MTG players point out Wizards has ignored one type of card for 24 years

Rebels made a major impact in MTG when they first debuted, but their presence in the game has never reached the same heights again.

With the constant rate of recent MTG releases, players have a lot to discuss around these new sets. Following the release of Universes Beyond: Fallout, one particular fan has whipped up a debate as to why exactly a particular creature type has been more or less ignored by Wizards recently. 

The Rebel Creature type looked set to be a stalwart of MTG following its debut and incredibly potent showing way back in the Masques block. Since then, support for this Creature type has dwindled, and one fan in particular is less than pleased.

Is Wizards choosing to avoid Rebels on purpose?

WOTC

In a post on the MTG Subreddit, user SepirizFG argues that Universes Beyond: Fallout would have been the perfect place for Rebels to make a major return, stating that:

“With Rebellion being one of the main themes of the series, with Fallout 3 even starting with the Revolt of Vault 101 as the first major story point, the complete lack of the type feels wrong.”

SepirizFG makes the argument that the specter of Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero, and the card’s overwhelming power at release, has led to Wizards being too gun-shy to bring back Rebels even when it makes perfect sense in a particular MTG set.

MTG fans discuss why Rebels won’t make a major comeback 

Other MTG fans have come up with a valid reason as to why Rebels don’t have the presence in MTG that they once did, and it has little to do with previous formats. 

As part of the same thread, Reddit Commenter Zaphodava replied: 

“The rebel mechanic is one of the ‘shuffle every turn’ mechanics, and they realized that is not good for the game.” 

Their opinion was backed up by commenter BenBleiWeiss, who stated: 

“It’s because the mechanics of “shuffle every turn” and “get the same creatures in progression (more or less)” every game make for two extremely unfun gameplay loops in the abstract.” 

User EmTeeEm put the final nail in the coffin of Rebels’ return, neatly summing up the argument that other users were making: 

“Magic has a lot of types that want support, and a niche one from nearly 25 years ago isn’t going to be at the top of the list. Especially when its cornerstone mechanic was repetitive gameplay that required constant shuffling.” 

The overall health of Magic is dependent on curtailing gameplay that proves to be overwhelmingly linear or eats up too much gameplay time with activity like excessive shuffling. While Rebels may be a beloved and flavorful Creature type for many longtime MTG fans, it would appear that they are hamstrung by their associated mechanics. 

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