Why Do FNM Promos No Longer Have Alternate Art?
General forum
Posted on Jan. 18, 2019, 4:57 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
In the past, Friday Night Magic promos would have alternate artwork from the normal versions of those cards, but, recently, they have been featuring the same artwork as the normal card, albeit with a different frame and text box, a change that I definitely do not like.
Several years ago, WotC stopped having prerelease promos with alternate art, and now they are doing the same for FNM promos, which has me worried that it may be only a matter of time before all promo cards have the same art as the normal versions of the cards.
What does everyone else say about this? Why do FNM promos no longer have alternate art? Is WotC really too stingy to pay artists to illustrate new artwork for their cards?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
ClockworkSwordfish, is that why certain artists (most notably Rebecca Guay) rarely ever illustrate for them, any more?
January 19, 2019 1:20 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #4
For those users who have the new FNM promos, are they still foil, I hope?
January 19, 2019 1:46 a.m.
ClockworkSwordfish says... #5
That's partially why. Articles have revealed that they aren't using Guay anymore because her distinctive style, much like many of the earlier Magic artists, doesn't fit in with the very homogenized, generic look they're going for lately.
Furthermore, the earlier crop of artists were of course all traditional painters, and they charge more for their work. Not because they're greedy, but because a traditional painting is more time-consuming and also comes with an inherent cost of materials. Their work is legitimately worth more, but that's not something Wizards is eager to pay for.
January 19, 2019 2:07 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #6
ClockworkSwordfish, why would WotC want to have a "generic, homogenized" look, to use your phrase? Would not having a diverse selection of art styles be a better choice?
January 19, 2019 9:08 a.m.
I think there are a lot of reasons for the current "generic, homogenized" look, not all of which are marketing's fault. Of the top of my head, I can think of the following reasons, which I suspect all play a part:
- Having consistent art across the set adds a sense of unity to the cards, which some players might like.
- It is easier less expensive to produce the current type of art on a computer than to hand-draw art in the older styles.
- Modern players want cleaner, more realistic images, so the older styles are disfavoured.
- Higher quality printing means lower resolution scans of hand-drawn artwork might be problematic.
That's not to say I agree with the current trend, merely that I can understand it. For myself, I loved opening packs in the olden days and looking at all the disparate art styles. I think there is a medieval beauty in Quinton Hoover , Rebecca Guay , NéNé Thomas , and others' art that I would love to see return.
January 19, 2019 12:34 p.m.
Tin Street Dodger has a mana value showing as W/R as opposed to it's actual R
January 19, 2019 4:45 p.m.
Flooremoji says... #10
Zinriel do you mean the color of the art vs. mana symbols? If so, I think Spawn of Mayhem stands out more.
January 20, 2019 8:49 p.m.
Neither, posted in wrong thread, was reading this thread while posting, meant to post in the error thread
ClockworkSwordfish says... #2
I'm sure they have a reason they can point to, but let's be honest with each other. Wizards has a long-standing policy of paying as little as they possibly can for art.
January 18, 2019 10:13 p.m.