Brazilian illustrator Caio Monteiro has painted close to a hundred Magic: The Gathering cards. But the most interesting part of our conversation wasn’t about what he painted — it was about what he painted that will never be printed.
In this interview for MTG Relics, Caio talked about six pieces of cancelled Arena art, the drawer of illustrations nobody has ever seen, the practical difficulty of getting cards signed in Brazil, and the Planeswalker he’d love to illustrate one day.
Who is Caio Monteiro
Caio Monteiro is one of the most active Brazilian illustrators working on Magic. His art appears in sets like Ikoria, Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, Strixhaven, Crimson Vow and Lorwyn Eclipsed, alongside work outside Magic — including Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft.
For high-end collectors, he matters for two reasons: he’s a name that signs, and his work already circulates as artist proofs and alters in the international market.
All quotes below were translated from Portuguese.
The six cancelled Arena pieces
This was the strongest moment of the conversation.
Caio explained that he had painted art exclusively for a parallel Arena set — the “in-universe” Magic version that Wizards used to create alongside Universes Beyond releases. In his words:
“I recently found out about some that I think will probably never be used. Ones I made exclusively for Arena. (…) I think five or six pieces I did for that set fell through, because they used Marvel Super Heroes on Arena instead.”
The public record explains what happened. That parallel project was called Through the Omenpaths: cards mechanically identical to the Universes Beyond originals, but with Magic names, art and creative treatment. It was the route for bringing those sets to Arena without bringing the licensed property along — that’s how the Spider-Man set was handled in 2025.
In May 2026, Wizards changed course. It announced that Marvel Super Heroes and the rest of the Marvel sets would go straight to Arena, keeping Marvel’s own art and card names. With that, Through the Omenpaths was no longer needed.
It’s worth being precise here: Wizards has never publicly confirmed which pieces of art were dropped, or that any specific work by Caio was cancelled. That remains his own first-hand account. What does exist is a strategy shift that Wizards documented officially — and Caio’s account lines up with it exactly.
That combination is what gives the story its weight. A corporate decision that players followed through an official announcement had, on the other side of it, an effect nobody saw: half a dozen finished illustrations left without a destination.
He mentioned another case too: a token he illustrated for a card that did get printed — except the card shipped without the mechanic that created the token. The token art was orphaned.
The drawer: “I have a lot of finished art nobody has ever seen”
We asked whether he has more unreleased material stored away. The answer was direct:
“Man, I have a lot of finished art nobody has ever seen. I have several.”
And no, he won’t show it. We pushed — not even off the record? The answer came with a laugh, but it was still a no.
This says something about the profession that collectors rarely see. The artist delivers the painting and loses control over where it goes. He doesn’t know whether it will be printed, when it will be printed, or whether it will sit in a drawer forever under a contract that prevents him from sharing it.
For anyone collecting original art and artist proofs, that’s relevant: there is an invisible inventory of Magic art that will never reach the market. Not through natural scarcity, but through contractual decision.
Artist proofs, signatures and alters: why it’s still hard in Brazil
We asked whether Brazilian collectors already approach him for signatures and alters, the way they do in the American market. He confirmed it:
“They come to me a lot, man.”
The bottleneck isn’t demand — it’s logistics. Caio explained that mailing signed cards individually, one by one, is a large amount of work and takes far too much time. So he concentrates signings at in-person events, where he can handle many people at once.
He pointed to the structural difference abroad: overseas there are signature agenting services that gather cards from dozens of collectors, ship them to the artist in bulk to be signed, then return them individually. That drastically reduces friction for the artist.
The dream Planeswalker: Ajani
Caio has said publicly that he’d like to illustrate a Planeswalker. We asked which one.
“Man, I really like Ajani.”
He specifically mentioned the character’s new version in Reality Fracture, the set arriving on October 2, 2026, which brings back the five original Lorwyn Planeswalkers — most of them in two versions. One is the character you know; the other is the warped mirror created by Jace, known as the Echoverse.
In Ajani’s case, the mirror is Ajani Unrelenting, a mono-red mythic Planeswalker costing {4}{R}{R}, the counterpart to the white Ajani Resolute. It’s the reading where rage and vengeance have taken over the character. Caio thought the result was excellent and said he’d take that job gladly.
The most interesting detail came when we asked what he would change about the character:
“I’d do it in my own style. But I don’t think there’s anything to change, really. I like his original design a lot.”
That’s the answer of someone who understands the difference between authorship and ego. A Magic illustrator’s job isn’t to reinvent the character — it’s to interpret him inside a universe that already exists.
His relic: Elder Auntie
We closed with the question we ask every artist in the series: out of everything you’ve made, which is your favorite piece? Which one is your relic?
He hesitated, said it shifts over time — and named a goblin. It’s Elder Auntie, a Goblin Warlock costing {2}{R} from Lorwyn Eclipsed, illustrated by him.
And he made a point of separating two things:
“It has nothing to do with the card. It’s the art itself.”
That’s worth underlining. An artist’s favorite relic is almost never the expensive card. It’s the piece that came out well. Elder Auntie is a common worth pocket change on the market — and it’s still the one he chose.
There’s a collecting lesson in that. Price and value aren’t the same thing. A common card with art you love, signed by the artist who painted it, is a legitimate relic. And it costs a fraction of what a Reserved List card costs.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Caio Monteiro?
Caio Monteiro is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering illustrator with around 90 unique pieces published across sets including Ikoria, Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, Strixhaven and Lorwyn Eclipsed. He also illustrates for Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft.
How many Magic cards has Caio Monteiro illustrated?
Around 90 unique pieces, which amounts to nearly 200 different printings once reprints and alternate versions are counted. The full, current list can be checked on Scryfall using the search a:"Caio Monteiro".
Is there Magic art that was never published?
Yes. Artists deliver illustrations that may never be printed due to a change in a set’s scope, a cancelled product, or a change to a card’s mechanics. Caio Monteiro confirmed he has several finished, unreleased pieces, including around six made for an Arena project that was discontinued.
How do you get a card signed by a Brazilian Magic artist?
In-person events are the most reliable route. Brazilian artists tend to concentrate signings at conventions and large events, because mailing cards individually isn’t viable at volume. Abroad, agenting services ship batches of cards to artists — a model that isn’t established in Brazil yet.
What is an artist proof in Magic?
An artist proof is a special version of a card with a blank back, given in limited quantity to the illustrator. The artist can sign it, draw on it, or sell it directly. It’s one of the most sought-after items for Magic art collectors.
This interview is part of the MTG Relics series of conversations with Magic: The Gathering artists. Follow @mtgrelics on Instagram for more from the high-end world.