On Monday May 31 2021, the original painting for Ryan Pancoast’s Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar was sold via auction on the MTG Art Market for $16,000.
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar by Ryan Pancoast, oil on canvas, 18” x 24”
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar by Ryan Pancoast is a work of oil canvas measuring 18 inches by 24 inches and commissioned for Magic’s upcoming supplemental set Modern Horizons 2. The card will appear in three versions when the set releases June 18, 2020: a regular version, an Extended art version, and a Retro Frame version as well!
And before we go too far, the name isn’t my cat walking across the keyboard. The character is a deep cut from Magic’s history, appearing in the flavor text of a card all the way back in 1993 in the game’s original set Limited Edition Alpha. Granite Gargoyle first referenced the Underworld Cookbook (now also a card with art by Joe Slucher) and Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar nearly three decades ago!
The original artwork was offered by way of auction and run on the MTG Art Market with Vorthos Mike acting as agent for the artist. The painting opened quickly at $5,000, but sat at the opening bid for the entirety of the auction run, until about 12 hours before auction end.
In somewhat unusual fashion the bidding exchanges started early, carrying on through the afternoon and into the evening ahead of the closing hours of the auction. It was largely the result of two private bidders trading varying increments until near the end of the auction, but it would ultimately be a new contender who would emerge victorious, placing a single, $1,000 advance with a half hour remaining that would win the day at $16,000.
#Amoranomardicadaistinaculdacar #WotCStaff pic.twitter.com/cf3F8gntMh
— Ethan Fleischer (@EthanFleischer) September 6, 2019
I’ll leave you with a moment of zen: a video from September 2019 of Senior Magic Game Designer Ethan Fleischer pronouncing Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar several times, while noting that the name itself would not fit on a card. Turns out that it works once you get rid of the mana cost!
Thirty years in the making, Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar is a fun and flavorful addition to what should be an incredible set. Stay tuned for more MH2 Art Market Minutes, only on Hipsters of the Coast.