What
does make a MTG card? What are colours? Lets delve into the realm of
Magic the Gathering. Googling it, brought this straight forward
response. White (W) – The colour of Justice; Blue (U) – The
colour of Wisdom; Black (B) – The colour of Ambition; Red ® - The
colour of Chaos and Green (G) – The colour of Nature. While I agree
with W and U, I somehow feel, that this explanation has mixed R and
B. This can happen, because people see ambition and chaos in an
ambivalent way. One Man's poison is other Man's remedy...
At
https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7346/how-to-describe-the-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-white-to-a-new-mtg-player
it describes W as Life and Justice; U as Mindful and Manipulative; B
as Deadly and Evil; R as Powerful and Destructive; G as Massive and
Expanding. It also gives a lot of useless insight, what confuses,
like inability to name a single example of a typical White spell or
Creature.
So
lets start from the beginning. Magic has 5 colours + one for
colourless, so you could better pay the mana-costs. It will always be
specific attribute + some amount of colourless, which indicates, tap
what ever valid land-source creating mana. There are other forms of
payment, like subtracting your life total or discarding; sacrificing;
exiling cards etc. but right now we are talking about the foundations
of MTG.
How
would I describe to a newbie, what the different colours are all
about. I would take the previous scoffed example, and elaborate it a
little bit:
White,
is the colour of Law and Order, ascribing to get things done through
a single Champion. Not always are white champions the heavy hitters
of the playing field, like Beloved Princess
http://tappedout.net/mtg-card/beloved-princess/
or do they use straight forward spells, what attack outright, like
Settle the Wreckage, but they can also be big with Lifelink;
Vigilance or some other ability, what allows to control the playing
field... mostly it will be flying Angels or Vigilant Knights.
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=435186
Why didn't I like the word Justice? Because, again – people
perceive it differently! A Control player understands justice quite
differently from a aggro or mid-range late gamer. People however
understand, what Law and Order are – that you can be on either side
of them and still be right or wrong, because there are a lot of
nations; assumptions; cultures; creeds – there must be a lot of
Laws and Orders, what contradict or add to each-other... A Person,
who loves a sound wine-culture, dost not understand somebody, who
never drinks and sees drinking as sinful and vice-versa...
As
such, the other colours can agree to W philosophy, or disagree to it.
For instance U loves Wisdom, so a Lawful Orderly environment is
perfect for that. It just doesn't like the level of paranoid control,
what goes with the Champion cult of W. As said before, W is about one
guy saving the day. The best example for it is Ajani's Pridemate.
This
card, that aggravates many a player, for there are so many abilities,
what allow to gain life every turn begins; or when a creature
enters/leaves play; attacks blocks etc. White is about life-gain and
stalling. While you gain life, your small creature becomes big. That
feels kinda stupid for a common Blue player, who mostly see
themselves as smarty wizards and not a Jolly Gallivanter on a
jousting match. B also likes Law and Order; He even likes Death and
Taxes, but quite literally and not in a metaphorical way. A normal
Black player dost not understand, why White players are so stuck on
preserving their life-totals and creatures in play – and God
forbid, if they can't have it, for then they normally wipe the entire
board. The concept of “Nobel sacrifice” is foreign to Black. Why
have a reason to do something, then you can simply do something,
because you want it, and can somewhat afford to have it? Just sack a
former friend or something on you, what is precious, and knock
yourself out! R understands, that might makes right, and Champions
need to be – but not in an orderly fashion. White is too reserved
for a Red player, because it works too much together with others, and
dost not rely on its own power. G understands life-gain as a way and
convoluting your creatures, but somewhat feels also oppressed on the
bossy attitude a regular White player possesses.
Blue
is the colour of Cunning and Deceit. Its the way of the trickster. If
a rule says do this and that, they say “Actually – you didn't say
please!!” http://tappedout.net/mtg-card/didnt-say-please/
Then
others play creatures normally, they Flash them:
sometimes
it's to get a blocker or have an effect put on a stack, before
something else resolves. A normal blue creature can vary from big to
small, but normally they work in tricky ways, by tapping your or
opponents creatures; bouncing cards from the table etc.
It's
the colour of Water; Sphinxes and Mysteries. The normal abilities are
Flying; Flash and Scry (or some other draw effect) Blue also likes to
stall, then it suits their needs and agenda of pursuing their
understanding of Knowledge and Wisdom. Because of that, as described
before – both like Law and Order – White feels, that U is
cheating!! You're supposed to circumvent actions not laws itself!
This fluidity, there nothing is set in stone, drives a normal W
player nuts. Black understands the necessity of seeking new horizons,
but not the want to shield yourself from damage. In that, a Black
player also thinks, that U is cheating, but for other reasons. For
trying to avoid the ultimate cost – death! There is something
unnerving for a U player to be … mortal and having to give up on
your gathered knowledge, once you depart. R thinks, that U is a
cheater, because they even more so, than W avoid the real outcome of
a battle. Still Red players agree, that you cannot have anything,
without freedom of Will and Power! Green loves to convolute and
grow/rebirth – so anybody allowing that is their friend... however,
they also think that U cheats the circle of life, making
abominations, what would not come to life in normal circumstances...
To Green, Blue is a bit unorthodox and untrustworthy!
Black,
the colour of Death and Taxes. I don't know, how else better describe
it. You want some, pay up and you can have some. Kuro's taken makes
it the most clear, what black stands for:
Just
look at the flavour text “Simple bargains are the most tempting;
Oni bargains are the simplest of all – eternal life, for eternal
service.” It just nails it... And the fact that you can regenerate
Kuro's taken ad nauseam to escape death this way. But it's not free –
pay some, to get some! How much can you tax yourself; your social
life and possessions to have your goals met? In that a Black could be
a pretty darn lawful agent, if that is his modus
operandi. The
normal abilities of black creatures are Deathtouch; Menace and
costing you something every turn, unless you have some other means of
payment.
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=79088
Gutwrencher
Oni forces you to discard a card every beginning of a turn, unless
you control an Ogre worshipping that demon. It can't be negotiated
and is the reason why W players think B players are insane. They
would never pay such a ludicrous cost!! And they like to mop the
floor with their opponents and trampling over them... Also something
a White player dost not understand. Black players love discarding so
much, that sometimes they offer it to you as well: Have some Mind
Rot!
or
bring a card into play what forces to discard cards. In that they
appeal to the soul of U players, who like to play tricks on their
opponents. But not for sports. Blue players like innocent pranks,
then a typical Black player enjoys the Shadenfreude;
Killfrenzy and Overkill of
things, just to pleasure themselves with something. That's why White
players think Black players are Decadent Frivolous Sycophants; while
Blue players also add, that they are just terribly ignorant, in
understanding, what really matters in life. Red agrees, that
sometimes something has to give, and destructive spells is a way to
power – but since Red appreciates freedom in itself, loosing your
self either to religion or a cause, albeit a demonic oppression, that
is not very strong. For them Black players are simply pussies, who
succumbed to their darker side. Green welcomes the respect of the
life and death circle, but not the fanaticism to it. Just as G
disliked U for creating Abominations, it also hates B for spamming
creatures back to life, who should respect their departure already.
Zombies, the unnatural resurrection of dead bodies, while not
directly going against the philosophy of the colour of Green, it
violates its essence and meaning. How could you even like your
greatness, if you have no mind?!
Red
is the colour of Passion and Want. You want to savagely and brutally
get things done in a straight forward manner. Red has no time to
await, until some rule grants it or some ruler. They want to carve
their own path, outside of society; law and virtue. Be their own rule
with its own good and bad. That's why people normally perceive R
players as hasty and foolish Tor's. White loves about R, that their
passion knows no bounds, which can even transform to compassion and
loving kindness, if given more time and education, what Red players
are but reluctant to receive. Especially from W!! W cannot
understand, how could you have the right conduct without rules and
guidelines... Normally Red creatures being with Haste and
unblockable, or without the ability to block themselves, for being
focussed to attack. Also first-strike or even double strike. They
also like to Trample! But to finish off things quickly, not
necessarily that they enjoy it. U loves the freedom of R but sees it
also as the unrefined kind, which needs some tweaking to get your
things met better. For ambush is not something a Red player likes.
Red is like the wind – you lost it at “Don't!” if I would
describe it, I would say “White Russian!” or “Vodka”. Black
likes the damage what a normal R player is able and even willing to
pack – but somehow feels, that not wanting to commit to any kind of
leadership is somewhat of a bore... Its the classical Batman versus
Joker dilemma. Why be a Vigilante, if you could also have something
for you! The thing, that Nietzsche scoffed about in... I believe it
was “Genealogy of Morals” The problem is, that R does the damage
himself, not summon others to do his bidding. That seems to a black
player somewhat silly – not necessarily wrong, if it works, but
nevertheless. Green loves the freedom, what allows nature to be. In
that Red and Green have the most things together – and the most
things apart... When Green would like to envelope everything with
Nature, Red could also live in a desert, the absence of Nature!! In
that Green feels, that R players are a bit of the Unprodigal Son's of
Nature, who have abandoned or just lost the true cause.
Green
is the colour of Bread and Butter. It's the most basic colour, a
magic player can start, and its recommended that way. Its creatures
are either ramping or really big, so you better watch out. If you
want something to become better, make it just bigger, more prone to
Nature and its life and death circle. For if things are the right
way, Mighty Creatures would roam the earth, and the small creatures
would be pray, as it should be. The green abilities are obviously
Trample and Regenerate; sometimes Life-gain or deathtouch. One thing,
what Green players hate, is Flying and pesky artefacts or
enchantments getting in the way. Green loves to destroy, what gets in
the way. Blanchwood Armor or Giant Growth are the type of spell Green
likes to play on you...
while
they are not returning something to Nature!
Small
creatures having only then the right to be around, if they know, how
to live in unison with the Nature. It has Law and Order, what W could
like, but the unrefined kind; it has Wisdom and Deceit, like an
Hidden Dragon or Crouching Tiger, but not as a goal, but a normal
side-effect of being a predator and needing to hunt. Then W wants to
preserve the meek, then to a Green meek means Food! You have to stand
up for your place in life, or be done with it. Black players can
understand the respect, what goes to death but not the orthodoxy what
a Green player has in preserving the life and death circle. Green
players only understand growth, and that is something, what Black
players cannot! Why allow others to grow as well as you – how would
that further your cause? U simply sees Green as brute force to be
reckoned with, but not to be respected. U wants to learn and gain
from Nature – if able, and submitting to a rule of thumb, there a
possibly wise but physically weak individual would have to die, is
not very pleasing. Green simply is too untamed and inside the box at
the same time. U would like to let it out, to test all kinds of
possibilities, a normal Green player would refuse to even imagine...
Red understands the want to grow and aspire, but not the want to take
that very same freedom away from others. In that R rejects both W and
G as vehemently as possible. For they both have a Creed, what suffers
no lip – although Green has more solutions, how to work around that
problem.
The
problem dost not arise, with the colour attributes itself, but then
you mix two or even three ideas together and get something new. For
instance Life link and deathtouch should not exist on the same
creature, and yet they do... You shouldn't be able to deny people
they right to attack or else this death-toucher bites it and its
gone, while also gaining life and possibly beefing something up with
it. There are plenty of Enchantments in both B and W, what could do
the thing, especially if you also splash G or U into it, what makes a
lifelinker convolute. And a 8/8 lifelink death-toucher is not a
laughing matter. The other thing what should not exist together, is
Flying and Trample! How do you even trample while flying?? Or double
strike and indestructible/Hexproof The most issues I have with
Hexproof, what should make the creature vanilla and prevent it being
even enchanted by your own positive enchantments, but somehow it
doesn't work this way... If something can't be targeted, it should be
absolute, not just restrictive to one side. All must mean all, not
Actually, for that there are other cards that combine with an effect.
I don't have problems if a field enchantment says: “You can now
enchant or interact with creatures having Hexproof as though, they
don't have it.” It's an exception and does not therefore break the
rule. But what to do with positively reinforcing a Hexproof creature,
what already is special. Probably that was the reason behind the new
Ashioks Erasure what combines Enchantments with the Flash effect –
the effect to play something at instant speed, while you normally
should not be able to, in response of something else. It also gives a
target to attack, in order to get your stuff back,... but it can
back-fire because of reasons, as pointed out by
https://youtu.be/68hYdI7bhPo
It
doesn't solve the problem of hexproof creatures being open to your
spells, if you now make them open to opponents spells, what could
also target itself and deny you the right to get things back. I don't
even understand, why since Hostage Taker and Teferi, which can also
target itself and create a endless loop, that problem has not been
solved. Things with great power, should not be able to target itself.
Things what grant 3 wishes should not have an augment with x to have
unlimited amount of wishes!! Unless again, you have something in
play, what says otherwise, that as long you have that in play, you
can ignore that rule. Never ever should there be a way to have spells
for free!! If you ravel the gameplay so off the mortal plane, its
very blue, but also condescending. Why should others agree to it. For
the same reason, there should be a mana-limit how much you can spend
on a given turn, regardless of lands and else. I have seen way too
many decks there people spend 100+ mana to have ridiculous effects
with cards, what there not meant to be used that way, but still
could. https://youtu.be/Ty6ggVmwmmc
I'm
not against those thoughts and players, but Wizards neglect in
dealing with them. In a way they are silly-funny to behold, as long
they don't happen to you. There should be a limit how much creatures,
even token-creatures can be in game. I think the figure 20 is more
than enough... 10 creatures + 10 token-creatures. Sometimes it feels,
like Wizards of the Coast only care about money, and not how their
product performs lore-wise; mechanically or at all. If the game only
vaguely respects the main-principles of different colour attributes,
its not fun anymore. Thank you for participating in my Ye Olde Daily
Rant. PS thoughts and suggestions are more than welcome.
https://youtu.be/GBT9LasyC3E
ReplyDelete