Top 10: the Art of Khans of Tarkir

Eh, I cheated again, there are 12 instead of 10. But then again, Khans was an absolutely amazing set in terms of art: the overall quality bar was much much higher than almost any set I can think of. There weren't that many pieces that made me lose my mind, but there were very few bad/uninteresting paintings either.  As always, a near impossible task to narrow it all down, but these were just a few of my favorites. Enjoy! 

-V

12. Lands by Eytan Zana

11. Dig Through Time by Ryan Yee

10. Bloodfire Mentor & Sage of the Inward Eye by Chase Stone

9. Tuskguard Captain by Aaron Miller

8. Icefeather Raven by Slawomir Maniak

7. Mardu Heart-Piercer by Karl Kopinski

6. Mardu Skullhunter by Jason Rainville

5. Rakshasa Vizier by Nils Hamm

4. Sandsteppe Citadel by Sam Burley

3. Abzan Guide by Steve Prescott

2. Disowned Ancestor by Zack Stella

1. Abzan Battle-Priest & Savage Knuckleblade by Chris Rahn

Top 10: Art of Journey Into Nix

Always hard to stick to just 10, so I snuck in one more! The End of an awesome block, with Steve Prescott painting out of his mind this set, really pushing color and saturation. I would love to own Gluttonous Cyclops for myself...Anyway, enjoy my Top 10 Journey Into Nyx!

11. Underworld Coinsmith by Mark Winters

10.  Cyclops of Eternal Fury & Sage of Hours by Matt Stewart

9. Spawn of Thraxes by Svetlin Velinov

8. Pharika, God of Affliction by Peter Mohrbacher

7. Scourge of Fleets by Steven Belledin

6. Master of the Feast by Chris Rahn

5. Doomwake Giant by Kev Walker

4. Sphinx Token by Jesper Ejsing

3. Dictate of Heliod by Terese Nielsen

2. Gluttonous Cyclops

Hydra Broodmaster

Leonin Iconoclast by Steve Prescott

1. Extinguish All Hope by Chase Stone

Top 10: Art of Theros

I can't believe I haven't done this before, but from now on I will share my favorite pieces at the release of every new Magic: the Gathering set. I tried to limit it to one per artist, though most artists on this list had multiple pieces worthy of note. That being said, a top 10 is a very narrow affair, and you should check out the work of Peter Mohrbacher, Jaime Jones, Jason Chan, Karl Kopinski, and many others who worked on this set. Any omissions are for the sake of brevity.

These are the artists and the quality of work I aspire to, and this list serves as a marker of how far I have to go. It is also a reminder of why I love what I do, and will never stop striving to get better.

Welcome to Theros:

10. Defend the Hearth by Raymond Swanland

 

9. Phalanx Leader & Ordeal of Nylea by Dave Palumbo

8. Erebos, God of the Dead by Peter Mohrbacher

7. Abhorrent Overlord & Fleecemane Lion by Slawomir Maniak

6. Hopeful Eidolon by Min Yum

5. Voyaging Satyr & Elspeth by Tyler Jacobson

4. Prognotic Sphinx by Steve Prescott

3. Destructive Revelry by Kev Walker

2. Hythonia the Cruel & Nylea, God of the Hunt by Chris Rahn

1. Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver by Karla Ortiz