Hello folks! I hope you are having a great day today!

I feel like Island art had really come a long way!

How do you portray an island? I feel like we've seen Islands at a distance, in storms, close in and the beach level, and more. Lots of different ways. There is not one obvious way to do an island that works for me, and I think that, over time, we've seen a number of styles and ways of showing Islands that I think really work well.

Today I want to check out my favorite Islands ever created. Jokingly, some have called Island the most powerful card ever printed. (Because it enables Blue). This is the third of my series that examines the basic land art that's been printed and looks at the various pieces that I love. Last week we looked at Plains, and then before that, Swamps. Let's go between them and tour us some Islands!

Oh, and today is the first list where I won't have a Top Ten entry by a promo land, by the by.

As a reminder, I am a mere fan. I am neither an artist nor a critic, so take what I say with that in mind.

Island fun times? Commence!

Honorable Mention #1 - Snow-Covered Island, Ice Age, by Anson Maddocks

I wanted to give this a shout out. It's not technically an "Island" but it is one of my favorite pieces so I tossed it back here. The idea of a landscape that remind you of the tropical Easter Island that's been buried in Snow is very stilling. It's not an obvious direction I would have thought of for this piece. That might have been an Iceberg or patch of permafrost and rocky ground where nothing could manage even a meager life. But this? This works for me.

Honorable Mention #2 - Kaladesh Island, by Yeong-Hao Han

I really like this land! It's fun swirls make a different an interesting looking Island from anything else we've seen! The colors and sands help to make it stand out, and every time I look at it I just want to break out in a smile! We have a lot in this dense scene that draws the eye, from the clouds to the various swirls, to the rocks and more. This Island is just a lot of fun to spend some time at! I want to head there for Spring Break!

Honorable Mention #3 - Magic 2010 Island by Fred Fields

"Who's a pretty little tropical Island? You are! Yes you are!"(in my best puppy voice).

Honorable Mention #4 - Magic 2013 Island by Noah Bradley

Noah has an interesting touch to him. Many lands highlight the sky, with an eye to setting their subject in twilight or dawn to have some interesting colors (and we'll see one later on with that touch to it). This Island, which has never been reprinted since originally appearing in a Core Set, is a strong addition to the game and Island-dom. I enjoy the rings, the sky, and the light. But what I really enjoy is what is hinted at in this art. Take a look at the sky around the light. Where are we? That's just a nice, deft, light touch that works really well for me. Good job Noah!

10. Magic 2012 Island by Peter Mohrbacher

The raised islands here are just a great idea and look gorgeous, with the cascading water, and the buildings far on top. The detail is just breath-taking and this really looks nice in real life too. I don't know if it was intentional, but this strikes me as reverse Islands that get bigger as they go up, rather than taper up. Almost like a Mercadia Mountain:

Peter? Great jorb!

9. Avacyn Restored Island, by Jung Park

I don't know if it's a requirement or not, but this s the third top ten list with a Jung Park land in it and he's batting 1.00 right now with his 3 for 3 record. Jung Park can elevate his lands (and other pieces) in a way that's hard to describe or put into words. Take this pastoral scene as a good example. It's well detailed and looks like a brook out of real life. The rocks on the edges of the water, the blade marks on the grass, the ripples of the water, the small tree, the bridge in the background. They are all just perfectly done. Jung Park is a master, and this is another of his works that I really like. Thanks (again) Jung!

8. Kaladesh Island, by Johannes Voss

Much like Lorwyn before it, I enjoy how Kaladesh is a pretty plane. In fact, one of my Next Best Ten Islands is a Lorwyn one too:

Ron Spears's pretty Island. And you might...(cough cough) see that plane appear later in our list. Maybe. But there is something strikingly beautiful about Kaladesh that just tings my Happy Radar. It's not the world per se, because I enjoy the plane, world-building and art of Ixalan a whole lot more than Kaladesh. But Kaladesh? It's pretty. Why wouldn't you want to visit? What wrong thing must have happened to you if you don't like the attractiveness of Kaladesh? It's infectious. And not in a Phyresis sort of way either!

7. Magic 2011 Island, by John Avon

Anybody who plays this game recognizes John Avon's name. He has created a virtual cornucopia of art that really sticks with you, and his land art is the top shelf. Like #10 above, he is the only illustrator who appears in all of my Top Ten Lists thus far. This likely-forgotten number from a Core Set long ago made and never reprinted is my 2nd favorite Island of his. (Yes, that's a hint...). This is a beautiful, breathtaking piece. The colors are deep and compelling. There is a lushness to the setting that works really well when matched with Avon's eye. The still water? It's so pretty. Avon just nails it. Thanks!

6. Dominaria Island by Mark Poole

Hello Mark! The ruins here are beautiful, and the scene set here is really interesting. What was here? A shrine to the Goddess of Water? A beach house? A wizard's tower? An old caravanserai? Whatever it was, the water here has reclaimed its rightful place as the top of the food chain in this region. Everything in Dominaria eventually bends to water. Mark Poole's awesome Island does a colorful job of displaying that ultimate fact. Good ol' water. Nothing beats water. (This is a reference to Rock Slide's flavor text)

5. Lorwyn Island by Rob Alexander AND 4. Magic 2010 Island by Rob Alexander

I enjoy both of these enough to want to show them to you as a side by side comparison. The Lorwyn Island by Alexander is probably a lesser known work, sadly. It hasn't really been reprinted. But it's a classic. It's incredibly striking with the tree, the creek, and more, and I really enjoy it. Now, of course, everyone will know the M10 Island. It's the Gravedigger of Islands. Once it appeared in Portal and Tempest and was so good at what it did, it was reprinted over and over and over and over again and became the new normal. Gravedigger is still Standard legal today. This Island was heavily reprinted in lots of places, from many other Core sets to other places, and you likely remember it a lot.

It actually reminds me a bit of Summersville Lake in West Virginia:

What do you think?

3. Invasion Island by John Avon

I know that I foreshadowed this earlier! I feel like Invasion was the first set to really have a lot of top-flight basic land art done. John's strong work was noticeable as well. One of the things I really enjoy about this piece is just how much story Avon can tell with just a little. Who put those staffs there? The gorgeous Island Peak just past eyesight and only lined in the sky. It hits me in my feels.

2. Shards of Alara Island by Chippy

This is my 2nd favorite Island art of all time, and my banner example of a land that represents its color's philosophies. Blue is not content to allow something to be un-improved. It can improve itself, its servants, its home, and the surrounding area with artifice or magic. It's the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate. Nature is, at best, a mere starting ground for Blue. It's not perfection on its own. So an actual Blue-controlled Island isn't going to be some pretty, remote place that's purely natural. That's Green's philosophy not Blue. This is Blue in action! It controls everything!

Here are a few other sample Blue Islands that I feel do a good job at showing Blue improving on the nature around it:

All of these examples of Islands show folks warping their environments around them or creating magical effects for their home. I am surprised that we haven't seen an Island with a storm-tossed Island with a wizard's tower there and there a forcefield around the tower keeping it protected from the elements while the rest of the island is wet and battered. It seems like a natural image. This is the sort of art that I really enjoy, and I think that Chippy just nails it with his Esper Island.

#1 Time Baby!

1. Urza's Saga Island, by Donato Giancola

I know! I think Donato's Island was my first "whoa" moment with an Island art, and then things began to really improve for me moving forward. This has always been a classic for me, with the storm, the art, and the strong sense of the beaten rocks and the island that have holes in them from the elements. This island's status as such is clearly in jeopardy. It may soon be no more, having been broken to below the sea level. This remains my favorite art, and I wish that Wizards would print a foil version of it (It was released one set prior to foils in Urza's Legacy).

And there we are!!!

What did you think of my list? Did you enjoy it? Did I miss anything? Anything I had too high? What are your favorite decade of Islands?

Abe's Favorite Basic Land Art:

Did you enjoy this list? Want to check out another?

P.S. - I published a book!!!!!!!! Yup! A book! It's called, "Love for One Another." Now, to be fair, it's a Jesus Book. Its genres are Christian and Auto-Biography. If that's not your thing, that's fine!

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