Demonic Tutor. Demonic Hordes. Demonic Attorney. Demonic Torment. Lord of the Pit. Minion of Leshrac. Stone-Throwing Devils.

Remember these guys?

That's right, they're Magic: the Gathering's long-lost demon cards. Nowadays, WotC would never dream of putting anything demonic in a Magic set. Consequently, the Tutor and his buddies are blacklisted. Banished from Magic and ignored by their very creators.

What's the meaning of this?

Let me tell you the story of another (once) big game company. You may remember TSR as the original publishers of the popular Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Back in the late seventies and early eighties, D&D was a nationwide fad and the sky seemed to be the limit for the once-obscure TSR. Before long, though, the loonies began to worm their way out of the woodwork in droves.

Irate Christian fundamentalists swarmed in out of the blue and began hurling unfounded accusations that TSR's innocent little roleplaying game was, in fact, steeped in vile Satanic lore. An occult brainwashing tool designed to lure innocent children into its benign-seeming fantasy world, slowing but surely indoctrinating them into the dark world of Satanism. Rumors soon began to make the rounds. Rumors about once model children sucked into the twisted web of Dungeons & Dragons losing their morals, their free will, their lives, even their very souls.

It was ridiculous nonsense, of course, and none of the anti-D&D crusaders were ever able to offer up a shred of solid evidence to back up their wild accusations, but that didn't matter. A few well-entrenched urban legends were all it took to permanently, if not fatally, wound the reputation of the Dungeons & Dragons game. TSR's response? Their next Dungeons & Dragons edition, released in 1989, gave "demons" and "devils" the boot, putting up thinly-veiled carbon copies called "Tanar'ri" and "Batezu" in their stead. Long-time fans were not pleased. They didn't appreciate what they saw as a cowardly undermining of the game's integrity. Long time D&D foes scarcely notice the change. Ironically, WotC later bought D&D from the then-defunct TSR. One of their first acts was to give the demons and devils their proper titles back. The fans rejoiced. The critics, true to form, didn't even notice.

What does this have to do with Magic, you ask? Wizards of the Coast's meteoric rise was, in many ways, a mirror image of TSR's several decades before. A revolutionary new fantasy-themed game, Magic, exploded in popularity, propelling the fledgling outfit out of its founder's basement and into the national spotlight.

Before long, the decision makers at WotC remembered the anti-D&D movement of years past, and decided to take steps to make themselves a less tempting target for the religious right. A pre-emptive strike, if you will. Black's many "demons" and "devils" were the first casualties of this tragic purge. Other cards, like Living Wall, Nettling Imp, and Unholy Strength were later targeted because of "inappropriate" artwork.

Just like TSR's earlier demon/Tanar'ri swap It was an abrupt and awkward change that irritated fans and seemed to accomplish virtually nothing.

Yes, the time has come for Magic's demons and devils to make their return. WotC's failed efforts to appease an irrational and fundamentally unappeasable fringe group at the expense of Magic's overall integrity has met with only responding failure in some quarters and mass indifference in others.

The simple fact is that demons and devils are a part of the game. Leaving black, the color of death, evil, and corruption without its infernal servants is just wrong. Why not take away green's elves? Red's goblins? White's angels?

WotC proved with their latest version of Dungeons & Dragons that sometimes it's best to not pull any punches. To let evil be evil. The time for demons to make their comeback is nigh. Hopefully, WotC will once again find the courage to put the fans ahead of the fanatics.