ceta-maelstrom asked: Why Naga over snakes?

When we made Khans of Tarkir, we decided to introduce Nagas. Feeling that the concept of Nagas had enough cache, we gave them their own creature type.

When we decided to bring them back in Amonkhet, there were discussions about whether or not to change them to Snakes but after much talk, it was decided to keep supporting the Naga creature type.

Regular followers know that I’ve said I’m in favor of Snake over Naga (and Dog over Hound), but I respect that my coworkers spent a lot of time weighing the pros and cons before reaching their decision.

I don’t know all the factors, but I believe part of our push towards diversity is trying to find popular fantasy creatures from around the world and not just centered around more traditional European fantasy creatures.