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Top 34 Scariest & Creepiest Magic: The Gathering Artworks Ever


Image: Wizards of the Coast/ Art by Jim Murray 

Magic: The Gathering has featured a lot of disturbing and horrifying artworks that are made of nightmares. From weird eldritch mutations to the mechanized monsters of Phyrexia, from unholy mutations and demonic blood rituals, Magic scared its audience much more than most fantasy franchises. 

Here's a ranked list of 34 of the scariest and creepiest Magic: The Gathering artworks ever made. 

  1. Claustrophobia

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    The Innistrad version of Claustrophobia illustrated by Ryan Pancoast is pure terror. Someone even left a creepy blue light in this man's coffin so he can watch his fingers splinter as he desperately claws at the lid. The look on the guy's face is just pitiful. There's not a lot of blue cards that look this scary painful but the horror-themed Innistrad managed to slip this in. 

  2. Pulling Teeth

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    This Morningtide card illustrated by Jim Pavelec reminds us of our fear of going to the dentist. Seeing the ropes knotted around those ugly teeth is just brutal. 

  3. Symbiotic Elf

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Wayne England's artwork of Symbiotic Elf (Onslaught) looks creepy because of the character's centipede arms. If you look at the actual card, you might think that his arms actually centipedes but the high-res version clearly shows that he's just wearing them as sleeves. That's still creepy though. 

  4. Brain Maggot

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    This Friday Night Magic promo version of Brain Maggot illustrated by Dave Kendall shows a more intimate look at gore as it features bloody and pus-filled aural cavity. The creepy insect that's been gorging itself on the brain looks extremely disgusting. You can almost feel the pressure as it tears the tissues open to escape. 

  5. Vedalken Antomist

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Art by Greg Staples (Mirrodin Besieged). This piece shows how scary Phyrexians really are as it features a goblin being vivisected, and it would remind us of our real-world fears of unwanted and intrusive medical procedures. The artwork is meant to make us imagine what the powerless victim is feeling while the unsympathetic Phyrexian is probably enjoying the whole procedure. 

  6. Cranial Archive

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Cranial Archive by Volkan Braga (Khans of Tarkir) is an amusing gothic blend of beauty, detail, and horror. 

  7. Spinal Villain

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    This Legends card illustrated by Anson Maddocks is one of the scariest-looking monsters we've seen in Magic. Just look at those huge eyes. This is the kind of creature that will give you nightmares. 

  8. Mindstab Thrull

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Artwork by Mark Tedin (Fallen Empires). Mindstab Thrull may not be as big as Magic's other horrific creatures but it's still made of nightmares. Just look at its deformed body and dreadful face. Now, imagine it scampering in your home late at night. It looks like the creature is also capable of performing deadly surgeries. 

  9. Ad Nauseam

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Ad Nauseam by Jeremy Jarvis (Shards of Alara). Just look at those arms! They're worn down to points and the ink that he writes on is his blood. Fun fact: There's a Dimir symbol on his head because the card was originally designed for Ravnica but didn't fit. 

  10. Amnesia

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Amnesia (The Dark) by Mark Poole. The full artwork brings out the horrific details. Just look at how slimy those brains look. 

  11. Rotting Mastodon

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Nis Hamm's Rotting Mastodon artwork from Khans of Tarkir made it in this list not just because of the zombie Mastodon but also the eerie background with the storm clouds and crows. 

  12. Banewasp Affliction

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Banewasp Affliction by Dave Alison (Shards of Alara) is one of the most brutal images I've seen. You can sense the horrific struggle of the victim as those creatures consume his flesh. And look at his mouth! We don't want to imagine the pain he's going through. 

  13. Nest of Scarabs

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Nest of Scarabs by Jason A. Engle (Amonkhet). A swarm of bugs is horrific enough but this artwork takes it to another level. You can see his left arm being consumed by scarab beetles while being trapped in their sandy nest. 

  14. Appetite For Brains

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Art by Michael C. Hayes. We've seen different Magic cards depicting humans becoming lunch for zombies but this Avacyn Restored card is the most intimate. Just look at how that zombie's fingers are digging into the victim's skin. The grip is tight and it's impossible to escape. And check out the blood on the zombie's death. Has it already eaten part of the victim's brain? 

  15. Treacherous Urge

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Treacherous Urge (Planar Chaos) by Steven Belledin. The whole image is pure horror but it's the look on his face that puts it over the top. 

  16. Brisela, Voice of Nightmares

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Art by Clint Cearley. This Eldritch Moon creature is Magic's epitome of body horror. Brisela's body is being manipulated in insane ways as two sapient lifeforms are melded together. Just look at the unholy warping of body and gore. There's a lot of incredible details that will make you appreciate and/or hate horror. 

  17. Blood Funnel

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Blood Funnel by Thomas Baxa (Ravnica: City of Guilds). It's hard to tell what's going on here but it's called "Blood Funnel" so that pretty much sums it up. It looks like a demon lady is using some kind of blood funnel to drain the blood from the skull and depositing it in a huge tank. What do you think is going on here? 

  18. Sensory Deprivation

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Sensory Deprivation by Steven Belledin (Innistrad). While this isn't as monstrous or magical as other artworks in this list, the realism of this piece is what makes it creepy. It's simply a face with sutured eyelids and lips, but not all the way closed. You can almost feel the victim's struggle as the threads scratch the tissue and pull the flesh. 

  19. Kheru Bloodsucker

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Illustrated by Daniel Ljunggren, this Khans of Tarkir creature may look just like a creepy vampire at first but soon you'd realize that it's actually wearing someone's face. 

  20. Wall of Limbs

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    This art of a Magic 2015 card by Yeong-Hao Han is disturbing as hell. Who made this wall of limbs? For what purpose other than to scare the hell out of whoever passes by? Some of the creepiest Magic artworks are creepy not just because of its horror but also its mysteries. 

  21. Witch-Maw Nephilim

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Greg Staples' artwork of Witch-Maw Nephilim depicts one of Magic's scariest monsters. This mutated Ravnican monster looks like a huge penis with a mouthful of incisors and a long tongue. The way it's built with body parts in ways they shouldn't be is a nightmare. Details like its veiny arms with human-like arms and the glistening saliva enhance the realism of this terrifying monster. 

  22. Mirrorweave

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Artwork by Jim Pavelec (Shadowmoor). For a white and blue card, the art of this Magic card looks much scarier than a lot of the demons and monsters seen in black cards. In the game, the card's effect lets the user choose a creature in play and it becomes a copy of that creature for one turn. The artwork takes it to another level of creepiness as it seems like they are casually trying to steal someone's baby. Kithkins don't usually look as scary as this but those large yellow eyes and red skin are chilling to look at. 

  23. Fleshformer

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Illustrated by Dave Kendall, this Confux card is a blend of visual horror we've seen in this list. It shows a forced surgical scenario with a helpless victim being shaped into terrible forms. The necromancer is using some kind of golden disc and blood funnel to transform the victim's body in unholy ways. 

  24. Macabre Waltz

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Macabre Waltz (Dissension) by Jim Murray. The bloody blend of beauty and horror of this piece is rare to find even in Magic. You can sense the passion and the pain of their bloody bodies, and the way they're dancing with the pool of blood on the floor could remind you of the worst demonic rituals. 

  25. Surgical Extraction

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Surgical Extraction by Steven Belledin (New Phyrexia). Compared to most of the artworks on this list, this piece looks too clean, as if someone magically ripped apart the victim's skull and spine professionally to inflict pain without leaving a mess. It reminds me of Mortal Kombat fatalities I've seen before but it's rare to see brutality this neat. 

  26. Abomination

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Abomination (Fourth Edition) artwork by Mark Tedin has to be one of the creepiest Magic cards that existed in the game's early years. It looks like this creature was turned inside out. 

  27. Slaughter Games

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Slaughter Games by Steve Prescott (Return to Ravnica). Some of the greatest horrors put you in the shoes of the victim, and this piece is the perfect example of that. As you can see, we're surrounded by a bunch of people who look like those killers from The Purge films and they have sharp objects, hooks, and cleavers that make you wonder what kind of sadistic game they're playing. 

  28. Abrupt Decay (Promo Version)

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    This promo version of Abrupt Decay with art by Seb McKinnon is pretty messed-up. Poor goblin! Look at him cover his face while his body decays. Look at those skeletal arms. His flesh are being consumed by nature and there's nothing the poor goblin can do. 

  29. Grotesque Mutation

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Grotesque Mutation by Dan Scott (Shadows Over Innistrad). When this card was first released, many speculated that the cause of this grotesque mutation is Emrakul, and they were right. Just look at that mouthful of incisors and vine-like tentacles on this victim's hand. So Eldrazi-like. 

  30. Mutilate

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Mutilate by Eric Peterson (Torment). This is definitely one of the most horrifying artworks in Magic's history. You can feel the pain in the way their body parts were mutilated. Look at the way that woman's hands are attached to her face. 

  31. Plagiarize

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Plagiarize by Jeremy Jarvis. The 2002 Magic set Torment truly lived up to its name. This has to be one of the weirdest artworks in Magic but it's also horrible to imagine what that person is feeling as he plagiarizes with his huge eye. The most horrific details here are his mouths found where his eyes should be. 

  32. Transgress the Mind

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Transgress the Mind by Cynthia Sheppard (Battle for Zendikar). There's a lot of horrific things going on here. There seems to be a lack of blood and gore here. You can see the Eldrazi's fingers penetrating through the kor's skin and his jaw stretching, but the violence looks clean, and the way it subverts expectations is disturbing. 

  33. Phyrexian Unlife

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Phyrexian Unlife by Jason Chan (New Phyrexia). The artwork features an unwilling acolyte of the Machine Orthodoxy. With a metal mask already attached to their face, this porcelain-like face is mannequin nightmare. It's the look of literal objectification, a horrifying loss of identity and emotion. 

  34. Living Wall

    Image: Wizards of the Coast

    Art by Anson Maddocks, this Living Wall card from the Alpha set clearly shows a wall of body parts. The fetus in the center is so creepy and the intestines on the right look so wrong. Here's the flavor text: 

    "Some fiendish mage had created a horrifying wall of living flesh, patched together from a jumble of still-recognizable body parts. As we sought to hew our way through it, some unknown power healed the gaping wounds we cut, denying us passage."

    Yup! That definitely deserves the top spot. 

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