<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time and Tide" href="#" target="_blank">Time and Tide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CGeorge+Pratt%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">George Pratt</a></em></p>
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<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, I forget!</strong></p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some <em>Magic </em>and wondered if you were the bad guy. I'm here to take in your story with all of its nuances so I can bring some clarity to all those asking, "Am I the Bolas?"</p>
<p>I'm ready to hear you out and offer advice. All you have to do is email amithebolas@gmail.com with your story, a pseudonym you want to use, and of course, only include details you don't mind in the column! You might see your story below one day.</p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza. Here's a Magic card!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sengir Bats"></div></div>
<p><i>If it weren't for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zoraline, Cosmos Caller" href="#" target="_blank">Zoraline, Cosmos Caller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this card would only be in 193 decks instead of 494. Wow! Lots of cards in this game, huh?</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
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<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
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<p><em>Hello Mike,</em></p>
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<p><em>Reading your column on EDHREC reminded me of an encounter I had at my LGS a good while ago mainly between myself and another player a little after </em>Modern Horizons 3<em> and its respective Commander decks came out.</em></p>
<p><em>I was in a game of Commander at my LGS at which I am a regular but with a random pod instead of good friends. I was playing my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayara, First of Locthwain" href="#" target="_blank">Ayara, First of Locthwain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, a mono-black aristocrats deck that was specifically tooled around devotion payoffs, be it <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or synergistic payoffs, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abhorrent Overlord" href="#" target="_blank">Abhorrent Overlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. (And naturally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</em></p>
<p><em>One player had an upgraded precon with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azlask, the Swelling Scourge" href="#" target="_blank">Azlask, the Swelling Scourge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All went well enough until the Azlask player got gotten enough colorless ramp together to put out a fairly early <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Spirit Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, where he was poised to one-sidedly exile the board of all permanents.</em></p>
<p><em>Before he activated Ugin, I asked if he would be willing to leave my five-mana enchantment, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> up, given that all the creatures in play would be gone activation where X is equal to four. He quickly, and smugly, refused. I then informed him if he was committed to completely wiping everyone else's board, I would remove his commander. He deemed that acceptable. He wiped everything five mana value or less.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oubliette"></div></div>
<p><em>My turn followed his. I played the removal I had in my hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oubliette" href="#" target="_blank">Oubliette</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The Azlask player, unused to phasing or removal that locked down a commander rather than sending it back to the command zone, was astonished to find that Azlask was phased out for as long as I controlled the enchantment.</em></p>
<p><em>The rest of the game proceeded fairly quickly, with the other two players, in no way feeling generous to the Azlask player who wiped their boards, too, began to hard focus on him, first playing creatures, then swinging his way and finishing off Ugin. Lacking enchantment removal himself, the Azlask player never got his commander back and was the first to be removed the game, and was visibly irritated by the end of the game - quickly packing his things and parting with a 'it's been fun, it's been real, but it hasn't been real fun' - possibly exacerbated by the fact I ended up winning in the end.</em></p>
<p><em>Am I the Bolas for not telling him just what kind of removal I happened to have in my hand? For his strong ramp start, it seemed fairly likely he was expecting to just be able to replay Azlask again. He didn't seem new to Magic, just not familiar with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oubliette" href="#" target="_blank">Oubliette</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</em></p>
<p><em>Sincerely,</em><br />
<em>DontPassGo</em></p>
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<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The City on the Edge of Forever"></div></div>
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<h2>VERDICT</h2>
<p>Thank you for writing and asking me to weigh in on your story. As I mention every week, if folks don't write to me, there's no column, so if you, the reader, want to send me a story, whether it's your own or one from Reddit or a friend's, please send it to amithebolas@gmail.com and I'll get to it here.</p>
<p>Short one for today! No, you're not the Bolas for playing a really good piece of removal. Your opponent literally just used removal for everything in play they didn't control. Using one bit of removal is totally fair. Locking out a commander can be brutal, but it happens. Not to mention, looking at Asklask, you have to wonder if there was a backup plan in place at all. It's a commander that anthems for WUBRG, and Eldrazi Scions and Spawns get Annihilator. Whoa, sounds like more removal.</p>
<p>It's a bummer to lose your commander to a lock Aura like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Mutation" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Mutation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oubliette" href="#" target="_blank">Oubliette</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's unfortunate, but it happens. It can be a fun puzzle to try to find your way out from under a card like that. Most games where that's happened to a commander that's important to my game plan, it's made me rethink some of the deck's inclusions or shown which cards are standouts for this particular situation. It's a bit of a blessing and a good way to get to tinkering with a deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slaughter the Strong"></div></div>
<p>Getting off to an explosive start and then getting an all-timer banger seven-drop planeswalker to board wipe in a way that keeps your board in tact is definitely going to attract some negative attention. What was your opponent expecting? A round of applause? Archenemy games happen naturally in pods all over the world. The issue is that when you pop off this hard and slam on the reset button for just your opponents, you have to realize that you are now the biggest obstacle in the way for <em>each</em> of your opponents. If you cannot accept that you're a problem and take it in stride, you can never have a good time.</p>
<p>If someone ever told me <em>"it's been fun, it's been real, but it hasn't been real fun" </em>I would ask them to elaborate on why. It's not like I would disagree in this instance, but I think an exit line like that is coward behavior. You can still be civil, thank folks for the game, and move on. Saying something like this feels like a conversation <em>starter</em> to me. Let's unpack that, pal. Was it not "real fun" because you were denied the steamrolling you expected? Was your experience with a multiplayer game impacted by the presence of three other <em>individuals</em> having their own experience at a table with you? Take a damn second to get outside yourself and consider that perhaps there was real fun had by others who were given an enemy to band together over. You can be part of this celebration, too. If you choose to be, that is.</p>
<p>There are people out there who need a quick shake to remind them that an attitude adjustment could make your nights out at an LGS a lot more fun.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pause for Reflection"></div></div>


Am I the Bolas? - "Real Fun"

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, Arbiter of Virtue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CAlexander+Ostrowski%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexander Ostrowski</a></em></p>
<p>Saturday, April 11th marks one year since <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tdm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em></a> came out, and we are here to look back on it! The set followed <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/examining-aetherdrift-one-year-later" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Aetherdrift</em></a>, which was a rough go of a set. Did <em>Dragonstorm</em> put <em>Magic</em> in better graces? Read on!</p>
<h2><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em>, in Contrast to <em>Aetherdrift</em></h2>
<p>In the wake of the blunder that was <em>Aetherdrift</em>, Wizards of the Coast needed a win. There had been a great many <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/are-hat-sets-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"hat sets"</a> out in the year preceding <em>Dragonstorm</em>, and these seriously didn't go over well with players. Now, when I speak of "hat sets," I am referring to sets that use extreme tropes and shoehorn existing <em>Magic</em> characters into said tropes (for more examples, see <em>Murders at Karlov Mano</em><em>r</em> or <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em>).</p>
<p>Anyhow, the <em>Magic</em> player base was extremely down about hat sets. This seemed to be a direct response to their existence amid a proliferation of <em>Universes Beyond</em> sets interspersed with this seemingly new type of set. So, what was Wizards of the Coast to do?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistrise Village"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voice of Victory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Storm Slayer"></div></div>
<p>The answer seemed to be, and largely still seems to be, to return to established <em>Magic</em> worlds and not resort to hat set-style tropes. <em>Karlov Manor</em> proved that players wouldn't take kindly to a hat set on an established plane, and <em>Aetherdrift</em> cemented that sentiment threefold.</p>
<p>When <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> came out, the set enthralled established <em>Magic</em> players. We were returning to a plane of existence that we had left on a small-scale cliffhanger. And what's more, we were back on this plane without Wizards resorting to hackneyed, overused tropes.</p>
<p><em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> is seen by many players as one of the game's biggest successes of 2025. Although the next set in the lineup, the juggernaut of <em>Final Fantasy</em>, considerably overshadowed this success, many players look upon <em>Dragonstorm</em> with a lot of fondness.</p>
<h2>The Story So Far</h2>
<p>We last left the plane of existence known as <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Tarkir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tarkir</a> on a strange, if lesser-scale, cliffhanger. Notably, <em>Dragons of Tarkir</em> changed the timeline of not just Tarkir itself, but the Multiverse at large. The dragon-devoted Planeswalker <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan Vol" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan Vol</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> had freed Ugin from his <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin&#039;s Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tomb, but to do so, he had to travel back in time.</p>
<p>Previously, the timeline saw a Tarkir where dragons had gone extinct. However, Ugin survived, and his survival ensured that dragons were now the primary apex predator of the plane.</p>
<p>This had some strange effects upon Tarkir's fate. The Khans still exist in the <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> set, but they now co-exist with a different set of dragons. How is this possible? During <em>Dragons of Tarkir</em>, the Dragonlords terrorized their "lesser," non-draconic subjects. However, the Khans conspired to find a way to depose the Dragonlords. To do this, they appealed to ancient magic and summoned other dragons (these each being of three color identities, as opposed to the Dragonlords' two) to defeat these other broods.</p>
<p>Now, the Khans' clans and the new dragon broods work largely in symbiotic harmony with each other. This is where the brunt of the set sources its cards. There is also meddling within the larger overarching storyline that concluded with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker" href="#" target="_blank">Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> being freed from the Meditation Realm, where he had been imprisoned since <em>War of the Spark</em>. You can thank <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jace Beleren" href="#" target="_blank">Jace Beleren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for this.</p>
<p>But at any rate, we got a really close approximation of what a draconic utopia looks like with <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> here.</p>
<h2>Top Commanders of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em></h2>
<p>It's no surprise that this set has a variety of really well-liked commanders. It's also not a shock that the top commanders of the set are either Khans or Dragons. Let's look at some stats!</p>
<ul>
<li>The #5 most popular commander of the set is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, Arbiter of Virtue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who currently leads 5,338 decks and is ranked #464 overall.</li>
<li>At #4 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree" href="#" target="_blank">Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Zurgo has 6,018 decks under his command and ranks #409 overall.</li>
<li>The 3rd most popular commander of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neriv, Heart of the Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Neriv, Heart of the Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Neriv leads 6,658 decks and is ranked #350 on the site.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval, Arbiter of Virtue"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zurgo, Thunder&#039;s Decree"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neriv, Heart of the Storm"></div></div>
<ul>
<li>#2 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Betor, Kin to All" href="#" target="_blank">Betor, Kin to All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who leads 8,027 decks at the time of writing. Betor is ranked at #275 right now.</li>
<li>Finally, the #1 most popular commander in the set is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kotis, the Fangkeeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kotis, the Fangkeeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Kotis commands a great lead over the other main-set commanders and is the only one with a five-figure number of decks. Kotis ranks at #89 on EDHREC with 15,913 decks at the time of writing.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Betor, Kin to All"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kotis, the Fangkeeper"></div></div>
<h2>Top Commanders of the <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> Precons</h2>
<p>This set had five precons, one of the most anticipated asks that were answered for the set. Each of the five clans was represented here, each led by an iteration of its Khan and an iteration of the main associated Dragon as well. This, in turn, leads us to look at the top five most popular commanders from these precons:</p>
<ul>
<li>#5 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This version of Betor is far more popular than its main-set version, with 14,018 decks at its disposal. It's also the only commander in the precon list's top 5 who doesn't hit the Top 100 overall most popular commanders on the site, ranking #113. Finally, it's the only precon commander in the top 5 that fails to exceed Kotis, the Fangkeeper's numbers. It's all uphill from here, folks!</li>
<li>At #4 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felothar the Steadfast" href="#" target="_blank">Felothar the Steadfast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Felothar has 15,973 decks and is ranked just above Kotis, the Fangkeeper, at #88 overall.</li>
<li>The #3 most popular <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> precon commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zurgo Stormrender" href="#" target="_blank">Zurgo Stormrender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Far more popular than his main-set counterpart, Zurgo Stormrender leads 16,735 decks and is ranked #80 out of all commanders on the site.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Betor, Ancestor&#039;s Voice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felothar the Steadfast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zurgo Stormrender"></div></div>
<ul>
<li>At #2 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ureni of the Unwritten" href="#" target="_blank">Ureni of the Unwritten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This iteration of Ureni has 16,773 decks at its disposal and is ranked #78 on the site at the time of writing.</li>
<li>The most popular commander of not only the precons of <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> but of the release overall is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, the Balanced Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, the Balanced Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Teval commands a staggering and formidable 29,555 decks and is ranked #14 out of all commanders at this time. Unless something miraculous or absurd happens, this lead probably won't be toppled by any other commander from the release, given its current popularity.</li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ureni of the Unwritten"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teval, the Balanced Scale"></div></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As mentioned above, <em>Final Fantasy</em> outshone <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm</em> in a multitude of ways when it came out. However, <em>Dragonstorm</em> will still sit comfortably in the annals of 2025 <em>Magic</em> history as a true shining star.</p>
<p>And now, I'd like to open the floor to you, dear readers! Have you created any Commander decks based on the commanders above, or any other legendary creatures from the release? Which clan of Tarkir is your favorite and why? Sound off in the comments below!</p>


Examining Tarkir: Dragonstorm, One Year Later

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wastes|OGW|184" href="#" target="_blank">Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://raymondswanland.com/">Raymond Swanland</a>)</h6>
<h1>What Does It Mean To Be Colorless?</h1>
<p>Hey here's a question for you, is colorless a "color" in <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>? Here on <em>The Monolith </em>we talk about monocolored deck building.</p>
<p>And whilst I'm sure you wouldn't bat an eye if I called an all green deck monocolored, would you consider an all colorless deck to be monocolored?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Silver Golem"></div></div>
<p>Back in 1997, Inquest Magazine posted an April fools joke announcement with some huge news. A new color was coming to <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>!</p>
<p>Produced from basic portal lands, purple mana was being introduced into <em>Magic's </em>card pool and it would allow players to do strange things like control their opponent's turn and anchor creatures to other permanents. It was all very strange and cryptic and, obviously, complete nonsense.</p>
<h2>Planned All Along?</h2>
<p>No, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> didn't have any plans to add a sixth color to the famous 5 pointed star that makes up <em>Magic's</em> core design philosophy. In fact, in the end, they didn't really need to. <em>Magic</em> had given us a sixth color of <em>Magic</em> from the game's very inception.</p>
<p>It was there in Alpha and remains in every set printed since. All the way up to whatever set just released as you're reading this. Colorless mana!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Aeons Torn"></div></div>
<p>And whilst it did have some key features that separated it from the big five, it wasn't until the dawn of the Eldrazi that we got to see colorless' true colors.</p>
<p>Colorless was now represented by its very nature. Devoid. Inhuman. The spaces between reality. The Eldrazi were a perfect fit for that philosophy.</p>
<p>An unknowable cosmic horror from beyond our understanding. Colorless now had its own kindred strategies. It had mechanical flavor.</p>
<h3>Mechanical Mechanics</h3>
<p>And this was merely a flourish on what was already there. Colorless was already associated with the machine. Artifacts and Urza's inventions. The Tron lands and mana rocks making for strange, colorless ramp tied to permanents.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Tower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Power Plant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza&#039;s Mine"></div></div>
<p>Artifact cards in general, whilst playing well with most colors, are predominantly colorless themselves. A few might have a proper pip in them, but for the most part they're all paid for by generic mana.</p>
<p>That is of course then reflected by its sub-type Equipment. Most would associate them with red or white, but equipment cards are overwhelmingly colorless as well.</p>
<p>Colorless had a "vibe" to it that the release of the Eldrazi merely solidified and expanded upon. It was an elegant solution from <em>Magic's </em>designers to fulfill their "what if?" fantasies of a new color. To build on something that was as yet untouched but already bubbling under the surface of the game.</p>
<h2>Still Not Enough</h2>
<p>But despite all this support for <em>Magic's </em>secret sixth primary, there are still those out there that would say, "No! There are five colors in <em>Magic</em>.</p>
<p>Colorless is not a color, it is merely a supplement to the actual five." And they're not unsupported in that claim. In fact, those are the actual rules of <em>Magic: The Gathering</em>!</p>
<p>'105.1. There are five colors in the <em>Magic</em> game: white, blue, black, red, and green'</p>
<p>'105.4. If a player is asked to choose a color, they must choose one of the five colors. “Multicolored” is<br />
not a color. Neither is “colorless.”'</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Intervention"></div></div>
<p>That's why when this protection spell was printed in <em>March of the Machine</em>, a set that largely revolved around the mechanic of making colorless creature tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> had to be worded like this. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mother of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Mother of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can't protect you from a colorless spell.</p>
<h2>Then What The Heck is My Eldrazi Deck?</h2>
<p>Now whilst I'm sure this was debated for a long time before hand, I think this really became a point of contention when EDH started to gain popularity.</p>
<p>In Commander of course, your deck has a color identity. If your commander is red, you can only include red cards in its deck. Those are the rules of the format.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liberator, Urza&#039;s Battlethopter"></div></div>
<p>So what about when I build a deck around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liberator, Urza&#039;s Battlethopter" href="#" target="_blank">Liberator, Urza&#039;s Battlethopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Colorless spells have no color. So they can be included in a Commander deck of any color.</p>
<p>But if my commander itself has no color. Then the color identity of that deck... is colorless. It can only run colorless spells. Does that mean that colorless is a color identity? Or that my deck simply doesn't have one?</p>
<h3>The Evidence is There</h3>
<p>And that might be a technicality but there's plenty of other things in the game that point toward this point's legitimacy. Colorless, for example, has its own basic land type. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wastes" href="#" target="_blank">Waste</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wastes"></div></div>
<p>That's something that might seem silly or gimmicky until you realize that there are plenty of spells that straight up require colorless mana to cast. In fact, <em>Modern Horizons 3 </em>added a whole heaping of them to the card pool.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="It That Heralds the End"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breaker of Creation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Echoes of Eternity"></div></div>
<p>The aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is worded that way because needing to protect yourself from a colorless threat is just as important in the game as any of the main five colors.</p>
<p>There's plenty of colorless creatures, spells, and abilities. You need to be able to protect yourself from them in some way.</p>
<h2>Colorless KPIs</h2>
<p>So there's a mechanical justification for this aesthetic problem, but what about the actual aesthetics themselves. As our title asks, what does it mean to be colorless? If red is know by its aggression, direct damage, and impulsive draw. What is colorless known for?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Battlesphere"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Retriever"></div></div>
<p>The Eldrazi are certainly the poster child creature type, but there's also the robots and automatons as well. The Myr of <em>Mirrodin </em>have plenty of iconic cards without a single colored pip.</p>
<p>Not to mention all the Assembly Workers and Constructs. There's also some incredibly influential characters in <em>Magic's </em>lore who don't identify with any of the five colors.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin, Eye of the Storms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn Liberated"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tezzeret, Cruel Captain"></div></div>
<p>Ugin has just returned to the fold in <em>Tarkir: Dragonstorm </em>but as the brother of legendary big bad Nicol Bolas, he's been incredibly influential over <em>Magic's</em> history.</p>
<p>Karn is no different, forming Mirrodin itself and inadvertently spreading the curse of the Phyrexians. We've just seen spoilers for <em>Edge of Eternities</em> and Tezzeret has popped once again as well. Despite being largely aligned with blue and black mana in the past, this time around he's completely colorless.</p>
<h3>Solid as Darksteel</h3>
<p>Being colorless when you're a named character is a big deal as well. There's plenty of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skittering Surveyor" href="#" target="_blank">Skittering Surveyor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s that only exist to make draft a little easier and don't really impact the story all that much.</p>
<p>We're trained to think that something being colorless means that it doesn't really matter what color deck you play it in, it's a slightly worse card that anyone can play. Or it's generic enough that anyone would use it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tezzeret, Artifice Master"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tezzeret, Master of Metal"></div></div>
<p>But when a mainline character who's been in color before, turns up colorless? That means something. It's a statement by <em>Wizards of the Coast. </em>His colorless identity means something stylistically, narratively, and gameplay...ly.</p>
<h2>All is Dust</h2>
<p>So what does this all really mean? In the end its semantics really. The only reason I brought it up is as a big fan of monocolored decks, I've always drawn to the strange allure of a deck that runs absolutely no colors at all.</p>
<p>But with the amount of support <em>Wizards </em>has printed for that archetype, it seems in my mind like it's an idea that's officially supported. Even if the official rules of the game perhaps state otherwise.</p>
<p>It's also an interesting look at how our patterns of play can change how we see our favorite card game. This thought may have never crossed my mind if Emrakul or the Devoid keyword was never printed.</p>
<p>If the colorless mana symbol was never introduced. Or if the format we all now know and love as Commander never rose to popularity.</p>
<p>Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Would you die on the hill that wastes produce <em>Magic's </em>sixth color of mana? Or are you staunch five-only truther? If you were going to add a sixth color to <em>MTG </em>which stupid shade would you pick, and why is it <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@officialmagiconline/video/7508864340657769758">Periwinkle</a>?</p>
<p>Regardless, thank you for reading, and I'll see you on the next edition of <em>The Monolith</em>.</p>


Are Colorless Cards Part of Magic's Color Pie?

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/m21/279/ugin-the-spirit-dragon">Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</a> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CRyan+Pancoast%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Ryan Pancoast</a>)</h6>
<h1><em>Magic</em>'s Secret Sixth Color <span style="font-family: wingdings, 'zapf dingbats';">Colorless</span></h1>
<p>The question of planeswalkers as commanders has been brought up in the <em>Magic</em> discourse an infinite number of times. People say it would kill EDH as a format, and others say it will do nothing but give more options to an endless pool of commanders. I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle. My name is Nick, and the sixth installment of <em>Myth Realized</em> will cover colorless cards and how they would each ruin (or not ruin) your favorite 100-card singleton format.</p>
<p>A quick disclaimer for this article: while there might not be many colorless planeswalkers, they all lead to running a deck heavy on artifacts. This means cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Chain Veil" href="#" target="_blank">The Chain Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strionic Resonator" href="#" target="_blank">Strionic Resonator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lithoform Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Lithoform Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are often treated as auto-includes in decks of this type.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn Liberated" href="#" target="_blank">Karn Liberated</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 7 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn Liberated"></div></div>
<p>The answer to the math question of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> +<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Power Plant" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Power Plant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A powerful card in 1v1 formats of <em>Magic</em> and most likely the card with the greatest likelihood of putting a target on your head if you played it as your commander. Both from an opponent's hand and from the field, exile is great removal, and if you tick this card up, the ten loyalty is tough to get through; restarting a Commander game is the best way to not get invited back to Commander night.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, Living Legacy" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, Living Legacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Living Legacy"></div></div>
<p>Not only is this the worst of the Karn Planeswalkers, but it is also the worst of the four-mana Karn planeswalkers. This card has seen no play in its current Standard life in any meaningful deck, and the only reason I would want this in or in charge of a deck is if I can get a quick ultimate them for a slightly better <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghirapur Aether Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Ghirapur Aether Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If the +1 made an untapped Powerstone, this card would be pretty sick as just a great form of artifact ramp every turn. This card needs too many pieces to make it work, and the other four-mana versions are much better.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, Scion of Urza" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, Scion of Urza</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Scion of Urza"></div></div>
<p>Colorless card selection plus a great design overall. It does almost everything you could hope for from a colorless card. Depending on the situation, it gives you multiple options and can create sizeable blockers or attackers. The only thing holding this card back is the mandatory turn delay and loyalty counter tax for exiled cards.</p>
<p>An interesting fact to remember is that you can access all the cards exiled with silver counters for the rest of the game. This Karn might also make the scariest token in the game going right now in Construct tokens. Every token this card makes can quickly outclass many of the creatures on the other side of the board.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, the Great Creator"></div></div>
<p>Please never let this be a commander. This could be the best possible play from the command zone with four mana in a wide variety of situations. You don't often see this card because its static is exceptionally mean to all the other players at the table. Not everyone plays green, so many decks rely on artifact mana to ramp them into more significant plays. If you've ever had to play while someone has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stony Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Stony Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield or if you have played with this card and its table lock combo piece, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you'll know the pain of staring at your cards and not being able to do anything with them.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Ineffable" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Ineffable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 6 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin, the Ineffable"></div></div>
<p>People often consider <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ob Nixilis Reignited" href="#" target="_blank">Ob Nixilis Reignited</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> the cookie-cutter planeswalker design. It has card draw, removal, and an ultimate that should win the game. While this Ugin does not have an ultimate (thanks to <em>War of the Spark</em>), it does have card draw and removal. The new addition that Ugin brings to the table is the two-mana cost reduction on colorless spells, so if you're following along, reader, this is every card in your deck except your lands. I'm unsure how strong this cards would truly be if I'm honest with you. Would it help you combo fast in a colorless deck? Yes. Would it help you do that truly faster than playing anything else in the entire format? Not sure without really crunching the numbers.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Spirit Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 8 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin, the Spirit Dragon"></div></div>
<p>The biggest and baddest colorless dragon of all time. Even in a deck full of colorless mana rocks and trying to do nothing but ramp, this card is not coming down so far ahead of the curve that it cannot be dealt with. On the flip side, this cards can keep the board empty for a long time. Tokens don't stand a chance against this card. All nonland permanents don't stand a chance against this card unless they cost eight mana and got played before you could cast this. Not to mention if you're able to ultimate this card, gaining seven life, drawing seven cards, and just slamming down seven permanents onto the battlefield is absurd value. The eight mana is the thing that holds this card back from just ruining games, but I would get pretty annoyed seeing this card with any form of consistency.</p>
<p><strong>Wrap Up</strong></p>
<p>So, the secret sixth color in <em>Magic</em> might not bring a lot in terms of options, and most of these decks will look very similar unless someone puts an extreme amount of effort into not making it look the same. Usually, these cards are balanced because they cost a higher amount of mana or are a little bit above medium rate since they can be played in any deck. Some of this gets thrown out the window when you bring these to head up a deck with them. You might not be able to use the tutoring effect to get something from your sideboard, but you can reclaim pieces from exile, and turning off everyone's mana rocks will make your playgroup ask you to leave the table. I will say <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would need to go.</p>
<p>I've realized that, so far, six articles into this series, from my point of view, planeswalkers should be allowed to be commanders. Are there problems with some of the cards? Yes. Are these problems any worse than some other commanders already permitted in the format? No. My opinion might change once I dive into the multicolored planeswalkers, but at this moment in time, in this year of our Lord 2023, and in my heart of hearts, I ask people to try these out in Commander, get people talking about it, and free these 'walkers from the shackles of the 99.</p>


ugin

Am I the Bolas? - "Real Fun"

Examining Tarkir: Dragonstorm, One Year Later

Are Colorless Cards Part of Magic's Color Pie?

Myth Realized - What if Any Planeswalker Could Be Your Commander? (Colorless)

Too-Specific Top 10 - Spirit of the Dragon

War of the Spark Set Review - Colorless/Colorful