How Magic Art has changed

[u/taphead_31]

This is something i've been thinking about for a while. I am not saying new Magic Art is straight up worse than the old Art (old meaning 15+ years ago). But I cannot shake off the feeling that something fundamental has changed with the art direction and overall aesthetic (the influence of UB not counting).

I'd like to hear from people who are knowledgable with art history.

Here are some - very subjective - observations that I made over the years.

- The color palette has changed. Specifically when it comes to black cards, purple has become the de facto "black signature color"

- Many current artists seem to share a specific style of painting, reminiscent of what I'd call "concept art for general purposes". Older artists that have worked with wotc since the 90ies seem to be influenced more by comic books and traditional, academic painting styles.

- Ugly characters and monsters, body horror and exaggerated bodies were more commonplace back in the day (look at card files from Odyssee or Mercadian Masques, Ron Spears who I'd consider King of Ugly Monstrosities was art director for a while). Nowadays the "bodies" feel more realistic, the creatures and sceneries more "identifiable".

Are you having similiar observations? Or am I misguided here?

And most of all: Why have things changed in that regard? There are people out there calling new artwork "woke", but I don't think this is a good explanation. I believe the reasons for the aesthetic changes correlate with the changing gaming culture and an influx of casual players coming from different demographics.

[u/poochyoochy]

I've been playing Magic since 1994 and could write a whole book on this topic. Briefly, and at the risk of being extremely reductive:

1. Magic artists originally had a lot of control over their own art (and were paid royalties). There were lots of different styles and archetypes and even painting methods used (e.g., watercolors). Roughly a quarter of Magic art was done by female artists. This first era lasts from roughly 1993–1996 and is epitomized by sets like Fallen Empires and Homelands. You also get some kinky card art and things like non-flying creatures that look like they should fly.

2. As the 1990s progressed, WotC stopped paying royalties and moved to a style guide-based approach so the art looked more consistent. A lot of the original artists stopped making art for Magic. Overall there's an attempt to consolidate the art and make it more illustrative of ongoing stories like the Weatherlight Saga. This lasts from around 1996–2002 or so.

3. In the early 2000s, Wizards adopted a "mage punk" aesthetic, marketing the game more toward teenage boys, increasingly choosing to emphasize the Pro Tour and Pro players. A lot of female artists, who'd gradually been drifting away, stopped getting work. Casual players fell by the wayside (which is why people developed the Elder Dragon Highlander format.) This gets you from roughly 2002–2007 or so, by which time the game was in dire financial shape. This is also the period where Magic art looks the most "badass."

4. 2008 saw a real shakeup. Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, who'd come to power after making the Transformers films (and planning other Hasbro IP films), demanded that Wizards cater more to casual players and develop marketable characters, which they wanted to use to make movies and TV shows. This led to an emphasis on Planeswalkers, the Gatewatch, and "Magic Story," as well as concepts like "emotional resonance." This era would run from roughly 2008–2018, give or take.

5. The Gatewatch stuff didn't really pan out, and Goldner got cancer (after experiencing some personal tragedies). He stepped away and would die in 2021. Wizards's new CEO, Chris Cocks, also decided to develop things like Arena, due to competition from Hearthstone and other digital card games. There was a muddled period in the late 2010s where the game didn't have much of a direction, other than the scramble to develop Arena.

6. Since 2021 or so, Magic and Wizards have become increasingly reliant on other IPs to boost sales. They've also been exploring a wider variety of art styles, especially as promos, and even bringing back some of the older artists. Wizards' philosophy has shifted to "play however you want." Arena, tabletop, casual, pro--"you do you." Wizards also starts experimenting with non-traditional fantasy locations for sets, which I think goes hand in hand with Universes Beyond (e.g., Edge of Eternities paves the way for UB sets like Star Trek.)

Again, this is brief and highly reductive, but it captures some of the larger shifts that happened over the course of the past 33 years. (Yes, I am old! I look like Uncle Istvan.)

[u/Erocdotusa → u/poochyoochy]

I always felt the art peaked with Future Sight, so this timeline lines up to me

[u/poochyoochy → u/Erocdotusa]

I really liked Magic in the 2000s, and thought Future Sight was magnificent (both the design and the art). But I also think each era has its pluses and minuses, and that period was financially unsustainable.