Colored artifact
Colored artifacts are artifact cards that have colored mana costs.[1]
Description
The rules for a colored artifacts are consistent with those for artifacts. Colored artifacts appear in frames that have elements of both artifact cards and colored cards. Besides the frame, you can tell that the card is colored by checking its mana cost, and you can tell that the card is an artifact by checking its type line.
The only difference between a colored artifact and a colorless artifact is, obviously, its color. Unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact requires colored mana to play. Also unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact has a color in all zones. It will interact with cards that care about color. Other than that, a colored artifact behaves just like any other artifact. It will interact as normal with any card that cares about artifacts, such as Shatter or Arcbound Ravager.
History
The Dissension expansion introduced the concept of colored artifacts with Transguild Courier, which did not not yet require colored mana to cast.[2] The Future Sight expansion's Sarcomite Myr was the first and only artifact card at the time of the set's release to require colored mana for its casting cost. The Shadowmoor expansion's Reaper King was the first artifact card with a hybrid mana cost that contained colored mana symbols, but which enabled players to not have to pay any colored mana to cast the card due to the specifics of the card's hybrid mana cost.
The use of colored artifacts as a game concept was taken even further in Esper shard theme of Shards of Alara, which was the first expansion to contain many artifacts that require specific colors of mana to cast.[3] The entire Alara block prominently featured colored artifacts that require colored mana to cast. Colored artifacts returned in New Phyrexia[4] and in a minor capacity in the third Artifact block, Kaladesh.[5]
Colored artifacts are now considered deciduous.[6]
Colored artifacts vs. enchantments
Colored artifacts function very similar to enchantments. The main distinction is flavor and what cards can destroy it.[7][8] R&D has slowly been ramping up colored artifacts and has concluded that the majority of players seem fine with them.[9][10]
Rules
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 301.4. Artifacts have no characteristics specific to their card type. Most artifacts have no colored mana symbols in their mana costs, and are therefore colorless. However, there is no correlation between being colorless and being an artifact: artifacts may be colored, and colorless objects may be card types other than artifact.
Trivia
- Colored Artifacts were featured as rules card 2 of 5 in the Shards of Alara set.
References
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- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} Would you consider colored artifacts to be deciduous?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} If colored artifacts really are the future, how are you going to distinguish them from enchantments?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} How has R&D’s philosophy on that front changed?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
- ↑ Template:NewRef
- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} do you forsee any problems with colored artifacts diluting the flavor of artifacts or not really satisfying players who like artifact sets?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.