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Magic: the Gathering cards have some of the most gorgeous fantasy-themed art you can find. Seriously, I’ve accidentally set MTG art as the wallpaper on my PC without meaning to. It’s just something I’ve stumbled across and it was that good.
But with almost thirty years of existence (and therefore art) under its belt, it’s safe to say that there have been hills and dips in the art’s quality.
However, something about even Magic’s worst art is still strangely endearing. To demonstrate what I mean, I’ll be showing you the top 10+ MTG cards with lovably bad art on them. I challenge you not to laugh once at some of these.
An Intro to Magic: the Gathering Art
Too many MTG players don’t stop to admire the artwork on the cards enough. There’s a lot that goes into that small illustration on each card, including an incredible story and process.
You can say that the look of the artwork is heavily influenced by the age of the card. If you ever look at lists of the “worst” art in Magic’s history, you’ll no doubt find that they’re studded with cards from older sets. Seventh edition is a pretty popular one when it comes to lists of funny artwork.
This isn’t surprising. Seventh edition was released in 2001, immediately after the 90’s, which any 90’s kid can tell you was a time full of surreal art.
Magic art nowadays is done in two separate stages. There’s an early concepting stage, which happens when the idea for the card has been created. Then there’s the second stage when the art is actually illustrated.
Artists are given a lot of freedom when they illustrate Magic cards. They can choose from any color palette to portray the subject matter.
Generally, the art is designed to reflect an important aspect of Magic’s story. This can get a little confusing sometimes, though, because it means numerous cards features pictures of scenes that seemingly don’t make sense.
Top 10+ MTG Cards with Lovably Bad Art
Joven
For reasons even I don’t entirely understand, I actually ended up including Joven on our list of MTG cards with handsome men on them. He’s just so…remarkable. I wrote that he looks like some metalhead we all knew in high school, and I’ll stand by that statement.
The quizzical look on his face, the cringeworthy makeup, the gloves with belt buckles on them that makes it look like he’s a frequent Hot Topic customer…it all adds up to one marvelous effect.
Aven Trooper
Aven Trooper is an interesting one. It’s not as if the subject of the card, the bird soldier, is poorly portrayed. Sure, its pose is a little…strange, but for the most part, you can tell what it is and its expression seems appropriate.
It’s the background I want to point out here. Most MTG cards have lavishly detailed backgrounds, so it’s odd to see one so blank. This card looks as if someone started to illustrate it, then halfway through went, “Screw it, I’m done.”
Unholy Strength – Seventh Edition
Unholy Strength actually has a couple different printings, but it’s the Seventh Edition version which has garnered it the most infamy. I’m sure you can see why right away.
The guy’s crazy eyes, gaping mouth, hideously long tongue, and comically bulging biceps make me think of an overly cartoony 90’s style that isn’t well-suited to Magic. It’s vaguely disturbing, but would make a memorable edition to your eternal format decks, at least.
Giant Strength – Fourth Edition
I’m not sure what it is exactly about this card in particular. You can tell they were trying to go for a bad ass effect – I mean, look at all those edgy spikes on the wheels, and the skulls on the ends of the rods the man is holding – but it falls short.
Maybe it’s the man’s evident love of beer, judging by his gut. Maybe it’s his oddly squished-together pecs with conveniently placed hair over the nipples. Maybe it’s the disgruntled expression on his face, which just screams, “Get off my lawn!” Perhaps it’s even the baby-sized footprints behind the man, implying indirectly that he has dainty ballerina feet.
Whatever it is, this card has an oddly endearing quality, as if it were done by an artistic kid in middle school or something.
Tawnos’s Weaponry
Oddly enough, my first thought when I saw Tawnos’s Weaponry is that it looks like Luke Skywalker and Spock had a baby. It’s the combination of the blonde hair, chiseled jawline, and almost pointed ears that makes the man in the illustration look like a weird Star Trek/Star Wars hybrid.
Then, for whatever reason, it looks like this Spock Skywalker (Spockwalker?) baby is holding the Master Sword from Zelda. It’s up to the viewer to figure out what kinds of circumstances led to this happening.
Celestial Prism
Search for any list of bad MTG art, and you’ll usually come across Celestial Prism. I almost didn’t want to include it, because it seemed like low-hanging fruit.
But after looking at it more closely, I couldn’t resist adding it. In this illustration, we see what looks like a child’s block toy upheld by a disfigured star. I have no idea what to make of the picture. Like with many of the other ones on this list, it leaves me with more questions than answers.
Reverse Polarity
The art on Reverse Polarity might be one of the most lovable options on this list. Everything about it is hilarious.
First, look at the man on the left. He’s got this smug freaking grin on his face, his pecs are oddly crooked, and he’s got tiny little baby hands. What I’m guessing here is that he has such amazing biceps, the Morningstar the other man is swinging has just bounced off of them. He’s swole.
The other guy, meanwhile, looks like he may have just crapped his pants…er, loincloth? Kilt? His eyes are popping out of his skull. I guess I’d be making the same face if I tried to brain someone with a Morningstar and it just bounced off their thicc guns.
Daughter of Autumn
Ever wondered what it would look like if your weird aunt who’s really into crystals and divination were on a Magic: the Gathering card? Well, Daughter of Autumn is your answer.
As if that weren’t enough, her ability is essentially what you’d expect from a whimsically spiritual (but not religious) aunt: she can take 1 damage that would otherwise be dealt to a white creature. Kind of like absorbing negative vibes or something.
Mwonvuli Ooze
Many of the cards on this list made me do that thing where you exhale out your nose really hard or smirk to yourself, but none of them made me literally laugh out loud like this one. Mwonvuli Ooze is the definition of “lovably bad art.”
First of all, you have the giant pile of glowing green jello looming in the background. Then you have the two monkeys staring it, one with its mouth agape. The monkey in the front almost looks as if it’s been photoshopped into the illustration.
The best part of all, perhaps, is the flavor text: “Ewww!” Are we to believe the monkeys are saying ew? Is the ooze in the back saying ew? This is just another example of a card that makes me wonder what’s going on.
Animate Wall
I almost want to include this one in my own Arcades, the Strategist EDH deck because the art is just so amazing. Let’s dissect it a little bit.
On the right, you’ve got a woman screaming and gesturing at a wall. This in and of itself can be fairly strange, unless you’ve maybe had one too many to drink.
But then there’s the wall itself. If you didn’t look at it too closely, you might just think it’s a normal wall. However, this wall is anything but normal, with its grumpy frowning face, chubby arm, and foot. This wall has an expression that says, “Not this garbage again,” and it’s clearly directed at the possibly drunken woman screaming at it.
Elvish Hunter
I understand what the artist was going for in this illustration. Nonetheless, I can’t help but think that it deserves a place on this list.
Why? It makes me think of some kind of 90’s fantasy novel – one with a cheesy romantic heroine. I’m not really sure where the wolf comes in, or why her face needs to appear behind her in a large, off-putting mirage, but it is what it is.
Sorrow’s Path
If someone asked me to show them one of the most confusing pieces of art in Magic history, it would probably be Sorrow’s Path.
In the forefront of the card, we have what is supposed to be a wizard, only, he’s dressed in something that looks like your grandma’s tablecloth. Before him, what is presumably a knight is showing the tablecloth wizard how to drop it real low.
Meanwhile, people in the background are fighting on a bridge while a dragon eggs them on. We have no flavor text to go by here. The events that led to this card remain a mystery to all but the most knowledgeable in Magic lore.
Hushbringer
We’re finally breaking the ranks here by featuring a card that’s “newer;” Hushbringer came out with the Throne of Eldraine set, which was released in late 2019.
This one had us scratching our heads. In general, Magic’s art has gotten clearer with time. So what’s going on with this strangely erotic faerie?
Hovering ominously in the background are two partially open mouths that look as if they want to eat the fairie in the middle, who’s shushing onlookers. Then, for whatever reason, there’s a circle of lips around her.
I don’t know, man. This card is the personification of a fever dream. It’s something I’d imagine after getting food poisoning and watching some vaguely erotic fantasy movie before collapsing into a beleaguered food coma.
Honorable Mention
Hyalopterous Lemure
Look at this card for a second. Your first impression, more likely than not, is “aww” or perhaps a more modest, “Well, that’s kind of cute.”
This shouldn’t be on the list. And it normally wouldn’t be, were it not for the absolutely hilarious story behind the artwork on the card.
The illustration for the card was one of Magic’s biggest art mistakes. You see, the art was supposed to depict a lemure, which is an ominous undead being that has appeared in DnD lore (although lemures go back way farther than Dungeons and Dragons).
Unfortunately, the artist thought he was supposed to portray a cute little lemur…and thus the adorable (and still highly dangerous) Hyalopterous Lemure was born.
Wrap Up
Our mission in sharing these cards with you was to show the more humorous side to Magic: the Gathering. By no means were we intending to put down the artists involved and quality of the artwork.
I wanted to make sure I end this list on a more positive note. If anything, I hope some of these cards were able to make you smile a bit. I think most people get too caught up in the competition and forget that it’s supposed to be a fun game.
Did any of these cards make you laugh? My favorite was Mwonvuli Ooze, but I also love the story behind Hyalopterous Lemure. Let me know if you there are any others you think deserve to be here.