Colorless: Difference between revisions

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In early sets the text for <c>Sol Ring</c> was still spelled out as "Add 2 colorless mana to your mana pool", but after ''[[Odyssey]]'' this was officially changed for editting reasons to "Add {{2}} to your mana pool".
In early sets the text for <c>Sol Ring</c> was still spelled out as "Add 2 colorless mana to your mana pool", but after ''[[Odyssey]]'' this was officially changed for editting reasons to "Add {{2}} to your mana pool".


However, the cost of many cards includes a [[generic mana cost]] ({{1}}, {{2}} and so on). What that means is you can use one of any mana, colored or colorless, to pay for it. Though you can use colorless mana to pay for generic mana costs, they are not the same thing. "Generic" is a type of cost. "Colorless" is a type of mana. You can't produce generic mana, nor could you have a colorless cost. The latter changed with ''[[Oath of the Gatewatch]]''.
However, the cost of many cards includes a [[generic mana cost]] ({{1}}, {{2}} and so on). What that means is you can use one of any mana, colored or colorless, to pay for it. Though you can use colorless mana to pay for generic mana costs, they are not the same thing. "Generic" is a type of cost. "Colorless" is a type of mana. You can't produce generic mana, nor could you have a colorless cost. The latter changed with ''[[Oath of the Gatewatch]]''. <ref>{{NewRef|latest-developments/getting-colorless-work-2016-01-08|Getting Colorless to Work|[[Sam Stoddard]]|January 8, 2016}}</ref> 


[[R&D]] came to the conclusion that they had to stop using the mana circle with a number to represent both generic and colorless mana. Changing the representation of colorless mana was easier, as it's represented far less, so they to made the new mana symbol {{C}} that represents one colorless mana. <ref>{{NewRef|feature/oath-gatewatch-mechanics-2015-12-28|Oath of the Gatewatch Mechanics|[[Matt Tabak]]|December 28, 2015}}</ref> In our example the text for <c>Sol Ring</c> now is "Add {{C}}{{C}} to your mana pool"
[[R&D]] came to the conclusion that they had to stop using the mana circle with a number to represent both generic and colorless mana. Changing the representation of colorless mana was easier, as it's represented far less, so they to made the new mana symbol {{C}} that represents one colorless mana. <ref>{{NewRef|feature/oath-gatewatch-mechanics-2015-12-28|Oath of the Gatewatch Mechanics|[[Matt Tabak]]|December 28, 2015}}</ref> In our example the text for <c>Sol Ring</c> now is "Add {{C}}{{C}} to your mana pool"

Revision as of 06:39, 9 January 2016

File:Colorless-symbol.png
The colorless mana symbol

Colorless has two in-game meanings.

  1. {C}, a type of mana that has no color.
  2. An object with no color is colorless. Colorless is not a color.

History

The idea of colorless mana was allready introduced in Alpha with Basalt Monolith, Mana Vault and Sol Ring. [1] It set the premise that most mana comes in one of the five colors (white, blue, black, red, or green), but there is a sixth subset of mana that is not any color. This mana can only be used to pay for costs that don't require color (for example artifacts).

In early sets the text for Sol Ring was still spelled out as "Add 2 colorless mana to your mana pool", but after Odyssey this was officially changed for editting reasons to "Add {2} to your mana pool".

However, the cost of many cards includes a generic mana cost ({1}, {2} and so on). What that means is you can use one of any mana, colored or colorless, to pay for it. Though you can use colorless mana to pay for generic mana costs, they are not the same thing. "Generic" is a type of cost. "Colorless" is a type of mana. You can't produce generic mana, nor could you have a colorless cost. The latter changed with Oath of the Gatewatch. [2]

R&D came to the conclusion that they had to stop using the mana circle with a number to represent both generic and colorless mana. Changing the representation of colorless mana was easier, as it's represented far less, so they to made the new mana symbol {C} that represents one colorless mana. [3] In our example the text for Sol Ring now is "Add {C}{C} to your mana pool"

Rules

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

  • 107.4c The colorless mana symbol {C} is used to represent one colorless mana, and also to represent a cost that can be paid only with one colorless mana.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

  • 202.2b Objects with no colored mana symbols in their mana costs are colorless.

References