Multicolored

Multicolored (also "multicolor", "multi-colored", "multi-color"; as opposed to "monocolored", "mono-colored" "single-colored") cards were introduced in the Legends set, and use a gold frame to distinguish them. For this reason, they can be referred to as "gold" cards.

Description

Multicolored cards require mana from two or more different colors to be played. Multicolored cards tend to combine the philosophy and mechanics of all the colors used in the spell's cost; examples of such cards are Quicksilver Dagger and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, which combine blue's ability to draw cards with red's ability to deal (direct) damage ("pinging").

More recently, two-color "hybrid" cards that can be paid with either of the card's colors (as opposed to both) were introduced in the Ravnica set, and are considered to be of both colors (202.2d). Hybrid revolve around the mechanics and philosophies that the two colors have in common. The cards are distinguished by a gradient frame with those two colors. Multicolored cards tend to be proportionally more powerful compared to single-color or even hybrid cards, because of the restriction of having to play all the colors in the casting cost.

Two colors

Template:Wu White-Blue

White-Blue is slow and steady. Typical white-blue decks stall the game and let the users cast their major spells in late game.

Common mechanics: Flying, Flash, tapping, effects that prevent creatures from attacking or blocking, returning permanents to hand, counterspells, temporarily exiling permanents

Common creature types: Birds, Kithkin, Wizards

Ravnica guild: Azorius Senate

Template:Wb White-Black

White-Black is about gradually killing one's enemies, with white slowing the game down and black destroying opponent's creatures and drain their lives.

Common mechanics: Lifelink, parasitism, life gain, return creatures from graveyard, massive removal, permanent exiling

Common creature types: Spirits, Clerics

Ravnica guild: Orzhov Syndicate

Template:Bu Blue-Black

Blue-black is related to secrets and forbidden knowledge. Blue's emphasis of information and black's solitary nature combine to create a very secretive color pair. The opponents' of Blue-Black decks often realize that they are going to lose when it is too late.

Common mechanics: Milling, card draw, discard, library manipulation, casting from graveyard, large creatures with big drawbacks, unblockability

Common creature types: Merfolk, Faeries, Rogues

Ravnica guild: House Dimir

Template:Ur Blue-Red

After combining Blue's desire for progress and red's impulsiveness, Blue-Red is a color pair that focus on innovation.

Common mechanics: Power/toughness switching, reusing instants/sorceries, time manipulation (e.g. taking additional turns), copying spells and abilities, changing targets of other spells and abilities, looting, gaining control of permanents

Common creature types: Wizards, Weirds, Noggles

Ravnica Guild: Izzet League

Template:Br Black-Red

Black's anti-sociality and Red's hedonism combine to create a very sadistic and sociopathic color pair. Black-red decks typically prefer overwhelming opponents at all cost, often at the expense of their own creatures and even their users' life total.

Common mechanics: Haste, Wither, spells that are undercosted but hurt the casters, sacrifice, direct damage, disallowing life gain, power boosting, +X/-X effects

Common creature types: Demons, Elementalss, Goblins

Ravnica Guild: Cult of Rakdos

Template:Bg Black-Green

Black-Green embodies the cycle of life and death and thrives on exploiting the cycle. Black-Green capitalize on creatures that slowly grow over time or those that have special effects when they die.

Common mechanics: Regeneration, Deathtouch, +1/+1 counters, reusing creature cards, exiling from graveyard, destruction of nonland permanents

Common creature types: Zombies, Elves, Plants

Ravnica Guild: Golgari Swarm

Template:Rg Red-Green

Red-Green is very unthinking, considering the fact that it has red's impulsiveness and green's preference for instinct over mind. Red-Green decks are typically highly aggressive and attempt to overwhelm their opponents with pure strength.

Common mechanics: Trample, Haste, Land Removal, +X/+X effects, Ramp, direct damage, Aggressive creatures

Common creature types: Warriors, Shamans, Goblins

Ravnica Guild: Gruul Clans

Template:Rw Red-White

Red-White represents enforcement of justice, as a mixture of red's readiness to take action and white's insistence in righteousness.

Common mechanics: First strike, Double strike, small creatures, bonuses to attacking creatures

Common creature types: Soldiers, Giants,

Ravnica Guild: Boros Legion

Template:Gw Green-White

Green-White detests black's individualistic attitude and is the color pair of group and unity. Green-White thrives in being in groups.

Common mechanics: Vigilance, creature tokens, protecting creatures, massive creature boosting, life gain, enchantments

Common creature types: Elfs, Centaurs, Knights

Ravnica Guild: Selesnya Conclave

Template:Gu Green-Blue

Green-Blue is the color pair of progress. Both green and blue enjoy seeing the world evolve, although the former prefers reaching it by natural selection while the latter prefers artificial means.

Common mechanics: Flash, Shroud, Hexproof, card draw, search library, +1/+1 counters

Common creature types: Wizards, Beasts, Mutants

Ravnica Guild: Simic Combine

Three Colors

Shards

Shards (or Arcs) are the sets of three colors that form an arc, or an obtuse triangle (a color and its two allies): //, //, //, //, //. In order as above, they are: Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Naya.

Wedges

The so-called wedges are the five color triplets that form a wedge shape, or an acute triangle : // (Dega), // (Ceta), // (Necra), // (Raka), // (Ana). These names come from five cycles in Apocalypse, i.e. Dega Disciple, Ceta Sanctuary, Necravolver.

Four colors

Four color cards are hard to design. The Nephilim rom Guildpact are the only four colored cards to date.

Five colors

The first card with five colors was 1996 World Champion, the first one that was officially released was Sliver Queen.