Steamflogger Boss

Steamflogger Boss was released in the 2007 Magic: The Gathering set Future Sight. Designed by Mark Rosewater, the card was conceptualized as a meta-joke, specifically mocking the community's persistent, years-long request for mechanics involving the assembly of Contraptions. At the time of its release, the card functioned as a deliberate 'hollow' design, as there were no other cards in the game that allowed a player to assemble a Contraption, making the card effectively useless within the rules of the time.

The card was illustrated by Kev Walker, who leaned into the industrial, eccentric aesthetic of the character to emphasize the absurd nature of the design. While initially perceived as a nonsensical inclusion, it gained a cult following due to its bizarre mechanics and status as a long-running inside joke. It remained a curiosity for over a decade until the Unstable set eventually introduced legitimate rules for Contraptions, finally giving the card actual utility in certain game environments.