Are Lands Colorless? A Comprehensive Guide for Magic: The Gathering Players
Yes, generally speaking, lands are colorless in Magic: The Gathering. This is a fundamental rule derived from how color is defined within the game’s mechanics. A card’s color is determined by the mana symbols present in its mana cost. Since most lands have no mana cost, they are colorless by default, unless an ability or effect explicitly states otherwise.
Understanding Color in Magic: The Gathering
Color in Magic isn’t just an aesthetic element; it’s a core game mechanic. Colors interact in various ways, influencing deck building, spell casting, and card interactions. To fully grasp why lands are typically colorless, we need to understand how color is defined.
The Mana Cost Connection
The primary determinant of a card’s color is its mana cost. A card with a {W} (white), {U} (blue), {B} (black), {R} (red), or {G} (green) symbol in its mana cost is that color. Multicolored cards have multiple such symbols. Artifacts can also have colored mana symbols in their mana cost, making them colored artifacts. However, most lands don’t have a mana cost.
The Colorless Exception: Color Indicators and Effects
While most lands are colorless, there are exceptions. For instance, Dryad Arbor is a land card that has a color indicator on it. Color indicators override the general rule. Also, certain effects can change a land’s color. For instance, a card like Painter’s Servant can make all permanents a specified color, including lands.
Why Color Matters
The color of a card impacts numerous aspects of gameplay. Certain spells can only target creatures of a specific color. Some abilities trigger based on the color of permanents you control. Deck building restrictions in formats like Commander are heavily influenced by a card’s color identity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Land Color
To delve deeper into the nuances of land color in Magic: The Gathering, here’s a collection of frequently asked questions:
1. What about basic lands producing colored mana? Does that make them colored?
No. The ability of a basic land to produce colored mana (Plains producing white, Island producing blue, etc.) does not make it a colored permanent. The ability is a function of the land’s type, not an inherent color characteristic.
2. Are creature lands (lands that become creatures) colored?
By default, no. If a land becomes a creature, it remains colorless unless the effect that animates it explicitly gives it a color. For example, if a spell turns your Forest into a 3/3 creature, it is still a colorless creature unless the spell states it is also green.
3. Do lands contribute to devotion?
No, lands do not contribute to devotion unless they are explicitly colored by an effect or ability. Devotion counts the number of mana symbols of a specific color on permanents you control. Since lands are usually colorless, they don’t contribute.
4. Can I put basic lands of a different color identity in my Commander deck if my Commander is colorless?
No. Even though your Commander might be colorless, basic lands possess innate mana abilities tied to their type. You cannot include basic lands producing colors outside your Commander’s color identity. This rule is very specific to basic lands and their inherent mana production.
5. Are dual lands multicolored?
Not inherently. “Dual lands” (lands that produce two different colors of mana) are still colorless permanents unless an effect states otherwise. The ability to produce different colored mana does not make them multicolored.
6. What about lands with colored activated abilities?
The presence of colored mana symbols in an activated ability does not make the land colored. A land with an ability that costs {R} to activate is still a colorless permanent.
7. Is there any way to make a land a specific color?
Yes. Certain cards, like Painter’s Servant, can change the color of all permanents, including lands. Other individual card effects might also grant a land a specific color.
8. Does a land’s border color indicate its color?
No. The border of a land (or any card) is not indicative of its color. Color is strictly determined by mana costs or color-defining abilities.
9. Are Wastes considered colored because they produce colorless mana?
No. Wastes are basic lands that produce colorless mana, but they themselves are colorless. Colorless is not a color in the same way that white, blue, black, red, and green are.
10. Do lands have a color identity in Commander?
A land’s color identity in Commander is determined by the mana symbols in its mana cost and any color indicators or color-setting characteristic-defining abilities. Since most lands have none of these, their color identity is colorless. A card’s color identity also includes colors from mana symbols in the card’s rules text, but it excludes reminder text.
11. Can I use lands to pay for colored costs, even though they are colorless?
Yes. You can use the mana produced by lands to pay for the colored mana costs of spells and abilities. The color of the mana produced by the land satisfies the color requirements, regardless of the land’s own color (or lack thereof).
12. If a card refers to “nonland permanents,” does that include colored artifacts?
Yes. “Nonland permanents” include all permanent types except for lands. Colored artifacts are permanents and they are also not lands, so they would be included.
13. Are fetch lands (like Scalding Tarn) considered colored?
No. Fetch lands are colorless. Their ability to search for a basic land of a specific color does not impart any color to the fetch land itself.
14. How does the interaction of effects work that add colors to a land, and effects that remove colors?
The general rule is that the effect with the latest timestamp wins, as with most layering effects. So, if you use a card to make a land red, and then later use a card that removes all colors from permanents, the land will end up being colorless. If the color-removing effect comes first, and then the color-adding effect, the land will be red.
15. Why is it important to know that lands are colorless?
Understanding that lands are generally colorless is crucial for correctly interpreting card interactions, deck building restrictions, and game rules. It prevents misplays and ensures a more accurate understanding of the game. This is especially important for learning in a gaming environment, like those studied by the Games Learning Society. You can find more on this type of study at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Conclusion
The colorless nature of lands is a cornerstone of Magic: The Gathering’s intricate ruleset. While exceptions exist, the default state of lands as colorless permanents impacts various aspects of the game. By understanding this fundamental principle, players can navigate the complexities of card interactions and deck building with greater confidence.