10. Earth Kingdom Soldier
Sometimes (often), simpler is better. I love the clear gesture reinforced by the background’s horizon, and the feeling of enormous weight from the earth disk being launched.
9. Suki, Kyoshi Warrior
While I’m uuuuusually not a fan of “painting characters from a stylized anime in a more realistic/naturalistic way”, I take exception to that rule here simply because the design from the show is lovingly maintained and the gorgeous light really does elevate this scene in a beautiful way.
The sheer peace this painting brings me needs to be studied. There are a lot of gorgeous environment paintings in this Avatar set but this is one where I just want to pop a squat next to Momo and enjoy the sunset for a while.
7. Wan Shi Tong, All-Knowing
Axel has already definitively proven his aptitude for painting birds last time he did work for Universes Beyond, with the Lord of the Rings Eagles, but it seems he wasn’t done! Wan Shi Tong is one of the absolute coolest creatures in Avatar and the impact from this depiction I find absolutely gripping.
6. Bumi, King of Three Trials
Thomas Chamberlain-Keen
You gotta love when a mad genius…is painted by another mad genius. Thomas’s playful shapes, expressive acting, and immaculate drawing skills are on full display here. The way the hair in particular is handled is mesmerizing to me, the perfect mix of painterly description and graphic design.
5. Avatar Kyoshi
What an incredible pairing of the right artist for the right job. Hong’s eye for decorative patterns, shapes, and colors maps perfectly for capturing the art of bending in the world of Avatar. Love to get more of this style (done well) in Magic, it’s a great fit!
4. Iroh, Dragon of the West
This one caught me off guard at first but with time I completely understood why I love it so much. In a time where Magic illustrations are becoming increasingly more complex (you should see some of the paragraph-long art briefs), cramming multiple characters, complex backgrounds, and various effects in a 2 inch frame, my eyes can actually breathe when I look at this one. Simplicity is not easily done well. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. The confidence and skill necessary to say enough with less is rare indeed, and my anxiety always pushes me to fill the margins with more nonsense. Here, the bold statement perfectly encapsulates the Dragon of the West.
3. Lo and Li, Royal Advisors
Kieran bringing his magic to bear on a set like Avatar is such an unexpected delight, truly not on my bingo card. This image in particular strikes a perfect balance between painterliness and the show's appealing shape stylization. Not to mention I find the vibrating purples in the shadows absolutely intoxicating! Just fuckin love it!
2. Fire Lord Azula
Welp, I think this is the one! The single character I was anticipating the most was Azula, especially her unhinged form in the final Agni Kai with Zuko. And, well, this delivers! It looks like Fahmi was working overtime on this set, illustrating 11 cards, but this one shows a particular level of care that could only come from a true Avatar fan. The palette being a perfect blue-black-red, like the card, is of course the cherry on top.
1. Avatar Roku
Toni’s talent is undoubtedly one of my favorite additions to Magic this past year. In my opinion, he carried most of the Universes Beyond sets squarely on his back, with exceptional work on Final Fantasy, Spiderman, and now Avatar. He is fast becoming one of my favorite artists full stop. His mastery of shapes, appeal, clarity, and color is astounding. On its surface it seems deceptively simple, but further investigation reveals an insane level of craft and design the likes of few in the industry can even attempt. Simply the best!
And finally, as always, some more favorites!
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