Teresa Robinson, art teacher of class 4D of Middleton School for the Less Academically Able, was overjoyed when one of her very own students had a piece of artwork commissioned by Wizards of the Coast for the start-up screen of the newly-unveiled V2.0 Magic Online client.

"I'm lost for words," she told journalists. "Most of my class hasn't quite reached the stage where they can draw people with torsos, or without wheels for feet.” She added, "I've been talking to the head of the art department and we both agree that he should definitely be promoted to class 4B."

Billy's vision for the future of Magic.

Billy Zug, 8, the student in question who lists his hobbies as Magic, wrestling, comics and the Lord of the Rings movies created his masterpiece, which he calls "Big Barry The Super Cool Elf Dude", as a way of combining these interests. He said, "Me and my friend Pete were watching wrestling while playing Magic one day. I thought it would be cool if there was a wrestler who looked like an elf dressed as a superhero, and they could make a card around him. Pete agreed and said the card should be 8/8 and have 'T: Put Phage into play from your hand.' That way you would kick ass on the next turn!"

Jeremy Cranford, Magic art director, stated "Hasbro have put us on a very low budget lately and some of our artists had been asking as much as $30 per submission, so it became necessary to find talent elsewhere. Billy's work shows a lot of potential and we are negotiating with his school's art department to have their work on all Darksteel and Fifth Dawn cards. Indeed, thinking in the longer term we're very likely to want to redesign the card face again for the 25th Anniversary and once again I feel I've found the right man for the job."

Not every MTGO user has been happy with Billy's work, a sentiment reflected in such thoughtful comments as "OMG THIS ELF R GH3Y", but Teresa reassures Billy: "Don't worry, everyone thought Drew Tucker was crap too. But the masses simply will never understand art."

Billy denies having his father Mark assist with the project.

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Teresa Robinson, art teacher of class 4D of Middleton School for the Less Academically Able, was overjoyed when one of her very own students had a piece of artwork commissioned by Wizards of the Coast for the start-up screen of the newly-unveiled V2.0 Magic Online client.

"I'm lost for words," she told journalists. "Most of my class hasn't quite reached the stage where they can draw people with torsos, or without wheels for feet.” She added, "I've been talking to the head of the art department and we both agree that he should definitely be promoted to class 4B."

Billy's vision for the future of Magic.

Billy Zug, 8, the student in question who lists his hobbies as Magic, wrestling, comics and the Lord of the Rings movies created his masterpiece, which he calls "Big Barry The Super Cool Elf Dude", as a way of combining these interests. He said, "Me and my friend Pete were watching wrestling while playing Magic one day. I thought it would be cool if there was a wrestler who looked like an elf dressed as a superhero, and they could make a card around him. Pete agreed and said the card should be 8/8 and have 'T: Put Phage into play from your hand.' That way you would kick ass on the next turn!"

Jeremy Cranford, Magic art director, stated "Hasbro have put us on a very low budget lately and some of our artists had been asking as much as $30 per submission, so it became necessary to find talent elsewhere. Billy's work shows a lot of potential and we are negotiating with his school's art department to have their work on all Darksteel and Fifth Dawn cards. Indeed, thinking in the longer term we're very likely to want to redesign the card face again for the 25th Anniversary and once again I feel I've found the right man for the job."

Not every MTGO user has been happy with Billy's work, a sentiment reflected in such thoughtful comments as "OMG THIS ELF R GH3Y", but Teresa reassures Billy: "Don't worry, everyone thought Drew Tucker was crap too. But the masses simply will never understand art."

Billy denies having his father Mark assist with the project.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!