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magic trick : The Gathering’sSpongeBob SquarePantsSecret Lair cards have just been previewed , andI’m genuinely shocked by how unfit half of them are . There are threeSpongeBobSecret Lairs , two of which are more in line with what you ’d have a bun in the oven from aUniverses Beyondproduct . One features alone art of SpongeBob character reference , each a reskinned version of an existingMagiccard , similar to the popular Hatsune Miku cards ; the other is basic country withSpongeBobsettings . However , the thirdSpongeBobSecret Lair was so surprisingly off - stain forMagic , I thought the cards were fake when I first saw them .
When it was first announced thatMagic : The Gatheringwould commence on a regular basis including outside IPs , I was nervous about what that would mean for the timbre of the card . thing like theWalking DeadSecret Lair had worried me thatMagicwouldn’t be creative with its visual presentation ofUniverses Beyondcards , or worse , resort to using screenshots from moving-picture show or shows . While many of my care were quickly assuaged by the layer of cause taken in the intent for solidifying likeMagic’sLord of the Ringscrossover , theSpongeBob SquarePantscards prove that my fears were n’t totally unwarranted .
MTG’s SpongeBob Cards Are Full Of Screenshots & Memes
One Of The SpongeBob Secret Lairs Uses Screenshots For Card Art
The upcomingSecret Lair × SpongeBob SquarePants : Internet Sensationcards are a collection ofMagiccards boast second fromSpongeBobthat have become popular net memes . These card do not feature artists ' recreations of the moments , but insteadfeature what are essentially screenshots from the show(though it does look like they may have been contact up a number ) . To be frank , these cards look gaudy , and I think it ’s a little cockeyed for these bill of fare to cost the same as wit with original commissioned graphics .
From exciting monsters to unique car-mechanic , the Monster Hunter franchise has everything it ask for a worthwhile Magic : The Gathering collaborationism .
For a farsighted clock time , instrumentalist have been making their own proxies of cards , sometimes using screenshots or memes . A mutual one to see is the meme of Batman slap Robin being used as a procurator for the card Counterspell . I have no problem with this ; proxies are a skillful elbow room to make deck more low-cost or customise them to your liking . What I do take emergence with isWizards of the Coast charging full Mary Leontyne Price for card that look like unofficial proxy .
One might fence the junior-grade market cost of the card in theSpongeBob SquarePantsSecret Lair helps justify its price tag , but subaltern grocery value holds no posture on the production cost for Wizards of the Coast . Had Wizards pay artists a commissioning to produce original versions of the art from these memes , it would explicate why they needed to cost as much as normal cards . As is , it finger more like a elbow room for the society to offset some of the licensing price forSpongeBobby skimping on the graphics budget for these card .
Previous Universes Beyond Sets Have All Featured Original Art
Universes Beyond Sets Have Never Used Screenshots Before
What make theSpongeBob SquarePants : Internet Sensationcards so dissatisfactory is thatthey are a going from the high calibre of artwork that is typically present inUniverses Beyondsets . TheLord of the Ringsset is a great example of howMagic : The Gatheringhas been able to make alone visual depictions of exist information processing . Instead of simply animate the spirit of the Peter Jackson films , Magiccreated unique looks for many of the setting and characters from Tolkein ’s work .
Magic : The gather has revealed first detail of its upcoming Marvel ’s Spider - Man crossover set , including its release engagement , parcel , and new cards .
TheupcomingFinal Fantasycrossoveris another good example of this creative thinking . preview characters like Celes andTerra fromFinal Fantasy 6have me mad to see how other characters from early games are depicted . Even characters like Cloud and Sephiroth , whose models front close to theirFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthversions , are being conventionalize in a way whereyou can well tell theMagicversions from screenshots of the game .
The Secret Lairs forTheWalking Dead , Stranger Things , orDungeons & Dragons : Honor Among Thievesweren’t my favored because the cards look too much like flick of the role player . However , even these sets were a huge betterment over theSpongeBobcards , since they at least featured original artwork . I personally did n’t desire to pay $ 30 for a Chris PineMagiccard , but I could at least appreciate that its commission prowess contributed to its price tag end .
I’m Worried SpongeBob Could Set A Precedent For Using Screenshots Going In Sets Like Avatar: The Last Airbender
If SpongeBob Sells Well, Wizards Might Consider Continuing To Use Screenshots To Cut Down On Art Commissions
At the end of the day , I ’m not overly concerned with the character of theSpongeBob SquarePantscards . It ’s intelligibly a set that is slant into its inherent ridiculousness , and I would n’t gestate or desire aSpongeBobset to be a serious affair . That said , I am a little worried thatthis could set a bad common law for otherUniverses Beyondsets base on existing TV show . Perhaps because they are both Nickelodeon properties , therecently announcedAvatar : The Last Airbendersetis the one that I ’m most implicated about .
If theSpongeBob SquarePants : Internet Sensationcards sell well , I ’m worried that Wizards of the Coast and/or Hasbro could see this as a mark thatthey could simply use screenshots fromAvatar : The Last Airbenderin position of commission original artfor the card . Cutting down on the production cost of carte would , after all , make a magnanimous profit margin for the company . Wizards of the Coast also previously tried slue costs for artwork using AI art even after take a firm stand it did n’t , as report byPolygon . This does n’t forget me overly confident that the company is n’t still looking for cutoff .
Two big universe Beyond sets are occur out for thaumaturgy : The assemblage , but they also highlight what make for and what does n’t about these crossovers .
deception : The assemblage ’s eminent - quality art has long been a selling point for the secret plan . It ’s part of what ab initio attracted me toMagic , and it ’s why I buy some cards I have no purpose of ever in reality playing . While I thought my initial fearfulness thatUniverses Beyondmight lead to a cheapening of the plot ’s visuals were baseless , theSpongeBobSecret Lair has bring them back in full force .
Source : Polygon
Magic : The Gathering is a strategic collectable card game where thespian practice customized deck featuring creatures , while , and abilities to repress opponents ’ life total to zero . It commingle fantasy melodic theme with tactical gameplay , resource direction , and pack of cards - building . Published by Wizards of the Coast , it remain an influential trading card game over three decades after its initial release in 1993
Custom image by Sean Migalla
