Dinosaur

Dinosaur
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/tribal cards)
Statistics	97 cards 19.6% 2.1% 3.1% 26.8% 37.1% 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 2.1%
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type:"Dinosaur"

Dinosaur is a creature type used for cards depicting prehistoric reptile-like and related creatures. Dinosaurs can be bipedal or quadrupedal species. Elaborate display structures such as horns or crests are common to all dinosaur groups, and some have skeletal modifications such as bony armor and spines. According to modern science, dinosaurs are ancestors of birds and many non-avian dinosaurs were feathered themselves.

Etymology

The real-world term 'dinosaur' is derived from the modern Latin dinosaurus via the Greek deinos, meaning 'terrible', 'horrible', 'fearful', 'astounding', 'marvelous', 'mighty' or 'powerful' and sauros, meaning 'lizard', which itself is an extisting creature type and the creature type originally printed on numerous Dinosaurs prior to the Ixalan block.

Definition

Current scientific consensus is that the definition of dinosaurs excludes the flying pterosaurs, as well as the various groups of marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. This distinction is largely ignored in popular culture and similarly in Magic: The Gathering, where pterosaurs are typed as Dinosaur creatures.

History

Pygmy Allosaurus from Ice Age was the first card to be printed with the creature type Dinosaur. The type was dropped in the Grand Creature Type Update and subsequent Dinosaurs were printed as Lizard Beasts (Crag Saurian, Shivan Raptor, Gnathosaur, Imperiosaur and Deathmist Raptor). Old Fogey from Unhinged was the only exception; the card retained the subtype Dinosaur, because un-cards were eliminated from the Comprehensive Rules list.

According to Aaron Forsythe, a dinosaur world was "unlikely to happen, because they do nothing". However, on Announcement Day in june 2017 it was revealed that the Ixalan block would feature feathered dinosaurs. Kelly Digges confirmed on Twitter that the creature type would be restored and existing dinos would get Oracle updates. In September 2017, 13 older cards were indeed updated to have the subtype. With this, Fungusaur from Alpha retroactively became the earliest card with the subtype. In January 2018, four more cards were updated.

In Ixalan block, Dinosaurs is actually one of the four main supported tribes.

Storyline

Dominaria

Scaly allosaurs and raptors once roamed areas such as Shiv. The Territorial Allosaurus is still a living remnant of the Ice Age. The Windgrace Acolytes fly on pterodactyl-like creatures.

Fiora

Like on Ixalan, Fiora's wilderness is home to feathered raptorian dinosaurs. Selvala of Alberon is known to be able to call them as she can do with many other wild beasts and birds.

Ixalan

Dinosaurs are the dominant wildlife in the world of Ixalan, inhabiting its jungles and especially the lands of the Sun Empire, where some are controlled by the Sun Empire (without being domesticated). Unlike dinosaurs from other planes, these bear brilliant plumage in multiple colors. They are associated with the sun, and local dinosaur avatars embody different solar stages. The humans of the Sun Empire believe them to be creations from Kinjalli, who made them out of stone.

Elder Dinosaurs

The Elder Dinosaurs were apparently preserved for ages in the Golden City of Orazca. Compared to their smaller cousins they have less colorful plumage and more grayish scales, but their feathers are a bright gold that matches the city itself. They are strong willed and ferocious, but the power of the Immortal Sun give the Sun Empire warriors who wield it the ability to bring these elder dinosaurs under their command. The tale of the Elder Dinosaurs had taken Huatli the longest to memorize, an agonizing two years to lock in her mind in its entirety. They were ancient and wild, utterly untamable, the greatest of the dinosaurs.

Mirrodin

Pterons, pterodactyl-like flying creatures, soar the skies above the Razor Fields of Mirrodin. They are associated with White, though they aren't represented in cards other than Pteron Ghost (which is a pure spirit).

Tyrranax are giant predatory reptiles that roam the Tangle, feeding on any lesser creature.

Muraganda

Imperiosaurs and other giant saurians inhabit this primeval and wild plane and are sometimes victims to the dreaded Mimeoplasm.

Ravnica

Dinosaurs have been known to exist on Ravnica, often intruding on the urban territory, such as Ripscale Predator

Tarkir

The mist valleys are home to some fearsome raptorian saurians with camouflage abilities.

Trivia

• Raptor Hatchling is the smallest Dinosaur (1/1), and Ghalta, Primal Hunger is the largest (12/12).
• Dinosaur Hunter is a human pirate able to destroy dinosaurs.
• Fountain of Ichor can become a 3/3 Dinosaur artifact creature.

Tokens

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Dinosaur	Red	Creature — Dinosaur	1/1	Haste	Forbidden Friendship
	Red	Creature — Dinosaur	3/1		Bonehoard Dracosaur Poetic Ingenuity Scalestorm Summoner
	Green	Creature — Dinosaur	3/3		Nurturing Bristleback Roar of the Fifth People
	Green	Creature — Dinosaur	3/3	Trample	Baffling End Crested Herdcaller Huatli, Warrior Poet Raptor Hatchling Regisaur Alpha Thundering Spineback Welcome to ...
	Green	Creature — Dinosaur	X/X	Trample	Ghalta and Mavren
	Red/​White	Creature — Dinosaur	2/2	Flying, haste	Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Dinosaur Beast	Green	Creature — Dinosaur Beast	X/X	Trample	Quartzwood Crasher
Dinosaur Cat	Red/​White	Creature — Dinosaur Cat	2/2		Gavi, Nest Warden
Dinosaur Egg	Green	Creature — Dinosaur Egg	0/1		Palani's Hatcher
Fungus Dinosaur	Green	Creature — Fungus Dinosaur	X/X		The Skullspore Nexus
Polyraptor	Green	Creature — Dinosaur	5/5	Enrage — Whenever Polyraptor is dealt damage, create a token that’s a copy of Polyraptor.	Polyraptor
Compy Swarm	Black/​Green	Creature — Dinosaur	2/2	At the beginning of your end step, if a creature died this turn, create a tapped token that's a copy of Compy Swarm.	Compy Swarm