Rabiah Scale

The Rabiah Scale is a ranking of the likelihood that a given plane will be revisited as the setting of a future Standard-legal set. Planes are ranked from 1 (very likely) to 10 (very unlikely).
==Description==
As one of the Rosewater Scales, the Rabiah Scale is analogous to the Storm Scale for mechanics. The Storm Scale is named for the storm mechanic, which has proven so developmentally problematic that it will almost certainly never be reprinted in a Standard-legal set. In the same way, the Rabiah Scale is named for the plane of Rabiah, which will almost certainly never be revisited because it is not Wizards of the Coast's intellectual property.
Though it is published by Mark Rosewater, it only reflects his opinion and generalities about the plane. It does not account for any actual future plans, or the opinions of other R&D members.
===Descriptive rankings===
While Rosewater has made two blog posts about the Rabiah Scale, he has not given a level-by-level description of each rating, simply summarizing it as "most likely" to "least likely" from 1 to 10. Therefore, the following descriptions are based on those described in the original Storm Scale article:
*Level 1: Will definitely see again
*Level 2: Will definitely see again, but not necessarily right away
*Level 3: Will most likely do again, probably many times
*Level 4: Will most likely do again, but they have issues that make them less of a guarantee
*Level 5: We need to find the right place to bring it back, but I'm optimistic
*Level 6: We need to find the right place to bring it back, but I'm a little less optimistic
*Level 7: It's unlikely to return, but possible if the right environment comes along
*Level 8: It's unlikely to return, but possible if the stars align
*Level 9: I never say never, but this would require a minor miracle
*Level 10: I never say never, but this would require a major miracle
It should be noted that since most sets focus on just one plane, whereas many mechanics appear in each set, ranking interpretations should be adjusted accordingly. In other words, a plane ranked 1 on this scale will still not appear in every set, whereas a mechanic ranked 1 on the Storm Scale (an evergreen mechanic) probably will.
==Rabiah scale rankings==
===Notes===
==Other Rabiah Scale requests==
*Any plane based on Norse mythology was rated a 5. Since then, Kaldheim was released.
*A Wild West plane was rated a 5. Since then, Thunder Junction was released.
*A "hybrid matters" plane is a 6.
*A "Roman" world/plane is an 8.
*A plane that utilizes the tropes of the superhero genre was rated an 8. Since then, Wizards of the Coast has announced a multi-set partnership with Marvel, the first of which was 2026's Marvel's Spider-Man.
*A Low fantasy plane is a 9.
*Victorian England is a setting, not a genre, so no grade.
==Reasons for rankings==
Some planes have attained high popularity or are relatively easy to return to. These include Ravnica and Dominaria, both of which have already hosted multiple sets and are both appealing and complex enough to ensure a return. Some, like Theros and Innistrad, occupy a specific niche that has proven exceptionally popular to fans, regardless of overall reactions to individual sets.
A majority of higher ranked (+7) planes belong to pre-Revisionist storylines, at times conflicting with modern flavor. These include Rabiah itself and Mercadia. A number are higher ranked due to having been destroyed, such as Old Phyrexia, Serra's Realm, and Tolvada, the only way to make a set in them being through flashback. Amonkhet is noted as ambiguous in that regard, being rather popular but seemingly destroyed.
Finally, some planes are perceived as being both unpopular as well having their niche taken by more successful ones, the most notable cases being Lorwyn–Shadowmoor has largely been replaced by Eldraine as the fairy tale/Celtic mythology plane and Ulgrotha by Innistrad as the Gothic horror plane.
The return to Kamigawa in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was noted as being the highest rated (least likely) plane that did return to a Standard-legal set, having been rated an 8 initially and still a 7 most recently before its return. The plane was initially dismissed due to low sales as well as alleged rejection by Western fans, but while it suffered changes to its original flavor to facilitate its return, the marketing and the actual cards utilized nostalgia for the plane and the original block, capturing the set's themes of tradition vs technology.
==References==
Category:Planes
Category:Rosewater scales