From an iconic photograph to modern architecture, MTG art borrows from the real world in many ways. Donny Caltrider takes you through a flavorful journey of great art and surprising inspirations.
Need a moment to break from the tournament hype today? JDB is always there to lend academic expertise on Magic’s deep history! This week, he’s talking something very basic…and yet not at all! Put your waders on…
Flavor is all about self-expression. If the message you want to send is “My basic lands cost more than your car,” JDB has the top picks for the spend-happy show-off!
While Pirates really came into their own on Ixalan, their history in Magic stretches all the way back to the first printing of the game! Join JDB as he sails the Flavor Seas in search of Vorthos treasure!
Can the history of Magic’s flavor really be shown through just ten cards? The task seems impossible, but it won’t stop JDB from trying!
“Ach! Hans, run! It’s the Lhurgoyf!” Saffi Eriksdotter’s last words made Magic history. JDB takes a look at the iconic and irony-soaked subgenre of flavor text.
While Ryan Saxe is taking a well-earned week off, JDB is stepping in with a two-pack of Flavor Digests! Today he discusses a weird puzzle of the Multiverse: how do all these characters from different worlds talk to each other?
How big is a plane, anyway? JDB explores that question and recent trends as he looks beyond Ixalan block to the return of Dominaria.
Long after JDB scrubs out of the SCG Season Two Invitational, you’ll find him haunting the artists’ booths! Get his takes on the seven Magical illustrators who’ll be selling and signing December 1-3 in Roanoke!
The Minotaur planeswalker Angrath has lots of storytelling potential! JDB covers the intriguing possibilities and makes a pitch for his U.S. readers to join him in serving their local communities!
Magic’s player profiles are like siblings scrambling for Wizards of the Coast’s parental attention. As Vorthos comes off two years of being treated as the golden child, JDB breaks down how Spike and his pet Gideons and Jaces went horribly wrong.
As Magic approaches its 25th anniversary, it’s staggering how many creative details have accumulated over the years. JDB examines the ways Wizards of the Coast has jettisoned the worst of its storyline past.
Wizards of the Coast frequently takes parts of non-U.S. cultures for use in Magic’s settings. But what if the shoe were on the other foot? As conspiracy theorists battle robber barons, JDB uses his nation’s past to explore worldbuilding’s potential pitfalls.
New set, new setting: it’s time for Ixalan’s flavor review! Which debuting artist likely got his break because of a Dinosaur banner? Why are the coins anachronistic? And what creative choice has JDB genuinely furious?
The Ixalan previews have given JDB plenty to think about! While he waits for the full set to write his flavor review, enjoy his meditation on how language and sounds shape perceptions of the plane and its elements!
