Jeremy casts spells in between his careers as a chemical analyst and campus manager.

What Are Rebels in Magic?

Rebels are a moderate-sized Magic family of about 50 cards. While they're older than many subtypes and could use some new supports, they can still hold their own with unparalleled swarming capabilities.

You'll find almost all rebels in the black and white factions, and many tap while spending mana to pull other rebels directly from your deck. Many contain additional subtypes, furthering their synergies; which revolutionaries reign supreme? These are the ten best rebels cards in Magic: The Gathering!

10. Blightspeaker

CMC (Converted Mana Cost): 2

Even for his low cost, Blightspeaker carries poor 1/1 stats. However, he has the human and cleric subtypes in addition to rebel, and he can tap to have a player lose one life, gradually whittling down your foes.

Like many rebels, Blightspeaker can also tap to search his allies. Spending four mana and exhausting him lets you play a rebel from your deck who costs three or less mana, saving you the trouble of both drawing and casting it.

9. Ramosian Captain

CMC: 3

Captain is white's version of Blightspeaker. For one extra mana, you get a stronger 2/2 with first strike, making Captain better-suited to combat. She can also tap and spend five mana to search and play any rebel of cost four or less from your deck.

Most of the best rebels only require three mana, but Captain helps pull the occasional high-end spells like...

8. Cho-Manno, Revolutionary

CMC: 4

Legendary Cho carries poor 2/2 stats considering his moderate cost; however, you prevent all damage that would be dealt to him, making him nigh-indestructible both in and out of battle.

7. Defiant Falcon

CMC: 2

Falcon's stats are a weak 1/1, but flying lets him soar over ground blockers. Additionally, he can tap and spend four mana to search and play any rebel from your deck with cost three or less, quickly swarming allies to the field.

6. Knight of the Holy Nimbus

CMC: 2

Unlike most rebels, Knight excels in combat. Not only does he bear respectable 2/2 stats, his flanking trait gives creatures without flanking that block him -1/-1 for the turn, meaning he can match even 3/3s in battle.

Knight also automatically regenerates if destroyed, making him a nuisance to permanently eradicate. Opponents can spend two mana to prevent him from regenerating for a turn, but if they're all tapped-out, he can attack without fear.

5. Ramosian Sergeant

CMC: 1

Sergeant's puny 1/1 stats are forgivable considering his low cost. He spends three mana and taps to search and play a rebel of CMC two or less from your deck. While this limits what you can search, many of the best rebels are cheap anyway, and you can begin using Sergeant more quickly than his fellow tutors.

4. Skyshroud Poacher

CMC: 4

Poacher's different from most rebels, belonging to the green faction. Additionally, he taps and spends three mana to play any elf from your deck, an odd but appreciated boost for green's most abundant clan.

3. Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero

CMC: 3

While not great, Lin's 1/3 stats at least make her a decent blocker, and her legendary status offers a possible commander in EDH format. She can tap and spend X mana to search and play a rebel with CMC X or less from your library, basically letting you cast rebel cards from your deck.

Additionally, by spending three mana, Lin can move a rebel from your graveyard to the bottom of your deck, letting you later search and play it with her first effect.

2. Big Game Hunter

CMC: 3

Yet again, we see a puny 1/1, but Game Hunter provides a powerful removal, destroying a creature with at least four power and preventing it from regenerating. Additionally, his madness trait lets you cast him for a single mana if discarded, turning a would-be penalty into an advantageous discount.

1. Children of Korlis

CMC: 1

While weak, Children of Korlis offers a deceptively-strong defense: by sacrificing it, you gain life equal to the amount you've lost during the turn.

Most obviously, this helps you rebound from a punishing combat phase, but it also lets you easily exploit effects that require you to pay life. For example, you can now spend as much life as you can afford on cards like "Phyrexian Processor," then easily reclaim it by forfeiting Korlis.

Throw in the human and cleric subtypes and you've got a versatile champion that's a staple in my own white decks, especially since Korlis is surprisingly cheap, costing well under a single dollar!

Rebel Decks in Magic

While they could use some modern supports, rebels are surprisingly strong given their age, quickly swarming the field and outnumbering foes. To empower them, consider subtype-boosting spells like "Radiant Destiny." But for now, as we await Wizards of the Coast's next expansion of rebel creatures, vote for your favorite card and I'll see you at our next MTG countdown!

© 2019 Jeremy Gill