Color Identity

Balance Issue in 1GU Cards

I know you're not on play design, but maybe you have some insight on a pattern I'm sure I'm not the first to notice. Why is it that cards costing 1GU seem to have so many balance issues? Oko, Uro, Nadu are the recent ones everyone knows, but Shardless Agent and Risen Reef were also power outliers though at a lesser scale. Is this a bigger problem with Simic color identity as a whole?

I don’t think it’s a problem endemic to the color combination.

Color Identity Colors Play Design Simic (G/U) Risen Reef Shardless Agent

Color Identity of Foghorn Leghorn

What do you think foghorn leghorn's color identity would be (sorry if this has been already asked)

Primary red, secondary green.

Color Identity Green Primary Red Secondary

Templating Mana Creation Cards

any idea why cards that can make colorless OR colored mana (like nightshade dryad) are templated with one ability for colorless, and one for colored?

The other way to write it would be “T: Add W, U, B, R, G or C” which would make give it a five-color color identity and make the card very hard to play in Commander.

Color Identity Colorless Commander Dryads Mana Templating Nightshade Dryad

Talia Al-Ghul's Color Identity

What color identity is Talia Al-Ghul (from Batman)? I'm thinking mono black or perhaps black and green.

I think her, and her dad, are black/green.

Black Color Identity Golgari (B/G) Green

Color Identity and Restrictions

Is there an established color identity for breaking restrictions? For instance an effect that would remove once per turn restrictions.

Messing with safety measures is usually a bad idea.

Color Identity Once Per Turn

Evolution of Squirrels' Color Identity

Do you know how squirrels became BG? Not just for Bloomburrow but over the years

They started green. I made the first black one in Unstable to match the flavor of the card. It evolved from there. Being black/green allows them to interact with the graveyard which has allowed a lot of interesting design space.

Black Bloomburrow Color Identity Design Space Flavor Golgari (B/G) Green Squirrels The Graveyard

Understanding Sarkhan's Color Identity

Hi Mark! I am invoking a special birthday trivia as I turn 30 tomorrow! I would love to know more about Sarkhan, if possible the journey of his color identity.

Sarkhan is not the name he was born with. He gave it to himself. Happy Birthday!

Birthday Color Identity

Artifacts and Color Identity

Sorry to bother you yet agian mr Rosewarter, but i seek answers. Cards(more so artifacts) that have abilities that make colored mana (specifically "Ramos, Dragon Engine") but are not colored, dose this mean for commander that their color identity is WUBRG, and if so, what is the reason?Is the inherent difficulty of aquiring mana outside your commander's identity not a challenge enough that if you manage to get it, should it not be okay to use it?(of course, referring to activated abilities)

If a colored mana exists in rules text (but not only in reminder text) it counts towards the card’s color identity. Note that the Commander Rules Committee is in charge of defining color identity, not Wizards.

Artifacts Color Identity Commander Dragon Dragon Engine Mana Ramos, Dragon Engine Rules

Request for Mono-Blue Spell

May I please request a mass blink/flicker spell with a mono blue color identity?There multiple versions of this effect that are mono white (i.e. Another Round, Semester's End, Ghostway, Eerie Interlude) and there have been some that have White and Blue color identity too (i.e. Brago, King Eternal, Disorder in the Court, Yorion, Sky Nomad). It would be really nice to have some that are mono blue for Commander purposes!

White is primary in flickering and blue is secondary, so mass flickering is more a white thing. That doesn’t mean blue can never get it, but it needs the right set.

Another Round Blue Brago, King Eternal Color Identity Commander Disorder in the Court Eerie Interlude Eternal Ghostway Nomad Primary Secondary Semester's End White Yorion, Sky Nomad

Transforming Card Colors

Can a blue battle with U in it's mana cost transform into a card that's not U color identity and do an effect not in blue?

Not something that’s a break in blue. If the back is another color, we treat it like a hybrid design.

Battles Bend / Break Blue Color Identity Colors Hybrid Mana Transform

Red Color Identity Reason

Why is Red so high on your color identity?

I’m a passionate guy that makes a lot of decisions based on a feeling.

Color Identity Red

Nemona's Color Identity

if you've seen "Nemona", what's her color identity?

Nimona is very red.

Color Identity Red

Character Color Identity

Why is Mr House from the Fallout set Mardu when the Institute is (presumably) Blue? He studied at Cambridge (the Institute) when he was younger, did he not learn anything?

There are a lot of factors in picking color. It’s not just about what are the best colors in a vacuum. Also, most characters have arcs and change over time, so can be represented by different color combinations at different times.

Blue Color Identity Colors Mardu (R/W/B)

Devoid Mechanic Insights

Can you comment on devoid as a mechanic - It seems to benefit the game more from a design angle than from a mechanical one. Is it because it affords you the ability to interesting cards in a restricted color identity?

Design and mechanical are the same thing. It’s useful because we’re limited with power level with generic costs. Adding color lets us make more powerful cards.

Color Identity Colorless Colors Devoid Limited Mechanics Power Level

Hulk's Color Identity

Hello Mark. I've very hyped about the Marvel sets. Especially hulk for whom I just finished his Immortal Hulk run and I loved it. Sadly, I know you can't talk about the sets yet. However, in a vacuum, would you say Hulk is more Red, Green, or Red Green ? Also, have you read Immortal Hulk ?

I think Hulk is red/green in his base portrayal, but there are a lot of different takes on Hulk over the years.

Color Identity Green Gruul (R/G) Marvel Red

Colorless Identity

If colorless is not a color why did you put the colorless symbol on the eldrazi box on the color identity line. That implies that the deck is six colors with colorless being a color.

Colorless is not defined as a color in the rules When a card says “choose a color”, you can’t choose colorless. Us doing things on boxes to help give visual clarity to what’s in the box, doesn’t change that.

Color Identity Colorless Colors Eldrazi Rules

Hydroblast's Color Identity

Could Hydroblast fit as a white-blue card? On the assumption that white can destroy any permanent except lands but lands are almost never going to be red?

Maybe, but it sure wouldn’t cost one. : )

Color Identity Destroy Humor Hydroblast Lands Red White

Magneto's Color Identity

I assume you've been watching X-Men '97 and enjoying it as much as I have been. What color identity would you ascribe to this incarnation of Magneto?

Magneto, at his core, is about as white/black as it gets.

Black Color Identity Incarnation Orzhov (W/B)

Cyclops's Color Identity

What would you color Cyclops from X-Men?

He’s white at his core, secondary in red.

Color Identity Colors Cyclops Red Secondary White

Devoid Rule Confusion

Speaking of Devoid, would something like this work in the rules? "If CARDNAME is your Commander, your deck can include any colorless cards, regardless of color identity".

It’s not how color identity currently works, so it would cause confusion.

Color Identity Colorless Commander Devoid Rules