Top 10: Art of Lost Caverns of Ixalan

About the Top 10 series:
In a world where we mindlessly scroll past inexhaustible quantities of "content", consuming works of art that took days to create in mere seconds, this series is an invitation to investigate, appreciate, and celebrate standout works from my favorite card game, Magic the Gathering. It is a meditation on my own tastes and fancies, an opportunity for me to analyze what "works" at a gut level. This usually involves readability at card size, creative storytelling, technical prowess, and the intangible X factor of true greatness!

-Vic 

10.

What captures me most about Campbell White's pieces is the conceptual over the execution (not that there's anything wrong with the latter). Here, we see Aclazotz eclipsing Chimil, the Core's sun, and casting his shadow over the entire landscape, the entire world. A great storytelling piece to sell the scale and fantasy of this spherical cavern empire, and impeccable superposition of figure and ground to show this bat god's outsized impact & power. Just brilliant!

9.

This painting by Christina Kraus caught my eye and refused to let go. As gorgeous in the card frame as it is on its own, it is a testament to the power of bold simplicity. The harmonious palette + color pop, grouped values, elegant gesture, and unmistakable Mesoamerican/merfolk design elements positively sing together. My only gripe is with the background characters which I find a bit derpy compared to the majesty of the main figure, but otherwise I feel so blessed to have this image seared into my brain.

8.

Maybe I'm biased because I opened this card in foil, but damn does it pack a visual punch! The spectral ancestral Malamet is exactly the graphic element my brain craves in a Magic illustration. I will also never tire of Steve Prescott's mastery of shape and silhouette which do the heavy lifting in communicating the strength of this particular warrior instead of relying on detail and rendering (which Steve is more than capable of flexing as well). The tertiary details of the slain insectile monster and its eggs in the background are a wonderful touch of worldbuilding!

7.

This set really made me take notice of Aldo Dominguez's work. Helping Hand, Might of the Ancestors, and Sage of Days all had me staring up close to understand how he achieves almost watercolor-like values and the feeling of translucent color. Captivating! 

6.

With every set, Ryan Pancoast solidifies his legacy as one of the oil-wielding gods of Magic. The things he pulls off seem increasingly ambitious and technically impressive, sophisticated and resolved all while remaining playful and loose. How Ryan, HOW???

5.

I love pirates. I love giants. I love Kai Carpenter's work. No further questions, your honor.

4.

No stranger to popping off on Magic illustrations recently, Jason Rainville serves up a tasty treat of an action scene in Evacuation. Something of an expert on Admiral Beckett Brass's travels (having painted both of her cards, with his mother as model), it is only fitting that he chronicle her escape from this sea monster attack. Beyond the impressive composition, I am utterly addicted to the colors in this piece, the saturated blue-greens are intoxicating. The tangent of her boot with the edge of the frame amusingly creates the illusion that she is walking on water, but it does nothing to lessen my appreciation for this gem.

3.

I am a huge Nicholas Gregory fan, and I desperately wish he would post more of his work online for me to oggle up close. He brings a flavor to his illustrations that I dearly miss from the likes of Jon Foster, Rick Berry, early Scott Fischer etc, but his is a work all its own. The result is an always-memorable image no matter the card's rarity or "importance". I am reminded of two other innocuous white uncommons that marked me to this day: Gustcloak Sentinel by the inimitable Mark Zug and Taj-Nar Swordsmith by Todd Lockwood.

These are the real heroes of Magic, the so-called regular creatures that capture my imagination and teleport me to new worlds. 

2.

I have no evidence that this piece is as amazing up close as it is on a card, but if Syd Mills's other works are any indication, I have a fairly strong hunch that it would be spectacular to behold. Here's hoping they post it someday.

1.

 

 Victor Adame Minguez is just on another level. Whether it's legibility, values, color, light, effects, form, atmosphere...these are to me simply god-tier works of art. My eye loves to wander about them, and is rewarded at every turn. They are the kind of illustrations that inspire me to make entire decks with these characters at the helm (and I did!), proud of how beautiful my commanders are. This intersection of gameplay and great art brings me indescribable bliss.

That's all, thanks for reading~!

This was a rich set for art, here are some other pieces that caught my eye:

Top 10: Art of Murders at Karlov Manor

Some of my favorite pieces from Magic the Gathering's latest expansion: Murders at Karlov Manor

10. 

It's not a top 10 art list without Wayne Reynolds! In the storied tradition of MtG Sphinxes (of which there are 75), Reynolds still manages to deliver something striking, different, and memorable. 

9. 

Included for its technical excellence as well as its unique point of view, this painting by Ryan Pancoast is a treat for the eyes. Wizards knew what they were doing when they used it as one of the first promotional images announcing the set. The varied thickness of paint used to achieve different textural effects like the leather on the hat are hallmarks of this painter at the top of his game (at the top of the game).

As an aside, I always confuse this image as depicting Ikoria's giant green crystals in the reflection of the lens. Between the set name's proximity to Markov (Karlov), the characters all looking like New Capenna denizens, and this image, it's clear to me that this set's identity is not as clear as what I might have hoped for Ravnica.

8. 

Uriah Voth knocked it out of the park this set, and I am glad he was given more high-profile characters like Tolsimir and Vannifar to play with, but it was this piece, Urgent Necropsy, that stopped me in my tracks. The captivating portrait, the tilt of the head, the graphic glowing silhouette of the hands, and the way it all looks so good in the golden frame of the card make this painting greater than the sum of its parts.

7. 

Jodie Muir ranks among my favorite artists for her buttery portraits (mostly of Adam Driver) and gothic fantasy personal art, and it's always a treat to see her Magic work. I loved all her cards this set (Clandestine Meddler, Homicide Investigator, Trostani, Three Whispers, Hotshot Investigators, Deadly Complication), which is an impressive feat already, but Judith has to take the cake, not least of all because of the demon waiter in the background. 

Similarly to her boss Rakdos, Judith is a character that has been blessed with only fantastic renditions, passing through the capable hands of Wes Burt, Benjamin Ee, Alex Dos Diaz, and now Jodie!

6. 

A simple image that gets all the details right, like the goblin's eager and concentrated expression, or how he's holding the quill with his full hand like a toddler holding a crayon. I can't look at this one without smiling! 

by Izzy

5. 

I don't know what to say other than I love Kai's work so much. The painterly brushwork, rich colors, well defined materials... This image also gets marks for pulling off the "investigator but make it fantasy" look that so many cards in the set fail to achieve.

Fun fact: I believe this card depicts Mileva, previously featured on Tenth District Guard, Tenth District Veteran, Battlefield Promotion, and Tenth District Legionnaire. Sort of an unofficial Legendary character.

4. 

This entire cycle by Mia Boas has been a highlight of the set for me. Tagging in outside artists for alt arts or showcase variants in recent Magic sets has been hit or miss but this is an example of the perfect person for the job! I am currently trying to acquire as many as I can in foil (especially the Plains!). 

3.  

Aldo Dominguez's work hit the Magic scene in Brothers' War and I have been a fan ever since. I find his colors and values crisp, refreshing, and legible at card size. Being the Boros fan that I am , I was blown away by this image of Aurelia striking out against the demon lord Rakdos, perfectly framed by the angel's legion and the demon's cult facing off in the foreground. I love the mural-like composition and clear layering of information, as well as Rakdos's fractured portrait among the rays of Aurelia's sword. 

It is the kind of painting that evokes an entire set unto itself, a conflict that could have been, a war between the Boros and the Rakdos that tore Ravnica in two! (would have been a little more interesting than Clue, tbh).

2. 

It has been a long time since I've been moved by the raw excellence of a compositional arrangement. Add to that perfect values, colors, saturation, edges, shapes, immaculately painted hands, and a sprinkle of the edginess and angularity I loved from the art of Dishonored, and what you get is, in my opinion, Micah Epstein's best offering to Magic to date. I am reminded of when I first saw Karla Ortiz's Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and my reaction was "has Sargent risen from the dead to paint this masterpiece??" Bravo Micah!

1. 

Despite my adoration and awe of the number 2 card, only one piece has been my desktop background for the past month, and that is Victor Adame Minguez's Aurelia's Vindicator. I must admit some bias here, with the intersection of sword-wielding angel, Boros sigils, and absolutely gorgeous armor being too strong of a draw for me. The simplicity and juice of the temperature contrast and the effect of her cutting through the fog pack a hypnotic punch, and awards this piece the first place in my heart for this set. Another Minguez masterpiece for the books! 

About the Top 10 series:

In a world where we mindlessly scroll past inexhaustible quantities of "content", consuming works of art that took days to create in mere seconds, this series is an invitation to explore, investigate (ha!), and really appreciate standout works from my favorite card game, Magic the Gathering. It is a meditation on my own tastes and fancies, an opportunity for me to analyze what "works" at a gut level. This usually involves readability at card size, creative storytelling, technical prowess, and the intangible X factor of true greatness!

-Vic

Finally, since I can never keep it to just ten, more work I enjoyed from the set!

I HAVE MOVED! This blog is old and obsolete. Find me at:

victormaury.com

victormaury.tumblr.com

instagram.com/moulinbleu

artstation.com/artist/victormaury

Cheers, -V