Snake

Snake

 

Naga

 

Snake
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Beeble Scale	5
Statistics	153 cards 0.7% 0.7% 14.4% 15.7% 1.3% 53.6% 1.3% 1.3% 5.9% 2.6% 2.6% 24 Snake creation cards 20.8% 8.3% 50% 4.2% 4.2% 12.5% as of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
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type:"Snake"

Snake is a creature type used for cards that depict scaled, limbless, reptiles with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs. However, when appearing as Snake-folk they do have arms. Naga was incorporated into this subtype in 2023 based on Wizard's terminology changes.

History

The first creature to bear the type was River Boa in Visions (though Crypt Cobra and Sabertooth Cobra from Mirage, the Hornet Cobra from Legends, and Nafs Asp from Antiquities were later issued errata to become Snakes). After the Grand Creature Type Update Snake became a common "tribe".

Storyline

Alara

Coatl

The coatl are large, winged serpents created during the Conflux on Alara. The nacatl call them "vetli", a word that means "poison arrow". Wingless variants also exist, whose scales are believed to be inscribed with secrets.

Amonkhet

Serpopards

Based on an actual mythological creature, serpopards are cat snakes endemic to Amonkhet. They were kept in the menagerie of the god Rhonas.

Dominaria

Hornet Cobras

Hornet Cobras were poisonous serpents. One was summoned by the Calthyn Elves while fighting against the Kieryn Elves in the White Woods of Corondor.

Dementia Snakemen

Dementia Snakemen were created by Chainer when he exiled the First to Aphetto. The creatures were sent ahead of the First to seize control of the city before he arrived to make his takeover more difficult, although the First did eventually convince them to obey him. They were created using the power of the Mirari and continued to exist after Chainer's death, serving the Patriarch as bodyguards and assassins.

Ixalan

Coatl

Coatls are large serpents with feathered wings that are native to the continent of Ixalan. The River Heralds rever the Coatl as representative of the wisdom of the sky and the rivers that twist through the air to reflect the course of rivers along the ground.

Coatls are immortal guardians of the sky, dwelling always among the clouds. The River Heralds say that they can be enticed to the ground by the earnest supplication of the wisest of merfolk shamans. Coatls are said to be wise beyond mortal measure and incapable of speaking a falsehood, so their advice is often sought in times of desperate need. The sight of a coatl is thought to foretell favorable winds — a belief that has begun to spread from the River Herald shamans to the pirates of the Brazen Coalition.

Given their similar appearance and color alignment, they may have some connection to the Deep God Ojer Pakpatiq.

Kamigawa

Orochi

Orochi (oh-ROH-chee; Kamigawan: orochi-bito, lit. "snakefolk") originally were anthropomorphic four-armed snakefolk that inhabited the Jukai Forest of Kamigawa (Orochi Colony). They were segregated into three main tribes: the Kashi tribe (KAH-shee; Kamigawan: lit. "Oak"), which housed and bred the warriors of their kind; the Matsu tribe (MAHT-soo; Kamigawan: lit. "Pine"), which were snipers and scouts; and the Sakura tribe (SAH-koo-rah; Kamigawan: lit. "Cherry"), which associated with the race's shamanic rituals and teachings. Of course, each tribe had its exceptions.

Contrary to what humans believe, Orochi are not immune to their venom. One of the numerous rituals orochi undergo to become full-fledged members of the Kashi Tribe is to drink a mixture of all the other warriors’ venom from an ancient cup.

For centuries, the Orochi were simple hunters who led their lives in harmony with the forest's kami, perhaps the most in tune with the kami of all the plane's mortals. When the Kami War began, the orochi were despondent. At first, they refused to take up arms against the nature spirits they worshipped, letting themselves be slaughtered instead. The orochi Suzue sought out the budoka Dosan, and raised her son Seshiro among the monks of Okina Shrine. Seshiro would go on to become Broodmaster, and his children Sosuke and Sachi would lead the Matsu and Sakura tribes, respectively.

After the war, the Orochi returned to their peaceful coexistence with the kami. However, the construction of the city of Towashi and the destruction of the forest that came with it enraged the kami. They drove out all who had been living within its borders and closed the forest off to everyone — including the Orochi.

Cut off from their ancestral homeland, the Orochi struggled to fit in. New akki inventions and moonfolk experiments with the merging realms had fueled a boom of innovation and new access to power that the Orochi found themselves unable to keep up with. Even worse, they could no longer draw on the kamis' powers as they were used to.

Desperate, the Orochi appealed to the kami for help. In the end, it was the kirin who answered that call. But the kirin refused to become the Orochi's new patron, as they first requested. Instead, through a series of tasks and quests, the kirin helped the Orochi understand the truth behind their loss of power: the kami of Jukai Forest, in their anger at the mortals, hadn't stopped at physically ejecting them from the forest but had cut off all who drew strength from them as well. The Orochi could regain their power, but they had to prove their willingness and sacrifice to the forest kami first: they had to give up a set of arms and legs and revert to simpler forms. The catch was that doing so would make integration into modern-day Kamigawa even more difficult.

The kami had deliberately set a request they expected the Orochi wouldn't agree to. However, the Orochi surprised them by accepting these terms without hesitation and even offered to give up their remaining set of arms as well. Touched by their devotion, the kami granted the Orochi power magnitudes greater than what they had ever had before, and instead of simply taking all their limbs, granted the Orochi a new form to help them better channel that power.

Orochi magic is based on reverence to kami of the land itself and is noticeably tied to the seasons (see also: Orochi ability).

Ravnica

Coiling Oracle

Snaking remnants of nature directed by a body of thought and progress, the coiling oracles are a blend of snake and elf that embody all that is Simic.

Patagia Viper

Using its membranes, the Patagia Viper can glide between buildings. They are capable of obtaining lift within the course of these flights.

Theros

Snakes that mirror Greek myths

Greek Mythology describes several particular snakes, many of which are directly referenced by snakes from Theros. Snake of the Golden Grove is a reference to the Drakon Kholkikos, a giant snake or dragon, as the two creatures were not always clearly distinct in Greek myth, that guarded the Golden Fleece and was eventually slain by Jason and his Argonauts. Nemesis of Mortals is a reference to Python, a giant snake that was an enemy of Apollo. Nessian Asp references the amphisbaena, a type of two-headed snake often referenced in Greek texts.

Servants of Pharika or Erebos

Other snakes of Theros are not referencing any particular Greek Myth, but are simply servants of Erebos or Pharika. This is depicted in Pharika's Chosen, Erebos's Emissary, Pharika's Cure, and Pharika, God of Affliction

Typhons

Introduced in Theros: Beyond Death, Typhons are a species of the ravenous snake beasts native to the Underworld of Theros. They are based on the giant monster of the same name from Greek Myth.

Tarkir

Both the Sultai Brood and its successor, the Silumgar Brood use snakes. This is depicted in Ukud Cobra, Hooded Hydra, Rite of the Serpent, and Sudden Reclamation.

Gorgons

The Gorgons of Theros have snakelike hair and bodies.

Nagas

The Nagas are snake-folk found on Amonkhet and Tarkir.

Notable Snakes

Dominaria

• Leer, Soot, Barrel, Grim and Nod, Chainer's snake-man assassins.

Kamigawa

• Chishiro
• Kaseto
• Sachi
• Sakiko
• Sasaya
• Seshiro
• Shidako
• Shigeki
• Shisato
• Shizuko
• Sosuke
• Suzue

Ikoria

• Xyris

Ravnica

• Lonis

Non-canon

• Sivriss, Nightmare Speaker

Notable Naga

Amonkhet

• Kamat
• Imoti

Tarkir

• Ikra Shidiqi
• Kadena
• Omarthis
• Sidisi

Gallery

• 

  Orochi dwelling concept by Anthony Scott Waters.

Creature Update

Creature types changed into Snake include:

• Asp (Nafs Asp)
• Cobra (Hornet Cobra)
• Poison-Snake (Serpent Generator)
• Python (Python)
• Viper (Marsh Viper)
• Naga

Examples of other snake species included in the Snake type

• Mold Adder
• Anaconda
• Boa Constrictor
• Blight Mamba
• Ribbon Snake

Tokens

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Snake	Black	Creature — Snake	1/1	Deathtouch	Ophiomancer
	Black/​Green	Enchantment Creature — Snake	1/1	Deathtouch	Pharika, God of Affliction
	Green	Creature — Snake	1/1		Bestial Menace Cobra Trap Endless Swarm Hooded Hydra Orochi Eggwatcher Orochi Hatchery Rite of the Serpent Seed the Land Snake Basket Snake Pit Sosuke's Summons Xyris, the Writhing Storm
	Green	Creature — Snake	1/1	Deathtouch	Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
	Green/​Blue	Creature — Snake	1/1		Patagia Viper
	Colorless	Artifact Creature — Snake	1/1	Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, that player gets a poison counter.	Serpent Generator
	Green	Creature — Snake	5/4		Rhonas's Last Stand
Honored Hydra	White	Creature — Zombie Snake Hydra	6/6	Trample	Honored Hydra
Tah-Crop Skirmisher	White	Creature — Zombie Snake Warrior	2/1		Tah-Crop Skirmisher
Champion of Wits	Black	Creature — Zombie Snake Wizard	4/4	When Champion of Wits enters the battlefield, you may draw cards equal to its power. If you do, discard two cards.	Champion of Wits
Fanatic of Rhonas	Black	Creature — Zombie Snake Druid	4/4	: Add . Ferocious — : Add . Activate only if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.	Fanatic of Rhonas
Sinuous Striker	Black	Creature — Zombie Snake Warrior	4/4	: Sinuous Striker gets +1/-1 until end of turn.	Sinuous Striker
Broodbirth Viper	Blue	Creature — Snake	3/3	Whenever Broodbirth Viper deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card.	Broodbirth Viper
Mist-Syndicate Naga	Blue	Creature — Snake Ninja	3/1	Ninjutsu Whenever Mist-Syndicate Naga deals combat damage to a player, create a token that’s a copy of Mist-Syndicate Naga.	Mist-Syndicate Naga

Test cards

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Snake	Black	Creature — Snake	1/1	Deathtouch	Pick Your Poison

Trivia

• Skeletal Snake — The only Skeleton Snake. Also depicted on Necrobite
• Wall of Vipers — The only Wall Snake.
• Zombie Boa and Rotting Fensnake — The only Zombie Snakes.
• Coiled Tinviper, Vector Asp, Narnam Cobra, and Stonecoil Serpent — Artifact Snakes.
• Patagia Viper, Ribbon Snake, Ice-Fang Coatl, Winged Coatl, and Spire Winder — Flying Snakes.
• Serpent Assassin and Serpent Warrior — Pre-Orochi Snake-People from Portal.
• Snakeform is an instant that can turn a creature into a green Snake with base power and toughness 1/1.
• Jinxed Choker is a thin silver snake that slowly tightens its grip.
• Thieving Amalgam is an Ape Snake.
• Xyris, the Writhing Storm is a Snake Leviathan
• Animal Sanctuary is a land that can put +1/+1 counters on snakes.