1. The grammar discussion has been most enlightening; thank you.
2. I quite like this set, especially compared to other core sets.
3. I seem to be in the vast minority of people which enjoys computer-generated art (as well as traditional art forms), so some of the pieces in this set quite appeal to me.
1. Yeah, i also enjoy learning daily whtever it may be.
2. Also mirrors my feeling towards the set.
3. I would say the majority of the MTG consumer base enjoys the CG art. But here in the forums we have only the vocal part of the player base, and yes, it seems like they prefer traditional art more
I just don't understand how now, when MtG is more mainstream and presumably more profitable than ever, the best-looking cards look worse than 90% of Mirage/Visions art, when the game was way more niche.
I agree that that method of the art isn't what dictates the quality - a well executed piece is well executed and appreciated. And there are quite a few admirable pieces lately, in this set and in general. A lot of beautiful art is used in this game.
That said, I think lately there has been a bit too much focus on MTG being a "war game" than being a "fantasy game with war." Where are Rebecca Gauy's elegant fantasy scenes of vibrant ethereal magic. The game is about magic and war, no need for so much emphasis on the latter to have it be too literal. I mean we can see images of people fighting with spears any where - the idea is the magic. That's something I loved about Theros - a lot of the art felt majestic and the magic was very apparent.
To be fair, Theros as a plane is very much "about" the magic - every durn thing under the Sun is an enchantment! On the other hand, lately we've been to Tarkir which is very much about "war". So it's quite likely that, like every thing else in Magic, there's a pendulum for art style/direction that just happens to be swinging a particular direction that will sooner or later move in a different direction.
I think the reason why this core set is less about mysticism and more about direct conflict is because the set was tasked with telling the origin stories of five planeswalkers and how their spark ignited. These events necessitate depicting the wars and conflicts within their stories, because a planeswalker must go though a extremely tramatic event to trigger their spark.
But I do agree that there are less cards depicting peaceful parts of a fantasy world (like Wellspring for example) than there used to be.
Looks sweet to me! Though I do worry that w/g is too strong in limited
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Casual Decks WRBoros Aggro (Glorious knights of badassery) RBRakdos Bloodthirst (Undercosted waves of fat s***) URIzzet Talrand/Pyromancer (b/c I hate you) GRGruul Ramp and Stomp (SO FAT. SO FAST. RAWRRR) GBGolgari Birthing Pod (b/c you wanted a challenge. I did warn you this BS is banned though) BWOrzhov Lifegain Aggro (Removal for dayzzz) WGSelesnya Tribal Golem-splicers/token (meh. Needs more upgrades. Perhaps switching to bant?) WUAzorius Flicker (b/c I wanna annoy the f*** outta you) GUSimic Evolve Aggro (Aggro takes a journey to the weird side of the color pie) BUDimir Control (b/c I wanna peel your skin off and flay you within an inch of life before I kill you) URWJeskai Ascendency Tokens (MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA) RWBMardu Warriors (Butcher is da bomb) GU Simic Morph (slow as s*** but oh so fun) WBGAbzan Dredge-animator (PURE EVIL) GWHexproof Aggro (Deal with it. Lemme guess, you cant?)
EDH Decks UBRNekusar (Multiplayer MONSTA. 1v1 Klutz) GRB Prossh (Set up engines. WRECK FACE) GEzuri (Hey so I heard you liked Elves...) UTalrand (Counter. Cantrip. Counter. Cantrip. Repeat till opponents die-- possibly of boredom)
Tiny leaders WUDaxos (basic 3/1 fliers do basic s***. Also Daxos) RWAnax and Cymede (Heroic weenie beats)
Standard RRMONO RED AGGRO (RAWWWRRRR!!!!) WUHeroic Aggro (Easy mode beatstick)
The art issue could also be attributed to how lousy the pay is. There's no royalties. The rate has been the same for like a decade. Artist's aren't even allowed to sell their own artwork on anything like a deckbox, mat, album, shirt, etc.
Well on the positive side, artists use Wizards as a platform for recognition. Any budding artist will jump at the chance to draw for them. Wizards probably has no shortage of them.
But the consequence is that Wizards are able to choose the "cheapest" service.
I think these sort of things need to balance out. I believe the art director has a fixed budget for painting procurement, so naturally we see a mix of relatively poor art and awesome arts.
The strange thing in my opinion is, some of the bad art in this set that made it to cards (like Valor in Akros) if replaced with the art from the Uncharted Realms that didn't make it onto cards, would have been amazing. I'm shocked how much art is left to just tell the story (like Heliod betraying Elspeth) and it's frustrating for a collector not to see it on a card. It'll equally be saddening not to see the Gideon art we saw for Zendikar not make it onto his card, or a card, in that set come October. It's a great piece.
That said, I think the ratio of the art is in favor of most of it being really great. I'm very impressed with how beautiful so much of the art is, and my heart leaped when I saw so many of the Jace Uncharted Realms arts (all the ones I wanted to see from his, in fact) make it onto cards. Especially Ampryn Tactician - I finally have a Vryn citizen other than just Jace to represent that plane's theme. Theros and Magic Origins had absolutely amazing pieces, with a higher volume being very impressive despite how many different planes were featured.
And after Tarkir, I'm a harsher critic so that's saying a lot. Outside of Narset's PW card, I loathed Tarkir as the ugliest (past and present), most repulsive plane I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. I hated its story, theme, art, all of its landscapes, just everything about it except Narset. It left a horrible taste in my mouth about where art, the story, and MTG's identity was going after Theros's excellent impression. Thank goodness we're getting Zendikar next - but once again, if they go the battleground wasteland route with it (as they had with Tarkir) over the lush, sweeping John Avon landscape scenes of Exploration/Archaeology world we know, love and long for, expect a rant.
Don't get me wrong, not every plane must be vibrant and idyllic (although I prefer those planes) - Innistrad was well done and suited for a dimmer, more haunting setting. But I don't like too much outright war emphasis over the fantasy aspect.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Murder Investigation. There are a lot of ways to pump up power cheaply, and this card will be great for token-based decks. Good protection against sweepers as well.
That said, I think the ratio of the art is in favor of most of it being really great. I'm very impressed with how beautiful so much of the art is, and my heart leaped when I saw so many of the Jace Uncharted Realms arts (all the ones I wanted to see from his, in fact) make it onto cards. Especially Ampryn Tactician - I finally have a Vryn citizen other than just Jace to represent that plane's theme. Theros and Magic Origins had absolutely amazing pieces, with a higher volume being very impressive despite how many different planes were featured.
There is Disciple of the Ring as well I wonder how a bluephiliac like you missed it ;-)
And after Tarkir, I'm a harsher critic so that's saying a lot. Outside of Narset's PW card, I loathed Tarkir as the ugliest (past and present), most repulsive plane I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. I hated its story, theme, art, all of its landscapes, just everything about it except Narset. It left a horrible taste in my mouth about where art, the story, and MTG's identity was going after Theros's excellent impression. Thank goodness we're getting Zendikar next - but once again, if they go the battleground wasteland route with it (as they had with Tarkir) over the lush, sweeping John Avon landscape scenes of Exploration/Archaeology world we know, love and long for, expect a rant.
Dunno. I liked Tarkir a lot, especially the Khans landscapes. I think that you are unreasonably harsh to it.
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100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
That said, I think the ratio of the art is in favor of most of it being really great. I'm very impressed with how beautiful so much of the art is, and my heart leaped when I saw so many of the Jace Uncharted Realms arts (all the ones I wanted to see from his, in fact) make it onto cards. Especially Ampryn Tactician - I finally have a Vryn citizen other than just Jace to represent that plane's theme. Theros and Magic Origins had absolutely amazing pieces, with a higher volume being very impressive despite how many different planes were featured.
There is Disciple of the Ring as well I wonder how a bluephiliac like you missed it ;-)
And after Tarkir, I'm a harsher critic so that's saying a lot. Outside of Narset's PW card, I loathed Tarkir as the ugliest (past and present), most repulsive plane I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. I hated its story, theme, art, all of its landscapes, just everything about it except Narset. It left a horrible taste in my mouth about where art, the story, and MTG's identity was going after Theros's excellent impression. Thank goodness we're getting Zendikar next - but once again, if they go the battleground wasteland route with it (as they had with Tarkir) over the lush, sweeping John Avon landscape scenes of Exploration/Archaeology world we know, love and long for, expect a rant.
Dunno. I liked Tarkir a lot, especially the Khans landscapes. I think that you are unreasonably harsh to it.
I do love me some Blue But Ampryn Tactician is simply the best I mean.
Tarkir and Ravnica are the planes I just loathe. I tried to like them but could not. Even the Dragons didn't look right to me.
Agreed, feathers on dragons was really stupid and having them born from storms made no sense. They have them confused with coatls which do have feathers.
Agreed, feathers on dragons was really stupid and having them born from storms made no sense. They have them confused with coatls which do have feathers.
Or fantasy creatures can have many interpretations.
1) feathers made sense on dinosaurs (at least according to evolution and natural selection, eh), but not dragons? k
2) dragonstorm was a thing way before tarkir
I guess it's just a matter of preference. I see dragon wings as more bat-like than bird-like. Feathers on dinosaurs did occur in a limited number of species but there is no reason to believe that all dinosaurs were feathered. And dragonstorm is a spell that a planeswalker casts, it's not a natural occurrence that just happens like they claim on Tarkir.
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1. Yeah, i also enjoy learning daily whtever it may be.
2. Also mirrors my feeling towards the set.
3. I would say the majority of the MTG consumer base enjoys the CG art. But here in the forums we have only the vocal part of the player base, and yes, it seems like they prefer traditional art more
It's not a hard to see when we've more people complaining about the art; it really meant the art on some cards stink.
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
That said, I think lately there has been a bit too much focus on MTG being a "war game" than being a "fantasy game with war." Where are Rebecca Gauy's elegant fantasy scenes of vibrant ethereal magic. The game is about magic and war, no need for so much emphasis on the latter to have it be too literal. I mean we can see images of people fighting with spears any where - the idea is the magic. That's something I loved about Theros - a lot of the art felt majestic and the magic was very apparent.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
But I do agree that there are less cards depicting peaceful parts of a fantasy world (like Wellspring for example) than there used to be.
WRBoros Aggro (Glorious knights of badassery)
RBRakdos Bloodthirst (Undercosted waves of fat s***)
URIzzet Talrand/Pyromancer (b/c I hate you)
GRGruul Ramp and Stomp (SO FAT. SO FAST. RAWRRR)
GBGolgari Birthing Pod (b/c you wanted a challenge. I did warn you this BS is banned though)
BWOrzhov Lifegain Aggro (Removal for dayzzz)
WGSelesnya Tribal Golem-splicers/token (meh. Needs more upgrades. Perhaps switching to bant?)
WUAzorius Flicker (b/c I wanna annoy the f*** outta you)
GUSimic Evolve Aggro (Aggro takes a journey to the weird side of the color pie)
BUDimir Control (b/c I wanna peel your skin off and flay you within an inch of life before I kill you)
URWJeskai Ascendency Tokens (MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
RWBMardu Warriors (Butcher is da bomb)
GU Simic Morph (slow as s*** but oh so fun)
WBGAbzan Dredge-animator (PURE EVIL)
GWHexproof Aggro (Deal with it. Lemme guess, you cant?)
EDH Decks
UBRNekusar (Multiplayer MONSTA. 1v1 Klutz)
GRB Prossh (Set up engines. WRECK FACE)
GEzuri (Hey so I heard you liked Elves...)
UTalrand (Counter. Cantrip. Counter. Cantrip. Repeat till opponents die-- possibly of boredom)
Tiny leaders
WUDaxos (basic 3/1 fliers do basic s***. Also Daxos)
RWAnax and Cymede (Heroic weenie beats)
Standard
RRMONO RED AGGRO (RAWWWRRRR!!!!)
WUHeroic Aggro (Easy mode beatstick)
But the consequence is that Wizards are able to choose the "cheapest" service.
I think these sort of things need to balance out. I believe the art director has a fixed budget for painting procurement, so naturally we see a mix of relatively poor art and awesome arts.
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
That said, I think the ratio of the art is in favor of most of it being really great. I'm very impressed with how beautiful so much of the art is, and my heart leaped when I saw so many of the Jace Uncharted Realms arts (all the ones I wanted to see from his, in fact) make it onto cards. Especially Ampryn Tactician - I finally have a Vryn citizen other than just Jace to represent that plane's theme. Theros and Magic Origins had absolutely amazing pieces, with a higher volume being very impressive despite how many different planes were featured.
And after Tarkir, I'm a harsher critic so that's saying a lot. Outside of Narset's PW card, I loathed Tarkir as the ugliest (past and present), most repulsive plane I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. I hated its story, theme, art, all of its landscapes, just everything about it except Narset. It left a horrible taste in my mouth about where art, the story, and MTG's identity was going after Theros's excellent impression. Thank goodness we're getting Zendikar next - but once again, if they go the battleground wasteland route with it (as they had with Tarkir) over the lush, sweeping John Avon landscape scenes of Exploration/Archaeology world we know, love and long for, expect a rant.
Don't get me wrong, not every plane must be vibrant and idyllic (although I prefer those planes) - Innistrad was well done and suited for a dimmer, more haunting setting. But I don't like too much outright war emphasis over the fantasy aspect.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
There is Disciple of the Ring as well I wonder how a bluephiliac like you missed it ;-)
Dunno. I liked Tarkir a lot, especially the Khans landscapes. I think that you are unreasonably harsh to it.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I do love me some Blue But Ampryn Tactician is simply the best I mean.
Tarkir and Ravnica are the planes I just loathe. I tried to like them but could not. Even the Dragons didn't look right to me.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Or fantasy creatures can have many interpretations.
I guess it's just a matter of preference. I see dragon wings as more bat-like than bird-like. Feathers on dinosaurs did occur in a limited number of species but there is no reason to believe that all dinosaurs were feathered. And dragonstorm is a spell that a planeswalker casts, it's not a natural occurrence that just happens like they claim on Tarkir.