Color

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Revision as of 23:26, 1 May 2006 by >Horseshoe Hermit222@legacy41915415 (→‎Multicolor)
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Overview

File:Color pie.jpg
The Color Pie. © Wizards of the Coast

The Color Wheel also know as the Color Pie is how Wizards categorize mechanics in the game of magic. It is also how one differentiates the philosophies behind the colors.

File:Color wheel.jpg
The Color Wheel. © Wizards of the Coast


Black

Flavor

(To be written.)

Rules

A black card is defined as any card that has {B} in its mana cost. Black is oriented on obtaining power - ultimate power at any cost. In the game of Magic, this means that black cards sometimes uses resources that other colors don't dare touch. Sacrificing permanents and paying life is certainly do-able for the right effect. A simple card such as Greed exemplifies black's determination to get any advantage.

Up until and including Mercadian Masques black had acces to temporary mana boosts, primarily in the form of Dark Ritual. This mechanic has since moved to the color Red.

Black is the color which uses every resource it can get, which is exemplified in cards such as Grinning Demon, Phyrexian Negator and Dark Confidant.

Black is the only color that causes a player to discard as an effect, not a cost. (Certain other colors use discard as cost, but that is different.) Notable discard cards are Hymn to Tourach, Wrench Mind, Persecute and Cabal Therapy.

Blue

Flavor

Blue is the colour that looks out on the world and sees one thing, though it may encompass all: Opportunity. In Blue's eyes, the world is a vast place with countless things to learn and to do. Blue wants to become a part of that perfectly running machine which is the universe. To do so, it learns to value one commodity - knowledge. Knowledge gives order to the universe. Knowledge allows one to make an informed decision. Knowledge is the supreme good, at least to Blue. With all knowledge (omniscience), Blue can shape the universe into its perfect form, and mold itself to fit perfectly into that perfect universe. Recurring themes in Blue are artifice over nature, inaction over action, nurture over nature, and the future over the past or present.

Blue is the enemy colour of Green and of Red. Green opposes Blue on the viewpoint that Blue is obligated to shape the universe. Green sees that as an affront to Nature and highly presumptuous. Blue looks on Green's resistance and sees someone stuck in the past. This appears mechanically in the game where Blue tends to construct complicated board positions and uses interesting effects from nonliving sources, while Green tries to destroy those complications and substitute more basic, primal, living creatures.

(Please expand this if you have the info.)

Rules

There is only one sacred rule to Blue's mechanics in the game - destroy nothing. What can be learned from a shattered machine, a dead body, or a broken enchantment? Nothing. Blue's abilities tend to be focused on manipulating time and information. The three central mechanics which have made Blue what it is today are: 1) Card drawing 2) Counterspells 3) "Return to hand" effects (informally called bounce effects)

Blue can draw cards simply by paying mana because cards represent knowledge, and Blue knows how to gain knowledge. This sets it apart from other colours because Black has to pay some life to draw cards, Green needs to draw cards by using its creatures, and White and Red have very little card drawing at all. Because Blue can draw cards at any time regardless of how it is doing in the game, this allows it to climb out of seemingly hopeless game situations, representing how the right information can solve any problem.

Blue has the ability to counter spells if it reacts to them at the time they are cast. This represents how Blue can prevent people from taking action and causing chaos; some may see it as keeping things the way they are so you can study it fully.

Blue can return things to their owners' hands. Flavourfully, this represents how Blue dabbles in magic which manipulates time. Mechanically, it is a way for Blue to have "removal" (control over what is affecting the game) without actually destroying the unwanted card. Blue is simply delaying the problem until it has a more permanent solution. Sometimes Blue may even find ways to turn a powerful card to its advantage.

Other signature mechanics of Blue include "stealing" (gaining control of opponent's cards or effects) and copying (duplicating effects, plagiarism, cloning). This represents how Blue is also amoral much like Black. The only difference is that Blue is much more inclined to a lawful, orderly sort of amorality than Black. As well, copying your enemy is the best way to understand what he is like.

(Please expand this if you have the info.)

Green

Flavor

(To be written.)

Rules

(To be written.)

Red

Flavor

(To be written.)

Rules

(To be written.)

White

Flavor

(To be written.)

Rules

(To be written.)

Off color - Artifacts

Flavor

(To be written.)

Rules

(To be written.)

Multicolor

Some cards can be multicoloured, meaning they require more than one type of mana to use. Until recently, that was about all that the players could really know about multicolour. Though Invasion Block, the first set to introduce widespread multicolour-ism, was a smashing success (as evidenced by a definite spike in tournament attendance), in Mark Rosewater's words, it wasn't really a mechanic they explored much. The card pool was dominated by "Chinese menu" cards, meaning they took one ability from two colours, scrunched them together on one card, and saw what happened.

Recently though, with the finalization of the Ravnica block, the "guild model" has given way to a new era of understanding colour combinations. Mark Rosewater boldly campaigned to showcase all ten two-colour combinations equally. Those combinations, and the names of the guild associated with them in Ravnica block, are:

White-Blue Azorius Senate

White-Black Orzhov Syndicate

Blue-Black House Dimir

Blue-Red Izzet League

Black-Red Cult of Rakdos

Black-Green Golgari

Red-Green Gruul Clans

Red-White Boros Legion

Green-White Selesnya Conclave

Green-Blue Simic Combine

According to a new set of "colour pie philosophy" articles by Mark Rosewater (which isn't yet finished), each two-colour combination is defined as the intersection of the two colours.

(Please expand this article using the appropriate info)

"Sources" or "Things I Should Read Before Writing in this Article and Learning to Love the Wheel'o'Color"

(These should be deleted when the article is complete, and references have been made properly.)

Color wheel

Black

Blue

Hosing of Blue

Green

Red

White

Artifacts

Color hate

Multicolor

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