What do Post Malone, Junji Ito and Metal Gear's concept artist have in common? They're all coming to Magic the Gathering

cropped image of four magic the gathering cards featuring art by Junji Ito
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

In a Magic the Gathering WeeklyMTG video on October 13, Wizards of the Coast announced upcoming Secret Lair special guest collaborations. The new card packs notably feature art by mangaka Junji Ito, Metal Gear series concept artist Yoji Shinkawa, and… is that Post Malone?

The special collaborations are reinterpretations of pre-existing Magic cards, and each collab covers a series of four. Shinkawa offers special editions of Tezzeret the Seeker, Solemn Simulacrum, Skullclamp, and Phyrexian Metamorph, while Ito gives his take on Thoughtseize, Doomsday, Carrion Feeder, and Plaguecrafter.

The Ito and Shinkawa pieces are just killer⁠—I don't even play Magic and I kinda want them. I especially dig Shinkawa's take on Skullclamp, turning a traditionally nasty, body-horrory card into something rather dignified and melancholy. 

My favorite from Ito is probably Doomsday, here depicting some kind of pustule-coated celestial body consuming the sky and crashing down on a modern city. It reminds me of the beginning of Akira, or the failure cutscene from Majora's Mask. I'd like to imagine Ito drew these with the help of the absolutely nuts, handmade, keyboard-trackball thing he's shown off in the past.

I hadn't really thought about it until now, but if you'd asked I probably would have told you the Venn diagram of Post Malone fans and limited edition Magic card purchasers is just two circles. Nevertheless, the musician seems to be a diehard Magic fan who selected cards from his own deck. Post's visage graces revamps of K'rrik, son of Yawgmoth, Bolas's Citadel, Leshrac's Sigil, and Jet Medallion.

The Post Malone cards are honestly pretty fun. I especially like how these variants are appropriately renamed⁠. For example, instead of "K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth," you get "Post, Son of Rich." Incredible commitment to the bit, and isn't that what matters most in this life?

Each individual pack costs $30 standard, $40 for a foil-etched version, while Japanese versions of Ito and Shinkawa's sets can also be bought. The cards can be pre-ordered at the Secret Lair website ahead of their release on November 28.

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
A blue dragon rises into storm clouds
Wizards of the Coast throws a bone to players who miss vanilla Magic: The Gathering with a dragon-themed set called Tarkir: Dragonstorm
Lightning from Final Fantasy 13
Thanks to the upcoming Final Fantasy set, Magic: The Gathering is getting a fishing minigame
A punk rides a motorbike out of an explosion as its back wheel falls off
Magic: The Gathering's interplanar Wacky Wheels set is good actually
A goblin in goggles rides a rocket craft as it explodes.
Magic's death race set Aetherdrift gives us the goblins we deserve: ones who look like a psychobilly album cover
A snakewoman holding a sickle
Magic: The Gathering's Tarkir: Dragonstorm set isn't just about dragons
the Magic: the Gathering card art for Black Lotus by Chris Rush
The most absurd Magic collection I've ever seen, including a Black Lotus that's 'the best of the best', is going for a mere $2.2 million
Latest in Strategy
Civilization 7 Great Britain - Modern Civ art (via YouTube)
As Civilization 7 struggles to keep up with Civ 5 player counts, a new patch is coming tomorrow with still more UI changes and gameplay tweaks
Battle Brothers
Nearly 2 years after its last update, the excellent Battle Brothers gets 'a bucket load of fixes' and free new content
King wielding his axe against would-be assassins in Norland.
Medieval colony sim Norland is getting a 'damn big update' that completely overhauls the game's mechanics: 'We're rolling out some radical changes to the core gameplay'
Age of Empires 2
Former Age of Empires 2 dev claims Microsoft demanded its first expansion should have a Korean faction, because 'StarCraft sold 3 million copies in Korea'
Endless Legend 2 Kin faction reveal
It's turtle time: Endless Legend 2's first faction is the fortification-loving Kin of Sheredyn
A massive beachhead assault in indie RTS Beyond All Reason
Over 110 players and 10,000 units clash as this free RTS celebrates its growing multiplayer scene with some of the biggest multiplayer battles ever fought
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash
A close-up of a scared young girl's face as she stumbles through the woods, a crown of twigs and flowers upon her head.
CD Projekt says it's not using generative AI on The Witcher 4 because it's 'quite tricky when it comes to legal IP ownership'
A plastic duck dressed like a circus weightlifter
The 5th highest-rated game on Steam in 2022 is back with a multiplayer sequel
A still from a video announcement of Game Informer's return, featuring the magazine's Halo 2 issue.
Game Informer is back from the dead: 'The whole team has returned'
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says