The popular card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG) may be phasing out some of its long-standing creature types, according to recent blog posts by the game’s lead designer, Mark Rosewater. The discussion arose when a comment questioned why the creature type “Witch” was excluded due to its real-world religious association while “Druid” and “Shaman” still exist. Rosewater responded that the MTG team is currently examining the topic and considering retiring Druid and Shaman as creature types.
MTG draws inspiration from various real-world sources for its lore and design, incorporating creatures from different cultures and worlds into general categories. However, some creature types, such as Druid and Shaman, utilize terms with real-world associations. While Druid has become heavily associated with Dungeons and Dragons and other pop culture representations, it remains to be seen if Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) will distance themselves from this archetype in future releases.
Although the topic of Druid has been brought up within WOTC, changes may not be necessary overall. Rosewater indicated that Druid is less of an issue compared to Shaman. This suggests that while cultural sensitivity may prompt some changes, they might not all be implemented at once, if at all. WOTC has already been redefining its language use, with “Tribal” being internally revised as “Typal.” It remains to be seen if the phasing out of creature types like Druid and Shaman will be part of a broader rebranding effort by Wizards in the future.