New Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair Playing cards Revealed At MagicCon – Gaming Reviews

Secret Lair drops have grow to be a few of Magic: The Gathering’s hottest merchandise, with beforehand launched cards–some seeing reprints for the primary time in years–featuring distinctive artwork from acclaimed artists around the globe. MagicCon Philadelphia shined a highlight on the undertaking, with some behind-the-scenes commentary in addition to a number of appears to be like at what’s to return.

4 new playing cards had been revealed in the course of the hour-long panel, with all of them scheduled to look collectively in a future drop. Every card showcases a special planeswalker–Ugin, The Ineffable; Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord; Sarkhan, Dragonsoul; and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God–as in the event that they had been “compleated,” or the MTG time period of being become one of many evil Phyrexians.

The drop would be the first time a Secret Lair is made accessible at native recreation shops, versus the Secret Lair which had solely provided drops prior to now. Emily Floyd, senior enterprise supervisor for Wizards Of The Coast, stated in the course of the panel that the web site expertise “is simply not the identical as strolling right into a retailer,” and this drop is designed to be “another option to get gamers into shops.”

The panel additionally featured senior inventive artwork director Tom Jenkot who spoke about how Secret Lair compares to the “Booster Enjoyable” variants present in card packs, the place he stated that concepts are “interchangeable, the place issues that do not match into one can grow to be a part of the opposite.” Earlier Secret Lair artists Justine Jones and Wizard of Barge additionally joined the panel, the place they spoke of their experiences with the Secret Lair undertaking.

The panel ended with temporary teases for future drops, which featured a number of items of art work being proven to these in attendance. No specifics got on the art work, solely that they might function on playing cards in future Secret Lair drops.

After the panel, we caught up with Justine Jones to get extra details about working with the Secret Lair staff and getting her art work on an official Magic: The Gathering card. We spoke concerning the first time she was ever approached about her artwork, how she made her type work on the playing cards, and what MTG creatures she’d like to attract subsequent.

The Secret Lair Winter Superdrop 2023 is going on now on the official Secret Lair web site, together with drops themed round snakes, a “90s binder” type of artwork, and 5 beforehand launched Phyrexian-themed playing cards written in Phyrexian font. The newly-revealed drop with Ugin, Sorin, Sarkhan, and Nicol Bolas was not given an official launch date.

MagicCon was crammed with new MTG info, which included a primary have a look at the following enlargement March Of The Machine with over 20 playing cards revealed. Proper after the conference ended, Wizards Of The Coast introduced first particulars on two units coming this summer time: Commander Legends and Lord Of The Rings: Tales From Center-earth.

This interview was performed in-person and edited for readability.

GameSpot: Take us again to the primary time you had been ever pitched to attract a Magic: The Gathering card. What was your preliminary response?

Justine Jones: [WOTC chief of staff] Jess Lanzillo reached out to me. I knew they had been conversant in my work, I knew she had a number of prints of mine, however I by no means anticipated her to ask me to work on a Magic card. She stated they had been doing a sequence of playing cards referred to as Secret Lair, and she or he requested if I might do a specific amount of playing cards in a sure period of time, one thing like three playing cards in lower than a month. In my thoughts I used to be like “no, I can not try this,” however out loud I stated “certain, I can try this” as a result of I can not say no to that chance.

I did not know something about what my playing cards had been going to be once I stated sure, however then afterward I acquired the commissions for the three playing cards (The Ur-Dragon, Sliver Overlord, and Reaper King) and that was when Mari Corridor turned my artwork director. She checked out a few of my older work and requested if I might use colours from sure older items of mine in these playing cards.

Actually, I used to be nonetheless actually weirded out. I requested her, “you have seen my artwork earlier than, proper?” In my thoughts I used to be questioning if I might attempt to do issues within the regular Magic type, and I do not actually do stuff like that, so it was inflicting me a whole lot of nervousness. Mari was like “no, we would like these utterly in your type, we simply need you to do what you do.”

At one level she stated, “you already know, we simply had these Yoshitaka Amano playing cards, and other people beloved these,” and I am like “nicely, I am not Yoshitaka Amano, he is an artwork god, and I am simply me.” It’s actually cool to be in the identical artwork library as him although, they usually actually inspired me to do issues in my very own artwork type.

Did you attempt to strategy the playing cards utilizing strategies for drawing you’d used beforehand, or since this was a complete new undertaking, did you strive a special strategy?

I largely simply drew the playing cards the best way that I’d draw them. I undoubtedly have a look at the previous artwork and it does affect what I do; For instance, once I drew Shivan Dragon, I undoubtedly needed to drag concepts from that previous artwork. With the Ur-Dragon although, I did not take a lot from the unique artwork for my model as a result of the kinds are so completely different, the one factor I might do was my very own factor. The one factor Wizards stated was I had to ensure it had a extremely lengthy horn on its nostril, as that is an important a part of its look.

That is the way it works for each card I’ve drawn; I am going to get an inventory of some distinct issues, however then I will be allowed to do no matter I need. With Sliver Overlord, I attempted to utterly change it into my type, but it surely has a sure sample on its abdomen that I used to be informed I needed to maintain, which was actually tough to work into my type. I am drawing this gross, bizarre creature, after which it has this colourful abdomen with little design on it, which felt bizarre however I obtained it to work. However yeah, more often than not my route is “do no matter I need, however simply make sure you embody a number of iconic particulars.”

Do you favor to attract creatures, or would you take into account drawing extra humanoid kinds?

I like drawing creatures, however for the [Commander Legends: Battle For] Baldur’s Gate playing cards I did largely humanoids. I grew up drawing humans–I used to be actually into comics like X-Males, that is how I realized to learn and draw–and I can draw individuals, however I simply have extra enjoyable drawing monsters.

If I am drawing one thing like a wizard in an elaborate cloak the place I could make a whole lot of elaborate design particulars, I like that, however typically I get bored simply drawing a human. I have a look at people all day, I do not have a look at dragons all day, so I discover extra creativity in dragons.

Is there a selected sort of creature in Magic: The Gathering you’d wish to sort out for a future undertaking?

I might like to do extra dragons, however I might additionally love to do some MTG-specific people or magic customers. The Baldur’s Gate playing cards had been humanoids, however they had been D&D characters–specifically from the brand new recreation Baldur’s Gate 3–and technically not Magic characters.

Additionally, one of many questions in the course of the panel talked about fungus, and I might actually like to attract bizarre, blobby fungus. I might love to attract bears, or goblins, truthfully any bizarre creature in any respect.

If you first acquired this fee, as a former participant, how involved had been you with regard to fan expectation?

I used to be very nervous about how my stuff could be acquired, I actually thought individuals would say “what is that this rubbish?” I simply keep in mind pondering as a child that the best factor you could possibly do was have your artwork as a foil Magic card, so the truth that I’ve that now’s simply loopy.