The Cutest Animals in Magic

Bloomburrow is a set filled with tons of very cute critters. I don’t think any of them are cuter than 

Warren Warleader’s Offspring token. Just look at him! Trying to wield a weapon way too big for him and attempting to look as tough as possible. But all I can see is cute.

All the cute art in Bloomburrow got me to thinking – what’s the cutest art in all of Magic?

THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, JUST CUTE ACCIDENTS 

Hyalopterous Lemure features some sort of winged animal clinging to a rockface. It has huge orange eyes and oversized ears to go with its generally scruffy appearance. Sure, it’s also a little creepy at the same time, but this Lemure is super cute. In fact, it looks a lot like a really cute primate from our own world – a lemur. Did they misspell it or something?

That brings me to the funny story behind the Lemure’s art. When Richard Thomas received the prompt, he thought they wanted a lemur. So, he took the word “hyalopterous” – which means “having transparent wings’ and painted a lemur with wings.

Turns out, though, a lemure is far different from a lemur. Lemures are restless spirits from Roman mythology. So, Hyalopterous Lemure is supposed to be a scary-looking spirit with wings. Not…a lemur with wings.

When the art got turned in, though, they didn’t have time to correct the issue, so it made it to print looking like this. Subsequent printings of the card would use art more fitting for what the card is supposed to represent, but it’s not nearly as cute.

EXACTLY NO ONE IS SURPRISED THAT I HAVE A RAT HERE

It’s not really a secret that I love rats. In fact, I live with four of them! The general public has a negative opinion of these little rodents. Some of this is a result of our history with these animals, but most of it is based on misconceptions. Most of the rats in Magic are pretty scary-looking as a result (although I still find a way to think they are cute!). But this rat token from Wilds of Eldraine is cute even if you aren’t a rat apologist.

Kim Sokol clearly studied rats closely, because she really did a great job of capturing a rat in motion. The eyes are perhaps the most impressive thing about this piece. Not only do they accurately reflect the light source, they also capture how intelligent and expressive rats can be. 

HE’S CUTE EVEN IF HE DID CHOOSE A LIFE OF CRIME

Magpies are highly intelligent and inquisitive and really like collecting shiny things, even if they belong to someone else. Una Fricker did a great job of capturing a magpie in the act. This little guy is perched on a hollowed out tree that’s filled with other stolen trinkets.

When you combine the Magpie’s cute art with its effect, it gets even cuter. Because when you’re playing with it, you really feel like the Magpie is stealing stuff for you. While it gets in for one flying damage a turn, the real reward is the card it draws you. You start to feel like a magpie yourself once you’re hoarding all of those cards.

THANKS…JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED

If you’ve ever had a pet cat, you know exactly what’s going on in Generous Stray’s art. It killed something and now it’s offering it to you as a gift. While we humans aren’t exactly overjoyed with this type of gift, especially when, as the flavor text states, we “step on them in the middle of the night.”

But, while we may not be able to do anything with a dead lizard, it is a pretty generous thing from the cat’s perspective. It did all the hard work of catching and killing this thing and it’s giving it to you. This little guy isn’t going to stay stray for very long if he keeps handing out gifts like this.

THIS IS OFFSPRING FROM BEFORE OFFSPRING

Rudy Siswanto’s art is cute for the same reason that the Warren Warleader Offspring token is cute. As with that card, we’ve got a pretty formidable looking part in the art. But that’s not the focus. Instead, we’re looking at this tiny little wolf pup.

He’s doing his best to mimic older wolves by getting in a crouched position and growling at the viewer, but you’re way more likely to go “Awww!” then you are to be scared by this fluffy little wolf. Of course, then you notice his imposing mother behind him and you run away. Knowing this overconfident little wolf, he probably thinks he intimidated you into running away, not his mother.

THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN CUTE AND DANGEROUS

Dragons aren’t typically described as cute. After all, they tend to grow to a massive size and they can incinerate you with ease. However, that just makes Steven Belledin’s Dragon Whelp art even cuter. Right now he’s just a cute little guy who seems barely able to stand up, but one day he’s going to be a scary monster. Well, as long as you don’t activate its ability four or more times in a turn.

NOT BORN OF NATURE, BUT DEEPLY CUTE NONETHELESS

Every version of Burnished Hart has really great art, but Jakub Kasper’s art from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate is certainly the cutest. Instead of showing us a fully grown Hart and its majestic antlers, we get a hart at a much earlier stage in its life. Those antlers are still just tiny little nubs and he is having such a good time galloping around that none of his hooves are on the ground. All the while, his father is in the background observing him.

LET’S BASK IN CUTENESS

Lizards are cold-blooded so they frequently have to lay out in the sun to regulate their body temperature. While this is just an instinctive thing they do just to keep on living, they do tend to look pretty happy and relaxed whenever they do this.

Heather Hudson captured that perfectly with Basking Rootwalla. She’s standing up tall and stretching out her tail and neck so that the sun can permeate across her body, and her mouth is open in what looks like a smile to our human eyes. You start to long for the feeling of the warm sun on your body because the rootwalla seems to be having such a great time.

SO CUTE IT HELPED ME CONQUER MY FEARS

I have a pretty serious phobia of wasps because I got stung pretty badly when I was 4. While I’m not quite as scared of bees and other striped stinging insects, I don’t exactly feel comfortable around them either.

However, if I ever encountered a bumblebee that had gorged itself so much that it fell asleep in a flower, like in Iris Compiet’s art for Food Coma, even I would have to admit that it’s adorable. This little guy’s entire body has gone limp and they look so relaxed. It doesn’t hurt that we can all relate to ending up in a food coma after a holiday that was particularly well-celebrated.

END STEP

Obviously enough, cuteness is in the eye of the beholder. So, what do you think? What are the cutest arts in the history of Magic? Let me know your picks over on X.