Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Custom proxies and alt art variants for Maw of the Obzedat
If you’ve ever whispered to your mana base, “I need a little more bite for the board,” Maw of the Obzedat is the kind of ally that reminds us why Orzhov aesthetics feel so timeless. This Dragon’s Maze uncommon from 2013 sits at a neat crossroads: a 5-mana body with a utility ability that scales your board presence at just the right moment 🧙♂️💎. With a mana cost of {3}{W}{B}, it embodies the duality of sacrifice and reward that makes the guild so compelling: you trade one creature to push all your remaining creatures into the spotlight for a single turn, a flash of neat tempo that can swing a game’s momentum ⚔️.
In the lore-sphere, Maw of the Obzedat taps into the weight of debts and the afterlife—perfectly echoed by the flavor text: “The devout sacrifice themselves to it hoping for escape from their debts to the guild, but many end up owing in the afterlife.” The card’s Thrull body and Orzhov watermark anchor it in a world where contracts, souls, and shrouded corridors collide. It’s a creature that invites careful timing: you don’t want to waste the trigger on a lull in the battlefield, but when you do, your board feels suddenly more durable and threatening 🧙♂️🔥.
Gameplay angles you can lean into
- Sacrifice synergy: Maw thrives with outlets that let you sacrifice creatures you don’t mind parting with, turning a modest board into a siege engine for a single moment. In Commander or 60-card decks, you’ll want to pair it with other sacrifice triggers—outlets that give you value for each creature you send to the void can turn Maw into a surprise swing.
- Tempo and attrition: The +1/+1 boost to your team is a small but potent tempo swing. It’s not a blowout in a single combat, but over multiple turns it compounds, especially when backed by healers or protective auras that keep your tribe alive long enough to cash in the bonus.
- Commander-scale politics: In large-group formats, Maw can be a bargaining chip—“I’ll swing with a bigger board if you help me charts a favorable exchange later.” The text remains straightforward, but the implications ride on board state and the promise of a looming alpha strike 🧙♂️⚔️.
“The devout sacrifice themselves to it hoping for escape from their debts to the guild, but many end up owing in the afterlife.”
Alt art variants and the proxy hobby
For fans who love customizing their decks, Maw of the Obzedat is a natural canvas for alt art variants and proxies. The original Dragon’s Maze frame and Randy Gallegos’ stark black-and-white palette offer a versatile template for fans who want something that feels authentically Orzhov—gothic robes, opulent chandeliers, and debt-collecting robes translated into playable art. Alt arts can emphasize the pallid glow of a debt ledger, a smoky cathedral background, or a more aggressive, card-locked grimace on the Thrull. The hobby of proxying isn’t about deception; it’s about storytelling on the table, sparking conversations about guild lore and the economy of souls in the multiverse 🎨💎.
Even if you’re not chasing official reprints, the art itself invites personalization. A proxy might feature a gloss-friendly print with white borders for a cleaner look or a foil-like sheen to catch the eye when the board lights bounce across the table. The key is to preserve legibility and balance: the text must stay readable, and the color identity (B/W) should feel cohesive with the rest of the Orzhov lineup. In practice, Maw’s silhouette pairs well with architectural backgrounds or cathedral-like frames that echo the guild’s hierarchy and debt-collecting aesthetic 🎲🔥.
Value and collectibility in a modern proxy sense
From a collector’s perspective, Maw of the Obzedat is an uncommon with a modest market footprint. The card’s prices—roughly $0.06 for nonfoil and around $0.40 for foil in the card market snapshot—reflect its rarity and age rather than its play power in top-tier formats. This makes it an ideal subject for proxies and alt-art experimentation: inexpensive enough to riff on, resilient enough to justify creative investment for a few flavorful tweaks. For many players, Maw is less about stacking value and more about embracing a vibe—Orzhov elegance with a pinch of grim determination, all wrapped in a 5-mana package that can surprise an opponent with a well-timed pump 🧙♂️💎.
In a world where ideas travel faster than print runs, Maw’s design remains a classic example of economy and sacrifice in one compact package. The set, Dragon’s Maze, sits in the middle of the Ravnica block’s layered guild plot—an ideal crossroads for players who like their spells with a side of story. And whether you’re chasing affordable nostalgia, customizing a display-worthy proxy, or simply exploring how alt art variants affect the storytelling on the battlefield, Maw invites you to engage with the card beyond the numbers 🎨⚔️.
Five links to expand the conversation
Curious about the broader intersection of MTG strategy, culture, and digital-era content? Here are five reads across our network that pair nicely with Maw’s themes of balance, choice, and community:
- https://blog.digital-vault.xyz/blog/post/finders-keepers-statistical-power-vs-similar-mtg-cards/
- https://crypto-acolytes.xyz/blog/post/best-handheld-consoles-of-all-time-a-definitive-guide/
- https://crypto-acolytes.xyz/blog/post/mastering-minecraft-modded-servers-a-practical-guide/
- https://articles.zero-static.xyz/blog/post/top-counter-strike-2-fan-theories-explored/
- https://crypto-acolytes.xyz/blog/post/crypto-adoption-in-developing-countries-drivers-and-opportunities/