Artist: Jesper Myrfors

Today I kick off a new series, to be featured every December (at minimum): looking at the artists of Magic. Each post will feature an artist whose work on game cards is either voluminous (they've illustrated many cards) or iconic (their illustrations are revered by the community). And where better to start than with one of the artists whose art is featured on both sides of the card? Today, we look at the art of Jesper Myrfors.

Jesper Myrfors was the original art director for Magic and one of the game's 25 original artists. He, with Christopher Rush, created the design that is featured on the back of every single Magic card (minus double-sided cards and commemorative products), shown above. That may make is the most mass-produced piece of art in the world. But he also illustrated some fronts, of course.

Scryfall is a great place to see all the works any artist produced. The syntax of interest today is intuitive:

artist:"[name]" not:digital

Entering "Jesper Myrfors" in the above on the site yields 57 unique cards. He was active for the first nine sets, his work featuring in them as follows:

- 23 cards in Alpha

- 24 cards in Beta

- 24 cards in Unlimited

- 5 cards in Arabian Nights

- 4 cards in Antiquities

- 27 cards in Revised

- 9 cards in Legends

- 10 cards in The Dark

- 3 cards in Fallen Empires

(This list does not add up to 57 cards because many in Alpha were reprinted in Beta, Unlimited, and Revised.)

Per his MTG Wiki entry, Myrfors' style trended towards Lovecraftian horror. Below is a sample of either iconic or personally nostalgic cards he has done: 

While not one of my favorite artists, I do appreciate his impact on the game.

Soldiering On

Perhaps it is intuitive: the most recent set, Brothers' War, features a lot of soldiers (32 cards, to be exact). These cards, combined with some staples from recent releases, have made soldiers a staple archetype in standard. Here are two decks I've enjoyed recently. Both are home brews, but influenced by net decks.

Deck 1: Azorius Soldier

A typical tribal deck. Brutal Cathar for removal, Valiant Veteran and Yotian Tactician to buff the soldiers, Skystrike Officer for card draw, Thalia to slow down an opponent's response. Late-game, Myrel can give you an army and Harbin can make your soldiers fly.

4 Recruitment Officer (BRO) 23

4 Yotian Frontliner (BRO) 42

4 Zephyr Sentinel (BRO) 74

3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (DKA) 24

4 Resolute Reinforcements (DMU) 29

4 Brutal Cathar (MID) 7

3 Valiant Veteran (DMU) 38

1 Siege Veteran (BRO) 25

2 Harbin, Vanguard Aviator (BRO) 212

3 Yotian Tactician (BRO) 228

3 Skystrike Officer (BRO) 62

2 Myrel, Shield of Argive (BRO) 18

11 Plains (BRO) 269

8 Island (BRO) 271

4 Deserted Beach (MID) 260

Deck 2: Boros Soldier/Warrior/Knight

This Boros offering focuses on Baird's ability to create soldiers. But that is conditional, so I include Fllaji Vanguard, Tori, and Sunrise Cavalier to make that more likely to trigger. Keldon Strike Team and Heroic Charge can be late game finishers. Though it lacks the card draw of deck 1, it is still effective.

3 Recruitment Officer (BRO) 23

3 Heroic Charge (DMU) 20

4 Keldon Strike Team (DMU) 136

4 Baird, Argivian Recruiter (DMU) 195

4 Sunrise Cavalier (MID) 244

2 Sacred Fire (MID) 239

4 Resolute Reinforcements (DMU) 29

4 Fallaji Vanguard (BRO) 210

2 Tori D'Avenant, Fury Rider (DMU) 223

3 Valiant Veteran (DMU) 38

4 Brutal Cathar (MID) 7

9 Plains (BRO) 269

8 Mountain (BRO) 275

4 Wind-Scarred Crag (NEO) 282

1 Battlefield Forge (BRO) 257

1 Sundown Pass (VOW) 266

Standard Soldier Staples

With white the common color, you would expect a few cards to be staples. Recruitment Officer, Resolute Reinforcements, Valiant Veteran, and Brutal Cathar all feature strongly in both decks.

If you are planning a standard soldier deck, build around these.

How many cards (2022)?

The Grand Calculatron

How many Magic cards have been made? I looked at that question and the difficulty it creates in this post from 2020. Today, I simply update the numbers. This post will focus on how many unique cards have been made.

As with last year, Scryfall will be our guide. Any commands shown below were typed into the main Scryfall search bar. And all results are accurate only as of this writing- 19 November 2022- as the numbers are always changing.

The first query: how many unique Magic cards have been made? Using Scryfall's syntax, we search as follows, and get the result (presented immediately after and copied from Scryfall's explanation):

• not:reprint  
• 25,268 cards where the cards aren’t reprints

Cool. But this includes funny cards . . . let's drop those:

• not:reprint not:funny  
• 24,667 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the cards aren’t funny

Now let's remove those digital-only cards:

• not:reprint not:funny not:digital  
• 24,234 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the cards aren’t funny and the cards aren’t digital prints

Great. Now let's look at how many unique cards have appeared in core sets:

• not:reprint st:core  
• 1,685 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the set type is core

And now expansions:

• not:reprint st:expansion  
• 19,535 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the set type is expansion

All that remains are cards that weren't in core sets or expansions:

• not:reprint -st:core -st:expansion  
• 4,048 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the set type is not core and the set type is not expansion

Oops, that includes funny and digital cards. Adjusting:

• not:reprint -st:core -st:expansion not:funny not:digital  
• 3,134 cards where the cards aren’t reprints and the set type is not core and the set type is not expansion and the cards aren’t funny and the cards aren’t digital prints

Alright, I think that's it for today. So in summary, as of today,

• 24,234 unique Magic cards have been released in core sets, expansions, or other special releases that are not funny and not digital only [+1942 from last year]. The breakdown:
• 1,685 unique Magic cards in core sets [same as last year]
• 19,535 unique Magic cards in expansions [+1140 from last year]
• 3,134 unique Magic cards in special releases [+922 from last year]

The numbers are always changing; here's a screenshot on how the numbers have changed over the past few months. Note that the "-is:" or "-st:" syntax is interchangable with "not:" in some cases:

That's a lot of Magic cards, and quite a jump from last year.

Two Home Brews

King Darien XLVIII card art

Magic is fun to both play and prepare; home brews are especially satisfying. This post looks at two recent Standard decks I've enjoyed building and playing.

All King Darien's Men

Token decks are fun. Here, this Selesnya (white/green) deck's goal is to get as many tokens out as possible (Join the Dance, Queen Allenal, Torens, Resolute Reinforcements, and Captain's Call) and buff them up (King Darien, Katilda, Sigarda, Charismatic Vanguard). Lunarch Veteran is outstanding for life gain, and there is removal (Borrowed Time, Valorous Stance, Farewell, Broken Wings). It 'goes wide' and has been pretty effective for me.

3 King Darien XLVIII (DMU) 204

1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime (MID) 230

3 Queen Allenal of Ruadach (DMU) 210

4 Join the Dance (MID) 229

1 Torens, Fist of the Angels (VOW) 249

1 Sigarda, Champion of Light (MID) 240

4 Lunarch Veteran (MID) 27

4 Resolute Reinforcements (DMU) 29

2 Valorous Stance (VOW) 42

4 Borrowed Time (MID) 6

2 Captain's Call (DMU) 9

2 Farewell (NEO) 13

3 Search Party Captain (MID) 32

2 Broken Wings (DMU) 157

2 Charismatic Vanguard (DMU) 10

8 Plains (DMU) 263

7 Forest (DMU) 274

1 Overgrown Farmland (MID) 265

2 Radiant Grove (DMU) 253

2 Blossoming Sands (M21) 244

2 Botanical Plaza (SNC) 247

Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim card art

Orzhov Sacrifice

Life and death benefit you in this Orzhov (white/black) 'sacrifice matters' deck. Elas il-Kor is the centerpiece, granting life gain for creatures entering the battlefield under your control, and pinging the opponent each time one leaves. Lunarch Veteran aids the life gain. Jadar, Doomed Dissenter, Aron, Fleshtaker,  and Morbid Opportunist play together nicely, giving you plenty of tokens and/or benefits from sacrificing creatures. The removal cards (Rite of Oblivion, Cathar Commando, Benalish Sleeper, and Vanquish the Horde) are largely based on sacrifice and can form fun combos. Persistent Specimen, Phyrexian Missionary, and Bereaved Survivor enables your creatures coming back for extra fun. I have played it only twice, but won slow grindy games both times.

3 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (DMU) 198

4 Lunarch Veteran (MID) 27

4 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia (MID) 108

4 Doomed Dissenter (VOW) 106

3 Persistent Specimen (VOW) 125

2 Aron, Benalia's Ruin (DMU) 193

2 Fleshtaker (MID) 222

3 Morbid Opportunist (MID) 113

2 Rite of Oblivion (MID) 237

2 Cathar Commando (MID) 10

2 Benalish Sleeper (DMU) 8

4 Phyrexian Missionary (DMU) 27

2 Bereaved Survivor (MID) 4

1 Vanquish the Horde (MID) 41

9 Plains (HBG) 292

9 Swamp (HBG) 300

4 Sunlit Marsh (DMU) 257

Thematic Dissonance

Mind Warp card art

The current Standard environment in Magic has five sets:

- Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)

- Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW)

- Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)

- Streets of New Capenna (SNC)

- Dominaria United (DMU)

Their motifs, respectively, are:

- Gothic horror

- Gothic horror

- Futuristic Japanese Cyberpunk

- 1920s Art Deco + urban gangsters/organized crime

- Generic/traditional fantasy in the original Magic plane

If it isn't obvious from the descriptions, these motifs do not blend together well. It is bothering more than I realized.

Magic used to release a few sets in a row (called a block) with similar theme and mechanics. The original Innistrad set was this way- its title release was followed by Dark Ascension and Avacyn Restored. Blocks were 2-4 sets, and often released during an era that had core sets, too, which were intentionally more generic (a traditional fantasy theme). That means most Standard environments featured one or maybe two motifs at any given time. I liked that.

Magic went away from the block concept (at least officially) in 2017. Their argument was fair- it was sometimes difficult to develop that many cards around common mechanics, and they felt (for the 3-block sets in particular) it resulted in unbalanced releases. Since that time, there have been a few sets connected thematically- Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, and War of the Spark, for example, or the two aforementioned Innistrad sets- but there have also been a lot of one-offs.

Last month, I looked at types of Magic players as defined by Wizards of the Coast. I mentioned "Vorthos" and how important theme was to that type of player. A Vorthos will construct a deck based on both synergy of cards and consistency of theme. I am more of a Vorthos than I realized, as I find myself really struggling in the current environment. 

There are many good cards in Standard right now, and many competitive deck archetypes. But most of those must mesh cards from all four themes together to accomplish their goals, and it drives me crazy. Thematic dissonance, it turns out, is not for me.

Glutted and Gutted

brink of madness card art; how many magic players feel

I mentioned it in this post, and it bears more reflection: Magic releases have gotten out of control, nearly doubling in recent years. Consider the below chart from OnlyTuesdays:

Focusing on the black symbols (products released in booster packs), you see the explosion in recent years. Other products (like preconstructed commander decks) have gone crazy, too. The linked article explains the likely reason: Hasbro, who owns Wizards of the Coast and hence Magic, announced in 2018 that they planned to increase profits by 50%. It appears to be working; Hasbro's recent earnings report shows Magic is now a one billion dollar brand (though the CEO admitted a quarterly decline in profits and pointed to high levels of inventory as one main cause). Magic generated $1.3 billion in revenue in 2021 and, though things took a hit in 2022, Hasbro as a whole (which is Magic + its other properties) still achieved a profit of  almost $200 million in the 3rd quarter this year (here is the official release). And there is no end in sight.

Next year, Magic celebrates 30 years. The main announcement thus far is that they are releasing a 30th anniversary edition product- with reprints from Beta, the second Magic set released. Fun! But wait, there are two catches:

1) From the announcement, we see that "30th Anniversary Edition is a commemorative, collectible, non-tournament-legal product celebrating 30 years of Magic." It has a different card back; the cards cannot be used in anything other than casual play.

2) You can buy these cards in 4-pack sets (15 random cards per pack) for . . .$999. That's right- you too can own a piece of nostalgia that you can't use in sanctioned gameplay for just one thousand dollars.

The market is glutted, and players are gutted. Hasbro seems increasingly 'predatory,' as one of the above links notes. What used to be an enjoyable rhythm of releases, with just enough time between them to satisfactorily explore a given set's possibilities, is now a continuous onslaught with no time to think. "Look at this. Now, over here! But wait- there's more!" [sigh]

I am annoyed, to be sure . . . but I've said it before and it bears repeating: nobody is forced to buy these things. The best way to send a message in a capitalist system is to abstain from the products and companies that are excessive. I recommend we do so.

Formats and Gentrification

Bestial Fury card art

One of Magic's cool features is how it can be tweaked to produce a new experience. As I explain on the main format page, one way to do this is to changing the eligible card pool for deck construction. This post looks at how formats drive up card prices.

Card prices in Magic are due to supply and demand, which in this game is a combination of rarity, scarcity, and popularity.

- Rarity: common, uncommon, rare, and mythic. The supply is generally lower as you progress.

- Scarcity: older sets (and some special releases today) don't have large print runs, producing very limited supply in some cases. Even 'bad' cards can be expensive if they're so scarce.

- Popularity: in today's world, there are myriad sites that track the successful decks in tournaments around the world. Consistently successful ones are generally expensive (or become so) as players start to pursue these highly sought-after cards and mimic those successful decks.

While the first two categories are static, a card's popularity can vary widely based on format, which in turn can drive card prices. Some examples:

- Standard is a very common format, featuring cards from the last handful of sets. As a rotating format, cards that rotate out can see nice price drops, as they are no longer eligible for inclusion in Standard decks.

- Pioneer and Modern are non-rotating formats that always grow (as new sets come out) but do not rotate, so a card popular in that format will likely be expensive and remain so until/unless the deck it supports falls out of favor (generally by being supplanted by a better deck).

- Commander decks are fun because they are a singleton format (you may include only one copy of each card) and multiplayer (meaning games can last much longer). It is much easier to obtain one copy of an expensive card than four. Hopefully.

- Pauper decks contain only cards that have (at some point) been printed at the common rarity. The appeal of that format is affordability- because they're commons, right? It was once affordable, anyway . . . 

So here's my beef. When a new format comes out, one goal of that format is often accessibility- enabling new or budget players to jump in and be competitive. Cards that were not in competitive decks in previous formats (and thus affordable) may have a prominent place in the new landscape. But then . . . that new format coaelesces around a pool of successful decks. Everyone then wants the cards in those decks, which in turn drives up the prices of those cards. Effectively, what we have here is gentrification.

Gentrification is, based on the Google/Oxford definition, where the character of something is changed by a richer population coming in, who then displace the current crowd. In Magic, this happens in every single format. Even Pauper costs can get pretty bad. Consider the average competitive deck cost, taken from cardboardkeeper.com and based on analysis from MTGGoldfish.com:

Magic The Gathering Format	Average Competitive Deck Cost (2021)
Pauper	$46
Standard	$247
Modern	$865
Commander	$972
Legacy	$4,033
Vintage	$44,546

Now I would expect Legacy and Vintage decks to be insane- the cards in those are only from older sets that are so scarce it is nigh impossible for non-millionaires (or those who didn't collect the cards upon release 30 years ago) to enjoy that format. But almost $1000 for a competitive Commander deck, with Modern costs not far behind? And- the big one that bugs me- is Pauper. Sure, it is the cheapest at $46. You would expect it to be. But . . . $46 for a deck of just common cards, that (upon release) were likely pennies each? This all points to the reality of gentrification in Magic. We might see a new format in the future, which alters the card pool and enables use of overlooked gems, but we will end up in the same boat. If you want to be competitive, Magic is for those who are pretty well off. Or insanely so.

The best and obvious way around this all is to not play competitively (or play limited format only, where you do not rely on purchasing single chase cards). Casual is best. Enjoy this game with your friends. It is all about gathering . . . it's right there in the name.