#rivals of ixalan

I’M GLAD YOU FINALLY FOUND A HOME, PARROT GRIFFIN CONCEPT!

So when I was at Archon St. Louis last year, I talked about how sometimes, cool ideas in the world guide don’t always end up making it to cards. The world guide is a resource for concepting, a toolbox of possibilities to help give flavor to the eventual mechanics of the set. Sadly, not every one of the awesome tools in the box gets used every time. 

In particular, the Ixalan world guide had this sweet, super-colorful, parrot-inspired griffin concept in one of its creature sections:

…and then no Ixalan cards showed off this pretty beast. There just wasn’t a use for it. But then along came a flyer in Rivals of Ixalan that was just an excellent spot for the idea. Magic art director Dawn Murin tapped artist and sculptor Sam Rowan to take it the rest of the way, and he did so in style:

Resplendent Griffin by Sam Rowan

And the card came together, finally making use of that really fun creature concept.

When we’re building the world guide, we never know all the creative problems that will eventually need to be solved. We fill the guide with all our best ideas, hoping that they’ll help fill the creative gaps that arise in the eventual card set. Sometimes it takes a while for a problem of exactly the right shape to pop up, to make use of the sweet solution that you already have waiting in your hand. But when it works out, it’s SO SATISFYING AUGHGHH

Also, FYI, the full Rivals of Ixalan card image gallery is up, y’all. I wish you a great prerelease next weekend!