Alters by RockyAlters.
RockyAlters work is one of those that always drew your attention. At first glance it wasn't always obvious what the abstract style was supposed to show but upon closer inspection it would become clearer. That is something I always enjoyed about Rocky's alters. They demand your attention to see what is between the colours and the swirls. To me it was always impressive how all the work can share the same style but also be unique. I knew I had to have a commission from RockyAlters.
These were the first alters through which I wanted to convey the theme and story of the deck, rather than just Church of Avacyn themed. The premise was the relationship between Gisela and Avacyn.
The way I interpret and believe the MtG story, Gisela is the most devoted of Avacyn’s angels and so she was the most devastated when Avacyn disappeared in the Helvault. Which makes me believe that she was also the most relieved when Avacyn returned, and so the idea for Cathartic Reunion was a depiction of Gisela and Avacyn reuniting after the destruction of the Helvault. The exact interpretation of this idea was left up to RockyAlters. We also decided to use a foil card to convey the positive theme of the alter. Tormenting Voice on other hand, I wanted to be the complete opposite. Rather than joy I wanted it to convey pain and despair. In the official MtG story Gisela heard and succumbed to Emrakul’s murmurs after Avacyn was murdered, and in the lore of the deck my interpretation is that Emrakul tried to corrupt the angels by wanting to make them believe Avacyn was gone. In either case, it would be an extremely painful and heart-breaking ordeal for Gisela. I also asked for the flavour text to be replaced because I didn't feel the original fit the alter.
What makes these alters even more special to me is that I believed them to be lost somewhere in the Blind Eternities (there appeared to be a mistake by the postal delivery service). It wasn't until a few months later that the package was found at the back of a drawer where it was forgotten about. When I saw them for the first time in person I was blown away. It’s one thing to see photos but another thing entirely to see the work in physical form.
Facebook page: RockyAlters