Wizards Addresses Allegations of Artwork Similarity in New Jace Card

A recently unveiled card from Magic: The Gathering has sparked controversy over alleged artwork duplication, but the game’s creators assert that the similarities were intentional and part of their artistic direction.

Artist Liiga Smilshkalne claimed that Volkan Baga’s illustration for Jace, Multiverse Architect—featured in the upcoming Reality Fracture set—borrows key elements from her artwork for the 2023 card Breach the Multiverse. While Smilshkalne expressed that she would have appreciated a nod to her work, she took issue with the use of her unique design features without her consent or acknowledgment.

“Today I discovered that Volkan Baga’s illustration for Jace, Multiverse Architect incorporates central elements from my Breach the Multiverse,” Smilshkalne shared on Bluesky in a now-deleted thread. “If it had been an homage, I would have been thrilled. However, the identical shapes in the stolons and the crown indicate otherwise.”

Breach the Multiverse showcases Realmbreaker, the tainted World Tree that facilitated Phyrexia’s invasion across the Multiverse during March of the Machine. Its branches extend around a pale, symmetrical crown reminiscent of Elesh Norn’s headdress. In Baga’s new artwork, similarly shaped blue tendrils of magic envelop Jace, likely as he attempts to overwrite the Multiverse with the Echoverse he created.

Smilshkalne specifically pointed out a dark vertical line present in both pieces. In her original work, it symbolizes a waterfall of Phyrexian oil cascading down Realmbreaker, contributing to the overall Phyrexian motif. A similar blue line appears on Jace in Baga’s illustration.

“I’m very disappointed to see my work copied without understanding or at least asking,” Smilshkalne remarked, noting that she would have advised against including the oil waterfall in the new piece, as its original meaning didn’t fit the context.

In a statement, the game’s creators clarified that Baga was directed to directly reference Smilshkalne’s artwork.

“We’ve seen the discussions surrounding the art of Jace, Multiverse Architect by Volkan Baga and Breach the Multiverse by Liiga Smilshkalne and wanted to clarify a few points,” they stated. “The art direction given to Volkan was to directly reference this piece in the art.”

According to the creators, the resemblance was meant to illustrate Jace’s connection to the magic he has encountered throughout Magic’s lore. After being captured and compleated by the Phyrexians, Jace attempted to rewrite the Multiverse from within the Meditation Realm, aiming to eliminate his greatest foes. However, the spell consumed him, leading to the creation of a new body from fractured pieces of his mind, one of which, known as The Theorist, formed the Echoverse as a dark counterpart to the Multiverse. Notably, Realmbreaker possesses the ability to merge planes, making the visual parallels on Jace relevant as he seeks to combine the Multiverse and the Echoverse.

“Much of the visual storytelling in Reality Fracture centers on Jace utilizing or incorporating powerful magic he has learned from his experiences,” the creators explained. “This was a direct, intentional callback to signify that, in his quest to rid the multiverse of Phyrexia, Jace had become the very thing he aimed to destroy.”

They also mentioned that Baga created the artwork traditionally, starting with a hand-drawn sketch and progressing to a final painted version, which counters speculation that elements of Smilshkalne’s digital art were simply extracted and altered for the Jace illustration.

Mark Aronowitz, Baga’s art broker, stated that Baga adhered to the creative brief and consulted the card’s art director about the similarities before finalizing the painting.

“He specifically checked with the art director regarding the background swirl and overall mood, and was instructed to proceed with that exact composition,” Aronowitz noted. “Creative misunderstandings can occur, especially with reference material, but Volkan worked entirely in good faith and with total professionalism from sketch to final oils.”

The creators did not clarify whether Smilshkalne was informed of the planned reference before the reveal of Jace, Multiverse Architect. However, they acknowledged that the situation has led to internal discussions about their processes.

“Magic has a long history of creating visual callbacks in its art to evoke connections within its shared multiverse,” they stated. “This has prompted additional internal conversations about how we communicate those callbacks to artists who create iconic pieces, but it is crucial for us to build a cohesive world that feels unified.”

They confirmed that they have since reached out to both artists.