YMTC #3 FINALLY BEGINS

[Machinus]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/ymtc31

Since they are doing this one backwards, I think we should consider what could possible be made into a good card for our format - which is not necessarily going to be the best artwork. Anyway, take a look!

[Whatever Works]

None of the art is particularly amazing, but I think #7 is by far the coolest of the bunch... Is it odd that they are picking art first??? Doesnt that immediatly narrow down the card type to if it is (or is not) a creature/artifact/enchantment... and if you pick the gorilla you are forcing the new card to be green (well essentially)...

[Cross]

I think most of them are pretty broad. Even with the ape, consider the art for primitive justice. There are a lot of good submissions too, 3, 4, 5, and 10 are all cool....even though 4 is prob a burn card. i actually think 4 is my favorite, hopefully it's not burn.

[Machinus]

#4 has the highest possibility of being some cool artifact/land/sorcery. The other ones are a lot less obvious. Like I said in my first post, the best art might not be the best card to choose. #5 is by far the best piece, but its probably going to be a white creature.

[Ephraim]

When I brought this topic up in #themanadrain, most people there seemed to be impressed with #5. Although my first impression was that it would be a green or white creature, it also has the potential to be a sorcery or instant, since the woman in the picture is definitely casting a spell. Although I doubt that most of the voters would be sophisticated, I could also imagine it being a black spell of some sort. White and green both feature prominently in the palette, but it also has a sinister, antithetical aura to it.

[someNOOB]

Personally i like the odd art of #9, and think that it has the highest possibility of having an odd ability to it. An odd ability = a new one, and new untested mechanics have a high probability of being br0kd

[Mark_Story]

As an artist, most of this work is on the weaker end of magic illustration.   I think #4, 5, and possibly 8 have the most potential.  I don't think that 4-5 is limited by the colour palette used. There are many blue black cards that feature neutral toned artwork, or colours that are complements.  So there is hope that the YMTC will not be a lame white weenie. And instead something playable in black/blue/red.

(Oh I would have entered too, if the competition was open to non-US residents)

[majestyk1136]

I thought that the possibility of designing some disturbingly overpowered blue creature (#1) seemed like a possibliity at first, but then rejected it.  That picture is trippy though...  That blue explosion seemed like it might be some interesting way to sneak a draw7 in, a la "the cards simply explode off the top of your deck into your grip."  That black robed creature reminded me of a cow pie with a face.  Bizarre.  Was this really the best they got?

[Kowal]

It doesn't matter what the art is implying at this stage of development:  We'll be choosing what it does.

I voted 5 because it's the sweetest art.

[Hi-Val]

Ugh, #4 is the only passable one. Unfortunately, it already is a red enchantment that deals damage : \ The rest look like something that a high school sophmore draws on his binder in study hall.

#5 looks pretty neat as well though.

[Smmenen]

I voted for 4, although I also like #1.

[abisashi]

#5 for me.

Was this really the best they got?

It looks to me like they made sure all of the art was of a different style than the other pieces.

edit: Apparently you can click on the pictures to see a bigger version. Just thought I'd mention that in case someone is as unobservant as I am after midnight.

[rozetta]

#4 stood out for me. I don't think it necessrily has to be burn - to me it looks like some sort of enchantment.

[yankeedave]

If you take a close look at #9, the eyes of the worm are reflecting an angel. Some kind of black distruption card perhaps?

[Razvan]

#5 has the best art (look at her arms), and #9 is sur-real wicked. #6 or #8 might be good too, especially since #6 is a blue creature, and #8 confuses me.

[Matt]

I think #3 will win because it looks like a big splashy effect. I don't like it much though.

#6 looks interesting. Wouldn't it be cool to have that be something besides a creature? #7 too.

I think #4 and #9 are my favorite. #9 looks SO ODD. Also, I don't think it's a worm - it looks to me like the long black part is like a mob of people, carrying/following this giant death's head.

5, 8, and 10 are my least favorites because they're so general. OH BOY ANOTHER PERSON WHO SHOOTS LIGHT FROM THEIR HANDS, WE REALLY NEEDED THAT.

Before you vote, read my article from forever ago.

[Machinus]

5, 8, and 10 are my least favorites because they're so general. OH BOY ANOTHER PERSON WHO SHOOTS LIGHT FROM THEIR HANDS, WE REALLY NEEDED THAT.

The physical manifestation/artistic representation of magical powers is often pretty disappointing, is it not? But why make a product that doesn't sell massively, by appealing to the basest knowledge of fantasy and magick? $ > "art."

I enjoyed that brief but interesting examination of art however long ago those articles were. I really like the Kamigawa art, maybe not because it is so awesome but just because its really different for magic (more than usual, anyway...), and some of them are really high quality. The islands are REALLY popular.

[giddygorgon]

I personnaly like 3 and 8.  3 looks like a wrath affect to me and 8 will just be random but the art is good.

[Revvik]

Before you vote, read my article from forever ago.

Although in most cases, boundaries can provide freedom, in this case they facilitate redundancy.  Good point, Matt, I hate seeing the same damn things over and over again.

[epeeguy]

I prefer number 4 personally.  While much of the artwork is very, very good... there are a couple of pieces that are just really awful.  When I saw the first couple of pieces of art submitted (before I scrolled down the page) I was appalled to see that the very first piece looked like some computerized image... Honestly, I expect a bit more than that (not that computerized artwork is bad... just that it's not good for Magic art).  But number 4 is very simple, clean and straight forward.  The contrast between the red glyph floating in the foreground, with the dark background... it's very cool and very strong visually.  But without being over complicated.

Anyhow, re: the style guide... I'm torn about it.  While I find it can be a very good thing (it keeps a common theme about the cards, as well as ensures that the "set's overall image" is pervasive throughout all the cards), it can also be a very bad thing (all the images look the same, very little deviation... etc.).  While some of the artwork from Legends was very cool, at the same time it was all over the place and there was very little in the way of commonality between images.  The same is true with a number of the earlier sets.

Now, you have common themes and characters that show up and help build up the image of the set.  Especially when they show the characters doing something... it's an illustration of what is supposed to be happening.  This helps enhance the overall image of the set and really builds up the various events and occurances that are talked about, as well as allowing people to identify certain things in the context of the characters.

But, it can be overdone, when every character shows up in the same piece over and over again... and there is too much uniformity.  In some respects, this is like what happened with Marvel, Image and DC artwork... it got so common for certain things that it got old and tired.  We got used to everything looking one way... and while that may be nice, at the same time it is a bit on the boring side.  Or, they went for something so flashy and cool so often, that we simply built up an immunity to new cool artwork... jaded as it were, by everything they threw at us.  Some of the new Magic artwork is the same way.

Overall, I think the new Magic artwork looks better and is better presented than when I started (really, a lot of the Revised artwork is really awful).  But, it is getting a bit over done.  So, that's why I like 4 because of this move towards something simpler, yet evocative, of the "Magic" ideal.  It doesn't spell it all out for us, isn't overly flashy, yet captures a very strong image, very easily.  Hopefully they use it for something else, even if it doesn't win.

[Matt]

At the time, the style guides were really, really awful. Think "Gerrard" and the zombies/wurms/etc. from Odyssey block. Oh look, a wurm crashing through something. Booooring. For an example of how this kind of thing SHOULD be done, look at the thrulls from Fallen Empires. Each one is unique and therefore memorable.

[Alfred]

Say what you will about the card quality in Fallen Empires, but the art in that set is definately my favourite. The flavour of the cards is something that wizards should work to recreate, because so many cards are just bursting with it. I agree Matt, one of my favourites is the illustrations on Mindstab Thrull (the one that has the key, and is sewn together from various arms); such a cool peice of artwork! Hymn to Tourach (the one with the wizard sitting at the table), Icatian Town and Feral Thallid all have a very creepy feeling, and the flavour text is just spectacular. Also, unlike other earlier sets, this one actually has a story line that makes sense, without being too overbearing.

As the art goes, I enjoy #4, because it has a very interesting pattern, and definately looks like some sort of arcane glyph with magical properties. #8 utilizes lighting very well, and the action on the card looks very realistic. #9 is probably my favourite though, just because it's so wierd. It looks like something from another dimention!

[Machinus]

I always thought the Hymn with the guy in the cloak was the best one by far, I really thought that artwork was cool. I hate the tradition of using purple on black cards though, I think it is disgusting and that is one of the only cards that it looks good on. This was really common on ODY, like matt said.

[Cross]

Any thoughts/reasoning on the new vote?

I feel like voting for instant/sorcery, but I'd worry that people are going to be led into thinking that the card is white because of its tonality.

[epeeguy]

I went with Enchantment myself.  We've already seen Creature and Artifact, so I wanted to see something else.  While Instant or Sorcery would be really neat, I think that it would be interesting to have a decent/interesting Enchantment as a YMC.  Plus, while there is some kind of activity in the card, it really doesn't scream Instant or Sorcery to me; it looks more like some kind of energy field or magical aura that is happening here (which seems more Enchantment like).

[Moxlotus]

I voted for Instant/sorcery because, well, then maybe it will be playable in Type 1.

[Alfred]

I voted for enchantment, because I really don't think that the enchantment type has been explored as well as it should be. I also think that a powerful effect on a decently costed (hopefully white) enchantment might make for a very interesting card indeed.

[Matt]

I'm voting enchantment so they don't have to worry about breaking it in type one, and feel free to give me a new 1.5 toy.

[BWM]

I voted enchantment...


It'd be funny if this could revitalize parfait...

[Toad]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/ymtc33

I will be an Instant or a Sorcery.