Foreword
Epic is a phenomenal two-player dueling game; I’ve spent excessive amounts of time writing about it because I love the mechanics/depth of play, it has the best limited formats I’ve experienced, and I can actually afford to obtain the cards to compete competitively for money. All that being said, it also has great art (something I can’t remember consciously caring about before).
Pantheon specifically, blew me away. When I was opening my packs at Worlds I just kept gushing about how much I liked individual cards over and over again. On a whole the set is great, but I reached out to WWG to see if I could get the full resolution art for 10 of my subjective favorites (in addition to the clear objectively best one, Cast Out, at the top of the page). Every image can be clicked for its full resolution.
#10
My favorite part of this piece is the use of past champions’ art to clearly illustrate the mechanical effect of the card.
#9
The detail on the titular champion in this piece stands out, and the underlying city in it works well too.
#8
Okay, so I’m biased on this one since it’s one of my favorite cards mechanically from the set, but the vanguard charge into the horde with the backup visibly framed by the champion works great.
#7
The mass gathering extending beyond the card boundaries, the detailed markings, and the ritual being cast create a haunting and intriguing scene.
#6
While I liked the original art on the promo version of this card, the new artwork is even better.
#5
I know people who actively dislike this piece, but I just think the art’s story works beautifully to depict the cards mechanics.
#4
The artwork exceeds the expectation of the card’s name.
#3
OH $#&T!!
#2
I initially thought this was my favorite card art in the set before I looked through them all again for this. The pose, the spear, the clouds.
#1
I would pay to read an Ian Taylor short story about this scene. Epic.
Afterword
These are my 10 (technically 11) favorite pieces from Epic Pantheon. Let me know your favorites either from this set or Epic as a whole. (Yes Cast Out is based on me.) Also not all of the Pantheon art is spectacular **cough**ScrapGolem**cough**.
In the meantime, I have started filming my Epic Constructed Tiered Card Ratings. I am also contemplating starting a massive scale project to work on concurrently. If I go through with it, it’ll probably take weeks to months but would be awesome (hopefully).
Great post, Tom! I’d love to read an Ian Taylor story about any of these, but agree that Steel Titan would be especially amazing.
Team Satanic Murder Horse, reporting in.
I like Brak for many reasons: great art; depicts what the card really does; a Minatour instilling fear for a change