Experience the virtual art exhibition of "Magic: The Gathering"!The exhibit of fans is slurry | Mogura VR

"Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition", the first virtual art exhibition of the world-famous trading card game "Magic: the Gathering" It will be held from the 18th of January to the 24th of February.

This time, the MoguLive editorial department participated in the preliminary experience of this "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition". I will report on the situation.

What exactly is Magic: The Gathering?

Magic: The Gathering, abbreviated Magic, is the world's first trading card game with a history of 29 years. Most recently, Japan's Yuta Takahashi won the World Championships and became a hot topic.

Now, there are many different worlds in Magic, which we call "dimensions." The Norse mythological dimension "Kaldheim" and the Arabian-style dimension "Rabiah" exist, and special beings who can travel from one dimension to another are called "Planeswalkers" and play a leading role in Magic's stories. .

(Screenshot from the official Japanese website of Magic: The Gathering. The close-up here, Miwato Urushitsuki, is also a Planeswalker.) 's latest card set "Kamigawa: The Shining World" is set in a plane called "Kamigawa". Some of the card sets released in 2004 and 2005 were set in this Kamigawa, and Kamigawa: The Shining World will be the first completely new (but somehow nostalgic) Kamigawa in 18 years. Drawn.

This virtual art exhibition will be held in conjunction with the start of sales of "Kamigawa: The Shining World".

(This virtual art exhibition is based on the image of Tsuwa City, the largest city in Kamigawa. By the way, this is the ambr of the popular 2021 TOKYO GAME SHOW VR.)

As an aside, I've been playing Magic for a long time since Darksteel, a card set just before Kamigawa, which was released in 2004. …” I was really excited.

From the entrance lined with famous card art from the past, to the cyberpunk city of Tsuwa

This virtual art exhibition will feature the integrated VR headset "Meta Quest 2" alone, connected to a PC. In addition to the VR headset "Oculus Rift" and "HTC VIVE" series, you can experience it only on Windows PC (that is, normal display instead of VR). At the pre-experience session, we used the so-called "Oculus Link", a mode that allows you to connect "Meta Quest 2" to a PC and enjoy a higher quality VR experience.

Now, launch the app and head to Towashi, the setting for Kamigawa: The Shining World. At the entrance immediately after entering, there is a red torii gate and art representing past card sets lined up.

From the left hand, Magic players are familiar with the Bird of Paradise, veteran players love the Carapace Wurm, the huge King of the Abyss, the Blue Devil Mutant, and the Loxodon that dominated Limited. Warhammer, followed by the still-legal Lightning Helix. It's like you're reliving the history of Magic, with the farther you go, the more modern the set becomes.

On the right hand is the "Library of Alexandria" that also appeared in the manga "Duel Masters", the original fusion creature "Spirit of the Night", "Cursed Scroll", "Erasure", and "Kamigawa Story". Yatsuo and a half” continues. For early players, or Eternal format players who can use these cards, there is something deeply moving.

And of course the most recent set. The collaboration set with Dungeons & Dragons, "Explore the Forgotten Realms," and "Innistrad: Midnight Hunt," which was just released in 2021, are lined up.

As you pass through the torii gate, which is decorated with card art that has made history, you will arrive at a place where a list of participating artists and a floor map of this exhibition are installed. The actual "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition" starts here.

(The view from the back of this entrance is also quite good. In the back stands the largest tree in Tsuwa City, the largest in Kamigawa, and the oldest tree, "Boseiju, the one who endures". Boseiju is 1200 years old. Even if the people of Tsuwa build taller buildings, they will suddenly grow and overtake them.)

(Take a selfie with the townscape of Tsuwa City in the background. On the day of the event, you will be participating in a cyber x ninja avatar. You can not only participate alone, but you can also participate in the same VR space with your friends.)

Beautiful concept art and card illustrations up close!

Let's take a quick look at the exhibition. The first is the concept art of "Kamigawa: The Shining World", which will be shown for the first time in this exhibition. Close-up concept art, which you don't usually have the chance to see, is on display along the route, and plays a role in the introduction of this exhibition.

(Concept art for Kamigawa: The Shining World Part 1. The combination of glitch-like effects and Japanese-style motifs with strong saturation and contrast looks great.)

(This is a step back and depicts the scenery and buildings. In VR, you can see it more closely and three-dimensionally. It's a pity that the screenshots don't convey the goodness.)

(What a charming monkey bathing in a hot spring. Could it be the inspiration for Hot Springs of Vitality from Kamigawa: The Shining World?)

Next, we went to a gallery where you can actually see 134 cards from the card art included in Kamigawa: The Shining World. It is divided into themes such as "God", "Tradition" and "Innovation". In addition, when you pull the trigger towards the art, it will be enlarged, and you can see each rough sketch, the artist's comment, and a large card at your fingertips.

(This is the actual enlarged view of the art. The artist's comments are displayed on the left, and the sketch is displayed on the right. Like concept art, it's rare to see it, so it's a must-see for magic players and artist fans! )

(Many beautiful card arts in large size. This is the Emperor of Kamigawa, The Wandering Emperor, drawn by Hisashi Momose, who is known for his card art for "Duel Masters". For some reason, he doesn't have a unique name, so he's quite a special character.In fact, it's the identity of a character that has been a mystery for a long time, and it shocked Magic story fans.)

(Planeswalker 《Urushitsuki Miwatari》 by Mr. Tetsuo Hara of "Fist of the North Star"! It's the first time since the "Fist of the North Star" series that he draws everything from the background by himself. Shooting from a slightly back position It's hard to convey, but it's pretty powerful when you see it in a large size.

(And "Satoru Umezawa" by Yoji Shinkawa, known for the "Metal Gear" series and "Death Stranding". The motif is cyber/mechanical while having a touch of ink painting. This time with Japan as the theme. A piece suitable for the set.

Also, at the end of the gallery, there is also a "Hakkakudo" where participants can communicate with each other. It would be fun to have a lively discussion about magic here, or talk about your impressions of the virtual art exhibition.

(A break spot where you can communicate with up to 16 people participating in the same world or channel in Hakkakudo)

That's why we introduced the highlights of the "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition" in a hurry. It is designed so that you do not have to worry about so-called "VR sickness", so it is recommended for those who are new to VR experience. This is an event that can be widely recommended to people who have been playing magic for a long time, people who have recently started playing magic, and people who think that there is an interesting VR event. Especially for people like me who "play magic and often experience VR", there should be something that will touch your heart.

Also, it's hard to tell from the screenshots, but the experience on a normal display and the experience on a VR device (although the contents are the same) have subjectively different textures and surprises for those who experience them. So, since it's a great opportunity, I recommend experiencing it with a VR device.

"Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition" will be held for a limited time from 10:00 on February 18th to 21:00 on February 24th, so if you are interested, hurry up. See you all in neon-lit Kamigawa!

Signed by Tetsuo Hara! 《Urushitsuki Miwa》Reproduction colored paper gift campaign

To commemorate the “Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition” and the release of “Kamigawa: The Shining World” at this MoguLive, One person will be selected by lottery and will be given a copy of the original Shikishi of "Urushitsuki Miwatari" signed by Mr. Tetsuo Hara, who has only 10 copies in the world.

The campaign period is from 19:30 on February 17th to 23:59 on February 24th. Follow MoguLive's Twitter account (@MoguLiveJP) and retweet the following tweets. Winners will be contacted via Twitter DM after the campaign period ends. Everyone, please apply!

Overview of "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition"

Period	February 18, 2022 (Friday) 10:00 - February 24 (Thursday) 21:00
Participation fee	Free
URL	https://mtg-kamigawa-vr.art
Compatible devices	PC: Windows Quest Platform: Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2) PCVR: Oculus Rift, Rift S, HTC VIVE, VIVE Pro, VIVE Pro 2 * Meta Quest 2 can experience PCVR version using Oculus Link etc. * macOS not supported
Required specs	– PCOS: Windows 10 CPU: Core i5-8250U or equivalent GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 or equivalent GPU Memory: 8GB Storage: 10GB or more – PCVROS: Windows 10 CPU: Core i5-7500 or equivalent CPU GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 or equivalent GPU Memory: 8GB or more Storage: 10GB or more with SSD

(Reference) Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition Official Website