Can You Tap Mox Amber for Colorless Mana? A Comprehensive Guide
The short answer is: No, you cannot tap Mox Amber for colorless mana. While this might seem counterintuitive given the nature of mana in Magic: The Gathering, it’s a critical distinction to understand how this powerful artifact functions. Mox Amber adds mana of a specific color – and importantly, colorless is not a color. It’s a nuance that separates this mana rock from others and impacts deck-building strategies significantly. This article will delve into the specifics of how Mox Amber works, and address common related questions to clarify any misunderstandings.
Understanding Mox Amber’s Function
Mox Amber’s ability reads: “{T}: Add one mana of any color among legendary creatures and legendary planeswalkers you control.” The key here lies in the phrase “of any color.” It is designed to produce mana of a color, and not generic or colorless mana. This means the mana generated is directly tied to the color identity of the legendary permanents you control on the battlefield.
Why Colorless Isn’t a Color
It’s crucial to grasp that in Magic: The Gathering, colorless is not a color. Colorless spells and mana are treated differently from white, blue, black, red, and green. A colorless card or mana doesn’t fit into any of those five color classifications. This distinction is vital for understanding Mox Amber’s limitation.
How Mox Amber Does Work
Mox Amber’s ability is conditional on having legendary creatures or planeswalkers on your battlefield. These are specifically the cards that it “looks” to for mana options. For example:
- If you control a legendary creature that is blue, Mox Amber can tap for {U}.
- If you control a legendary planeswalker that is green and white, Mox Amber can tap for either {G} or {W}, but not both, on any given activation.
- If you control both a blue legendary creature and a red legendary planeswalker, Mox Amber can tap for either {U} or {R}.
Crucially, the ability only adds one mana of one of those colors, not one mana of each. If all of your legendary creatures and legendary planeswalkers are colorless, you can tap Mox Amber but you will not produce any mana, because there are no colors among the legendary permanents.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mox Amber and Colorless Mana
To further clarify the intricacies surrounding Mox Amber and colorless mana, here are 15 frequently asked questions:
1. Does Mox Amber work with my commander in the command zone?
No. Mox Amber only looks at legendary cards on the battlefield. Your commander in the command zone is not considered to be on the battlefield. Thus, it cannot provide a color for Mox Amber to tap for.
2. What is the difference between colorless mana and generic mana?
Colorless mana, represented by {C}, is a specific type of mana that can be used to pay for colorless costs and generic costs. Generic mana, represented by a grey circle with a number, can be paid with any type of mana, including colorless. Colorless is a specific type of mana, whereas generic is a cost that can be paid with anything.
3. Can I use generic mana to pay for colorless costs?
No, you cannot. You can use colorless mana to pay for generic costs, and you can use any color of mana to pay for generic costs, but you cannot use any color of mana to pay for colorless costs.
4. Can I pay for colorless costs with mana from lands that produce multiple colors?
Yes, if the land specifically produces colorless mana, or that lands ability allows you to tap it for colorless. For example, the Ruins of Oran-Rief can be tapped for colorless mana. Lands that produce multiple colors of mana usually also are not capable of producing colorless mana, unless explicitly stated.
5. Why is colorless mana necessary?
Colorless mana is required for specific spells and abilities, particularly those featuring colorless creatures such as the Eldrazi. If a spell requires colorless mana, it must be paid for with mana that specifically produces colorless mana.
6. Is Mox Opal banned in commander?
No, Mox Opal is not banned in Commander. It is banned in Modern, but it is legal in Commander.
7. Which moxes are legal in Commander?
The currently legal moxes in Commander are Chrome Mox, Flummoxed Cyclops, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Mox Tantalite, and Spooky Clown Mox.
8. Can Command Tower tap for colorless mana?
Officially, no. Command Tower produces mana of any color within your commander’s color identity. If your commander has no color identity, Command Tower does not tap for mana. However, in casual games, many players agree to house rule it to tap for one colorless mana in those instances.
9. Can Chrome Mox produce colorless mana?
No. Chrome Mox imprints a colored card or colorless card to generate one mana of the color of the imprinted card. If you imprint a colorless Eldrazi, Chrome Mox cannot produce any mana, as colorless is not a color.
10. Does Eldrazi Displacer require colorless mana?
Yes. Eldrazi Displacer’s ability requires colorless mana to activate, highlighting the importance of a mana base that can produce it.
11. Can Jeweled Lotus make colorless mana?
Yes, but that’s not its main function. Jeweled Lotus taps for mana of any color. It also does not need to be mana of your commander’s color identity.
12. Can you tap Mox Diamond?
Yes. You must sacrifice a land as Mox Diamond enters the battlefield. If you don’t, you can still tap it in response to it’s etb trigger. This will still net you mana.
13. Why are certain mox cards banned in some formats?
Mox cards are generally powerful, allowing for fast mana ramp. Mox Opal and Chrome Mox are banned in Modern due to the risk of creating unbalanced opening hands.
14. Can Exotic Orchard tap for colorless mana?
No. Exotic Orchard can only tap for a color of mana that a land an opponent controls can produce, not colorless mana.
15. Does Commander’s Plate protect against colorless?
Yes, If your commander is a card that has no color in its color identity, Commander’s Plate provides protection from all colors.
Conclusion
Mox Amber is a potent mana rock, but it has specific limitations. It does not produce colorless mana and is solely dependent on the color identity of legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control on the battlefield. Understanding these nuances is crucial for effective deck construction and gameplay. This article should have clarified why Mox Amber cannot tap for colorless mana, and provided additional knowledge concerning how various other cards interact with colorless mana.