BOK's Flavour - Sweet or Sour?

[gerg]

Betrayers' Flavor – Sweet or Sour? PART 1

Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK) has been released for some time now, continuing the block theme of Japanese folklore and other tales - complete with spirits and ninjas. In this article and the next two I will dive into the world of Kamigawa and look at it from a flavourful point of view. I will do this with every set, and in every PART 1 I will look at:

ART

Recently, the art in Magic has been getting better and better with each new set. BOK continues this fashion and gives us art with amazing detail and creatures. Artists seem to have been given a "limited freedom." They seem to be able to draw and paint absolutely anything since all the Beasts and Horrors etc. are becoming Spirits.

Here, I will talk to you about some of the art that I like most, as well as art that is just simply "le crème de la crème." I will arrange my thoughts into colours for easier reading.

WHITE:

White has its fair share of good art in BOK. The abstract Scour is just so different form the rest of the art in BOK that it has become my personal favourite white piece of art. I like the way the colours mix and the whole flow of the picture. Empty-Shrine Kannushi came a close second because of the origami birds flying around the person. I like how the art directly links to the card’s ability. My third favourite card would have to be Hokori, Dust Drinker. Again, I like the picture as a whole and like the feel to it.

That isn’t to say that every other card’s art is bad. I like the odd viewpoint below the horse on Day of Destiny and I like the not so much dull, but earth tone colours in Kami of False Hope. The olive greens really work well. The background on Takeno's Cavalry is also nice with its light pastel shades and pleasant feel to it.

Before I go onto to talk about the not-so-good art, I of course have to mention Kentaro, the Smiling Cat. Its art displays a great amount of detail, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Something about it just feels odd.

Lastly, we have the art I’m less so enthusiastic about. An example is Ward of Piety, or rather a picture of the Mr. Fantastic of the Kitsune. I get the idea of foreshortening, but maybe it was taken to a bit too much of an extreme here?

BLUE:

I’m not sure how I feel about the blue art in BOK. So far, it hasn't impressed me as much as the blue art in Champions did. However, BOK seems to provide one or two gems.

First there’s Heed the Mists. I love the piece as a whole. I like the woman outlines in the background and I like the honest, deep-in-thought expression of the man, which gives this art a calm, relaxing feel, rarely found in card art nowadays.

Then, there are blue’s Ninjas. In general, their art is nothing too special. They just don’t seem to display the mystery that is found in a Ninja. Ninja of the Deep Hours and Mistblade Shinobi, even with the elegance shown in their art, seem to focus too much on the Ninja itself. I think you could produce some interesting art if you tried to show "Ninjutsu" at work.

Of course though, there are exceptions. I like the diorama in Higure, the Still Wind. I also like Walker of Secret Ways. Not because it shows the feeling of what being a Ninja would be, like the art in Higure does, but because of the quality of the piece. The detail is good, possibly giving Kentaro a run for his money, and I like the abstract background with the complex patterns and the bonsai trees.

Lastly, they reprinted Phantom Wings, and that means new art. Unfortunately, I don’t like it as much as the Weatherlight incarnation of it, with the goats and graceful wings.

BLACK:

Black’s art has, quite simply, been getting more disgusting as time progresses. Because of this, black has given me the wonderful opportunity to see vomiting fish in Sickening Shoal and the joyful memory of seeing Pus Kami for the first time.

But this unfortunate trend though does not hinder all of the black art in BOK. I like the Aztec/Incan style in Genju of the Fens, the bold art of Eradicate and the very intricate, X-ray style art of Horobi's Whisper.

I also somewhat like the art for the Three Tragedies. However, I think the art could be worked on for a greater effect, even though the person in the art is of very high standard.

Lastly, I’ll talk about black’s Ninja art. I personally like it more than what blue provides. Quite ironically, black’s Ninja Rats seem to possess a slimness which shows them in a more flexible manner than blue's Ninjas. I think this fits the flavour of Ninjas in the sense that they can get out of any situation. The best example of this may be Skullsnatcher, with the slim body of the rat hiding in the swamp.

But now that I think about it, black’s ninja art seems to show the creature without the pride that blue does display. The two colours both display certain aspects of the Ninja, but I think that most art should have a combination of the two.

RED:

I think what I stated for blue can be said for red’s art as well. Underneath all that bog standard Akki art, you do find some good stuff - namely, Sowing Salt. In fact, I like Sowing Salt’s art so much that it has become my favorite piece of BOK art. I like the view on the ground and the simplistic, yet effective mood of the piece. It is odd, because, although it beckons to be called "calm" like Heed the Mists, it has a "warm" feel to it, possibly because of its palette. Either way, it definitely stands out from the crowd.

Another mention goes to Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot mainly because of the comic feel to it. The expression on the goat leads to, simply put, a fun piece of art.

Unfortunately, I have to stop there to talk about art that is truly something different. Reviewing the color again, I suppose I could mention Genju of the Spires and Fumiko the Lowblood, but they just don’t appeal to me. Aura Barbs is quite nice with its "rainforest" greens, but again, it just doesn’t appeal to me.

GREEN:

Green doesn’t display anything special in BOK other than Patron of the Orochi. When we look at it from far away, our eyes are allowed to wander all over the place. You see a face in a background – no that’s just some glowing masks. A "tentacle" in the foreground? Not really. Because of this and all the intricate detail in it (if you remember that Magic Arcana a while back, or simply look to the right), the viewer can look at the picture for a while without getting bored. Of course, the definition of "a while" may vary, but if you compare the art to say, Loam Dweller, you’ll get the idea.

I’m just going to talk about the Orochi for a moment. Now the thing that has surprised me enough in BOK to talk about them is their sense of fashion. I thought they lived in the jungle, and wore more of the stuff found on Orochi Sustainer and Sosuke, Son of Seshiro from Champions. But when someone opens up a booster, what do they get? Sakiko, Mother of Summer – the Cruella de Ville of the Orochi.









ARTIFACTS, LANDS AND CROSS COLOUR:


These areas haven’t provided much art that I’m fond of, but they aren’t that bad in terms of art. First there’s Shuko, which oddly I’m quite fond of. I suppose I like the light tone of the piece, but more than anything else, I think I like the "movement" in it. With Shuko, you can really image that someone has put them on and feels a surge of power. He’s marveled at them and is showing them off to the world.

Orb of Dreams gets an honorable mention because of the detail in the actual orb. I’m growing fonder of it as I talk about it, but I’m not in love yet.

The lands in BOK are on par, both of them having that little something "extra." Although they aren’t the best land art ever made, and even though the little "extra" is very small indeed, I do like them. Tendo Ice Bridge doesn’t so much have an odd viewpoint, but something about it is odd. The background mountain is done very well and the whole piece is detailed. The actual bridge is done quite nicely as well.

Gods' Eye, Gate to the Reikai is also very good. The detailing on the structure in the picture is excellent, but considering the rest of the piece, I’m not so much worried about that. The thing that appeals to me is the background. The two lines in the sky remind me of the Northern Lights, and the brightness of the sun, and all the realism in the clouds makes me ask if it has really been painted.

Lastly, as we reach the end of this discussion, I’ll talk about the Bakus. They’re quite funky creatures with one in every colour, and now that I think about it, Rebecca Guay has done Petalmane Baku very nicely but I just can’t help remember opening it at the pre-release and going: "Ooh, a tiger masquerading as a bush."



CONCLUSION:

So there you have it; I’ve looked at BOK’s art. I hope you enjoyed reading this odd article, and will join me for the next two parts of this discussion. If you want to share your own ideas with me, I will be watching this article’s thread, so post your ideas there.

See you next time…

- GERG

[Cannibal]

i also REALLY like the art for Scour. i would love to get a nice print for it.

the set overall looks great. i'm loving the look of the cards. i know that many look for a return to traditional "fantasy" art, but i'm all for broadening the horizons...

of course i loved the oriental adventures book that came out for AD&D also, so maybe it's related...

-Cannibal-
:cthulhu:

[Twinkee]

Nice analysis on the art works... thought I have some different opinions on some of the artwork you consider as "bad"

Good read, though the way you presented each color seems to get a tad repetitive.

Keep it up
Twinkee

[gerg]

Thanks for the comments. I'm having trouble with the second installment on flavour text as I'm finding it hard to comment on just a few lines of literature. Any ideas on how to structure it? I've got just two pieces which really stand out to me at the moemnt, but I KNOW that's not enough.

[museli]

Nice work. I love all the Baku. I'm fond of art that makes me say "what the hell IS that?"

As for black, I can't see anything ever beating Mutilate for bone-chilling creepiness.

[bateleur]

First there’s Heed the Mists. I love the piece as a whole.

Interesting. I'm glad someone liked it, because I can't stand that style myself. To start with I'm never keen on pics which look like badly disguised photos. Secondly, whilst I have no objection to the cartoon figures in the mists, for me they clash really badly with the style of the central figure.

As an aside, I also don't like Kentaro for the photo-ish look and don't like Fumiko 'cos she looks like cheap computer graphics !

Totally with you on many of those pieces, though. Overall, I like the new cards very much.

[BlitzkriegBob]

Loved the article, i really have a soft spot for the champions block art!
Your opinion of the art gradually improving is spot on!
Why don't you write an article on Champions art?
Just a thought!
Keep up the awesome work!

[Yamaneko]

Though I don't entirely agree with the article, it was quite well written. And looks like Gods' Eye, Gate to the Reikai is the wallpaper, and we get to see it in great detail.

[Scuirimancer]

Sowing Salt is indeed very cool. I wish the Japenese artists were better represented in this block, as I really like the unique styles they bring to the table with cards like Akki Coalflinger and Callous Deciever.

Anyway, some of my favorite Betrayers art... Blessing of Leeches, Hundred-Talon Strike, Kami of False Hope, Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, Sakura-tribe Springcaller, Yomiji, Who Bars the Way.

[otan]

Liked the article. It'll be an added insight for the next Magic survey in which they'll be asking to rate on the art of specific cards.

Now that you mentioned it, Scour has great art. You forgot to mention Quash, by the way...

And I don't understand the art of Eradicate. Since I haven't got my hands on one, I haven't had the time to look at the art better.

Were you able to mention Blazing Shoal? The fiery fishes are the bomb!

[rancored_elf]

Originally Posted by bateleur

I'm never keen on pics which look like badly disguised photos...

As an aside, I also don't like Kentaro for the photo-ish look and don't like Fumiko 'cos she looks like cheap computer graphics !

Totally agreed. Other than Avon, CGI style art has no place in Magic in my opinion. Cards with humanoid faces in the art that look like bad photocopies really turn me off. Heed the Mists, Kentaro, and some other cards really just make me not want to play them. Yuck.

I agree with the author that black art is nasty lately. Seems WotC is going for the 12-15 year old boys market. The more evil, nasty, and ugly, the better. Same goes with art from other colours. Everything has to be either violent, gross, or angry. It's pretty sad, and insulting to Magic players with a brain.

[Sligh_SuiBlack]

Pretty good article- I think the part that you didn't like about Kentaro was its eerie realisticness (not a word, I know).

You made a few mistakes with your writing, though. You repeated some words in two (and even three!) consecutive sentences and used the word "odd" way too much. The phrase that something "doesn't appeal to you" was also a tad overdone- there had to be another way to say it. You could have went into more detail about the art you didn't like... was Ward of Piety the only white card with bad art? You said "Lastly, we have the art I’m less so enthusiastic about", and only gave one example... you could have really given a few more. Other than that, great article.

[BloodMage]

After reading the article, I find it very good. It did more than simply inform me about the art of BoK. It reminded me that although there is a ton of work put into making the cards of a set and balancing them for R&D, the artists have to do at least as much work.

And I liked the fish vomiting bit. Seeing that artwork made my day

[RickCorgan]

I'm also not very fond of CGI-style art, but I gotta say I like Kentaro. Don't know why, it just got something that draws me towards it. His ironic "don't even try, I can beat you as you blink" expression is not shabby either.