A few weeks ago, there was 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.
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.
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.
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| Lord of Atlantis |
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| 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
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:
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| taken by the author |
This post is already too long. . . I'll conclude with this thought: art is beautiful, and matters in games as well as life.
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