Color changer
| Color changer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mechanic | |
| Introduced | Alpha |
| Last used | Final Fantasy |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Color changers are effects or spells that change a spell or permanent to a particular color (mostly until end of turn). Note that the color-changing effects are not the same as the subtype of text-changing effects. Blue is the primary color of changing the color of other things. Green can change itself. And white and black can make things their own color.[1][2] As R&D has lessened the number of effects that care about color, this ability isn't used much these days.[3]
Laces
The laces are a rare cycle of five instants that appeared in the Alpha through Fourth Edition core sets. Each change a spell or permanent to a particular color. They were originally interrupts.
Richard Garfield derived "lace" from the Wizards of the Coast roleplaying game The Primal Order. In that game deities can "lace" an object or spell with primal energy, imbuing it with a portion of their own divine nature.[4]
- Purelace (
) - Thoughtlace (
) - Deathlace (
) - Chaoslace (
) - Lifelace (
)
They weren't highly sought after rares by any means and were thought to be novelty cards use primarily to change a card so as not to be able to be blocked by a creature with protection from a particular color. Thoughtlace and Chaoslace were used more often in conjunction with Blue Elemental Blast and Red Elemental Blast.
Prismatic Lace from Mirage is an improved version of the original cycle, that is able to change a permanent (but not a spell) to a color of the caster's choice. Moonlace from the time twisting set Time Spiral turned a spell or permanent colorless. All of the color changes are permanent.
Color-wash instants
Mark Rosewater considers the color-wash instants of Legends as another spin on Laces:[3] each of these uncommon instants has a casting cost of M and the effect of changing the color of any number of target creatures to a particular color until end of turn — Heaven's Gate, Sea Kings' Blessing, Touch of Darkness, Dwarven Song, and Sylvan Paradise. These were even less popular than the originals.[3]
A temporary color-changer, Incite, was printed as a one-off in Magic 2011.
Wisps
A successor to the Lace cycle is the Wisps cycle from Shadowmoor. Where the utility for the laces was avoiding protection effects, the color-changing effect was secondary to being cheap cantrips, plus an additional color-related effect. Rather than escaping hate, they were used to modify one's own creatures to receive boons or disabling an opponent's color-based boons. However, all these were temporary.
- Niveous Wisps ()
- Cerulean Wisps ()
- Aphotic Wisps ()
- Crimson Wisps ()
- Viridescent Wisps ()
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 10, 2017). "Who gets to change the colors of things now?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 5, 2017). "Mechanical Color Pie 2017". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Mark Rosewater (March 02, 2019). "Is there any chance we ll see some new lace cards soon?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Words of Magic, by Allen Varney