Rebel

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Rebel
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Introduced	Mercadian Masques
Last used	Avatar: The Last Airbender
Beeble Scale	7
Scryfall Statistics
cards
token creation cards
artworks

Rebel is a job present on creature and kindred cards. Debuting in Mercadian Masques, the creature type was heavily featured as part of the Masques block and later reappeared in the Time Spiral block. They were infamous for a "recruiting" mechanic that took over Masques block Constructed. Up until Planar Chaos, Rebels were all white creatures, except for the green Skyshroud Poacher and black Rebel Informer. Planar Chaos produced four black Rebels, and after Future Sight they would not be revisited until Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

Description

Rebels are individuals or groups of individuals that resist an authority, including by use of violence. They are often motivated by their dedication to a cause and their devotion to fellow rebels. Some rebels may fight against oppression or, more fundamentally, for survival. Others, however, may be idealists who crusade for a noble and righteous cause, while others may yet be underhanded troublemakers striving to undermine legitimate authorities.

Mechanic

Like many creatures of the Mercenary creature type, most Rebels can "recruit" other Rebels (i.e., allowing a player to search their library and putting a Rebel card from it onto the battlefield). Due to their infectious enthusiasm, Rebels can recruit creatures more powerful (that is, with a higher casting cost) than they are. This was framed in contrast to Mercenaries, who could only cajole weaker creatures. In 2018, Rebels were said to be unlikely to return, because R&D moved away from tutoring mechanics as they greatly reduce game variance. By 2025, Mark Rosewater noted that Design had "cooled" on tutoring mechanics because of their effect on gameplay. He rated the chance of the Rebel's "recruit" mechanic returning to Standard a 9 on the Storm Scale.

Return

Though the 2017 set Aether Revolt featured an uprising, R&D chose not to use the creature class to avoid 'creature type creep'.

In 2023, five Rebels (plus one in the associated Commander release) appeared for flavor reasons in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. In this case, they were detached from the Masques block tutoring mechanic. Rebel tokens are created through the For Mirrodin! mechanic in the same set, and with the mechanics on most of the printed Rebels, played towards an Equipment theme.

The plot of various games in the Final Fantasy series regularly features guerilla groups operating against oppressive regimes or corporations, which led to various new legendary rebels. The set's rebels also feature an equipment sub-theme, representing the various accessories, weapons, and armor of the franchise.

Notable Rebels

Avishkar/Kaladesh

• Pia Nalaar (storyline)

Dominaria

• Cho-Manno
• Lin Sivvi

Mirrodin/New Phyrexia

• Jor Kadeen
• Neyali
• Rhuk

Un-iverse

• Alexander Clamilton

Universes Beyond

Doctor Who

• Ace (Card)

Final Fantasy

• Ashelia "Ashe" B'nargin Dalmasca (Card)
• Avalanche (FFVII)
  • Barret Wallace (cards)
  • Biggs (Card)
  • Jessie Rasberry (Card)
  • Wedge (Card)
• Banon (Card)
• Firion (Card)
• Lyse Hext (Card)
• Rinoa Heartilly (Card)
• Snow Villiers (Card)

Notable rebellions

• The Cho-Arrim
• The Ramosians
• Rathi Tribes
• The Renegades of Ghirapur.

Kindred type

• Bound in Silence is a kindred Rebel card from Future Sight's futureshifted list which can be fetched by any card that searches for Rebels. It was a mechanical preview for Lorwyn's themes.

Tokens

Token name	Color	Type line	P/T	Text box	Source	Printings
Rebel		Creature — Rebel	2/2		Barbed Batterfist Barret, Avalanche Leader Blade of Shared Souls Bladehold Cleaver Bladehold War-Whip Dragonwing Glider Glimmer Lens Goldwardens' Gambit Goldwarden's Helm Hexgold Halberd Hexgold Hoverwings Hexgold Sledge Hexplate Wallbreaker Kemba's Banner Mirran Bardiche Otharri, Suns' Glory Sylvok Battle-Chair Vulshok Splitter

Test cards

Token name	Color	Type line	P/T	Text box	Source	Printings
Human Rebel		Creature — Human Rebel	1/1		Tarkiran Towelsbane

Trivia

• Frontline Rebel, Quicksmith Rebel and Vengeful Rebel don't have the subtype Rebel. (See the note above about the lack of rebels in Aether Revolt.)