| Viashino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creature Type | |
| (Subtype for creature/tribal cards) | |
| Statistics |
43 cards
as of Commander Legends 76.7%  4.7%  4.7%  4.7%  9.3% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| type:"Viashino" | |
Viashino is a predominantly red creature type describing intelligent bipedal humanoid lizard-folk descended from Dragons, over whom they exert some power.[1] The savage Viashino possess lean but muscular builds and can be agile, quick, and vicious when necessary.
History
Before they appeared on cards, the viashino were mentioned in The Prodigal Sorcerer novel. The novel came out exactly a year before Mirage was released. The Viashino were a creation of Mark Sumner for this novel, and the team behind Mirage liked them enough to incorporate them into the game. A likely prototype of them, the Viashin, appeared in Sumner's short story "Storm Winter", published in Dragon Magazine #163.
Viashino were introduced to the game in Mirage (Viashino Warrior and the legendary Hivis of the Scale and Zirilan of the Claw).[2]
The Lizard Warrior from Portal depicted a Viashino, but didn't have the subtype. The creature type returned in Visions, Urza's Saga and later sets. Mark Rosewater's opinion is that it was a mistake to create the Viashino subtype for the Lizard folk.[3]
Storyline
Dominaria
In Dominaria, viashino are the main civilization on the Shivan sands. In addition to Shiv, they may be found throughout the Burning Isles and as far west as Jamuraa. The viashino live in clan communities, each of which led by a ''bey'', and have a society of warriors. They live almost exclusively in simple desert camps, which can disappear in minutes if they decide to mobilize.[4] In spite of the emphasis on militarism and their warrior code, the viashino are also known for their metalsmithing and crafts. As harsh as the desert is, the viashino are suited to it, relying on "sand swimming" for transportation and tactical advantage.
Viashino have constantly been skirmishing with the Goblins, which are also native to Shiv; the Ghitu tribe of humans; and even the Shivan dragons themselves. In the face of any outside adversity, the viashino often became staunch allies of the goblins and the Ghitu. The four species now have formed the Shivan Nation together.[4]
The Viashino of Tamingazin live in the city Berimish. The city does not have any stairs, as they prefer to use climbing poles.[5] Older viashino “retire to the breeding house” and they don't know their own gender until they reach maturity.
En'Jaga
The wild En'Jaga of Tamingazin are possibly related to the viashino.[5] They are twice as high as any human, have huge fangs and armored scales.[6]
Alara
On the Alaran shard of Jund, the viashino possess a crocodilian form.[7][8] They form self-organized groups referred to as thrashes; five thrashes have been featured in cards (Thorn Thrash, Carrion Thrash, Thunder Thrash, Skyclaw Thrash and Scorch Thrash.
On the shard of Grixis necromancers have found the remains of viashino and resurrected them as zombies or skeletons. After the Conflux the Viashino of Jund were confronted by their primitive, beastly, counterparts on Naya.[9]
Ravnica
In Ravnican society, the viashino are members of the guilds, among them the Boros Legion, Gruul Clans, and Izzet League.[10]
Notable Viashino
- Alara (Jund)
- Dominaria
- Unknown origin
- A large viashino planeswalker with lime-green skin who died when its spark was harvested by the Dreadhorde.[11]
References
- ↑ Doug Beyer (December 24, 2008). "How to Design a Hellion and More!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (August 10, 2011). "Magic's Exclusive Creatures". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 05, 2016). "The line for me is “does the word have equity outside the game?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b James Wyatt. (2018.) "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria", VIZ Media.
- ↑ a b Mark Sumner. (November 1995.) "The Prodigal Sorcerer"
- ↑ Squirle (February 11, 2015). "The Prodigal Sorcerer". Multiverse in Review. Tumblr.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (December 3, 2008). "Jund's One Rule". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (November 17, 2008). "Sketches: Vicious Shadows". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (May 19, 2009). "Sketches: Predatory Advantage". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Unearthed Arcana; Races of Ravnica (PDF)
- ↑ Greg Weisman (May 15, 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica – The Path to Opulent". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- "Viashino" — Phyrexia.com
