Magic: The Gathering (MTG) publisher, Wizards of the Coast, is considering discontinuing the printing of cards with specific creature types. This decision follows comments made by MTG’s lead designer, Mark Rosewater, who expressed concerns about the connection between these creature types and real-life religious references. Rosewater mentioned that Shamans and Druids are among the types that may be phased out in response to a user’s question about why “Witch” wasn’t a creature type. Rosewater explained that “Witch” was avoided due to its association with a real-world religious identifier.
When another user questioned how Shaman and Druid managed to be included if “Witch” was excluded, Rosewater responded that they were currently examining this topic. He further explained that while Druid was less problematic than Shaman, the issue lies in players using these terms incorrectly, giving them a meaning beyond just identifying a particular card.
This potential removal of creature types comes after Rosewater revealed in June that the MTG design team had replaced the term “tribal” with “typal” due to recommendations from consultants. The consultants advised against using language that could be culturally sensitive.
Druids have been a long-standing creature type in MTG since the game’s early days, with nearly 300 cards featuring the term printed over the years. Similarly, Shaman has appeared almost twice as often as Druid, and although “Witch” is not a creature type, over 70 cards have been printed that mention witches in some form.
It seems that consultants have deemed these terms culturally sensitive, as was the case with the decision to remove the term “tribal” internally. The upcoming MTG standard set, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, set to release in November, will reveal whether Wizards of the Coast chooses to phase out these creature types.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
