Naga

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Naga
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Introduced	Khans of Tarkir
Last used	Obsolete
Updated to	Snake
Beeble Scale	10
Scryfall Statistics
former Naga cards
artworks

Naga is an obsolete creature type that originally was introduced in Khans of Tarkir. Before that, Nagas also had been mentioned in Ravnica's storyline. The type was made obsolete with the release of Modern Horizons 3, with all cards that previous had the Naga type being given errata to be the Snake type to be more consistent with how other humanoid animals are typed.

Description

Nagas are snake-like creatures with a humanoid upper body and a serpentine lower body (similar to gorgons).

History

The creative team felt justified in distinguishing naga from snakes because it was a very resonant and popular mythological creature in non-Western culture. Still, the decision was met with mixed responses. People questioned the need of a separate creature type, drawing comparisons with Aven, Ainok, Khenra and Leonin. As a separate creature type, Nagas had minimal typal support compared to the pre-existing Snake creature type.

Naga was re-used in Amonkhet block, in part to give more diversity to the game's creature types and make them less Euro-centric.

In 2023, R&D reviewed its stance toward Naga as part of the digital release of Khans of Tarkir on Magic: The Gathering Arena. The decision was made to obsolete the type and errata all instances of Naga to Snake. This change was not made with the release of Khans of Tarkir (as the Oracle updates are tied to physical set releases), but instead was implemented with the release of Modern Horizons 3.

Storyline

Amonkhet

The Naga of Amonkhet have many features of cobras, with the males sprouting larger hoods than the females. As with most races, they are among the citizens of Naktamun on Amonkhet. Naga believe in a principle called the Sweetest Harmony, which describes a perfect balance between the body and the mind. Finding that balance, as they understand it, is a sure path to glory in the trials. Just so, mental strength supports physical capabilities. Physical fortitude feeds mental tenacity, so neither mind nor body can exist in isolation. In the same way, the naga believe that Kefnet and Rhonas exist in interdependence and that their trials are best conceived as two halves of a whole. Traditionally, they shed their skin before entering a trial, symbolically leaving their weaknesses behind them.

Ravnica

On Ravnica, Naga appear as members of the Golgari Swarm.

Tarkir

Original timeline

The Sultai Brood of Tarkir is ruled by the naga, who have made allegiances with Rakshasa to gain incredible necromancy powers. The naga are ruthless and decadent and are led by the merciless Sidisi, queen of the naga. They are descended from ancient human leaders that made pacts with the Rakshasa, and for this reason bear a lot of resentment and cruelty towards humans, whom they view as inferior. They claim lineage to Tarkir's dragons as their ancestors as propaganda.

Naga magic deals with the modification of the form, whether through shapeshifting or necromancy.

Current timeline

In the new timeline, Naga were forced into becoming slaves, undead or otherwise, by Silumgar as the result of a pact Tasigur made with the dragon. Under their breath, they spread rumors that they related to the dragons in some way. The naga translators of the Silumgar clan are often the first and fastest to gain favor. They are also the first to abuse what they have earned. They have been known to take liberties with their translations, thinking themselves clever.

After the overthrow of Silumgar and the revival of the Sultai, naga are some of the most powerful magic users on the plane, and they are experts at wielding and manipulating life essence to harm and to help. Many villages within the Sultai have a naga protector; separate from the mayor or lead necromancer, they guard the village and surrounding region from threats both within and outside of the clans, passing judgment and punishment in the form of blessings or curses.

Notable Naga

Before becoming an obsolete creature type, the following notable creatures were Naga.

Amonkhet

• Kamat
• Imoti

Tarkir

• Ikra Shidiqi
• Kadena
• Omarthis
• Sidisi

Trivia

• Nāga is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for "snake", which also refers to a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very great snake — specifically the king cobra, found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. A female Nāga is a nāgī or nāgiṇī.

Tokens

Before becoming an obsolete creature type, the following cards created Naga tokens: Tah-Crop Skirmisher, Mist-Syndicate Naga, Champion of Wits, and Sinuous Striker.

Token name	Color	Type line	P/T	Text box	Source	Printings
Tah-Crop Skirmisher		Creature — Zombie Naga Warrior	2/1		Tah-Crop Skirmisher
Mist-Syndicate Naga		Creature — Naga 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
Champion of Wits		Creature — Zombie Naga 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
Sinuous Striker		Creature — Zombie Naga Warrior	4/4	: Sinuous Striker gets +1/-1 until end of turn.	Sinuous Striker