Wizards of the Coast showed off a whole load of Elesh Norn card art as part of its first look at the MTG set Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Shared on Magic’s social channels on December 13, five alternative art versions of Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines were showcased. Perhaps most notably for horror fans, the manga maestro Junji Ito is back to illustrate another horrifying Magic card.
Ito is a horror manga creator with a prominent cult following. His art is best known for its stark black-and-white contrast, intricate shading, and a tendency towards body horror. Magic fans who aren’t familiar with his manga work may have already seen Ito’s creepy illustrations in the horror Secret Lair he created for the October superdrop.
The MTG Phyrexians are quite fond of taking bodies apart and reassembling them as oily, mechanical monstrosities, so Ito is definitely in the right ballpark. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines was already looking to turn the Praetor into a top chaser card thanks to its ‘entering the battlefield’ effects, but the quality art alternatives available will likely fuel the fire further.
As well as Ito, artists Richard Witters, Dominik Mayer, and Martina Fačková have all illustrated versions of the Elesh Norn card. Five variants are shown in the Weekly MTG livestream (see below), and all of them can reportedly be found in draft, set, and collector boosters for Phyrexia: All Will Be One.
For more details on this set, check out our Phyrexia: All Will Be One release date guide. This is just one of the ways we can help you keep track of the MTG 2023 release schedule. Also, if you’re more of a digital gamer, here are all the latest MTG Arena codes and best MTG Arena decks.