I was born Catholic, and as such, growing up in Germany and then in a rural Minnesota town, dogma and teachings were repeated continuously. It’s not fundamental Westboro, but Michele Bachman’s region is where I grew up. I got out. I still find it odd, though, how my father went to a Catholic boarding school and college but still isn't a very religious man. I think he just enjoys the art and singing. We used to traipse around Europe and always stop in museums full of Renaissance art, and Jesus was always there with his crew. I never found the stories of the Bible all that interesting—it grew cyclical often—but I did enjoy how artists depicted scenes. It elevated the events into ideals and mantras. I suppose that's the entire point of organized religion: teaching morals and such. Art is a great way to express things, but you always need a patron to do so. And then enter the Church—particularly the Catholic Church and the Pope, who are still the biggest art patrons of all time. It’s odd how, when you think of famous artists, they painted largely religious works. I can’t even imagine that now.

Through seeing the same walk-on-water and be-good-to-one-another speeches a billion times, it made the other stories more special. Take, for example, the chapters of Revelation, depicting the apocalypse, ending the world. How many novels, comics, and artworks have been made on that? Dante's Inferno is based on that entire section, and that's where we derive Magic image showing shared images of mass destruction. Religious iconography—the symbols that religion perpetuates and are ingrained into our culture—are frickin’ everywhere in Magic—I mean everywhere.

I'm finding that Magic's art can be tailored to nearly any contemporary event or concept if grouped with a curator's eye. I’m going to take one of my favorite painters, our boy Hieronymus Bosch, and his attention to minutiae. Wayne Reynolds has lot of work that also has a "mental amount of detail," but those are small paintings compared to literal walls. One such example is Bosch's "The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things." While there is some dispute whether it's his or a student apprentice’s in his studio, it remains a masterpiece.

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things. Attributed to Hieronymus Bosch. ~1485.

3' 11" × 4' 11" (1.20 m × 1.50 m). Oil on Wood panel. Museo Nacional Del Prado. Madrid, Spain.

What Are the Four Things?

Well, churches back in the day liked to not only tell you what to do, but also what happened after you've made your decision—for better or worse.

It shows the death of the sinner, judgment, hell/damnation, and glory/heaven. The Hell circle even shows you suffering for your all seven of the deadly sins, which is a nice little touch. Check it out:

Where Have I Seen This Before?

Well, most art history books mention Bosch. He’s kind of a big deal, and he totally influenced Where’s Waldo? If you’re a community-minded Vorthos, you have seen this artist before from Eric Klug. Our boy used to write for us here at Gathering Magic, and he has done two, as seen below, here, and here.

The seven sins have been shown in oodles of artworks, and any major museum will have it as a tag to search for. Is that good reference for a fledging artist? You bet. Ask a registrar if the museum has a library, and be persistent about seeing an artwork up close. It’s in the public domain as an artwork, so you can always make a request. They don’t have to honor it the same day, but it’s highly unethical for students or scholars to be denied access. Next time I’m in New York with some time to burn, I’ll be checking out Paul Cadmus’s art of them.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Magic-Style

Let us take a closer look at Bosch’s art and find us a fun counterexample that is applicable. I had dozens of examples, but I find these seven to be especially fitting, both with and without their card frames. Enjoy the close-ups of Bosch’s views of bringing religious dogma into contemporary culture and seeing Magic play with the tropes!

Envy

Nicol Bolas by D. Alexander Gregory

An ancient dragon that’s a Planeswalker that lost most of his power isn’t envious of his former self? Uh huh, right. Being near godlike and now just a mortal dragon? I’m sure he’s totally cool with it.

Gluttony

Xenagos, God of Revels by Jason Chan

No one can really argue that a satyr (A SATYR!) always desiring more booze, more women, more revelry, and more power to really be a shocking conclusion. Gluttony, in this case, met its master with Elspeth saying “enough” and destroying his constant request to add “extra cheese on his whopper.”

Greed

Covetous Dragon by rk post

You know, golden artifacts and other point things? Totally beats pillows.

Lust

Do you really expect a vampire to not lust after things that it wants? Is it really just blood it desires? Don't be so naïve. This card mechanically even says if you have four Vampire friends, they help you “acquire” another creature. Magic can and will go to the edge of your perceived morality if you look closely enough.

Captivating Vampire by Eric Deschamps

Pride

Just look at this clown. He was the bad guy of the Kamigawa storyline. He is the seminal example of white being an antagonist and all-around bad guy. White rears its ugly head when rulers wish to do the best for their people. The problem is that what they think is best might materialize as genocide or—in Konda’s case—stealing That Which Was Taken and the spirit world interacting with Kamigawa. His intentions were pure, but his pride in keeping his kingdom and world in “peace” of his destiny to live together weren’t exactly noble.

Even his card reflects his pride. “Oh, you’re going to engage me in combat? Me!? Really now. Ok.” Gets super-strong, whoops butt.

Sloth

Idle Thoughts by Steven Belledin

I suppose if you’re utterly lazy, anything new is considered groundbreaking. I know when I’m sitting on my deck with a wiener dog on my lap, innovation sometimes strikes. More often, I’m just spending hours outside with a fat, sausage dog laying on me, but you never know when it’ll strike again!

Wrath

Sorin's Vengeance by Jana Schirmer & Johannes Voss

That’s definitely not premeditated murder, that’s for sure. He could’ve banished, annihilated, or really dispatched any human in a variety of ways. What does he do? A super-old Planeswalker got so fired up that he impaled a guy with his sword. How plebian!

Making a Commander Deck – What’s in the Box?

A Commander deck? From a flavor guy? Sure, why the hell not?

While I had to make a ton of omissions, I think it’s a fun little exercise in Vorthosian deck-building! Were I to make it again, I’d make it Grixis-colored (blue, black, and red) because that’s literally a hell made real for sinners to dwell in. With a strongly religious-themed article today, it only seems fitting that Karona, False God be the commander as a twist that’s inside the box.

As a suggestion to my other flavorful deck-builders, there are so many options for each of the seven sins! I’d make gluttony one with too many lands, with sacrifices to make one’s self bloated, corpulent off the mana and fruition of creatures! Muhaha indeed.

Seven Deadly Sins ? Commander | Mike Linnemann

• Commander (0)

• Envy (Entitlement, Prerogative) (9)
• 1 Unfulfilled Desires
• 1 Magus of the Mirror
• 1 Mirror Sheen
• 1 Acquire
• 1 Artificer's Hex
• 1 Beguiler of Wills
• 1 Thieving Magpie
• 1 Merieke Ri Berit
• 1 Nicol Bolas

• Pride (9)
• 1 Lich's Mirror
• 1 Bloodflow Connoisseur
• 1 Narcissism
• 1 Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
• 1 Starke of Rath
• 1 Sygg, River Guide
• 1 Pristine Talisman
• 1 Noble Benefactor
• 1 Noble Hierarch

• Lust (8)
• 1 Act of Aggression
• 1 Gwendlyn Di Corci
• 1 Blood Lust
• 1 Lust for War
• 1 Sangromancer
• 1 Aladdin
• 1 Callous Oppressor
• 1 Harness by Force

• Greed (9)
• 1 Burden of Greed
• 1 Greed
• 1 Horn of Greed
• 1 Ravenous Demon
• 1 Avarice Totem
• 1 Covetous Dragon
• 1 Capture of Jingzhou
• 1 Diamond Valley
• 1 Dack Fayden

• Wrath (9)
• 1 Wrath of God
• 1 Hatred
• 1 Flayer of the Hatebound
• 1 Gratuitous Violence
• 1 Violent Outburst
• 1 Aggravated Assault
• 1 Anger
• 1 Sorin's Vengeance
• 1 Ajani Vengeant

• Sloth (9)
• 1 Merciless Eviction
• 1 Idle Thoughts
• 1 Sluggishnes
• 1 Everlasting Torment
• 1 Demonic Torment
• 1 Lost in Thought
• 1 Torpor Orb
• 1 Apathy
• 1 Lethargy Trap

• Gluttony (9)
• 1 Gluttonous Slime
• 1 Xenagos, God of Revels
• 1 Exsanguinate
• 1 Footbottom Feast
• 1 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
• 1 He Who Hungers
• 1 Ravenous Vampire
• 1 Orcish Librarian
• 1 Thirst for Knowledge

• Landss (37)
• 5 Forest
• 5 Island
• 6 Mountain
• 5 Plains
• 6 Swamp
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Barbarian Ring
• 1 Raging Ravine
• 1 Rakdos Carnarium
• 1 Dormant Volcano
• 1 Quicksand
• 1 Akoum Refuge
• 1 Pillar of the Paruns
• 1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep

Buy This Deck

Beware the sins, but look for them. Check your local church/temple/mosque for examples of them. It should take you about two seconds.

-Mike