Spirit of the Labyrinth

Card Drawing Restrictions

Shouldn't "each opponent can't draw more than one card a turn" type effects be white? It's the color that wants everyone to play fair after all. It's also the color that wants to set rules (Ethersworn Cannonist, Rule of Law, Deafening Silence). It even started in white with Spirit of the Labyrinth. What caused that ability to shift to blue (the color that already has the most ways to gain card advantage anyways)? It feels like Hullbreacher and Narset should be white cards and not blue.

The effect can be in white, but it’s also home in blue.

Blue Card Draw Colors Deafening Silence Hullbreacher Rule of Law Rules Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth White

Hullbreacher Card Query

If Hullbreacher can't be a white card, does that mean that either Spirit of the Labyrinth or Smothering Tithe are no longer white effects? Because it seems like Spirit + Tithe pretty much make Hullbreacher, unless this is a case of "green gets deathtouch, and it gets fight, but it can't get a fight card with deatchtouch"?

Two things:1) It is possible for a color to do two things, but not be able to do those two things combined on a single card such as your green example.2) Those two cards combined are not the same thing as Hullbreacher. White can universally set rules to prevent something and it can tax something, but it doesn’t take something away from someone else and get a reward each time it does that.

Colors Deathtouch Fight / Bite Green Hullbreacher Rules Smothering Tithe Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth Tithe White

White's Card Drawing Limitations

Can White get "Each player can't draw more than one card each turn"? => Spirit of the Labyrinth (from Born of the Gods) does this.

See, it can.

Born of the Gods Card Draw God Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth White

White's Stack Disruption

Why is White better at disrupting Blues normal stratagies then either Red or Green? Deafening Silence, Orims Chant, Silence, Spirit of the Labyrinth, Aven Mindcencor, Rule of Law to name a few. White has many other cards that limit or restrict playing the game on the stack, drawing cards etc.

Instants and sorceries aren’t inherently a blue thing. All the colors have access to them.

Blue Card Draw Colors Deafening Silence Green Instants Red Rule of Law Rules Sorceries Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth The Stack White

White Card Draw Mechanic

MaRo, could White gain an advantage for its opponent drawing cards, such as gaining life or creating a token? (Rather than simply forbidding it.) Also, Spirit of the Labyrinth (IIRC) evens the card draq playing field.

Possibly.

Card Draw Lifegain Mark Rosewater Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth Tokens White

Limiting Card Draws

Can’t white go in the opposite direction with things like Spirit of the Labyrinth which stop opponents from drawing extra cards? Could Stranglehold be printed in white?

It’s in white color pie, but we have to be careful how much of the game is restricting other people from doing things.

Card Printing Color Pie Colors Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth Stranglehold White

Leovold Pie Debate

Alright me and my friend are having an argument, does Leovold break the color pie? He says his first ability is strictly white (using Spirit of the Labyrinth as his example and my counter argument is Maralen of the Mornsong). And I say he's just salty. I would love your input sir.

While rule setting is primarily a white thing, other colors do get to set rules within their purview.

Color Pie Colors Maralen of the Mornsong Pop Culture Rules Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth White

Enchantment Critique

My issue with BNG is that the enchantment type feels mechanically misused. Bestow guys felt like enchantment creatures, and Gods felt like enchantment creatures, but as we've moved further into the block things have gone downhill. The Archetypes are just creature lords with funny templates, and the Spirit of the Labyrinth cycle are literally just creatures. It feels like the enchantment type is being used purely as a placeholder for "Nyx" on cards where it makes as much sense as Lucent Liminid.

Except unlike Lucent Liminid they do have an enchantment component. I understand that many creatures also have global effects but I wanted to make sure all enchantment creatures had some enchantment-ness.

Bestow Creatures Enchantments God Humor Lucent Liminid Nyx Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth Templating

Enchantment Creature Critique

The enchantment creatures in Theros were cool because they were all uniquely "enchantment-ey" in that they either had Bestow or the God ability. Born of the Gods lost that when it made any old creature with a static ability into an enchantment. Stuff like Spirit of the Labyrinth could have been a normal creature in any other set so it doesn't feel like it "earns" its enchantment type.

Does it matter that the rest of Magic gives you things that interact with it? Honestly just curious. I’m enjoying this conversation today.

Bestow Born of the Gods Creatures Enchantments God Spirit Spirit of the Labyrinth Theros