Top 10: the Art of Dragonstorm

10. New Way Forward

Wayne Wu

Between the rich skin tones, clear effects, strong posing, and subtle but effective stylization of the hands, there's a lot to love about Wayne's work this set! This would low-key be a near-perfect image for the Avatar!

9. Soldier Token

Eelis Kyttanen

As many of you have probably noticed, I tend to prefer cards with a strong pop of color, stark comic-book lighting, and striking gestures. This piece has none of those things, seemingly swimming in a sea of subtle muted greyish colors. And yet I find it absolutely beautiful! Nice to enjoy a subtle, sensitive piece (that still kicks ass on a card) every once in a while.

8. Kishla Village

Bruce Brenneise

This piece perfectly bridges the gap between last time we visited Tarkir and now. I love the clear layering of Old Sultai decrepit temples in the shadows of the island and the new fishing village catching the sunlight. It also has the rare and distinct quality of bringing a smile to my face every time I see it for some reason. Some paintings just do that! It's just a perfect little painting.

7. Sagu Wildling

Gaboleps

This is quickly just becoming a Gaboleps appreciation page. What can I say, I adore his digital empasto style, buttery strokes, vivid colors, clear contrasts, graphic effects, and yummy volumes. They feel like paintings made to look good small on a trading card, which is no easy feat. Plus, chonky green dragons just really do somethin for me. Anxiously awaiting for the full hi-res versions to be posted!

6. Monastery Messenger

Forrest Imel

Forrest continues to deliver incredibly graphic, impactful images that look second to none on the actual cards, especially Monastery Messender. I love the energy and shapes on display, reminding me of my favorite Reynolds or Prescotts, and how Forrest incorporates the colors of the creature into the art which really help to tie the whole thing together.

5. Rot-Curse Rakshasa

Chris Rahn

Simply masterful.

4. Zurgo, Thunder's Decree

Steve Prescott

I get a headache just thinking about how I would balance a purple lightning effect on a pale Orc, in front of a stadium bathed in golden light, with a roiling dragonstorm in the far background. Yet Steve makes it look pitch perfect and dare I say effortless. Pure Prescott excellence.

"Are you not entertained?!"

3. Eski Dragonclaw

Tran Nguyen

An absolute standout traditional piece from the set, and a fan favorite amongst collectors, players and artists alike, Eshki Dragonclaw is a clear winner. Graphic, bold, dynamic, and simply beautiful! In my opinion, matching an unreal talent like Tran to a legendary creature is an absolute no-brainer and should have happened ages ago! Magic is lucky to sport an image like this on their products.

2. The Fetchlands

Adam Paquette

I don't usually include lands on my list (I really should) but Adam just popped off on this series. Honestly, his work on Magic of late has really been doing it for me, being a highlight of the otherwise unspectacular Thunder Junction. All in oils, with his signature eye for flow, shapes, light, and color!

1. The Spirit Dragons

Alexander Ostrowski

Not content to redesign the five chromatic dragons and five metalic dragons for DnD (some of the best, most thoughtful, most compellingly naturalistic designs), Ostrowski now blesses us with 3 of the 5 Tarkir Spirit Dragons (the other two were designed and illustrated by Victor Adame Minguez, and stunning in their own right). 

I am just in awe not only of this man's seemingly overnight cemented legacy in draconic fantasy but also his eye for illustration which lends his pieces an unparalleled authentic and researched quality. In this case, the dragons themselves are interesting and gorgeous, but seeing them in their environment is what takes these over the top for me. Betor amidst arid scale-like stones, Teval skating across a marshland lake, and Ureni soaring above the Temur tundra.

Incredible precision, legibility, and mood, all while avoiding any signs of belabored over-rendering. There is a playful impressionism and masterful brushwork on display despite the detailed feeling of the paintings.

In the end, they feel like beautiful, hand-painted stills from an Attenborough-narrated Natural History episode of Tarkir, and that is just extremely my shit, and thus worth all the praise I can muster.

The distinct, high-key value scheme of Ureni is a particular standout and second to none in this set, in my humble opinion!

As always, here's many more ; ) 

Top 10: the Art of Bloomburrow

Narrowing down to 10 the top art of Bloomburrow was laughably impossible...this set was the biggest home run in terms of art that Magic has ever seen, both in quantity and quality. Like really, this set brought me deep, deep joy. The love put in to each illustration is as apparent as it is humbling and life-affirming. I can only say a resounding and heartfelt thank you to all who contributed.

While it is safe to say I love, respect, and admire almost all the art in the set, I will still attempt what this top ten series has always been, a subjective compilation of personal preference 

10. Corruscation Mage Token

Gaboleps

I'm a bit obsessed with Gaboleps's work recently, especially those painterly edges, distinct shapes, and graphic light elements. I found this token particularly interesting because the artist posted a "rougher" sketch version and final, more polished version, and I found myself drawn to both equally! 

9. Kitsa, War Squeak, Command Tower

Zoltan Boros

I recently learned that Zoltan Boros has illustrated the third most cards of any artist (behind only Kev Walker and Svetlin Velinov), making him, by definition, a foundational layer of the game as a whole. And that's what I want to celebrate about these works: they are the bread and butter of Magic, always executed to perfection. I never cease to be impressed by Zoltan's limitless range when depicting diverse topics with clarity, integrity, and love. If I was a Wizards art director, I imagine Zoltan is what reliability looks like.

8. Island

Rob Rey

Rob is such a phenomenal painter, a painter's painter. What he can do with light and brushwork is simply stunning. It's no surprise then that when he brings his mastery to bear on a humble Magic card, I simply rejoice. I quite enjoyed the entire series of Islands he painted (one for every season), but the winter one has to be my favorite, where the paint almost starts to look like whipped cream...

7. Eluge, the Shoreless Sea

Chase Stone

I have been a fan of Chase since the dawn of time, principally for his singular cinematic eye and his ability to render anything as if it were a still in a multi-million dollar blockbuster. The unsettling bend of the horizon line into a wave, the play of light and reflections in the water, and the horrifying sense of scale make this a home run in my book.

6. The Infamous Cruelclaw

April Prime, Christina Kraus, & Iain McCaig

The fact that I can't choose between McCaig and Kraus's versions is a compliment to both, and both owed largely to the amazing design work of April Prime, who is in my opinion the unsung hero of Bloomburrow. I love the soft fur and set-selling power of Kraus's image, but can't help but be wooed by McCaig's confident "en garde" pose and bold background that serves as an area of rest highlighting both the figure and the elaborate frame.

5. Dour Port Mage

Iain McCaig & Ryan Pancoast

He is such a grumpy frog and I love him. Incredible that in the hands of two masters he is taken in two equally interesting directions, with McCaig pushing the overall shape to delightful effect and Pancoast delivering mind-boggling fish-themed armor and adornments. Chef's kiss!

4. Ygra, Eater of All & Emberheart Challenger

Chris Rahn

Perhaps no one can lend as much gravitas to the heroic tales of brave little animals fighting calamity beasts as Chris. I think if I wanted to pitch Bloomburrow to be made into a motion picture, these would be the images to sell the whole thing. It's been mentioned elsewhere, but the attention to detail in the scale of the flame on the Challenger's blade resembling one you might see on a match is so smart and does so much for the believability of the piece! 

Top tier as always!

3. Valley Questcaller

Steve Prescott

Gather round children, and let me regale you with tales of the little Bard Mouse who appeared in the corner of a beautiful Prescott illustration, then took on a life of its own. I would not be surprised to see this little guy make a comeback in a future set as a fully fledged legendary creature at this point.

I personally bid on the original drawing and missed all three of the Art Proof auctions which sold out instantly...

As a bit of exciting news, Steve updated his website recently! Though it doesn't contain nearly a fraction of his prolific portfolio, we'll take what we can get, check it out!

2. Gev, Scaled Scorch & Rat Colony 

Mark Zug

As often happens when choosing between so many equally excellent pieces of art, the top spots belongs to that arbitrary favorite chosen by the heart. Why Gev? Perhaps it is his armor fashioned from colorful polished stones, the beautiful textures Mark painted on the floor, or those comically small lizard knives. 

As for Rat Colony? It just works so beautifully in the card frame, an almost monochromatic tonal piece with pops of warmth. Simple, graphic, yet full of character and lovingly detailed garb.

1. Beastmaster Ascension

Justin Gerard

A bit of backstory: in 2007, Lorwyn released and introduced me to the art of Jesper Ejsing and Steve Prescott. Continuing the storied tradition of expressive drawing coupled with bold acrylic colors, like Christopher Moeller & Wayne Reynolds before them, these artists turned my life upside down and instantly cemented themselves in the pantheon of the greats where they reside to this day. 

Almost 20 years later, I had almost given up hope that I would ever get this feeling again, of giddy excitement at Magic illustrations being brought to life by fantasy masters and me witnessing it for the first time. But as if Bloomburrow wasn't enough of a treat, it was also the Magic debut of one of my all-time favorite artists, Justin Gerard.

And if that wasn't enough, Justin illustrated twelve cards for his Bloomburrow Magic debut, featuring, on average, half a dozen fully fleshed out characters on each card. This bountiful flex is epitomized by his illustration for Beastmaster Ascension, painted to the scale of epics like "the Battle of the Five Armies", that contains a Calamity Beast Wolverine fighting off armies of Bats, Frogs, Squirrels, Birds, Rabbits, Mice, Rats, Otters, & Raccoons... Justin had no reason to go this hard, but he sure fuckin did, and all I can say is well done sir, that's how you make an entrance!

And many, many more!