Three incredible legendary creatures created by Filip Burburan for Ikoria recently sold in a series of auctions, along with accompanying sketches. On April 10, 2020, Xyris, the Writhing Strom sold for $9,000 and Brokkos, Apex of Forever sold for $5,600. A week later, Akim, the Soaring Wind sold for $4,450.
Let’s take a closer look at these three stunning works of art.
Xyris, the Writhing Storm by Filip Burburan, acrylics on board, 13.5” x 17”
Xyris, the Writhing Storm by Filip Burburan is a work of acrylics on board measuring 13.5 inches by 17 inches. It was commissioned for the Ikoria Commander supplemental product that released alongside Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths.
The auction was run on the MTG Art Market by Vorthos Mike acting as agent for the artist, and the bidding really took off with fifteen minutes to go. While this work had already surpassed $6,000, there would be a near $3,000 push in the closing minutes. Two sketches, both a final and an alternate, were auctioned starting the following day, and too achieved above average results of $800 and $650, respectively.
Top: Xyris, the Writhing Storm (Final) by Filip Burburan, pencils and ink on paper, 8.4” x 11.2” Bottom: Xyris, the Writhing Storm (Alt) by Filip Burburan, pencils and ink on paper, 10” x 13.3”
Following the auction of the Writhing Storm came the sale of Brokkos, Apex of Forever, one of the new apex predators of Ikoria. Brokkos, Apex of Forever by Filip Burburan is a work of acrylics on board measuring a slightly smaller 11.7 inches by 14 inches, and was commissioned for the Magic main set of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths.
Brokkos, Apex of Forever by Filip Burburan, acrylics on board, 11.7” x 14”
Also run by Vorthos Mike, the opening $3,000 ask was raised without competition to $3,500 to get things started. The auction remained quiet through the week, with incremental increases beginning on the last day. The offering ticked up slowly but steadily, ending with a bit of a soft-close overtime. When there were no further advances, the final price for Brokkos stood at $5,600.
Brokkos also had an almost unheard of seven sketches, which were sold privately together as a group to an anonymous collector sometime following the auction.
The final Burburan legend to sell from this set was another Ikoria Commander, Akim, the Soaring Wind, whose auction began the Saturday following Xyris and Brokkos, and ended Sunday, April 19.
Akim, the Soaring Wind by Filip Burburan, oils on illustration board, 13.4” x 18.1”
Akim, the Soaring Wind by Filip Burburan is a work of oils on illustration board measuring 13.5 inches by 17 inches, and was commissioned for Ikoria Commander. Note the different medium than Xyris, which was painted in acrylics; Filip can do both of these very, very well, and often switches back and forth depending on the subject.
The Vorthos Mike-run auction was off to a soaring start, rising to $3,600 almost immediately on the first day. It would again be a waiting game, as things held steady until the final hour when this painting rose to its final price of $4,450.
A suite of sketches for Akim were also sold that Sunday night a few hours prior to the final work, including the final sketch sized 8.3 inches by 11.7 inches and two alternates each 9.2 inches by 12.2 inches. The final sketch sold for $435 and the alternates for $200 and $150, all to the same collector.
Filip is no stranger to these legendary commissions, and made quite the aesthetic impact on Ikoria with seven cards between the main expansion and Commander decks. Ikoria’s big creatures and mayhem-inducing monsters are 100% his comfort zone, and his prowess was on full display here.