Art for "Magic: The Gathering"

Secrets of Strixhaven, Mystical Archive 2026

Greetings Explorer,

I’m Lorenzo Gaggiotti, the designer of four Mystical Archive cards (SOA 2026) for Magic: The Gathering, released as part of the Secrets of Strixhaven expansion by Wizards of the Coast in April 2026.

Stockholm17 is my brand, and many know me with this name. I design custom playing cards mostly poker size, and sometimes Tarot cards.

In late 2024, Wizards of the Coast contacted me with an initial assignment—Smallpox—requesting a specific style suited to the Mystical Archive subset.

As an MTG player in the 1990s, this was a real honour. I didn’t expect to come onto WOTC’s radar, let alone become a contributing artist to a game I used to play with friends.

Following Smallpox, I was assigned three additional cards: Shamanic Revelation, Sheoldred’s Edict, and Monstrous Rage. Each came with detailed briefs and visual guidelines. The most challenging was Sheoldred’s Edict, which required depicting the character in an arena, judging the defeat of one of two warriors—all within a very limited space. I was also less familiar with the character, whose design blends organic and humanoid elements, which added another layer of complexity.

The style of Smallpox and Shamanic Revelation is reminiscent of my 2018 deck The House of the Rising Spade, one of my best-selling projects and a multiple award winner within the playing card community.

Thank you for stopping by—I hope you enjoy the illustrations.