~ M Dizzy ~

[gatheringsteveargylesmagic]

The Gathering Steve Argyle’s Magic Top 100

#85

Tunare

This 2009 illustration, for SONY Online Entertainment game Legends of Norrath, is my favorite of the eighteen pieces he did for the game and the only one in my top 100 list.

I’ve had the good fortune to see full resolution versions of his work from this game and I wish you all could see it.  I’ve never seen prints of this piece in Steve’s offerings and it could be that SOE didn’t let him have the rights to do that which is a shame.

For reasons I’ve expounded on many times and will many times more the figure is amazing as is her clothing.  Feel free to admire her.  However, Steve Argyle is not widely known for his landscapes (as evidenced by the continuing lack of even even one land card for Magic the Gathering) so don’t skimp on taking in what is primarily one of the most fully realized landscape paintings Steve has done to date.

[md1zzy]

O.M.G. I've never stumbled across this piece before... so sad there are not prints available! Quite easily one of my new (to me) faves of Steve's work... so beautiful!!

[gatheringsteveargylesmagic]

Steve Argyle - Magic: the Gathering date-stamped Amonkhet pre-release promo Soul-Scar Mage, card # 148/269

[Overall release #114] - [Promotional release #12]

Amonkhet is the Ancient Egypt inspired set released on April 28, 2017.  Steve Argyle made three illustrations for the set.

Beginning with the Battle for Zendikar set in September 2015 Wizards of the Coast changed how pre-release promos were handled.  Previously there was only one (sometimes more) pre-release promo for a standard-legal set and everyone got the same one.  The cards were foil-only and had a date stamp indicating when the pre-release was for the set.  Now and for the foreseeable future the date-stamped card a player receives at the pre-release can be any rare or mythic from the set but still foil and still date-stamped.  They are distributed in a cellophane wrapper.

Amonkhet is the first standard-legal release since the implementation of this new program that has any rares or mythics illustrated by Steve Argyle.  This is the only card from Amonkhet that has a Steve Argyle illustration that can be acquired with a pre-released date stamp.  The Amonkhet pre-release dates, and as such the date stamp upon these cards, are “22-23 April 2017″.

Steve Argyle has had one pre-release promo six years earlier in his career, one of the two Mirrodin Besieged pre-release promos, Glissa, the Traitor.

This card is a preview.  For more information and my discussion of the artwork please see my post about the regular Amonkhet printing.

[ascendedminionprime]

Now I can actually show a real photo of one… after snatching up the first English one on eBay to show up.  A buy-it-now with free shipping?  For only $12?!  I don’t know who the two watchers were… but they must not know I’m around…

[md1zzy]

Just snagged one off of eBay myself, as I was unable to find anyone lucky enough to pull one at my prerelease on Saturday... $12 seems to be the average at this point, which makes me wonder if us minions scouring the market for them will drive that price up further

[gatheringsteveargylesmagic]

Opinions?

I have been preparing my MtG archive to include the recent Soul-Scar Mage spoiler from Amonkhet.  It is my intention to list the date-stamped prerelease versions as a separate printing of the card.

While my archive needs this distinction indicated for absolute clarity concerning the printings available I’m curious what you collectors think about the subject.

WotC started using date-stamped versions of every rare and mythic card in a regular release standard legal set as prerelease promos beginning with Battle For Zendikar in September 2015.  Sadly, Steve Argyle has not had any rares or mythics in standard during this entire stretch of time and Amonkhet will be the first time this happens to any of his cards.

What would you do?  Would you go out of your way to secure a date-stamped copy of his cards.  Would this be a separate card in your collection… or would it simply replace and supersede the regular version?  Or, would you deliberately ignore it?

(P.S. - I’m not interested in whether you think WotC taking this avenue for prerelease promos is a good idea or not.  I don’t care.  That argument is for another forum.  Thank you.)

[ampminion194]

My plan was to collect the pre release, normal foil and a non foil version

[asrttyoxo]

What about Artist Proof?

[gatheringsteveargylesmagic]

Whether or not an artist proof exists for a given printing of a card is something I do want in my archive but I wouldn’t specifically identify it as a separate printing, mainly because no one could be expected to get them all unless they are already up-to-date.  I would simply point out that it exists, like being foil-or-not is not two different printings and non-English isn’t a different printing.  (By the way I do have record of which languages every printing exists in if anyone ever needs to know.)

[ascendedminionproject]

I think @vesselofdestruction has a comprehensive AP collection going and can probably fill in the blanks for me about which printings have APs and which ones do not… including the newly implemented foil APs.

[xanddra]

We talked about this at the end of the stream tonight (twitch.tv/steveargyle for those unaware), and Steve said the old Suplements didn’t get APs (Damia, Promos, and other early Commander cards), but most recent printings have APs with them including the new LotV. Rough draft of the idea Steve has to distribute the copies sounds awesome (also in the vid).

[asrttyoxo]

I have to imagine that Damia gets reprinted at some point.  I think she is a pretty popular commander.

[gatheringsteveargylesmagic]

As long as it isn’t in From The Vault: Commander in 2023 with alternate art.

[md1zzy]

I will be trying to snag both a regular and time stamped version myself. I'm not one to try to specifically collect foils, as I've never really considered them as an alternate version of a card, but I feel like having the time stamp makes it different enough to be considered an alternate version in my personal terms of collecting.

[md1zzy]

Car sketch... Definitely not a car enthusiast so this seemed like a good subject to break out my comfort zone and tackle something I wouldn't normally draw

[md1zzy]

Little bit of character sketching from this afternoon...

[md1zzy]

Finally posting my winnings from game show 17 and game show 20, with bonus Ecstatic Piper token (thanks Prime!!)... and my gently loved print from Sketch and Skotch Skwednesday that I finally framed and hung!! Oh yea, almost forgot to mention that Togashi Satsu is my first official non-mtg piece of Steve's work to be added to my collection!!

[alradeck]

Good Gravy! I hit 11k followers today, so i’d like to run a giveaway.  I’m giving away two gryphon playmats 14x21, which i’m down to my last 10!  All you have to do is either favorite or reblog the image here to enter into the raffle! 

I’ll randomly choose a winner this Saturday. Shipping is free to the USA, but not internationally. These SHOULD arrive well before Christmas if you’re in the country.

[md1zzy]

Went back to an old pose sketch and started penciling in some details...

[postrk]

Art Nouveau Unmask tattoo art. #scgindy

[md1zzy]

Wow!! Is this for someone specific?? Cause if not, with @postrk's permission and blessing I would seriously consider getting this inked... it's gorgeous!!

[md1zzy]

Haven't posted a sketch in quite some time, though I have been managing to keep sketching on a mostly regular basis, so I guess it was due time for some Pokemon fan art... Blanche and a cute lil' vaporeon 😁

[ascendedminionproject]

Game Show #20 is over

First, let’s hear it again for Minion #541 who was selected by popular vote to become Ascended Minion #30!

Voting in that selection was part of making a valid entry into the Game Show.  In order to win the First Place prize, a 2007 Full Bleed promo Togashi Satsu EX 3 from L5R, you had to have voted for the eventual winner and correctly identify the event from which the deckbox on Steve’s table in this photo came from… which happens to be GP Dallas/Forth Worth 2011.  That winner is Minion #201!

I offered a consolation prize to be given to one randomly selected Minion among all who identified the deckbox correctly, regardless of who they voted for.  The prize was a French language, non-foil Monastery Swiftspear and its new owner is Minion #491, aka Ascended Minion #28!

Congrats to Ascended Minion #30 and our two Game Show 20 winners!

[md1zzy]

Oh sweet!! I won?! Looks like my collection will finally branch out into Steve's non-MtG work!!

[rory4231]

Everyone guessed correctly (includig my girlfriend, who would have known) that my number 3 spot goes to bloodbraid elf. I actually bought mine quite recently, while i did own them originally. I gave them to minion 559 because she likes them way more and i had the hardest of times finding them again. But i digress, i love this art.

Tommorow will be a tough one, its one of steve earlier arts and it has wings!

[md1zzy]

Hmmm... Maybe Angelic Arbiter is #2...

[ascendedminionproject]

Welcome To The Autumn 2016 Ascension Campaign Voting Ballot!

(as usual… I’ve bastardized one of Steve’s pictures in MSPaint for my own use… someday I’ll pay dearly for that… but not today.)

The selection will happen on this Thursday, September 22, 2016.  Until then I leave it to you all to give me some input about the prowess of the Minions on my radar.  I will amend my radar over time to add or remove Minions for future campaigns.  For now these are they… and they need your support.

Here are links to the posts [in bold] these Minions are connected to.  Any campaigning they’ve done can be found there.

Minion #77 - @alegitteapot Minion #194 - @ampminion194 Minion #385 - @xanddra Minion #533 - @curbynet Minion #541 - @rory4231

All of these Minions have potential for Ascension.  Some have been more active than others in recent days.  I ask all my followers to answer carefully.

Who would you vote for?

[ascendedminionproject]

Seriously Minions!  I need you to vote!  Get involved with the selection.  Embrace your democracy while you have the chance… before I revert back to my Reign of Tyranny!

[md1zzy]

Officially casting my vote for Minion #541

[rory4231]

As some might have guessed, my number 4 is liliana of the veil. I have loved this card for a long time and have been very lucky to pick up the nonfoils at their all time low. I bought the foils (pack foils! The promo are lighter in tone which i find inferior to the original) because i always play steve his cards in modern. ( Jund with lili, eldrazi taxes with thalia, infect with glistener elf and now i have my eyes set on suicide zoo with my number 5).

My number 3 will be my girlfriends favorite card.

[md1zzy]

#3 is definitely Bloodbraid Elf... I believe you mentioned that as your gf's fave before

[rory4231]

So my number 5 is monastery swiftspear. Theres one really simple reason why i love this card, i think steve perfectly capture a stong female. She retains a very feminine look while emitting a air of power.

My next card will be what has been reffered to as “the holy grail of steve collecting”. (Yes, that should be a dead giveaway)

[md1zzy]

While Lil seems like the obvious guess... I'm going to say the promo Thalia for this one

[rory4231]

Heres my number 6 of favorite steve cards, coincidentally i started playing in zendikar so its no coincidence i love this one so much. I think steve perfectly captured her strong will. I love the use of fire without overdoing it.

Tommorow will be my number 5, which will be a modern staple!

[ascendedminionproject]

I think I feel… no… I’ll let everyone else guess…

[md1zzy]

Hmmm... I'll guess LotV if we are talking still legal modern staple...

[obdixilis]

GUYS IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!! so these are all foils, we have a FTV Lightning Angel, Iridescent Angel, Archangel of Strife, Platinum Angel, and a Pack Art foil Angelic Arbiter signed by Steve Argyle.

rules are: - first of all I’d like to apologize to my foreign followers but I can not afford to ship outside of the US. - you do not have to follow me to be entered, but it doesn’t hurt. - reblog, like if you want but I’m only going to count reblogs towards RNGeezus choosing the winner. - if you win you will have to PM me a mailing address.

the choice will be made on Oct. 14 so start reblogging now.