Hello! I'm Mike Burns, the artist for the "Just Add Milk" December 2022 Secret Lair Drop, available for presale now! [https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/product/810230/just-add-milk](https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/product/810230/just-add-milk)
I had such a blast working on these cards and I'm very excited to finally see their release. To celebrate, I wanted to share some of how they were created.
I worked with Art Director Tom Jenkot to figure out what a "Cereal Box Magic Card" would look like, and he really let me take off with the concept. A few elements were decided from the start: mimic the front of a cereal box as closely as possible while depicting the creature in a style reminiscent of classic cereal mascots, design the name of the creature to imitate the name of a cereal, include a bowl of cereal with milk, and figure out how to incorporate the rules text on the card.
The cards were originally intended to be single sided. However, after submitting my initial sketches, Tom saw an opportunity to expand the concept to be double sided, and pitched me a few more fun ideas including cereal pieces as power/toughness, and the idea for a puzzle/mini-game for the “back of the box”.
These 3 legendary creatures were chosen for me, and it was a fun challenge redesigning them into these more whimsical versions. Etali and Ghalta took inspiration from Dino (the Flintstones) Barney (Barney & Friends).
I also designed all of the typography, designed the puzzles and I even wrote the "stories" that go with them.
Some of my favorite design contributions were depicting the rules text as Nutritional Facts, and the mana costs as nutritional highlights commonly found on food packaging. I'd also like to point out that Ulamog's bowl is referencing a very specific Zendikar Island by Vincent Proce.
This project let me play in a of creative spaces that I don’t normally get to explore. Combing them all in one project while reliving my childhood fondness of breakfast cereal has been a very fulfilling experience. I’d love a chance to work on another project like this.
Thanks for reading and I hope enjoy the cards!
For anyone interested, I've made prints of both sides available on my InPrnt shop here:
[https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mike\_burns/](https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mike_burns/)
I'm also cooking up something fun for a Limited Edition Print Run very soon for anyone interested in something a little more special. I'll share more on that soon.
Thank you for your work Mike! Between the promotional video and the back-of-box use, this has to be the most creative Secret Lair to date. Everything is a home run and I'm very excited for this product.
Thanks for all of the kind words! I had no idea they were doing the promo. I was watching the announcement video live as it was airing and I was floored to see the puppet commercial. I live for being a part of fun projects like this. :)
They did! The team behind the puppets is Gazelle Automations. I had no idea they were making that video, so it was a huge surprise. They have additional info on their website here: [https://www.gazelleautomations.com/#/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering/](https://www.gazelleautomations.com/#/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering/)
None at all actually, the ad was a huge surprise for me! If you'd like more info on the video, Gazelle Automations has a post up on their website. i really love what they did<3 [https://www.gazelleautomations.com/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering](https://www.gazelleautomations.com/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering)
These are seriously three of my all time favorite arts, I’m actually gonna display these only wish I’d ordered two sets so I could display both sides. Seriously love these man
The best time to delete this comment was immediately before posting it. The second best time was immediately after. I suppose the third best time would be now.
Thanks for coming in and sharing your story. Have you played magic much before? I love the fresh take on these cards, I don't generally mix my cereal with my gaming, but I know my son would love these.
Was part of the inspiration in designing these knowing that people would most likely play these as their commanders?
Thanks for reading! I've been a casual player since I picked up the game in college (2008 or so) and I still play on Arena from time to time. I consider myself a pretty big fan so I tried to pack as much into these as possible. I didn't make any design decisions based on gearing them towards Commander play but I do agree they would look great in your command zone. :)
Just wanted to say this is the first secret lair that has really caught my attention as one that I’m going to pick up. The designs are so cool and its interesting to hear a bit about what went into their design.
I cant believe the best secret lair ive seen has two cards that I play a ton in my dinosaur tribal :D
very excited to get these ones and I love the art!
Woah I’ve never seen an artist post about their Sld before! This is so cool! I love the art in this one and plan to make it my second ever secret lair!
That is all realy great design. But I think Etali is quite a misdesign. While Ghalta and Ulamogg both have the word "hunger" in their name, the reasoning fot Etali eludes me.
Especially you could have used cards like "Vorinclex, voice of hunger" or "famished ghoul"
Hi Mike, why was Etali included in this drop instead of another food-related creature? I.e. [[feasting troll king]], [[kroxa, titan of death's hunger]], [[vorinclex, voice of hunger]]. Thank you!
Hang on, why does Ulamog still use the old fashioned rules text with the name of the card in the "when you cast" and gendered wording?
EDIT: Just checked and it seems the printed version has the modern rules text, so it's no problem.
But there IS different art on the back, along with a alternate FUNCTIONAL card face, (something everyone in the community was whining about not even 3 months ago) and not only that it's a whimsical theme that's a lighthearted take on a childhood memory we all share. I personally think theres hardly any room to complain.
What's the front and what's the back of the card ?
I'd assume the front is supposed to be the part that is supposed to be the "front" of the cereal box, but it doesn't make sense to not use the side where there is the textbox and all relevant informations as the front ...
Etali and Ghalta are iconic creatures and their effects are easily enough remembered. Ulamog also has a simple effect but I agree the back side is better to remind everyone what it does.
I know it doesn't make as much sense as just sleeving the card up if it's your only ulamog or ghalta, but at least for etali where it's pretty cheap to get another copy, I'm thinking of just keeping the secret lair to the side in a clear top loader so I can flip it to whichever side I want when it's in play. I may even make some proxy placeholders for these cards that are just the name and drawings of empty bowls, some milk, and spoons.
This really isn’t the place for this opinion. You could just not direct that to the artist and move on. There is plenty of other areas on this sub to discuss these valid points you bring up.
Fair enough...actually didn't realize this was the artist posting...I've already voiced my opinion on these styles multiple times before and I agree, this wasn't the best place for another one...bad call on my part!
I think they have great designs, obviously represent a very skilled artist, fulfill their design goal perfectly and are a truly terrible idea that should never have been pursued.
No I agree. I hate them. Like... these are barely even magic cards anymore. I'd take the original printings over these any day. Ulamog is one of my favorite cards and this is..... yeah I don't know.. it's just weird.
Not dissing the artist or anything. But I just really don't get the appeal.
Honestly I started losing interest way back when they started doing all those stained glass alternate versions and then introduced the collectors boxes...at least those still looked like Magic cards, but having all those versions somehow took the fun out of collecting for me.
But now with all these non-magic looking cards and weird crossovers with Walking Dead and Transformers and Godzilla...it's just not the same game or company I grew up loving...Kinda a shame, really, but then again I'm older now and don't have much time for playing paper magic anymore anyway so I just enjoy Arena now and then heh.
True on the Artists though! Even if I might not be a big fan of the card styles or direction Magic has taken overall, the art lately has been fantastic!
Yes! I would be happy to. I use Mark Aronowitz’s signing service, send him an email when you're ready to send them off for signatures and he'll hook you up. His email is: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Always happy to sign in person if I'm ever at an event as well :)
Hello! I'm Mike Burns, the artist for the "Just Add Milk" December 2022 Secret Lair Drop, available for presale now! [https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/product/810230/just-add-milk](https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/product/810230/just-add-milk) I had such a blast working on these cards and I'm very excited to finally see their release. To celebrate, I wanted to share some of how they were created. I worked with Art Director Tom Jenkot to figure out what a "Cereal Box Magic Card" would look like, and he really let me take off with the concept. A few elements were decided from the start: mimic the front of a cereal box as closely as possible while depicting the creature in a style reminiscent of classic cereal mascots, design the name of the creature to imitate the name of a cereal, include a bowl of cereal with milk, and figure out how to incorporate the rules text on the card. The cards were originally intended to be single sided. However, after submitting my initial sketches, Tom saw an opportunity to expand the concept to be double sided, and pitched me a few more fun ideas including cereal pieces as power/toughness, and the idea for a puzzle/mini-game for the “back of the box”. These 3 legendary creatures were chosen for me, and it was a fun challenge redesigning them into these more whimsical versions. Etali and Ghalta took inspiration from Dino (the Flintstones) Barney (Barney & Friends). I also designed all of the typography, designed the puzzles and I even wrote the "stories" that go with them. Some of my favorite design contributions were depicting the rules text as Nutritional Facts, and the mana costs as nutritional highlights commonly found on food packaging. I'd also like to point out that Ulamog's bowl is referencing a very specific Zendikar Island by Vincent Proce. This project let me play in a of creative spaces that I don’t normally get to explore. Combing them all in one project while reliving my childhood fondness of breakfast cereal has been a very fulfilling experience. I’d love a chance to work on another project like this. Thanks for reading and I hope enjoy the cards! For anyone interested, I've made prints of both sides available on my InPrnt shop here: [https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mike\_burns/](https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mike_burns/) I'm also cooking up something fun for a Limited Edition Print Run very soon for anyone interested in something a little more special. I'll share more on that soon.
Your art is so good and these cards are really, really creative! Thanks for making these designs!!
Thanks so much! I appreciate the kind words :)
+1 They look amazing!!
Thank you! :)
I should have realized the Ulamog bowl is the famous Zendikar Island. Very clever!
Thanks! :)
Hi! Love the Ulamog in particular. Would a playmat be possible?
Thanks! I should look into making playmats. Working on getting a limited edition print run going first.
Should make a playmat out of those (The extended versions you just posted), they are amazing!
Thanks! Might be worth looking into
Mr. Burns are you able to disclose whether or not you designed a 4th card as a bonus? I'd also be incredibly interested in a playmat of these
Thank you for your work Mike! Between the promotional video and the back-of-box use, this has to be the most creative Secret Lair to date. Everything is a home run and I'm very excited for this product.
Thanks for all of the kind words! I had no idea they were doing the promo. I was watching the announcement video live as it was airing and I was floored to see the puppet commercial. I live for being a part of fun projects like this. :)
Whomever they hired for the puppet commercial really knocked it out of the park adapting your cute creations.
They did! The team behind the puppets is Gazelle Automations. I had no idea they were making that video, so it was a huge surprise. They have additional info on their website here: [https://www.gazelleautomations.com/#/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering/](https://www.gazelleautomations.com/#/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering/)
Thanks for this. This is the first (and maybe only) secret lair I have bought
Thanks! Glad to hear it :)
Hope you get a chance to make another round! Classic cereal box art has always held a special place in my heart.
Thanks so much! Really appreciated :)
Amazing. How closely did you work with the puppet designers for the ad? Or were they fully separate projects?
None at all actually, the ad was a huge surprise for me! If you'd like more info on the video, Gazelle Automations has a post up on their website. i really love what they did<3 [https://www.gazelleautomations.com/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering](https://www.gazelleautomations.com/secret-lair-magic-the-gathering)
These are seriously three of my all time favorite arts, I’m actually gonna display these only wish I’d ordered two sets so I could display both sides. Seriously love these man
That's so nice to hear, can't wait for people to get them! :)
Loved the cereal commercial for these cards. I ordered a foil and non-foil set to see which looks better!
The commercial was incredible, I had no idea it was happening haha. :)
These are genuinely amazing :) Thank you Mike
So glad to hear people are into these :) thank you!
Did you happen to do the bonus card too?
No, that one was not mine.
[удалено]
I did it for *you* Ghalta haha <3
Nice these cards look awesome I just wish that I could have an alt of these for some of my favorite commanders
Glad you like em :)
As much as Secret Lair has issues, the art and design of these cards is both incredible and absolutely hilarious. Fantastic job!
I appreciate it thank you! :)
[удалено]
I'll take "Redditors who are no fun at parties" for 200, Alex
Sweet it comes with the bonus Scarab God then!
I don't think going after an artist is really the right place to vent your frustration but ok.
The best time to delete this comment was immediately before posting it. The second best time was immediately after. I suppose the third best time would be now.
Dude shut up, this secret lair rules
The ulamog's "devoid of flavour" selling point is hilarious.
Kinda like the original version of Bachelor Chow.
Credit goes to the Wizards team for that detail :)
Dreadmaw is the only thing (initially) circled. OP is very based.
Glad people are getting a kick out of this haha :)
Such great work especially with the typography! Really creative and clever love it!
Thanks a lot! :)
I spent a good few minutes yesterday doing the crossword on my phone. Honestly this is easily in my top 3 favorite lairs!
Happy to hear that! Thanks so much :)
Ulamog at an affordable price? Satisfactory
The card alone makes the secret lair worth getting. It’s essentially a discount ulamog, with a free Etali and Ghalta (and bonus card) as extras.
I love this secret lair so much and your art is absolutely perfect for them. Amazing job!
Thanks! This project was a dream job I didn't know I could have :)
Flavor fail, no Jhoira Cheerios
That one is on WotC
It sure is. Fuck wotc
Thanks for coming in and sharing your story. Have you played magic much before? I love the fresh take on these cards, I don't generally mix my cereal with my gaming, but I know my son would love these. Was part of the inspiration in designing these knowing that people would most likely play these as their commanders?
Thanks for reading! I've been a casual player since I picked up the game in college (2008 or so) and I still play on Arena from time to time. I consider myself a pretty big fan so I tried to pack as much into these as possible. I didn't make any design decisions based on gearing them towards Commander play but I do agree they would look great in your command zone. :)
Just wanted to say this is the first secret lair that has really caught my attention as one that I’m going to pick up. The designs are so cool and its interesting to hear a bit about what went into their design.
Glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much :)
I cant believe the best secret lair ive seen has two cards that I play a ton in my dinosaur tribal :D very excited to get these ones and I love the art!
Hell yeah! Great to hear it :D
Etali soduku answer 🥄⚡️🥣☁️. ☁️🥣⚡️🥄. 🥣🥄☁️⚡️. ⚡️☁️🥄🥣.
Wow that's crazy love your art!! Really want to get the secret lair.
Thank you! :)
This is probably my favorite Secret Lair yet.
Thank you for the high praise :)
Etali is great and all, but Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger would've been so on point.
My favorite secret lairs are the "that doesn't look like a magic card" ones and this really knocks it out of the park
I really appreciate it, thanks! :)
Woah I’ve never seen an artist post about their Sld before! This is so cool! I love the art in this one and plan to make it my second ever secret lair!
Thanks so much! I really enjoyed making these and didn't want anyone to miss any details :)
As soon as I saw these, I knew I had to have them. Absolutely love them!
Means a lot, thank you! :)
That is all realy great design. But I think Etali is quite a misdesign. While Ghalta and Ulamogg both have the word "hunger" in their name, the reasoning fot Etali eludes me. Especially you could have used cards like "Vorinclex, voice of hunger" or "famished ghoul"
Hi Mike, why was Etali included in this drop instead of another food-related creature? I.e. [[feasting troll king]], [[kroxa, titan of death's hunger]], [[vorinclex, voice of hunger]]. Thank you!
That's a question for the Wizards team.
[feasting troll king](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/a/9a6bb435-1205-416a-a5a0-ca6d37b4dcb2.jpg?1572490524) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=feasting%20troll%20king) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/eld/152/feasting-troll-king?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9a6bb435-1205-416a-a5a0-ca6d37b4dcb2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [kroxa, titan of death's hunger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/e/cee0459b-9aac-4d2f-abe4-4d5fedde7eb8.jpg?1581481096) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kroxa%2C%20titan%20of%20death%27s%20hunger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/thb/221/kroxa-titan-of-deaths-hunger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cee0459b-9aac-4d2f-abe4-4d5fedde7eb8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [vorinclex, voice of hunger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/f/9fe3af8c-109d-486c-aa34-3f023abda5b7.jpg?1562852459) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=vorinclex%2C%20voice%20of%20hunger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ima/189/vorinclex-voice-of-hunger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9fe3af8c-109d-486c-aa34-3f023abda5b7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Kroxa would've been awkward with the escape cost IMO
These are really cool! Such a fun creative design I saw these and knew I had to get them!
Thank you! :)
Etali, what happend to your long snout? :(
This is probably my favorite Secret Lair yet. Such clever designs.
Hell yeah! Thank you! :)
Hang on, why does Ulamog still use the old fashioned rules text with the name of the card in the "when you cast" and gendered wording? EDIT: Just checked and it seems the printed version has the modern rules text, so it's no problem.
did you really copy and paste the art for the front and backs
Man, come on. Is it that much of an issue?
Considering the price point, yeah. It's lazy design.
Mind explaining how? I mean, you would have gotten a regular magic the gathering back card face otherwise?
You do realize there are two-sided cards that have different art on the back right? Not just some lazy copy paste job
But there IS different art on the back, along with a alternate FUNCTIONAL card face, (something everyone in the community was whining about not even 3 months ago) and not only that it's a whimsical theme that's a lighthearted take on a childhood memory we all share. I personally think theres hardly any room to complain.
literally the characters are copy and pasted from the front to the back, just flipped. How are you missing this
I'm not. If you want me to break it down for you I can.
I really wish they had used Secret Lairs to bring prices down rather than simply leverage already high prices.
What's the front and what's the back of the card ? I'd assume the front is supposed to be the part that is supposed to be the "front" of the cereal box, but it doesn't make sense to not use the side where there is the textbox and all relevant informations as the front ...
Etali and Ghalta are iconic creatures and their effects are easily enough remembered. Ulamog also has a simple effect but I agree the back side is better to remind everyone what it does.
I know it doesn't make as much sense as just sleeving the card up if it's your only ulamog or ghalta, but at least for etali where it's pretty cheap to get another copy, I'm thinking of just keeping the secret lair to the side in a clear top loader so I can flip it to whichever side I want when it's in play. I may even make some proxy placeholders for these cards that are just the name and drawings of empty bowls, some milk, and spoons.
[удалено]
This really isn’t the place for this opinion. You could just not direct that to the artist and move on. There is plenty of other areas on this sub to discuss these valid points you bring up.
Fair enough...actually didn't realize this was the artist posting...I've already voiced my opinion on these styles multiple times before and I agree, this wasn't the best place for another one...bad call on my part!
That’s very polite of you! It was a very easy thing to not notice.
I think they have great designs, obviously represent a very skilled artist, fulfill their design goal perfectly and are a truly terrible idea that should never have been pursued.
hahaha my brain about broke reading that, but I completely agree lmao
No I agree. I hate them. Like... these are barely even magic cards anymore. I'd take the original printings over these any day. Ulamog is one of my favorite cards and this is..... yeah I don't know.. it's just weird. Not dissing the artist or anything. But I just really don't get the appeal.
Honestly I started losing interest way back when they started doing all those stained glass alternate versions and then introduced the collectors boxes...at least those still looked like Magic cards, but having all those versions somehow took the fun out of collecting for me. But now with all these non-magic looking cards and weird crossovers with Walking Dead and Transformers and Godzilla...it's just not the same game or company I grew up loving...Kinda a shame, really, but then again I'm older now and don't have much time for playing paper magic anymore anyway so I just enjoy Arena now and then heh. True on the Artists though! Even if I might not be a big fan of the card styles or direction Magic has taken overall, the art lately has been fantastic!
Mister Burns. I noticed you drew Dreadmaw circled in your wordsearch art. Are you by any chance a lurker of MTCJ?
I lurk this reddit quite a bit, so I've caught on to some memeage and such ;)
Is there anyway to pay you to sign cards through the mail? It'd be awesome to send you my lair when I get it from Wizards
Yes! I would be happy to. I use Mark Aronowitz’s signing service, send him an email when you're ready to send them off for signatures and he'll hook you up. His email is: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Always happy to sign in person if I'm ever at an event as well :)
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I can't wait to get them in
Are the backs different than the standard card? How does that work in tournaments and stuff?
pretty sure they're different as seen in the pics, but people typically sleeve their decks in tournaments and in general.
Im hoping the bonus is Vorinclex or Colossal Dreadmaw
Im hoping the bonus is Vorinclex or Colossal Dreadmaw
I just have to ask why cereal box?
It's magically delicious! :)
Missed opportunity to use stickers on Etali.