Sea Troll

Sea Troll was released in October 1995 as part of the Homelands expansion set for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Developed by Wizards of the Coast, Homelands was intended to deepen the game's lore by focusing on the plane of Ulgrotha, a world struggling to survive against various dark threats. The set is historically significant for its ambitious creative direction, which emphasized self-contained storytelling and atmospheric flavor over the high-powered mechanics that characterized earlier sets.

The card illustration was created by artist Anson Maddocks, whose distinctively eerie and textured style helped define the visual identity of early Magic sets. Maddocks was tasked with depicting the subterranean, regenerative nature of the creature, resulting in a design that leaned heavily into the horror aesthetic prevalent throughout the Homelands release. While the set received mixed feedback from players at the time due to its lower power level, the art remains a point of interest for collectors who appreciate the darker, artisanal roots of the game's expansion era.