The 24 Best Island Arts in Magic Ranked

Island | Illustration by Yeong Hao Han

We play Magic with the words and numbers on the cards. They assign meaning and value to various game actions; there would be no game without kicker or trample or any number of other things. But there would be no Magic without its art.

Though the actual image on the card has no bearing on its utility as a game piece, the art is integral to the game. It keeps us coming back, it brings the cold mechanics to life with a vivid story, and it makes the game much better to look at.

Today, I'll be looking at art—specifically the art of the basic Island. Because Islands have received so many printings over the years, there's plenty to examine.

What Makes Island Art Good in MTG?

Island (Invasion) | Illustration by John Avon

When it comes to the Island art, I'm looking for striking images that evoke some story or motivation. Anything I can't dismiss upon the basis of being a rock in the water has potential. I especially appreciate art that does something unique or striking with its concept. Amusing art or art that evokes a story ranks highly. Some of these images simply have a striking element that makes them stand out, while others are incredible compositions.

A few artists who make Islands that stand out are Mark Poole and John Avon. They have quite a few cards on this list, and many others that would be great contenders.

I love full-art lands; those pop up quite often. But regular Islands can be just as good. I might be biased towards the full-arts, but there are plenty of other offerings from sets throughout Magic's history.

#24. Fallout #320

Island (Fallout) | Illustration by Pablo Mendoza

This Island from Fallout is just funny. Islands are often less literal in their interpretation; we have no shortage of true islands, but many basics are content with large bodies of water. A lake is perfectly acceptable by modern standards. But the framing of this lake, so high above the body of water, showing the cliffs and town bordering it, evokes the hilarious image of a reverse island. That's not actually a thing, geographically, and I might be making too much of a lake, but the image makes me giggle every time I see this land.

#23. March of the Machines #284

Island (March of the Machine) | Illustration by Grady Frederick

When Phyrexia launched its invasion of the multiverse in March of the Machine, the Phyrexian symbol appeared across the invaded planes, subtly woven into the landscape. At a glance, these are just cracks in the ice, a natural blemish in nature's design. But a closer look reveals the horrible truth, and the suggestion of danger on the horizon only makes it more intense. It's just a really simple, lovely piece of art that immortalizes one of the Multiverse's greatest threats.

#22. Secret Lair #1469

Island (Secret Lair) | Illustration by Jubilee

Secret Lairs rock because they give artists free reign. The art for cards in traditional expansions is constrained by the need to make them fit the general theme of the set—though full-art lands often cut a little looser—but SLs can remove all limits. In what set would it be appropriate to have a pixel-art Island? Pixel art doesn't evoke a sense of nostalgia for me like it does for some, but I still appreciate the place it has in the history of graphics and gaming, and this is a lovely landscape.

#21. Kaladesh #254

Island (Kaladesh) | Illustration by Yeong Hao Han

All the basics from Kaladesh are bangers; I simply like this particular Island the best. Having the land forms mimic the swirls and eddies of the aether gives Avishkar a distinct thumbprint, as recognizable as Zendikar with its hedrons and floating lands. This island stands out as a brilliant example of how deep the influence goes; it isn't just the water swirling, but the rocks themselves are sleek, following the flow of the aether.

#20. Secret Lair #255

You might protest that the imageless basic land shouldn't be in contention for the best art due to, well, the lack of an image, but you’d be wrong. This captures the hidden art of Magic, the detailed, complex rules underlying the game. Magic's complexity is key to its endurance. There's always more to discover, to learn, to succeed at. Something so simple as a basic land that appears in nearly every deck, something you use without a single thought, has a full card's worth of text concealed behind its mana symbol. What could be behind your entire deck?

#19. Wilds of Eldraine #263

Island (Wilds of Eldraine) | Illustration by Hari & Deepti

Magic art takes a realistic bent these days, which often creates striking images but can lack whimsy. Basic lands, especially full-art lands, are the perfect place for that stylized, whimsical touch—perhaps that's why I like them so much. It's certainly why I like this one, a lovely painting straight from a storybook. I can see opening an illustrated copy of Snow White or some other fairy tale set deep in the woods, only to find this image to capture my imagination as powerfully as the words themselves.

#18. Magic 2014 #237

Island (Magic 2014) | Illustration by Andreas Rocha

Andreas Rocha's Island from Magic 2014—which has been reprinted here and there—has an eerie quality. The gaps between the strands of stone suspending the verdant tops evoke legs, as though the islands might stride into the distance at any moment. It also makes them such harsh landscapes; how is one to ascend to the forests? This landscape is alien and imposing, utterly hostile to humans.

#17. Urza's Saga #338

Island (Urza's Saga) | Illustration by Donato Giancola

Literal interpretations of islands can be… lacking, in my mind. But the great, vine-strewn shapes on this island plus its sharp crescent shape give it incredible character. At a glance, these might be trees, towering above the shore, but closer inspection suggests the long-abandoned spires of towers. That revelation inspires questions; who would construct these on such a remote location? Why? Are these abandoned Thran structures, or something older? Ruins are always nice, but Dominaria uses them especially well.

#16. Magic 2011 #235

Island (Magic 2011) | Illustration by John Avon

This island looks like the perfect refuge, a spot of tranquility to build a community around. I can see people lounging with a book in the shade of a tree while children jump around the slick rocks. Some people fishing, others watching the cascade of water. This is serenity in its purest form.

#15. Theros Beyond Death #281

Island (Theros Beyond Death) | Illustration by Sam Burley

This art doesn't portray much of an island, just waterfalls cascading alongside the great chains that bind various monsters in the Underworld, preventing their escape to Theros proper. This art works off perspective: There’s great chains of which we only see a few links, waterfalls falling without a glimpse of the clips above. Coupled with the mystical shading and the gleaming waterfalls strewn with stars, this art is truly, richly mythical in a manner that serves Theros well.

#14. Commander 2016 #341

Island (Commander 2016) | Illustration by Mark Poole

The story of this island comes from the shape, and the aggressive, sloping walls of rock. This is no natural formation; this is a crater. A god hurled their spear to the earth, a wizard gave their last in a cataclysmic spell. The scene drips with magic, the result of a battle that has faded into the history of a magical world, leaving only this scar behind. Talk about art that suggests a story.

#13. Dominaria #257

This island has such a vivid sense of place: This looks like an area in an open-world RPG. Once you get closer, you'll find some enemies, or maybe the mechanics of a mini-game or puzzle; upon victory, a chest rises from the circle in the center of the pool. Or perhaps there's no treasure, just an inscription that tells of the importance of this place in the distant past, when the circle was whole and the arch a single unit. It's perfect for a plane with history as rich as Dominaria's.

#12. Final Fantasy #0298

I never played the Final Fantasy games, so I know nothing about the specifics of this image. But I'm a sucker for the ruins of a lost civilization, and this art captures that so well. This image uses every inch of its full-art frame. We're in the bay, with a crystal contraption and crumbling cottage on the cliff, filled with vibrant greenery. The jungles and mountains sprawl back, which makes it clear that this is only a bit of the island, perhaps the cove you might wash into after a shipwreck, based on that dilapidated boat. The decaying constructs are at odds with the vibrant wildlife, and the entire thing sings.

#11. Modern Horizons 3 #305

Island (Modern Horizons III) | Illustration by Samuele Bandini

I might be cheating with this entry because I don't care about the island; I want to look at Kozilek. Scale is a tricky thing to capture, especially with the Eldrazi Titans, behemoth parasites capable of toppling planes. This is one of my favorite depictions of the Eldrazi. The eye is naturally drawn to the prominent mountain, then moves to Kozilek beyond, incredibly distant, drawn with the same techniques you might use to sketch a distant mountain. Through that, we understand how truly gigantic this being must be, to be so far and yet appear the same size as the island right before us.

#10. Secret Lair #466

Island (Secret Lair) | Illustration by Sidharth Chaturvedi

Island art is often tranquil, serene, or imposing. Part of that comes from the distance; many artists take a wide perspective to capture the landscape in its entirety, or at least most of it. This basic does no such thing, painting an intimate portrait of a boat struggling through raging waves towards the potential safety of steep cliffs. The ocean is dangerous and chaotic, dwarfing those who dare sail upon it with its splendor; this land captures that perfectly.

#9. Lorwyn #287

Island (Lorwyn) | Illustration by Ron Spears

Spend some time scrolling through all the Islands ever printed on Scryfall, and you'll find common colors—blues and grays and greens and blacks. This isn’t a flaw, by any means; these are natural colors to reach for when you want to depict an island. And it makes Ron Spear's work from Lorwyn pop with its foreground of flowers. The bright pastels leap from the cardboard while the strange, conical trees on their little islands and the gentle waterfall marks this as a truly unique location.

#8. Throne of Eldraine #257

Island (Throne of Eldraine) | Illustration by Mark Poole

This island shines with fairy tale whimsy, as befits Magic's fairy tale plane of Eldraine. The grass filled with fireflies—or perhaps something more magical, like will-o’-the-wisps—mirrors the starry sky above while the misty, indistinct woods look ready to produce anything, from a unicorn to a dragon to the Questing Beast. Though this is a small lake, the wishing well makes good on the promise of an island. Mark Poole's exemplary work should have been the promotional material to sell the magic of Eldraine.

#7. Unhinged #137

Island (Unhinged) | Illustration by John Avon

John Avon's Island for 2004's Unhinged is just a classic. It has such character despite having all of three or four primary colors. Though a great forest consumes the entire island, we still get a sense of the topography with how they swell and rise. A second island in the distance suggests that this keeps going. Insofar as tranquility goes, this gentle landscape beats everything else out.

#6. Zendikar Rising #271

Island (Zendikar Rising) | Illustration by Tianhua X

Zendikar is the land of the Roil, a phenomenon that makes the land quake and writhe and lash out. The wild mana of the plane, plus the former infection of Eldrazi, make the terrain deadly and unstable. This whirlpool of an island captures the innate danger of Zendikar, a great, gaping maw that devours anything foolish enough to come near.

The characterization of Zendikar's iconic floating islands shines; awe-inspiring in other art, they're small here. The framing makes it look like they're so desperate to flee this hungry sea that they rebuked gravity, lest they join the ruins peeking through the tides.

#5. Midnight Hunt #270

Island (Innistrad: Midnight Hunt) | Illustration by Evan Cagle

This island is both one of the greatest, and one of the worst. As striking as the black and white art is, they can be unintelligible, especially across a cluttered Commander table. Art that obscures the game state feels like a failure. Yet the art itself is so striking; the tiny figure wielding their torch against the furious storm is pure Innistrad hopefulness, and the fine details in the clouds and the hatching of the cliffs is beautiful. This feels ripped from an illustrated edition of a Gothic novel like Frankenstein, and it’s a beautiful rendition of Innistrad.

#4. Kaldheim #395

Island (Kaldheim) | Illustration by Johannes Voss

The Aurora Borealis adds incredible depth to this piece. The island in question is small, a mere fraction of what this art portrays, but its stark shadows pop against the grandeur behind. That sharp contrast makes the island both the least significant part of the landscape and the most eye-catching in a truly contradictory manner that delights the eye as it attempts to decide which part of the art to focus on, while building to a glorious whole.

#3. Bloomburrow Seasonal Islands

Bloomburrow introduced sets of full-art seasonal lands for each basic land type, and they're all amazing—though I quite appreciate the Islands. So many small details define each season: We track the life cycle of the lotus, from spring petals to autumn heads, while winter softens the sharp grass fronds with piles of snow. Cattails are there for a moment, gone the next; though the clovers persist longer, winter's starkness still claims them. Our froggy friend never moves, but the changing flora and different animal tracks in each image make this a living landscape. The art is lovely, and it's astonishing that it took Wizards so long to execute on this concept. I hope to see more seasonal lands in the future.

#2. Commander 2016 #441

Island (Commander 2016) | Illustration by Rebecca Guay

As far as I'm concerned, Rebecca Guay can do no wrong when it comes to Magic art. There's no island in sight in this land, yet it stands out as one of the greats. Guay's art is simple, with great skill applied in the details. The soft edges make it easy to look at and the quality is just… I lack the vocabulary to properly express why this is a masterwork, so I'll just encourage you to look at it again. The Commander Masters printing wasn't the first, but it's my favorite given the old frame.

#1. Streets of New Capenna #274

Island (Streets of New Capenna) | Illustration by Matteo Bassini

I love a good cityscape. The sight of skyscrapers towering against a brilliant horizon, goliaths of human engineering rendered small by the vastness of the greater world, never fails to inspire. But Matteo Bassini took a very different approach with this island from Streets of New Capenna. We look up from the canals weaving through the great city, which makes the skyscrapers become the sky. It maintains that sense of smallness, but it’s now you who are rendered small, this time by the history and majesty, the decades and centuries of human effort and engineering it took to create such a view. A drop in the bucket it took to make this reality. This art conveys the same feeling of insignificance a great starry sky evokes, which is fascinating when translated to a city.

Wrap Up

Island (Zendikar) | Illustration by Vincent Proce

This list is more subjective than many of the others I write, which made it a joy to create. Islands have quite diverse art since vast bodies of water often sneak into the art rather than literal islands, but even the rocks in the sea have great techniques behind them.

What's your favorite Island art? Are there any artists you’d have called out, or a print you'd have added? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!