Color identity

The mana cost, color indicator and rules text of Autumnal Gloom form its color identity - .

Color identity is a property of cards in the Commander format and its variants (e.g. Brawl). It expands the concept of a card's color beyond the mana cost to all elements of the card. Color identity forms one of the the key deck construction rules for Commander formats as players are not allowed to use any card whose color identity is not included in the color identity of their commander.

Description

The color identity of a card is the combination of all colors in its mana cost, any color indicator or color-setting characteristic-defining abilities on the card and any mana symbols in the card's rules text. When determining a card's color identity, any mana symbols in the card's reminder text are ignored. This is to prevent cards like Charmed Pendant and Trinisphere from having a color identity when their reminder text is only an example of how the card functions.

The color identity of a card does not include colors when they are written as words. Cards which set the color of another object (e.g. the black Rat tokens created by Mad Ratter), don't count that color towards their own color identity. In the same manner, cards that have ": Add one mana of any color." do not have a color identity of because no mana symbols appear in that ability.

Cards that do not have any colors in their casting cost, any color indicator or color-setting characteristic-defining abilities on the card nor any mana symbols in the card's rules text (excluding any reminder text) do not have a color identity. This is equivalent to colorless cards, which do not have a color. Cards without a color identity (e.g. City of Brass) may be included in decks with any commander.

Lands

The five basic land types do not contribute to a card's color identity, but are instead covered by a separate rule (903.5d).Matt Tabak (April 13, 2020). "Matt Tabak via Twitter"</ref>

Lands also follow the same conditions for determining their color identity as nonland cards. This means that Murmuring Bosk has a color identity of because it has and mana symbols in its rules text, and the basic land type Forest means that it cannot be used in a deck whose commander doesn't contain in its color identity.

Characteristic-defining ability

The Dominaria United commander deck Painbow introduced Fallaji Wayfarer — the first card to have its color identity set by a characteristic-defining ability. The card has a color identity of while also having a characteristic-defining ability that makes it all colors.

Player-determined color identity

Some cards allow players to choose their color identity before the game begins. Once a player chooses the color identity of the card, that identity becomes fixed for the game and cannot be changed during gameplay.

Draft Commanders

The Prismatic Piper and Faceless One have unique rules that allow a player to choose one of the five colors as their color identity before the game begins. These cards were designed for Commander draft, allowing players who wern't able to draft a commander with an appropriate color identity to use a "basic commander", similar to using a basic land.

While not a draft commander, Clara Oswald from the Doctor Who Commander deck fulfills the same function — allowing players to create a custom color identity for their deck.

Specialize

Cards with specialize have a unique color identity when used as a commander in Brawl. During deck construction, the player must pick one of the five colors - representing one of the five specialized faces of the commander. That face's color or colors then become the commander's color identity for the purposes of deck construction. This forces each card to act as a traditional double-faced card rather than a commander.

Rules

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

Color Identity

A set of colors that determines what cards may be included in a deck for the Commander casual variant. See rule 903.4.

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

• 903.4. The Commander variant uses color identity to determine what cards can be in a deck with a certain commander. The color identity of a card is the color or colors of any mana symbols in that card’s mana cost or rules text, plus any colors defined by its characteristic-defining abilities (see rule 604.3) or color indicator (see rule 204).

  Example: Bosh, Iron Golem is a legendary artifact creature with mana cost {8} and the ability “{3}{R}, Sacrifice an artifact: Bosh, Iron Golem deals damage equal to the sacrificed artifact’s mana value to any target.” Bosh’s color identity is red.

  • 903.4a Color identity is established before the game begins.
  • 903.4b If a commander has a static ability that causes a player to choose its color before the game begins, that choice applies during deck construction and throughout the game, even as the commander changes zones. That choice affects the commander’s color identity. The player reveals that choice as they put their commander into the command zone before the game begins. See rules 103.2c and 607.2p.
  • 903.4c Reminder text is ignored when determining a card’s color identity. See rule 207.2.
  • 903.4d The back face of a double-faced card (see rule 712) is included when determining a card’s color identity. This is an exception to rule 712.8a.

    Example: Civilized Scholar is the front face of a double-faced card with mana cost {2}{U}. Homicidal Brute is the back face of that double-faced card and has a red color indicator. The card’s color identity is blue and red.

  • 903.4e If a card has any alternative characteristics, such as those of adventurer cards (see rule 715, “Adventurer Cards”), those characteristics are included when determining the card’s color identity.
  • 903.4f If an ability refers to the colors or number of colors in a commander’s color identity, that quality is undefined if that player doesn’t have a commander. That part of the ability won’t do anything. Costs that refer to that quality are unpayable.

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

• 903.5d A card with a basic land type may be included in a Commander deck only if each color of mana it could produce is included in the commander’s color identity.

  Example: Wort, the Raidmother’s color identity is red and green. A Wort Commander deck may include land cards with the basic land types Mountain and/or Forest. It can’t include any land cards with the basic land types Plains, Island, or Swamp.

Rulings

Cards

The color identity of split cards includes both halves of the card. Fire // Ice, Reduce // Rubble and Turn // Burn each have a color identity of .

The color identity of double-faced cards includes both the front and back faces of the card. This is true for both transforming double-faced cards (TDFCs) and modal double-faced cards (MDFCs).

Mana Symbols

Hybrid mana represents mana symbols of both colors when determing a card's color identity. This means that both Kitchen Finks and Rune-Cervin Rider have a color identity of .

Phyrexian mana represents the traditional mana symbol it replaces. The card Birthing Pod has a color identity of while Spellskite has a color identity of .

Keywords

Extort is a triggered ability that allows players to pay for an additional effect when casting spells. As the ability is written on the card, the mana symbol only appears in the reminder text, not in the card's rules text, so it isn't included as part of the card's color identity. The result is that Basilica Guards has a color identity of , while Basilica Screecher has a color identity of .

Devoid is a characteristic-defining keyword ability which states that a card is colorless, regardless of the colors in that card's mana cost. This ability only affects a card's color and not it's color identity because the color identity is defined as the combination of all colors indicated on the card. Herald of Kozilek is a colorless card but it has a color identity of .