Pokémon Charizard artist designs his first Magic: The Gathering card

Mitsuhiro Arita, the artist behind one of the most famous Pokémon cards of all time, lends his talent to Magic the GatheringFor the first time, the illustrator known for drawing the Charizard base set, Pokémon Trading Card Game will collaborate with MTGWizards of the Coast revealed a first look at the card in February and shared further details Bloomburrow at a preview press event in July.

Wizards of the Coast will release the card as part of the creature-focused Bloomburrow expansion on August 2. The card is called Lumra, Bellow of the Woods and features a wild bear rampaging through the forest. Wizards will release it as part of the Bloomburrow Expansion, which is the first MTG The set contains only anthropomorphic animals. There is not a single human in the set, making it the perfect entry point for a Pokémon illustrator like Mitsuhiro Arita.

Mitsuhiro Arita is a renowned artist known for creating Pokémon cards and products since the beginning of the franchise. He drew the base set artwork for Pikachu and Charizard, which later became one of the most valuable trading card collectibles in Pokémon history. Since then, he has worked on a variety of projects. He has drawn promotional material for Final Fantasy 11 and created concept designs for the cinema animation, Berserk: The Golden Age.

As a prolific illustrator, he has created more than 600 cards for Pokémon Trading Card Gameaccording to an interview he gave to GamesRadar. He hasn’t settled on a particular art style or medium – he’s experimented with several art styles over the years, but Pokémon is the common thread that connects much of his work. You can see how it’s changed below.

Image: The Pokémon Company

Image: The Pokémon Company

Image: The Pokémon Company

Image: The Pokémon Company

Unlike Pokémon Bloomburrow will use more classic fantasy elements compared to Pokémon. The basic concepts allow players to fight as cute little creatures – such as warrior mice or magic frogs – to restore balance and peace. So instead of our beloved electric mouse, we will see loyal adventurers seeking their glory in a magical forest setting. What could Arita do with the other creatures of the setting, which will include anthropomorphic raccoons, bats, and other animals? With any luck, this bear guy won’t be the last work of the Pokémon Masters we’ll see in this or any future game. magic Sentences.