Legendary Painter Bob Ross Makes Flames, Death Relaxing with New Magic: The Gathering Cards

The different colors in Magic: The Gathering represent different types of magic. Black mana, for example, is drawn from swamps, and is parasitic and destructive, leeching power from its victims before destroying them completely. Red mana, from mountains, is chaotic and explosive, dealing lots of direct damage to opponents. Wizards of the Coast would clearly want an artist to represent these themes in the art on the cards. Who better to represent the death and destruction of mountains and swamps than Bob Ross?

Starting Cyber Monday (November 30th), Wizards of the Coast is releasing one of its periodic Secret Lair drops. These are exclusive, limited availability collections of cards with alternate art or styles that are only sometimes playable in competitive formats. In this case, it’s likely that at least the Bob Ross cards will be legal everywhere.

The collections include:

Happy Little Gathering – $29.99/$39.99 (Foil and Non-Foil)

This drop includes ten different basic lands: two Plains, two Islands, two Swamps, two Mountains, two Forests and one Evolving Wilds card—each one with a unique piece by legendary artist Bob Ross. Whether used to add joy to a deck or put on display, these happy little cards will be right at home in any players’ collection.

·       2x Different Plains cards with art by Bob Ross

·       2x Different Island cards with art by Bob Ross

·       2x Different Swamp cards with art by Bob Ross

·       2x Different Mountain cards with art by Bob Ross

·       2x Different Forest cards with art by Bob Ross

·       1 Evolving Wilds card with art by Bob Ross

·       MTG Arena Redemption: One (1) single-use code for one MTG Arena “Happy Little Gathering” Themed Sleeve (may be available later for separate purchase in MTG Arena).

Party Hard, Shred Harder – $29.99(Non-Foil)

These five hand-drawn, metal-inspired cards are the heaviest, most brutal Secret Lair drop of all time. Wizards selected the most metal-sounded card names possible and turned them into Hand-Drawn breakdowns. This drop features a supergroup of talented artists, including Scott Buoncristiano, Illustranesia, Vance Kelly, Robbie Trevino, and Rafal Wechterowicz (Too Many Skulls).

·       1x Hand-Drawn Anguished Unmaking

·       1x Hand-Drawn Assassin’s Trophy

·       1x Hand-Drawn Decimate

·       1x Hand-Drawn Dreadbore

·       1x Hand-Drawn Thraximundar

·       MTG Arena Redemption: One (1) single-use code for one MTG Arena “Party Hard, Shred Harder” Themed Sleeve (may be available later for separate purchase in MTG Arena).

Artist Series: Seb McKinnon – $29.99/$39.99 (Foil and Non-Foil)The new Artist Series offers select Magic: The Gathering artists free range to create visually stunning pieces for the cards they choose. Fan favorite Seb McKinnon is the first artist spotlighted in this series. Seb’s four pieces tell the story of a knight’s chance encounter with a faerie, and they are accompanied by a poem written by Seb’s brother Liam McKinnon.

·       1x Alt-Art Damnation

·       1x Alt-Art Enchanted Evening

·       1x Alt-Art Sower of Temptation

·       1x Full-Art Swamp

·       MTG Arena Redemption: One (1) single-use code for one MTG Arena “Artist Series: Seb McKinnon” Themed Sleeve (may be available later for separate purchase in MTG Arena).

A Box of Rocks – $29.99/$39.99 (Foil and Non-Foil)

Popular mana rocks drawn in a pop art style.

·       1x Alt-Art Arcane Signet

·       1x Alt-Art Commander’s Sphere

·       1x Alt-Art Chromatic Lantern

·       1x Full-Art Gilded Lotus

·       1x Full-Art Darksteel Ingot

·       MTG Arena Redemption: One (1) single-use code for one MTG Arena “Artist Series: Seb McKinnon” Themed Sleeve (may be available later for separate purchase in MTG Arena).

We Hope You Like Squirrels – $39.99 (Foil Only)

Players will go nuts for Magic’s furriest Secret Lair yet. Illustrators Puffygator, Joy Ang, Carl Critchlow, Ivan Shavrin, Rudy Siswanto and Ron Spencer provide their unique take on everyone’s favorite (or hated) creature type.

·       1x Foil Alt-Art Chatter of the Squirrel

·       1x Foil Alt-Art Krosan Beast

·       1x Foil Alt-Art Squirrel Mob

·       1x Foil Alt-Art Squirrel Wrangler

·       1x Foil Alt-Art Swarmyard

·       1x Foil Squirrel Token

·       MTG Arena Redemption: One (1) single-use code for one MTG Arena “We Hope You Like Squirrels” Themed Sleeve (may be available later for separate purchase in MTG Arena).

Conveniently enough, I do in fact like squirrels.

As you can see from the designs below, the Bob Ross cards fly in the face of the spirit of the game: each land is a tranquil, beautiful expanse, gently reducing my stress level instead of driving it through the roof (as playing so often does for one so bad at it).

All five Secret Lair drops are available as package deals as well. You can find more information on the cards at Wizards’ official site.