Phantasmal Dreadmaw

Phantasmal Dreadmaw was released in 2021 as part of the Modern Horizons 2 expansion for Magic: The Gathering. The card serves as a humorous homage to Colossal Dreadmaw, a common dinosaur creature that became an accidental internet meme within the Magic community due to its ubiquity and straightforward power level across multiple core sets. By applying the 'Phantasmal' subtype, which traditionally creates fragile illusions that sacrifice themselves when targeted, the design team created a satirical take on the original card's fearsome reputation.

The artwork was illustrated by Bryan Sola, who leaned into the surreal and ghostly aesthetic associated with the Phantasmal archetype. The design goal was to evoke the recognizable silhouette of the iconic dinosaur while rendering it in a spectral, translucent blue palette to signify its illusory nature. The card was well-received by fans of the game for its self-referential humor and its clever integration of established community lore into the official canon of the Modern Horizons series.