)            Frame 3 (2014-present)

Note that each has a run of about 10 years. We're coming up to that time again . . . so what does the future hold? The 2007 set, Future Sight, produced a futuristic frame that (mercifully) we haven't seen since (example below), so I don't think it is that. The answer, instead, may be in recent variants.

As I said in the aforementioned post, in 2019, Wizards made a major announcement about new frame treatments- more variants would be coming. And come they have! Each set since has featured a variety of variants- too many, in my opinion- but I'll focus on the two mainstays: extended art and borderless cards.

Extended art and borderless frames are the two treatments that have consistently been seen as variants in new releases. In Double Masters 2022, the borderless cards have swelled in number (78!) and feature astounding alternate art. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

Part of Magic's draw is the card art. These extended/borderless options bring the art to the fore without sacrificing readability of the card attributes and mechanics. I'm rooting for borderless to be the next primary frame, but that may be an unwise business decision (as these are chase cards today), so perhaps a more realistic hope is for extended art to take over. We shall see.