Serrated Arrows

Serrated Arrows was first printed in the Homelands expansion in 1995, later appearing in the 1997 Anthologies set. The card was designed during an era of Magic: The Gathering that prioritized flavor-rich top-down design, where the mechanics were intended to evoke the image of an artifact that slowly weakens its target. Within the context of the game, it served as a versatile utility card, allowing players to deal incremental damage to creatures, which was a notable departure from the more direct removal spells common in the early sets.

The card's original illustration was created by artist Anson Maddocks. Known for his distinctive and sometimes eerie style in the game's early years, Maddocks focused on a stark, utilitarian aesthetic that matched the card's function as a grim implement of war. While the Homelands set faced mixed critical reception upon its initial release, Serrated Arrows was one of the few cards from the expansion to see significant competitive play, eventually becoming a staple in various deck archetypes due to its efficiency as a colorless threat.