Elder
Elder is a creature type, first used for the Elder Dragons and later used on venerable creatures to denote their importance.
History
Originally, the creature type was only used on the Elder Dragons of Legends, and like most old creature types, it was meant to be read as a unified creature type (much like Ali-from-Cairo or Lord of Atlantis) and described a specific race: they were not "Elder" and "Dragon", they were "Elder Dragons".
The creature type was then unsupported for a long time. [1] [2], meaning that while it wasn't removed from the existing cards, it wasn't added to new ones. The subtype was retained because of how iconic the cycle of dragons from Legends was.
Starting with Dragons of Tarkir, the type Elder was finally brought back, this time used to describe the venerable age of a cycle of Dragon Lords whose importance creative wanted to emphasize. Interestingly, they decided to un-retire the type Elder instead of the type Lord because the connection with the original Elder Dragons was meant as an hommage; but it unfortunately created some confusion as to whether or not these new dragons were member of the same race as the old ones.[3]
Following the un-retirement of the subtype, it started being used more regularly with Rivals of Ixalan featuring a cycle of Elder Dinosaurs, the first Elders that weren't Dragons, followed up by an Elder Demon in Dominaria.
The Elder Dragons of Dominia
The vast power of the ancient Elder Dragons of Dominia[4] rivaled that of planeswalkers. They participated in the interplanar Elder Dragon Wars, a conflict that shook the planes and killed most of their kind. Their title of Dominia refers to the multiverse, not to the plane Dominaria.
- Arcades Sabboth (
) - Chromium Rhuell (
) - Nicol Bolas (
) - Vaevictis Asmadi ()
- Palladia-Mors ()
- Piru
- Ugin
- Merrevia Sal
The Elder Dragons of Tarkir
The creature type returned after 21 years in Dragons of Tarkir to emphasize the importance of these dragonlords.[5] While not members of the Elder Dragon race, the creature type was used to represent their great age and the respect they command (tying in with the theme of time travel of the block) and to pay direct homage to Legends's cycle of dragons.
The Elder Dinosaurs of Ixalan
The tale of the Elder Dinosaurs had taken Huatli the longest to memorize, an agonizing two years to lock in her mind in its entirety.[6] They were ancient and wild, utterly untamable, the greatest of the dinosaurs.
- Zetalpa, Primal Dawn ()
- Nezahal, Primal Tide ()
- Tetzimoc, Primal Death ()
- Etali, Primal Storm ()
- Ghalta, Primal Hunger ().
- Zacama, Primal Calamity ()
The Elder Demon of Dominaria
The mightiest of the four demons that had struck a bargain with Liliana Vess.
Notes
- Ugin was revealed to be spawned from The Ur-Dragon alongside his twin, Nicol Bolas, in a later Magic story, confirming he was born an Elder Dragon. [7]
- Although many cards have "elder" in their name (for example Argothian Elder, Elder Land Wurm, Leaf-Crowned Elder [8] or Revered Elder) none of them have the subtype Elder.
- Although Niv-Mizzet is over 10,000 years old, he is not considered an Elder Dragon.
See also
References
- ↑ Error on call to {{WebRef}}: Parameters url and title must be specifiedDoug Beyer (2014). "". Tumblr.
- ↑ Error on call to {{WebRef}}: Parameters url and title must be specifiedDoug Beyer (2014). "". Tumblr.
- ↑ Error on call to {{WebRef}}: Parameters url and title must be specifiedDoug Beyer (March 2, 2015). "". Tumblr.
- ↑ Elder Dragons (comic)
- ↑ Error on call to {{WebRef}}: Parameters url and title must be specifiedDoug Beyer (March 2, 2015). "". Tumblr.
- ↑ Template:NewRef
- ↑ Error on call to {{WebRef}}: Parameters url and title must be specifiedDoug Beyer (February, 2015). "". Tumblr.
- ↑ Template:NewRef
