I love Magic art.

While it’s a little hard to see without expanding the image, on the right-hand side is the original oil painting of “the Escher plane” for the Planechase plane card Stairs to Infinity by Steve Belledin; on the left-hand side is the original (first) sketch for Pianna, Nomad Captain by D. Alexander Gregory, which was rejected and led to development of a new sketch for the art found on the printed card.

To me, art isn’t just “an important” feature of a card. I feel that poor art makes even great cards fall flat, and great art makes poor cards feel compelling. It’s why I put my money where my mouth (and heart) is by buying original Magic art and by backing projects by Magic artists on Kickstarter, and I find that I really love talking to these visual creators.

Art can make or break any game, particularly card games, where the art is all a player ever “sees.”

A few weeks ago, a new game launched a Kickstarter: Captain’s Wager. If you’ve seen Gathering Magic’s tokens or play-mat art, you might recognize the artist immediately. He’s Andre Garcia, someone I’ve had both the pleasure to work with and the excitement to game with. As a Magic player who makes art professionally, with innumerable contributions to Gathering Magic over the years, I had to find out a little more about how he created a new world of art.

Adam Styborski: For everyone who didn’t meet you at our Gen Con party the past two years, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Andre Garcia: I’m a graphic artist for Grey Fox Games and an enthusiastic Commander player! Those two things pretty much take up any extra time I have besides being a family guy. There aren’t a whole lot of onion levels with me, so that’s pretty much it. I guess I also did the art for Gathering Magic’s play mat and t-shirt if you’re into that sort of thing.

Gathering Magic’s own play mat, available for order soon.

Stybs: How did you come to be a professional artist?

AG: I’m not sure; I’ll let you know when that happens! Seriously, though, I started by putting in an hour a day to help out with graphics at CoolStuffInc.com (back when I was still shipping boxes—if you ever received the wrong stuff in you package around ’09–’10, you can probably blame me), which eventually led to that becoming my part-time job, and finally my only job there after about six or so months. At first, I was just in charge of making advertising banners and graphics for the site, finding or taking pictures of products as well.

Eventually, Trick (from the days when this was still ManaNation.com) gave me the chance to run a weekly web comic, which I hope most people have forgotten about by now. It was painstaking because I could only work on it during the evenings after work, which didn’t leave a lot of time for sleep, but the practice paid off in dividends. Eventually, I was given a chance to produce a piece of art for HCD Supplies, and I have since become more and more involved in illustration. My full-time job now is with Grey Fox Games (though I still lend a hand here and there at CoolStuffInc.com), and I also handle some of the duties over at HCD Supplies.

Stybs: So what is Captain’s Wager?

AG: Captain's Wager is a pirate/steampunk-themed, trick-taking game. It skews toward the fun end of the spectrum with a slight sense of humor snuck in here and there. You play with a deck of cards, each of which has a unique ability, and you try to manipulate each turn so that you win the majority of the pot. We’ve tried to make the game as fun and interactive as possible, but we are also going to include alternate rules for players who want to play a more cutthroat version of the game. One of the nice things about the design of the game is that there are several ways to play, and I’m really interested in seeing if anyone comes up with house-ruled variants of their own. I believe there are even plans to showcase those variants on our site and give shout outs to those who come up with them when the game finally launches.

As an interesting note, the original concept for the game was going to revolve around classic D&D/fantasy tropes, but after some nagging on my behalf, it transformed into what you see today.

Stybs: If I already love Magic, what will I enjoy about Captain’s Wager?

AG: I think you’d enjoy the quick, turn-based nature of the game. There are three basic actions you can take, so turns don’t take too long, but the strategy changes from round to round. Magic players are inherently prone to adapting quickly, and this game will reward you for that level of thinking. Financially speaking, there is also the benefit that you get the whole game in a box for a one-time investment. We made an expansion available through the Kickstarter, but other than that, you'll never have to pay another dollar. Skip one draft one time, and you pretty much have most of the money you’ll need to pick this up.

Stybs: Is Captain’s Wager something a first-time gamer can enjoy?

AG: Yes! The basic turn rules become pretty intuitive after only a couple of turns, and from then on, it's just a matter of reading the cards and your opponents’. It plays pretty quickly, too, so it's easy to tell whether a particular strategy works. I’ve tried to make the art as fun and family-friendly as possible, so it’s as accessible at your FLGS as it is for the around your dinner table.

Stybs: Where did the steampunk-pirate theme come from? What other creative concepts were considered?

AG: Like I said, I was originally tasked with creating fantasy-based art for the game. Eventually, I considered adding a western/steampunk element to the classic fantasy tropes. You’d have the fairy character spiking the beer at the local saloon and a kobold leading an expedition down an old mine shaft. I had even envisioned the dragon being made up of old steam engines coming out of a ravine, with the flavor being that after a number of trains had been accidentally plunged into its depths, something mysterious would result from it. Maybe the spirits of the dead haunting the ravine would reanimate the wrecked trains to seek vengeance or something along those lines. (I may have to illustrate that for fun at some point anyway.)

Eventually, it was decided that the western theme wouldn’t resonate as much with audiences, so the pirate theme was adopted instead. To be honest, it’s been really fun trying to tie the two together (not that it’s that much of a stretch), so I’m happy either way.

Stybs: What are the some of the biggest influences on your art? Was there anything that particularly inspired you for Captain’s Wager?

AG: I grew up reading The Bible Story as a kid, and if anyone else has ever read them, they know that those books are pretty chock-full of art. I really liked the Norman Rockwell–like photorealistic illustrations featured in the books. I was captivated fairly early on by the lighting techniques they used. As a result, I was also a pretty big fan of Alex Ross's style, especially the work he did in the seminal Kingdom Come (and Marvels as well). Incidentally, I've also read a fair number of comic books, which I think is pretty evident in the style I used for Captain's Wager and Conquest of Speros. Despite that, I'm not much of an art nerd (I hope Mike Linnemann isn’t reading this or he’ll start sending me homework) because drawing really has been a hobby that’s worked its way into my job.

Stybs: You’ve created art for other games and accessories. Is there anything unique about Captain’s Wager we should know?

AG: This is probably the last game I’m going to do in this style for a while (so if you’re not a fan—good news!). I don’t want to say much about the next game we have lined up yet, but it will be a pretty big departure from what I’ve done in the last two games, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

Stybs: What is your favorite game that came out in the past few years that you didn’t have a hand in making?

AG: I am a huge fan of Lords of Waterdeep! I’ve gotten pretty much every friend who has played with me mad at some point (including my spouse) because of the skullduggery that goes on in that game, but I’ve also been handed my butt on more than a few occasions. It requires a fair amount of planning ahead, but the fact that players can disrupt and infer other players’ strategies makes for very dynamic games. I don’t get to play board games too often, but that’s one of my favorites. I also want to make an honorable mention of The Resistance and Coup for being games you pretty much play inside your friends’ minds rather than on the table itself.

Stybs: You’re a fiendish Commander player. What’s your favorite commander, and why?

AG: Fiendish? That’s probably the nicest I’ve been called in regards to Commander! There are two Dragons that have captivated my attention more than any other legends: Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Nicol Bolas. However, Niv became a bit too combo-oriented for me, so lately, I’ve been playing a Grixis Nicol Bolas control deck instead. I still get to have my Izzet fun, but with a more sinister Dimir flavor to it.

The deck tries to play well into the late game by taking advantage of my opponents’ actions and resources. Cards like Grab the Reins, Spinal Embrace, and Blasphemous Act all revolve around using my opponents’ resources against them. Reins and Embrace, along with Chaos Warp and Crosis's Charm, have the added bonus of giving me a way to avoid troublesome creatures like Avacyn, Angel of Hope while also allowing for combat tricks (which are always good since I tend to draw aggro).

I don't like Wrathing the board too often because it slows the game down and frustrates my opponents, and to be honest, I don't mind taking a few to the chin if it means other players are as well. That said, if there is a wave of creatures that is headed my way, cards like Starstorm, Comet Storm, and Cyclonic Rift will help keep me around for the attacker’s second main phase. I've been meaning to replace Terminate with Hero's Downfall because of its added versatility, especially when there are nightmares like Karn Liberated on the table (earning me some good karma that I can later betray).

Commander staples Damnation and Toxic Deluge round out the board wipes, while Wrecking Ball stops Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx/Cabal Coffers/Academy Ruins from getting out of hand. Puppeteer Clique and Sepulchral Primordial help keep a few choice creatures on my side of the board while also keeping them out of my opponents’ graveyards. Finally, Insurrection and Rise of the Dark Realms are there to give me armies with which to defend myself or outright win the game, depending on the circumstances.

I also try to use my opponents' spells to my benefit with Spelltwine, Mindclaw Shaman (who is more cute than efficient), and possibly one of my all-time favorite spells Memory Plunder. The latter can be a real blowout against an unsuspecting player because it becomes almost any kind of spell I need in the mid- to late game, but at instant speed to boot. Best of all, unlike Spelltwine, it doesn't exile itself or the spell, so I can recur it later if need be.

As far as card-draw goes, Phyrexian Arena is almost never a dead draw and can come out very quickly, as can Jace Beleren. I've opted for Li'l Jace as opposed to his Modern-banned iteration in Jace, the Mind Sculptor because it comes down a whole turn sooner, allows me to play politics if need be, and has a far lesser degree of infamy. Mind Sculptor is really good—don't get me wrong—but I think players sometimes overestimate his potency in a four-player game and will bend over backward to off him the first chance they have. It's not worth investing a lot of resources into protecting him, so that's why I've chosen not to run him. Liliana Vess is an all-star in almost any black deck, with her own built-in Rise of the Dark Realms for the late game and early tutoring for the early game. Her discard can be really helpful, too, when your opponents are in top-deck mode. Bloodgift Demon is a second Arena as well as a beater.

One noticeable exception I've made is Consecrated Sphinx. I've chosen not to run it because of Bribery and the myriad Clone effects in the game (though I'm not above taking someone else's). And last but not least, Impulse and Dig Through Time have to be two of my favorite spells to have in hand at any point in the game. I try not to depend too much on my own graveyard because that can be a real weakness in Commander, and nothing feels as good as responding to a Bojuka Bog trigger by delving for Dig Through Time. I'll take the card selection both of those cards offer over brute draw of Jace's Ingenuity, Stroke of Genius, and the like.

Once I get into big mana, I try to go off with haymakers like Cruel Ultimatum (which I try to recur as much as possible), Army of the Damned, and the king-making Worst Fears. It becomes even better (for me) if I have a Dualcaster Mage in my hand. They're expensive, but in my experience, getting one of these spells off means I'm very likely to win the game. Typically, I'll do everything I can to have Leyline of Anticipation out so that I can cast these as instants.

If and when the game comes down to one-versus-one, the OG himself comes out to put a three-turn clock on the game. With him in play, I basically need to keep a counter in hand for a kill spell; otherwise, my opponent is unlikely to find a way to deal with him. The same goes for Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker—his ultimate is enough to make almost any player concede, especially considering that he sticks around after wrecking his or her board to continue making that player sad. I have a personal "Rule of 3" achievement that I try to hit every game, which is to have both the creature and Planeswalker cards of Nicol Bolas on the battlefield while also casting Cruel Ultimatum (or, at least, Wit's End). No one but me seems to be impressed when I pull it off.

It’s not the most broken deck ever, and I do make a few concessions to flavor with the inclusion of the three minions from Magic 2013 (Augur of Bolas, Mindclaw Shaman, and the highly-playable Disciple of Bolas), Wit's End, and the Duel Decks version of Deep Analysis (which, let’s be honest, could all be swapped out for arguably better cards). Sadly, there aren't enough artifacts to run Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. I might, however, have to find room for Rakka Mar, Slave of Bolas, and Sarkhan the Mad (especially for his synergy with my commander) at some point, too.

It's no surprise that I'm a huge fan boy of the most well-known Elder Dragon, so I've made my fair share of fan art of him as well, including cameos in the now-dead (and impossible to find) T:apped web comic and his own satirical one-panel comic stemming from the unfortunate typo in the flavor text to Wit's End. One of my best friends has a hand-drawn Bolas mat that I made for him and have since called dibs on should he ever come to an untimely and not-at-all-suspicious end.

Besides him, I’ve been on a "Battle of the Shards" kick lately, having made a Bant and Esper deck with Jenara, Asura of War and Sharuum the Hegemon at their respective helms. I’m planning on making a deck for Jund (with Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund at the helm—awkward) and Naya eventually as well. I’m always down for a game or two, so if we ever meet at a show or tournament, assume my answer to your challenge is “yes.”

Nicol Bolas ? Commander | Andre Garcia

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (13)
• 1 Archaeomancer
• 1 Augur of Bolas
• 1 Bloodgift Demon
• 1 Clever Impersonator
• 1 Disciple of Bolas
• 1 Dualcaster Mage
• 1 Fleshbag Marauder
• 1 Mindclaw Shaman
• 1 Puppeteer Clique
• 1 Rune-Scarred Demon
• 1 Sepulchral Primordial
• 1 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Jace Beleren
• 1 Liliana Vess
• 1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

• Spells (47)
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Comet Storm
• 1 Crosis's Charm
• 1 Cryptic Command
• 1 Delay
• 1 Dig Through Time
• 1 Grab the Reins
• 1 Hinder
• 1 Impulse
• 1 Mana Drain
• 1 Memory Plunder
• 1 Misdirection
• 1 Spell Crumple
• 1 Spinal Embrace
• 1 Starstorm
• 1 Terminate
• 1 Time Stop
• 1 Trickbind
• 1 Wrecking Ball
• 1 Army of the Damned
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Bribery
• 1 Cruel Ultimatum
• 1 Damnation
• 1 Deep Analysis
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Insurrection
• 1 Mystic Retrieval
• 1 Night's Whisper
• 1 Reanimate
• 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1 Rite of Replication
• 1 Spelltwine
• 1 Time Warp
• 1 Toxic Deluge
• 1 Wit's End
• 1 Worst Fears
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Leyline of Anticipation
• 1 Omniscience
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Coalition Relic
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Sol Ring

• Lands (36)
• 4 Island
• 4 Swamp
• 3 Mountain
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodfell Caves
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Cascade Bluffs
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Crumbling Necropolis
• 1 Dismal Backwater
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Graven Cairns
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Shivan Reef
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Sulfurous Springs
• 1 Sunken Ruins
• 1 Swiftwater Cliffs
• 1 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Temple of Epiphany
• 1 Temple of Malice
• 1 Underground River
• 1 Watery Grave

Buy This Deck

Stybs: Thanks Andre! We’re looking forward to Gen Con 2015 and seeing how successful Captain’s Wager turns out!

Associate Editor Alex Ullman contributed questions for this interview.