entertainment / Tuesday, 26-Aug-2025

Magic: The Gathering's Latest Tarkir: Dragonstorm Previews Reveal A Correction 11 Years In The Making

Magic: The Gathering's recent batch of Tarkir: Dragonstorm previews have shown off a correction to one of the game's creature types that was originally introduced in the 2014 set, Khans of Tarkir. The original set introduced Tarkir's five clans, each inspired by a different historical culture from across Asia. Although the plane of Tarkir and its clans quickly became favorites among Magic: The Gathering players, Khans of Tarkir wasn't always perfect in the way that it represented the cultures that inspired its design. Now, Tarkir: Dragonstorm is taking steps to fix that original mistake.

As is common with Magic: The Gathering sets, previews for Tarkir: Dragonstorm have been rolling in as we get nearer to the set's April 11, 2025, release date. I'm thrilled to see that these previews seem to show a return to form for Magic's strong world-building and internal storytelling, after some lackluster designs last year. I was also pleased to see that Wizards of the Coast has made an effort to update some of the original depictions of certain creatures to make them better suited to their real-world inspirations.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Preview Reveals Reworked Rakshasa

Rot-Curse Rakshasa Is The First Full Look At A Rakshasa On A New Card

Recently, Rot-Curse Rakshasa gave us the first full look at Magic: The Gathering's redesigned Rakshasa on a new card. Although the card Rakshasa's Bargain previously gave us a glimpse at the titular creature type's hands, Rot-Curse Rakshasa is the first full-body shot we've gotten on a Tarkir: Dragonstorm card. The intimidating Rakshasa - illustrated by Chris Rahn - shows off a much more traditional Rakshasa than Magic: The Gathering featured in the original Khans of Tarkir block.

Related
Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Release Date, Pricing, Sets, & Cards Info

Magic: The Gathering's upcoming set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, will be released soon, and it will take us back to one of Magic's most exciting locations.

Previously, Magic: The Gathering's Rakshasa cards were humanoid tiger creatures, which was reflected in their Cat Demon card type. Tarkir: Dragonstorm's new Rakshasa cards feature blue humanoid demons with four arms, and the Cat typing has been dropped, leaving them simply as Demons. Players familiar with Rakshasa strictly from Magic: The Gathering, or Dungeons & Dragons' new Monster Manual, may be confused about this drastic change to their appearance, but it makes a lot more sense when you know the origins of Rakshasa.

How And Why Rakshasa Were Redesigned In Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Rakshasa Were Brought More In Line With Their Cultural Inspiration

Dungeons and Dragons Rakshasa monster from 2025 Monster Manual
Dungeons and Dragons Rakshasa monster from 2025 Monster Manual

Changing Rakshasa from humanoid cats to four-armed demons was not some arbitrary decision made by Wizards of the Coast when it came time to design Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Instead, it was the result of Magic's design team working alongside cultural consultants to create the new set, which was announced on Twitter alongside the first look at Tarkir: Dragonstorm last October. The new appearance of Rakshasa in Magic: The Gathering is now much more in-line with their depictions in real-world statues.

Rakshasa originate from several belief systems, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Magic: The Gathering's Sultai Brood is inspired by the Khmer Empire whose people practiced both Hinduism and Buddhism, which is likely part of the reason Wizards of the Coast decided to include Rakshasa as a creature type for the clan. However, the original version of Rakshasa in Magic took more visual cues from the Dungeons & Dragons version of Rakshasa, which is where the cat-like appearance came from.

Related
Magic: The Gathering's Upcoming Set Could Solve Its Story Problems, But It Might Be Too Late

Magic: The Gathering's upcoming Tarkir: Dragonstorm set looks promising after several gimmicky set themes, but it might be too late to save the IP.

Magic: The Gathering content creator Spice8Rack's YouTube video on Tarkir gives a more comprehensive look at the way pop-cultural influences shaped how Magic depicted Rakshasa, and how it changed from the mythological version. When designing Tarkir: Dragonstorm, it's clear that Wizards of the Coast and their cultural consultants decided it would make more sense to draw from the original depictions of Rakshasa rather than pop-cultural ones, to better fit the culture that the Sultai Brood are meant to represent. This move seems perfectly in line with Wizards of the Coast's recent efforts to be more culturally sensitive.

Wizards' Rakshasa Redesign Continues The Company's Recent Trend Of Cultural Sensitivity

Wizards Of The Coast Has Been Working To Update Potentially Contentious Aspects Of Their Games

D&D PHB 2024 Art showing Orcs in a western desert setting getting along.
D&D PHB 2024 Art showing Orcs in a western desert setting getting along.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm's new Rakshasa aren't the first redesign that Magic: The Gathering has undergone in the name of cultural sensitivity. Previously, Wizards of the Coast announced that they would no longer be using the term "Tribal" on cards like Bitterblossom or All Is Dust, and would be switching to "Typal," a change the company credits to input from consultants on Magic: The Gathering's website. And it isn't just Magic, Wizards has also been making an effort to avoid potentially problematic elements in newer editions of Dungeons & Dragons.

While D&D's Rakshasa haven't changed in the latest edition, the new Player's Handbook made controversial changes to Orcs. The game now depicts Orcs as a more nuanced group as opposed to a species that is all evil and aggressive. This helps avoid the idea of racial essentialism that was baked into D&D's previous Orcs - and much of the fantasy genre - which has unfortunate allegorical implications when applied to real life.

​​​​​​​

Related
After 6 Years, I've Started Playing Magic: The Gathering Online Again - Here's Why You Should Too

After years of not being able to play MTG consistently, finding Magic: The Gathering Online has been a great experience with plenty of rewards.

I appreciate Wizards of the Coast's efforts to update potentially problematic elements as opposed to simply eliminating them. Rakshasa aren't terribly common in Magic: The Gathering, and it would have been easy for the company to simply stop printing new cards instead of correcting their mistakes. Making this correction with the help of cultural consultants shows that Wizards of the Coast is a company that is willing to learn from its past missteps and evolve, which is ultimately more productive than simply avoiding controversy.

Sources: Magic: The Gathering/Twitter, Spice8Rack/YouTube, Magic: The Gathering

Main Genre
Fantasy
Release Date
August 5, 1993
Created by
Richard Garfield
Character(s)
Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Liliana Vess, Garruk Wildspeaker, Nissa Revane, Ajani Goldmane, Nicol Bolas, Teferi, Gideon Jura, Sorin Markov, Ral Zarek
Video Game(s)
Magic: The Gathering, Magic the Gathering Commander, Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds, Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014, Magic: The Gathering Arena

buzzfunnow

Fresh, fast, and fun — all the entertainment you need in one place.

© Buzzfunnow. All Rights Reserved. Designed by buzzfunnow