I happen to think that Land Tax is so bad it's good. I always cast my Italian Legends copies using my worst Italian accent.
I've never left a card on the sidelines because of the art. Good thing there's almost nothing playable in Homelands because there's a few cards in there that might cause me to eat those words.
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EDH playing competitive Magic cast away
Current Decks GTitania midrange RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
For me, old cards vs new cards is like what computers looked like at the dawn of MTG, big grey boxes, vs what they look like today, sleek tablets and smartphones. Yeah, busting out my Windows 96 is nostalgic, but I don't think it's beautiful or elegent.
I don't get this analogy. For one, they're just not that different.
On subject of ugly and new frames, WotC's temporary inability/refusal to print mana symbols in color in text boxes strikes me as a notable aesthetic failure. Poor Fist of Suns.
My problem with Stasis isn't something that I've seen a newer card do. Stasis' art may very well be a masterpiece. But it's a pretty terrible piece of art for a magic card. Some level of abstract representation is fine imo, but not the level that Stasis takes it to.
The artist for Stasis, Fay Jones, is actually pretty famous in the Pacific Northwest, especially Seattle. She's got works on a bunch of public areas.
Richard Garfield is her nephew, and she did the art for him while he was trying to get his new game off the ground.
On the old art/frame vs new art/frame conversation:
I think it's largely affected by what kind of fantasy you grew up with. If you grew up with D&D and the-like, chances are you prefer the old-school "Magic-Tome" style and art. If you grew up with World of Warcraft on computers, chances you would prefer the new "generic high-tech fantasy" style and art.
Of course, that's just chances, there are always exceptions:
It holds no relation to age, only preference. You could have grown up playing D&D and then played WoW and went "Why didn't we have WoW-style back when I was young", you'd be standing on the "New" side. Or you could grow up playing WoW, discover D&D and wonder "Why isn't this as widespread popular as Fantasy-MMORPGS?", which means you are on the "old side".
Or you could have not been in this genre all your life and went "How I wished I had played this when I was younger and it was available" - applicable to either side.
gurmag angler. I mean really, was someone about to miss their deadline or what?
In some defense, zombie fish is quite possibly the dumbest creature type I've seen yet. Maybe in the next block we can have "giant mutant zombie ninja turtle" which come to think of it, this actually looks like. But no, not a fish.
For me, old cards vs new cards is like what computers looked like at the dawn of MTG, big grey boxes, vs what they look like today, sleek tablets and smartphones. Yeah, busting out my Windows 96 is nostalgic, but I don't think it's beautiful or elegent.
I don't get this analogy. For one, they're just not that different.
Just saying old cards and new cards misses a lot of details though. I think really old cards look bad in general because they were usually really faded. The colors have changed a few times, lands were originally pale brown, then they moved to a darker pink like brown, then settled on a tan sort of thing. Right when the border was changed, white was extremely pale and artifacts were really light gray. Luckily they added some color to both of those after a few sets to make the difference clearer. And now they just changed the border again. Oh and there is also a huge difference in ink that they use for certain languages and certain box sets.
I like the final colors of old cards the best, especially multi color cards. The old frame has a strong form which is appealing, but I like that the two new versions of the frame allow for border extension alterations. The star on old style foils does not look good, nor does the dot on new foils. I do not like the heavy ink used in certain languages, commander 2014, and whatever else it is used in. I do not like the weird foil they use for FTV stuff because it clashes with everything else. I do not like the title font on 2015 cards, I think it looks tacky. I think it is interesting that sometimes the foil on new cards is used to emphasize the picture.
So really I cannot say any of them is the best, they all have good and bad points.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Manakin and Millikin for my Arcum EDH deck...the overall brown color in a silver/blue colored deck makes it so ugly. I am trying to find substitutes but its so damn hard...
Arjun, the Shifting Flame is very much a commander I'd like to build around, but the fact that his left front leg appears to lack a knee bothers me too much to actually play him.
Unfortunately, anything with art by Phil Foglio. Not because I don't like the art, because Foglio is great, but simply because it just doesn't fit with 99% of the other art in Magic.
Unfortunately, anything with art by Phil Foglio. Not because I don't like the art, because Foglio is great, but simply because it just doesn't fit with 99% of the other art in Magic.
His Goblin King art fits. I believe its the 5th Edition GK that Foglio did.
I love the card, the art is fitting, but Yawgmoth's Will is gross with its zombie alien thing churning through a pile of body bits.
Black frequently falls prey to my issue with horror in general, though: I enjoy being scared, I hate being grossed out. Creepy art is ok with me, gross isn't.
Tasigur, the golden fang kinda bugs me too. The bowl of fruit hardly makes him look more imposing and he's got terrible posture. He can't even sit on his throne right, he's sliding off.
MPR Damnation is really ugly. I actually hate all the textless promos because there's a 60% chance for someone asking what they do regardless of how well-known the card is.
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I've never left a card on the sidelines because of the art. Good thing there's almost nothing playable in Homelands because there's a few cards in there that might cause me to eat those words.
Current Decks
GTitania midrange
RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal
GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron
U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher
RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
My pick for bad art is the Judgment version of Anger. I'd much rather play the newer art.
MuzzioU XenagosGR NahiriW GitrogGB MarathGRW MarchesaUBR JenaraGUW KarlovBW TazriWUBRG
Retired: RakdosBR
I don't get this analogy. For one, they're just not that different.
On subject of ugly and new frames, WotC's temporary inability/refusal to print mana symbols in color in text boxes strikes me as a notable aesthetic failure. Poor Fist of Suns.
RGGruul Aggro
WSoul Sisters
WBTokens
BUGRRestore Balance
BMono-Black Infect
EDH:
RGWMayael, the Anima
GWURoon of the Hidden Realm
BDrana, Kalastria Bloodchief
-Commander-
UBGMill, Sidisi, and Other ShenanigansGBU
WUBRGShingeki no TazriGRBUW
The artist for Stasis, Fay Jones, is actually pretty famous in the Pacific Northwest, especially Seattle. She's got works on a bunch of public areas.
Richard Garfield is her nephew, and she did the art for him while he was trying to get his new game off the ground.
I think it's largely affected by what kind of fantasy you grew up with. If you grew up with D&D and the-like, chances are you prefer the old-school "Magic-Tome" style and art. If you grew up with World of Warcraft on computers, chances you would prefer the new "generic high-tech fantasy" style and art.
Of course, that's just chances, there are always exceptions:
It holds no relation to age, only preference. You could have grown up playing D&D and then played WoW and went "Why didn't we have WoW-style back when I was young", you'd be standing on the "New" side. Or you could grow up playing WoW, discover D&D and wonder "Why isn't this as widespread popular as Fantasy-MMORPGS?", which means you are on the "old side".
Or you could have not been in this genre all your life and went "How I wished I had played this when I was younger and it was available" - applicable to either side.
On top of that it's a fungus. Talk about fungal infection in the nether regions... Ugh.
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
In some defense, zombie fish is quite possibly the dumbest creature type I've seen yet. Maybe in the next block we can have "giant mutant zombie ninja turtle" which come to think of it, this actually looks like. But no, not a fish.
Just saying old cards and new cards misses a lot of details though. I think really old cards look bad in general because they were usually really faded. The colors have changed a few times, lands were originally pale brown, then they moved to a darker pink like brown, then settled on a tan sort of thing. Right when the border was changed, white was extremely pale and artifacts were really light gray. Luckily they added some color to both of those after a few sets to make the difference clearer. And now they just changed the border again. Oh and there is also a huge difference in ink that they use for certain languages and certain box sets.
I like the final colors of old cards the best, especially multi color cards. The old frame has a strong form which is appealing, but I like that the two new versions of the frame allow for border extension alterations. The star on old style foils does not look good, nor does the dot on new foils. I do not like the heavy ink used in certain languages, commander 2014, and whatever else it is used in. I do not like the weird foil they use for FTV stuff because it clashes with everything else. I do not like the title font on 2015 cards, I think it looks tacky. I think it is interesting that sometimes the foil on new cards is used to emphasize the picture.
So really I cannot say any of them is the best, they all have good and bad points.
I love angry baby. It's the perfect depiction of impotent rage.
It's the skeleton of Ojutai, Soul of Winter. You can see the skull spikes a little better in Monastery Siege.
Worse yet, it has synergy with the nephilim I mentioned above.
Ojutai, Soul of Winter All the KTK fetches have the corresponding FRF dragon's remains.
I know. Old fat imp? What?
Again, another reason to complain about I do not think that creature type means what you think it means.
On phasing:
Pretty sure that's a goblin's doing.
I don't hate the art for Eternal Witness, but I feel that it's sort of unfitting.
Anger - I LOVE the old art for this one!
BMickey and the Zombies
WThings That Fly With Spears
G
Did You Just Main Phase an Ambush Viper?BGCulling Dais Lolziness a la 1-2 drop Cube
Standard
WBGAbzan Outlast
EDH
WUBRG Sliver Overlord
WGRhys the Redeemed and Those not quite
UBWrexial, the Risen Deep (work in progress)
BBalthor the Defiled (work in progress)
| Omnath | Zada | Alesha | Scion |
| Mazirek | Animar |
Modern
UR Storm RU
UBRG Dredge GRBU
Standard
UR Thermo-Thing RU
For every Recycle, Browse, and Orcish Librarian , there is an Anarchy, Conch Horn, and Mirror Universe to his credit. My favorite is the art for the Portal version of Taunt.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
His Goblin King art fits. I believe its the 5th Edition GK that Foglio did.
EDH
Works in Progress:
WUControlling the ElementsUW C Perfect Insanity C B Anowon, the Ruin Sage B BLiliana, Heretical HealerB
Pauper EDH:
WTallowispW Voltron
Retired:
RDaretti, Scrap SavantR
I love the card, the art is fitting, but Yawgmoth's Will is gross with its zombie alien thing churning through a pile of body bits.
Black frequently falls prey to my issue with horror in general, though: I enjoy being scared, I hate being grossed out. Creepy art is ok with me, gross isn't.
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
Mizzix Of The Izmagnus : wheels on fire... rolling down the road...
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
MTG finance guy- follow me on Twitter@RichArschmann or RichardArschmann on Reddit