What can I say about altering another Lotus? For a while I've had the idea of doing a Lotus that was a take on Volkan Baga's alternate art Moxes. The pieces were created as prizes for the Annual Vintage Championships, but when it came time for Black Lotus, Rush did a similar spin on his original. I felt like Lotus deserved the Baga treatment. Being an Asian flower, it seemed only appropriate to include an Asian local in the background. In this case, it's the Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto will always hold a personal significance when it comes to Magic, as it was the location of my first Pro Tour. The entire city screams of history; I couldn't think of a better canvas for painting one of it's most famous spots.
Obviously there's a certain stigma surrounding painting on cards of this rarity, so if it makes any of you feel better, the card was extremely beat and remains markered on the back. Perfect for a restoration project!
