With Murders at Karlov Manor and Ravnica Remastered on the horizon, I think it’s only fair that we pay homage to Ravnica’s most iconic and loveable resident: Fblthp! This guy went from Totally Lost to having a special place in our hearts. It did take awhile for this little Homunculus to get his own card, but that doesn’t make it his first appearance. Oh no, Fblthp has graced us with his presence on many Magic cards. Let’s take a peek at some of the best!
Captive Audience
Let’s start with one of my favorite appearances. Captive Audience came out in Ravnica Allegiance and has become infamous for being absolutely unforgivable. The ability is incredibly flavorful as the enchanted opponent is quite literally held captive. While I’m not normally a Rakdos player, I always enjoy seeing this card on the battlefield. However, what I enjoy more is seeing Fblthp’s tiny, horrified face in the art. He sits perched atop the pauldron of a knight, tiny green hand trying to hide his shock. To be fair, if I was being held captive, I’d make the same face.
March of the Multitudes
This is my favorite Selesnya card of all time. Full stop. I remember wreaking havoc with this spell during my brief stint as a Standard player. This card was also a powerhouse in my Rhys the Redeemed Brawl deck on MTG Arena. I was a menace and didn’t care. You can convoke the heck out of this spell to make a practically lethal board state. It was a different time and I was all about it. But where’s Fblthp? Well, he is hidden away, practically invisible. If you enhance the image you can just barely make out a scared Fblthp, huddled and hiding behind the leg of a soldier. When I saw this on the Scryfall tagger, I was almost sure that there must have been a mistake but no, he’s there. Kudos to the artist for hiding him so well.
Statute of Denial
I don’t typically play counter magic, but I’d make an exception for Statute of Denial. Now, I know what you’re gonna say: “This is a bad card because it’s four mana.” Well to you, I say “nay!” I love expensive counter magic, specifically because they always have a little treat attached to them. For Spell Swindle it’s Treasures, for Access Denied it’s Thopters. For Statue of Denial you not only counter a spell, but you get to rummage as well! People won’t see it coming, which is why I think this spell is neat. What has me sold on it, however, is the tiny little Fblthp in the corner. This was another cameo I almost missed because he is camouflaged so perfectly. Our little Homunculus is hiding in the sewer, afraid of the firebolts being tossed carelessly. Same, little guy, same.
Unquestioned Authority
Next up we have an absolute banger of a card. Unquestioned Authority is a powerhouse in Enchantress decks. It was the blueprint when I first started playing Magic and I loved it. It draws you cards and gives the enchanted creature protection from creatures. Cards like that really butter my biscuit and are game enders in the right decks (I’m looking at you Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice and Xenk, Paladin Unbroken). So where is our guy? Well, he’s a bit more visible in this art than any of the other cards on this list. If you look up at the stairs, you’ll once again find Fblthp looking terrified and hiding behind a knight(?)…a guard(?)…a ruffian? Who’s to say? I just wanna say that this poor guy has witnessed so many terrifying things in his lifetime. Can we get him a therapist, please?
The Un-Cards
Un-sets are always filled with fun little easter eggs and inside jokes. It’s one of my favorite things about the sets. While Unfinity wasn’t exactly filled with tons of these nods like the previous Un-sets, there were a few! In fact, two of them just so happen to be about our favorite little guy! Fblthp is featured in two Unfinity cards (and one sticker card), both of which are illegal in Commander. He first appears as a keychain in Bag Check and then appears as in Super-Duper Lost. To be honest, I get a bit sad looking at that art because he looks scared. The flavor text is also a nod to this because he got so lost that he fell asleep inside the plushies of a claw machine. Our poor baby!!!
Borborygmos and Fblthp
Never in a million years did I expect to see Fblthp printed as his own creature AGAIN! I honestly thought all we were gonna get was his appearance in War of the Spark and that’s it. However, Fblthp fans ate well in March of the Machine. Our little lad now has some muscle behind him and boy is it insane. This card is so dang fun and has inspired many crazy brews amongst my friends and I. I’ve seen him as a lands deck, a Primal Surge deck, heck, even a Birthing Pod deck. Our little king became so versatile, and we love to see it.
Completely, Utterly, Totally Lost Secret Lair
It would literally be a crime for me to not talk about the fact that Fblthp got his very own Secret Lair. This lair was so fun because it was filled to the brim with Magic easter eggs and references. It also didn’t hurt that it had a Where’s Waldo art style. The cards included in the drop were Path to Exile, Well of Lost Dreams, Frantic Search, Intruder Alarm, and Shelldock Isle. The super secret bonus card just so happened to be Fblthp himself. What I loved about this drop, was that in each of the cards, a tiny Fblthp is hidden. To be honest, it’s a bit of a challenge to find him. What makes this Secret Lair even cooler is that it was not only printed into a playmat, but was made into a deckbox and sleeves that were exclusive to GenCon that year. From rags to riches, our little green (or maybe blue) guy!
Lost but Found
I absolutely adore the fact that Fblthp has become an unofficial mascot for Magic. From his appearance in a card and some off-handed flavor text, to getting his own card. It’s a lot to take in, and that’s ignoring the merch we have of him too. Fblthp shirts, Fblthp playmats, Fblthp dicebags, heck, Fblthp has become the mascot for MagicCon. I find it a bit amusing how one guy who is supposed to be lost can be found practically everywhere. While Jace and Liliana might be featured more in Magic advertising, we all know who the real mascot is. We just have to find him first!