Appearing extremely rarely in packs of Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation, the Amonkhet Invocations were the final entry inMagic: The Gathering’sshort-lived Masterpiece series. These proved to be the most divisive of the three series, featuring a much more in-your-face frame than before, and a less cohesive theme in terms of the cards featured, with everything from legendary creatures to instants and sorceries included.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Zendikar Expeditions, Ranked By Artwork
While this did mean that the Amonkhet Invocations were the final nail in the sarcophagus for the Masterpiece Series, it doesn’t mean that there weren’t some outstanding pieces of art present among them. Today we’re delving down into Amonkhet’s dusty tombs, to unearth ten lost treasures from this controversial collection.
10Mind Twist, By Igor Kieryluk
A piece that captures the stark emptiness of the desert sands, then uses it as a platform for some superb contrast, Igor Kieryluk’s Mind Twist is a clear highlight among the Invocations. The background is as minimalist as they come, a simple white dune curving up through a subtle blue gradient of night sky, and this helps place the focus in the foreground where it belongs.
You can feel the agony of the man kneeling in the sand, his mind being infiltrated by the creeping tendrils of the Shade behind him. The Shade is, of course, the standout element here, contrasting beautifully with the background with its simple form and palette. It’s an excellent, thematically resonant composition.
9Blood Moon, By Christine Choi
Christine Choi manages to deliver a neat summation of Hour of Devastation’s storyline in a single frame with this piece. The whole thing drips with symbolism: the ruined buildings of old Amonkhet crumbling in the foreground; the monument to Bolas rising proudly in the background; and the sky, seemingly darkened beyond all hope, looking down over all.
It all comes together to convey Bolas’ takeover of the Plane, and its grim success, very succinctly. The fact that the liquid flowing towards the viewer could either be water tinged red by the moonlight, or blood from Bolas’ fallen foes, is a shiver-inducing touch given the circumstances.
8Lord Of Extinction, By Jason A. Engle
A fittingly grandiose take on this graveyard-fuelled Elemental, Engle adds some interesting new design features that help ground it thematically on the Plane of Amonkhet. The dissolving Hekma barrier, and the city beyond, are nice story links, while the Lord’s insectile appendages help it fit in with the other “Old Gods” of Amonkhet that returned during Hour of Devastation.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - The Best Cards With Art By Magali Villeneuve
Narrative aside, this is simply an awe-inspiring piece. The Lord of Extinction completely dwarfs his surroundings as he rises from the sand, trailing dirt, roots, and stray rocks as he does so. The empty void within his helm, which seems to stare even without eyes, evokes the endless hunger associated with the creature perfectly.
7Threads Of Disloyalty, By Vongiae Choi
While most of the Amonkhet Invocations zoom things out, working in a larger-than-life scale appropriate for the Gods, Threads of Disloyalty does the opposite, getting right down intothe human dramaof the block’s second act. An Amonkhet resident is shown siding with the enemy here, holding her sharpened axe as a group of Eternals looks on from behind.
The lighting is the star of the show here, capturing an incredibly dark moment expertly in its minimalism, the viewer’s eyes picking up tiny details that manage to catch what little light there is. The myriad pairs of eyes, and the fact that the human characters’ fit in so well with those of the Eternals, serve as a chilling coup de grace here.
6Daze, By Richard Wright
Amonkhet is a very dark setting, both in terms of story and tone, but Richard Wright’s Daze proves that there’s beauty in there too, nestled deep in the sand. It’s a pleasingly literal take on theclassic blue counterspell, showing a central figure staring transfixed at a flight of conjured birds, their ethereal forms reflected in the water below.
It’s a striking composition, with the bright blue of the birds cutting right through the dull greys and browns of the background, blending nicely with the surrounding frame as well. Appropriately enough, this is the kind of card that can make you miss timing windows as you gaze at its mesmerising beauty.
5Entomb, By Eytan Zana
Eytan Zana captures the cruelty of Amonkhet in a concise way here, showing its signature sands turned to the torment of its unfortunate central figure. It’s a powerful piece for a number of reasons, perhaps chief among them being its strong sense of symmetry. The victim sits at the heart of the piece, flanked on both sides by sandy waterfalls, while a third spills down in front of them.
It’s a tragic fate, to be sure, made all the more so by the tiny sliver of sunlight visible at the top of the piece; one last glimmer of hope that we, as the audience, know will go unfulfilled, as the darkness outside of the shaft cooly reminds us.
4Slaughter Pact, By Josh Mass
Whiledepictions of violenceare certainly nothing new for Magic art, it’s rare that they’re as graphic and unflinching as Josh Mass’ Invocation take on Slaughter Pact. A tiny snapshot of Bolas’ takeover of the Plane, this piece shows one of Amonkhet’s Avens being ruthlessly murdered amidst the ruins of their homeland.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - The Best Cards With Art By Chris Rahn
The posture of the two characters does a lot of heavy lifting here, the cold assuredness of the Eternal perfectly balanced by the complete vulnerability of the Aven. Beyond this, the arcs of blood across the background stonework add a kind of grim realism, drying in the shadow of Bolas’ horns in a lovely symbolic flourish.
3Attrition, By Jose Cabrera
Capturing the decisive final moment of a Dune-esque man vs. sandworm smackdown, Jose Cabrera manages to evoke the feeling of a drawn-out struggle with a single image. A lot of this comes down to atmosphere: the canvas is drenched in dust and dirt here, billowing clouds engulfing man and worm alike, the telltale signs of a long endurance battle.
In addition to telling a longer story, the piece also excels in capturing a specific moment, as the sandworm’s jaws and the Warrior’s spear prepare to clash, finally deciding the outcome of the contest. The huge size of the worm seemingly makes it easy to call, but the sheer determination evident in the Warrior’s stance muddies the waters, leaving us hanging on the edge of a cliff with a stellar view.
2The Locust God, By Grzegorz Rutkowski
A unique take on one of Hour of Devastation’s “Old Gods”, Grzegorz Rutkowski forgoes the dark-and-dreary approach employed in the standard version of The Locust God to provide a piece that is both subversive and surprising. Whilethe God itself, shown striding out of its long-sealed tomb to wreak havoc upon the Plane, is par for the course, the rest is much more interesting.
The entire piece is peppered with a swarm of the titular insects, presumably following their master out of the tomb. The way they’re placed here, however, and the way the light hits them, makes them appear almost beautiful, as the slow-drifting petals of flowers rather than creatures of destruction. This results in a unique tonal dissonance quite unlike anything else on Amonkhet, and much else in Magic overall.
1Damnation, By Zack Stella
Magic’s most iconic villainand one of its most iconic board wipe spells: either a match made in Heaven, or in one of the darkest circles of Hell. We personally agree with the former, especially considering the spectacular art Zack Stella has put together for the occasion. Nicol Bolas is shown in his full tyrannical glory here, laying waste to an entire army with some of his trademark dark magic.
The full effects of the spell can be seen in the foreground, as its unfortunate victims dissolve into ash. If you follow the trail up, you may see that the same ash is forming the dark clouds in the sky above, a particularly cruel revelation considering your eyes need to pass over Bolas’ grinning face to reach it.
NEXT:Magic: The Gathering - The Best Kaladesh Inventions, Ranked By Artwork
