What's Your Favorite Spooky MTG Card Art?

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Posted on Oct. 14, 2021, 2:26 p.m. by EnbyGolem

With another return to Innistrad heralding the arrival of spooky season, I wanted to see what your favorite creepy, horrifying, and/or unsettling artwork is!

I have an entire deck partially dedicated to many of my all-time favorite spooky card arts but here are a couple more goodies across the color pie: Witch Hunter, Phantom Monster, Urborg Stalker, Halam Djinn, Moss Monster, and Black Mana Battery.

I'm eager to see what your favorites are!

Those are some oldies! My fave is Compelling Deterrence--it's also funny, and I don't really love things that are just spooky. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat; I don't want to play certain cards like Suture Priest just because I don't like looking at them!

October 14, 2021 2:50 p.m.

StopShot says... #3

Debt to the Deathless. Most cards from Seb probably work, but this was my favorite card when I first started playing, so I’m ranking it above the rest.

October 14, 2021 2:56 p.m.

legendofa says... #4

Could I please use this thread? I'm cataloguing exactly this type of art.


Pickman's Model: An Art Collection

Unknown* legendofa

SCORE: 7 | 7 COMMENTS | 286 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS


October 14, 2021 4:08 p.m.

EnbyGolem says... #5

Absolutely, legendofa! :-D

October 14, 2021 4:24 p.m.

legendofa says... #6

I should probably warn Omniscience_is_life and others that the collection gets pretty graphic...

October 14, 2021 4:30 p.m.

The original Terror was great, but then they did a good job with the body/muscles/skeleton cycle art. Not sure how to link the specific ones, but they’re pretty great. Cosmic Horror was always a good time too.

October 14, 2021 9:47 p.m.

berryjon says... #8

Living Wall is particularly (in)famous. You know, what with the fetus and all that.

October 14, 2021 9:59 p.m.

NinjaBunny01 says... #9

October 14, 2021 10:10 p.m. Edited.

EnbyGolem says... #10

I got you, FormOverFunction: Original Terror - Tenth Edition Terror

Both are excellent but I prefer the OG artwork, personally. . . And we can just skip the Mirrodin Terror all together, lol :p

October 14, 2021 10:44 p.m.

EnbyGolem says... #11

NinjaBunny01, Gravespawn Sovereign is definitely one of my favorites too! Adam Rex has some really incredible artwork. Meathook Massacre is definitely my pick for the new set as well!

October 14, 2021 10:50 p.m.

Necrosis24 says... #12

Bloodcurdler/Peer into the Abyss I like because at first glance they kinda look like blobs but upon a closer examination you see the abomination

Foreshadow/Hair-Strung Koto: Give me haunted house vibes

Thought Scour/Pulling Teeth: Torture much?

Brink of Madness/Dreamborn Muse: Not inherently scary but becomes more and more unsettling the longer you look.

Grafted Identity: This is one I like because it doesn't really look scary but understanding the events leading up to someone sewing another's face upon theirs is rather terrifying.

October 14, 2021 11:31 p.m.

wolfhead says... #13

A lot of my favorites have already been said, but those arms in Grasp of Phantoms get to me the more I think about them.

I feel like they're in art from a later innistrad block too, but I can't remember the card

October 14, 2021 11:48 p.m.

wolfhead says... #14

And on the topic of og innistrad Sensory Deprivation has got to have an honorable mention too

I remember not wanting to touch the card The Fallen as a kid

October 14, 2021 11:59 p.m.

legendofa says... #15

wolfhead How about the back side of Uninvited Geist  Flip? I'm pretty sure Unimpeded Trespasser is a direct reference to Grasp of Phantoms.

October 15, 2021 12:30 a.m.

wolfhead says... #16

legendofa yes!! That's the card, and I totally agree haha. Those long pale arms, man...

Your list totally reminded me about Treacherous Urge! And Amnesia, although besides the needles I always thought the art was pretty humorous

I remember LSV saying during draft coverage/streaming that he thought Behind the Scenes art was too disturbing

October 15, 2021 3:32 p.m.

shadow63 says... #17

Grave Titan and Diregraf Colossus they're both just made up of zombies and leave a trail of them in their wake. Also Loyal Cathar  Flip and his flip side

October 15, 2021 8:50 p.m.

Peoyogon you have saved the day again - and are 100% correct on that other terror (wow). I remember Minion of the Wastes as being particularly striking back in the 90s as well; the colors were really banging and the mask and pose (combined with the name and mechanic on the card) made a card that was genuinely... alarming... I guess? Really neat.

October 16, 2021 9:06 a.m.

TypicalTimmy says... #19

I love Death Frenzy

October 16, 2021 2:59 p.m.

Eonaut says... #20

I feel as though Banewasp Affliction is quite unnerving, as are Spinal Graft, Maw of the Obzedat, and Appetite for Brains. As far as straight up creepy, Undying Evil and Hobblefiend rank pretty high for me. What about Ichorid or the original printing of Maze of Ith?

October 16, 2021 3 p.m.

TypicalTimmy says... #21

Not sure if the zombie art has a code on here, so here's a video for alt arts of Gideon, Jace, Chandra, Nissa and Liliana

Vid

October 16, 2021 3:08 p.m.

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