
Is Fallaji Wayfarer a Multicolored Spell?
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The short and direct answer is: No, Fallaji Wayfarer is not a multicolored spell. It’s crucial to understand the distinction between what a card is versus what a card does. Fallaji Wayfarer has a unique ability that gives it all colors, but this does not inherently make the card a multicolored spell or a multicolored permanent. Its color identity, for the purposes of Commander deck construction, is green.
The confusion arises from the card’s first line of text: “Fallaji Wayfarer is all colors.” This ability means that, for effects that check for color, Fallaji Wayfarer will be considered white, blue, black, red, and green simultaneously. This is very different from a card being inherently multicolored.
Let’s unpack the concept of “multicolored,” “color identity,” and how Fallaji Wayfarer fits into the rules of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), particularly within the Commander format.
Understanding Multicolored Cards
What Defines a Multicolored Spell?
In MTG, a multicolored card is defined by the presence of multiple color symbols in its mana cost. For example, a card with a mana cost of {1}{W}{B} (one generic mana, one white mana, and one black mana) is considered a multicolored spell. It is both white and black. A card with a cost of {2/W}{2/B} is also considered a multicolored spell, because hybrid mana represents the requirement of more than one color of mana in casting the spell. If the mana cost includes two or more different colors, then it is a multicolored card.
How Hybrid Mana Affects Multicolored Status
Hybrid mana symbols, such as {G/W} (green or white mana), still contribute to a card being multicolored if the symbol also includes more than one color symbol. Whether you pay with green or white mana, a card with a cost that includes {G/W} will be considered both green and white. These spells are considered multicolored regardless of which option you choose when paying.
Importance in MTG
Multicolor cards are essential to deck building and strategies as they can offer powerful combinations and effects. Many spells and abilities care about the number of colors in a given permanent or spell.
Fallaji Wayfarer’s Unique Properties
The “All Colors” Ability
Fallaji Wayfarer’s distinctive ability, “Fallaji Wayfarer is all colors,” functions in all zones: your hand, library, the battlefield, and your graveyard. This is a static ability that affects how other game mechanics interact with the card.
Not a Multicolored Spell
Crucially, Fallaji Wayfarer does not have a multicolored mana cost. It has a mana cost of {1}{G} (one generic mana and one green mana). The text granting it all colors does not change this. Because its printed mana cost only includes green, it is not a multicolored card. This distinction is very important in Magic and explains how it can go in any deck whose commander’s color identity includes green.
Commander Format Considerations
In Commander (EDH), the card’s color identity determines which decks it can legally be included in. Fallaji Wayfarer’s color identity is green because that is the only color mana symbol in its mana cost. Its all-colors ability does not affect its color identity. The second sentence in the rules text on the card “This ability doesn’t affect its color identity.” makes it absolutely clear.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions related to Fallaji Wayfarer and multicolored spells to further clarify the concepts discussed:
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What is the color identity of Fallaji Wayfarer?
- Fallaji Wayfarer has a color identity of green. This means it can only be used in Commander decks where the commander’s color identity includes green.
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How does Fallaji Wayfarer’s “all colors” ability work?
- This ability makes Fallaji Wayfarer all colors (white, blue, black, red, and green) at all times. This affects how other cards and abilities might interact with it, such as spells that target permanents of a particular color.
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Can Fallaji Wayfarer trigger effects that care about multicolored spells?
- No. Fallaji Wayfarer itself is not a multicolored spell despite being all colors. The card itself needs to be cast as a multicolored card in order to trigger the effects of a card that interacts with multicolored spells.
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If I cast a spell that targets a “green creature”, can Fallaji Wayfarer be targeted by that spell?
- Yes. Because Fallaji Wayfarer is all colors, it would be both green and all the other colors, and therefore it can be the target of a spell that targets green creatures, white creatures, etc.
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What is a multicolored permanent?
- A multicolored permanent is a permanent card on the battlefield with more than one color in its mana cost, or a permanent with an ability that makes it more than one color. It is important to note that a card that is multicolred in all zones is not considered a multicolored permanent unless it is on the battlefield.
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If I have a card that says “Whenever you cast a multicolored spell…”, would casting Fallaji Wayfarer trigger that ability?
- No, it would not. Casting a card that is all colors, such as Fallaji Wayfarer, does not trigger “multicolored” abilities. The card you cast has to be a multicolored spell in order to trigger that type of ability.
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How does convoke work with multicolored spells?
- Convoke allows you to tap your creatures to pay for part of a spell’s cost. For multicolored spells, each tapped creature pays for one generic mana or one mana of a color the tapped creature is.
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Is a hybrid spell considered a multicolored spell?
- Yes, if a card’s mana cost contains two or more colors, including hybrid mana, it is considered a multicolored spell. For example, if a card has a cost that includes {G/W}, {G/U}, {W/B}, {U/R}, or any other combination of two colors together, then it is considered multicolored.
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What is the color indicator?
- A color indicator is a dot on the card’s type line to the left of the types that can indicate the color of the card if it is not already evident based on its mana cost. This is especially useful for cards with no mana cost at all.
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How does a color indicator impact a card’s color identity?
- The color indicator has the final say for determining a card’s color. Even if the card has no printed mana cost, the color indicator determines its color identity.
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If a card has a back face, does that back face affect the card’s color identity?
- Yes. If a card is a double-faced card, then both faces determine a card’s color identity.
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What is the color identity of Transguild Courier?
- Transguild Courier has no mana cost, and no color indicator, but has text in the rules that says “Transguild Courier is white, blue, black, red, and green.” Because of the text in its rules, it has a color identity of white, blue, black, red, and green.
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What does it mean when a card’s text refers to the number of colors?
- Some cards have abilities that interact with the number of colors on a permanent or in a spell. In that case, you count the number of colors (ie. if a permanent is white, blue, and black, then it has three colors). Fallaji Wayfarer has five colors due to its static ability.
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Is a colorless card also considered all colors?
- No. A colorless card is a card that doesn’t have any specific color and does not interact with the concept of color the same way a card that is all colors does. Colorless cards do not count towards the number of colors a card has, they are simply not a color.
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If I have a creature that is all colors, and it is wearing an equipment that is all colors, what is the number of colors of the creature?
- The creature still has 5 colors, and the equipment has 5 colors. The equipment can be played because the creature is all colors, and you can choose a card that targets a creature that is blue, for example. The equipment can also be targeted by spells or abilities that target green artifacts. Each of these permanents individually has all five colors, so adding them together has no effect on the number of colors.
Conclusion
While Fallaji Wayfarer’s ability to be all colors is potent and opens up many strategic possibilities, it is not a multicolored spell. Understanding the nuances of color, color identity, and what constitutes a multicolored spell is crucial for navigating the complex rules of MTG. By carefully considering these distinctions, players can effectively utilize cards like Fallaji Wayfarer and other powerful multicolored cards in their decks. This distinction is very important in the rules of Magic.