Scarecrow
Scarecrow is an artifact creature type used for cards depicting vaguely humanoid objects dressed in old clothes. Scarecrows originally were just simple objects to keep birds off the crops. The scarecrows of Shadowmoor were magicly enhanced by kithkin cobblesmiths to help them with farming. Over the time some of them got lost or outlived their creators and took a life on their own. Those scarecrows are led by the Reaper King.
The first creature to bear the type Scarecrow was the original Scarecrow from The Dark, though it only gained the subtype first in the Grand Creature Type Update, together with Straw Soldiers from Portal Three Kingdoms. Shadowmoor block added 23 Scarecrows at once. Mechanically they often deal with colors and -1/-1 counters.
Afterwards came One-Eyed Scarecrow from Innistrad, which discourages flying creatures just like the original Scarecrow and the intended purpose of real life Scarecrows.
Trivia
- Straw Soldiers is not an artifact creature, but should have been in retrospect.
- Reaper King is the only multicolored artifact Scarecrow.