Carrion Ants

Carrion Ants was originally released in the 1997 Fifth Edition set of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. As a core set, Fifth Edition was designed to consolidate and reprint iconic cards from earlier expansions, providing a consistent baseline for players. The artwork for this card was provided by Quinton Hoover, a prolific illustrator whose distinctive, painterly style defined the aesthetic of early Magic sets and helped establish the visual language of the game's creature archetypes.

The card functions as a graveyard-maturation mechanic, allowing players to sacrifice other creatures to boost its power. Its design reflects the thematic focus of the Black mana color in the game, which frequently explores motifs of death, decay, and resource management. Upon its release, it was well-received by players for its tactical utility in decks designed to cycle cards through the discard pile, remaining a notable example of the dark, gothic fantasy art direction that characterized the franchise during the mid-nineties.