I made myself look up the old art before coming here. Hmmm...
This looks very Mirrodin/New Phyrexian. The old one looks...actually more Tempest. Not sure which Block my favorite Art Style for Phyrexians comes from, but I think it's either Mercadian Masques or Invasion. This card *was* Invasion originally, but it's stuff like Phyrexian Dreadnought, Order of Yawgmoth, and Phyrexian Plaguelord that give the right images for "Big Artifact Beast", "Robot Zombie" and "Disease Carriers".
The New Phyrexia stuff all looks leaner....a little bit more like they're actually biological enough to try to be Hunters. My concept of the original Phyrexians was that they may think themselves to be Ultimate Survival of the Fittest, but their outward appearance reveals they are Weapons and Slaves of whatever will drives them. Like Steampunk Orcs, modded because it thinks it makes them better, but only the higher and higher ranked ones are *actually* as improved as they're told they are....
that's my personal jusitification for why lower common Phyrexians should actually not look sleek and evolved for precision killing. Why in the world would creatures like Praetors want their thralls to be anywhere near being an actual threat to themselves? Gix was never that risky in his minion management. In short, New Phyrexians look individually effective enough at causing violence that their numbers should overwhelm their leadership. Old Phyrexians never had a chance against their Demon Masters, who were way too physically superior to overcome with numbers, just like Aragorn can slash through Orcs all day long....except a demonic-cyborg Aragorn. :P
This new art does look cool. But it looks more like a generic Horror than a Zombie, particularly a Phyrexian one. I see nothing rotten about it that could suggest its type. And what seems to be metal on its body seem to blend with it far too smooth to make it seem Phyrexian. As DarthParallax said, it does look a bit like something from New Phyrexia though.
Like Phyrexian Gargantua's new art, it was drawn by Igor Kieryluk, who draws plenty of gorgeous art, including in fact white-aligned Phyrexians like Suture Priest, Priests of Norn and even Elesh Norn herself.
So I really don't intend to talk bad about him, but I just personally feel like his rendition of these Phyrexians for Commander 2013 just don't seem that fitting to the cards he drew them for.
Stinga
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
R.E the art. This is Phyrexian in the art, most certainly. See the background, just to its right? That is a Mephidross vent. A feature of Mirro...New Phyrexia.
lordchimera
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The old Phyrexian Delver has treads doe moving like a tank and this New Phyrexian model is can be consider a walker. Sheoldred has been doing a lot of upgrading to old Phyrexian models.....
avimkv
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you look at the art closely, you'll see a body it recently dug up in one of its rib-claws.
TexasDice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love the art. It switches the old phyrexian style (Pipes, Plates and Faces) against the new Phyrexia touch.
I hope they'll do a new Phyrexian Arena artwork in that way aswell. Not because it would be better, but because I would love to see that.
Comments (11)
This looks very Mirrodin/New Phyrexian. The old one looks...actually more Tempest. Not sure which Block my favorite Art Style for Phyrexians comes from, but I think it's either Mercadian Masques or Invasion. This card *was* Invasion originally, but it's stuff like Phyrexian Dreadnought, Order of Yawgmoth, and Phyrexian Plaguelord that give the right images for "Big Artifact Beast", "Robot Zombie" and "Disease Carriers".
The New Phyrexia stuff all looks leaner....a little bit more like they're actually biological enough to try to be Hunters. My concept of the original Phyrexians was that they may think themselves to be Ultimate Survival of the Fittest, but their outward appearance reveals they are Weapons and Slaves of whatever will drives them. Like Steampunk Orcs, modded because it thinks it makes them better, but only the higher and higher ranked ones are *actually* as improved as they're told they are....
that's my personal jusitification for why lower common Phyrexians should actually not look sleek and evolved for precision killing. Why in the world would creatures like Praetors want their thralls to be anywhere near being an actual threat to themselves? Gix was never that risky in his minion management. In short, New Phyrexians look individually effective enough at causing violence that their numbers should overwhelm their leadership. Old Phyrexians never had a chance against their Demon Masters, who were way too physically superior to overcome with numbers, just like Aragorn can slash through Orcs all day long....except a demonic-cyborg Aragorn. :P
But it looks more like a generic Horror than a Zombie, particularly a Phyrexian one.
I see nothing rotten about it that could suggest its type.
And what seems to be metal on its body seem to blend with it far too smooth to make it seem Phyrexian.
As DarthParallax said, it does look a bit like something from New Phyrexia though.
Like Phyrexian Gargantua's new art, it was drawn by Igor Kieryluk, who draws plenty of gorgeous art,
including in fact white-aligned Phyrexians like Suture Priest, Priests of Norn and even Elesh Norn herself.
So I really don't intend to talk bad about him, but I just personally feel like his rendition of these Phyrexians for Commander 2013 just don't seem that fitting to the cards he drew them for.
I hope they'll do a new Phyrexian Arena artwork in that way aswell. Not because it would be better, but because I would love to see that.