Goring Ceratops

Goring Ceratops was released in the 2017 Magic: The Gathering set Ixalan, a plane heavily inspired by Age of Discovery exploration narratives and Mesoamerican cultures. As a rare creature, it serves as a thematic cornerstone of the set's dinosaur-aligned faction, the Sun Empire, which utilizes prehistoric beasts as a central element of their civilization. The card was designed to embody the aggressive, high-impact gameplay associated with the set's dinosaur mechanics, specifically rewarding players for building a wide board of creatures.

The artwork was commissioned from Zezhou Chen, whose illustration emphasizes the sheer physical scale and defensive ornamentation characteristic of the triceratops-like ceratopsian lineage. Chen utilized a vibrant color palette to align with the tropical, jungle-heavy aesthetic of the Ixalan world. Upon release, the card was received primarily as a flavorful addition to tribal dinosaur decks, noted for its ability to grant double strike to other dinosaurs, thereby reinforcing the 'go-wide' combat strategy intrinsic to the Sun Empire's faction identity.