The Orgg creature type hasn't been seen in decades, yet still it still has a big impact on Magic: the Gathering.
Magic creature usage can vary wildly. This can go anywhere from merfolk and demons and dragons, which appear in at least one set a year, to beebles, a creature so hated that it was in once and never again. For the latter, it so upset the fanbase that the scale used to see how often creatures can return, the beeble scale, was named after them.
But then there are creatures who are rare or haven't been used in quite some time whom Magic still has said to keep an eye out for in the future. While there are several who fit the bill, perhaps the most notable has been the orgg. Orggs, which are half-breeds between orcs and ogres, were first seen in Fallen Empires in 1994 and last seen, in terms of new cards, in 2002 with Onslaught. While some reprints have made their way to other sets, with some appearing as late as Seventh Edition Core and Time Spiral, they haven't really been seen since. Which is odd, considering how big of a deal they were for a bit.
In total, orggs have a grand total of four cards they are in. There's Orgg, the original 6/6 for five mana:
There's Trained Orgg, which was first seen in Starter 1999:
Soulgorger Orgg, which was a one and done with Judgement:
And finally the last new one to come out to date, Butcher Orgg:
They appeared enough to be popular, but soon got a bad reputation. Orgg cards, especially Trained Orgg, became known as "booster ruiners", with newer players finding it challenging to bring them out thanks to a high mana count needed. While the two earliest ones were reprinted a little bit, the final two released only saw them come out with one expansion, then never again.
Today, orggs are not really remembered much, and are only occasionally mentioned. However, their impact is still felt. They are asked about often, with Mark Rosewater answering questions about them often enough it is hard to believe that they only made 4 cards in game history. And, unlike other creatures like the beebles where they are likely never to see the light of day again, orggs are at a six on the beeble scale, meaning they just need to find the right place to come back.
Orggs may still come back. And with over 20 years since their last new appearance, the time may come sooner than many players think.
