Devoid: Unraveling the Colorless Enigma in Magic: The Gathering
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
The core purpose of devoid in Magic: The Gathering is to make a card colorless, regardless of the colors in its mana cost. This deceptively simple ability has wide-reaching implications for gameplay, deckbuilding, and the overall strategic landscape of the game. Devoid is not merely about stripping away color; it’s about creating a unique category of cards that interact with the game in distinct ways, most often in the context of the Eldrazi. By introducing devoid, Wizards of the Coast created a flavorful mechanic to highlight the alien nature of the Eldrazi and provided a specific niche that was difficult to achieve otherwise. It’s an ability that primarily defines interaction with other mechanics in the game, rather than being a mechanical benefit on its own. It’s a characteristic defining ability that provides a way to have a colorless card with colored mana cost.
Why Devoid Matters
Strategic Flexibility
Devoid cards offer unique strategic flexibility. While their mana cost might suggest a certain color identity, their lack of color makes them immune to effects that target specific colors, such as protection from red or progenitus’s protection from everything. This allows decks to deploy powerful spells or creatures that would normally be vulnerable to color-based removal, forcing opponents to adapt to the situation. For example, a player might be able to play a seemingly black card, like [[Catacomb Sifter]] with a cost of one black and one green mana, into a deck that normally can’t have black or green cards, and yet it still works in the deck.
Synergies and Deckbuilding
Devoid is key in several MTG decks, especially those centered around the Eldrazi. These decks often utilize colorless synergies or effects that trigger when colorless spells are played. It expands the pool of colorless options beyond just artifacts, creating a new dimension of colorless focused strategies. For example, cards such as Matter Reshaper which are colorless but have specific costs, become very synergistic in decks that care about casting colorless spells and also have specific color needs within the deck. Devoid creates this paradox. It also means that players can use cards like Eldrazi Processors, which exile the card in order to trigger an ability, while not having to fear those cards can never be played again, because they technically still work for the deck’s color identity and can be brought back from exile.
Flavour and Lore
The introduction of devoid also enhanced the flavor of the Eldrazi. Their very nature, alien and outside the bounds of normal magic, is represented by this mechanic. The Eldrazi’s unique status is reflected in their colorless nature, highlighting their disruptive and world-consuming goals. This is why devoid cards are mostly, but not exclusively, printed with Eldrazi cards.
Devoid Mechanics
Devoid is not merely about having a card that’s colorless. It interacts with other game mechanics:
-
Colorlessness: Devoid directly makes the card colorless, which is different from being an artifact. This means devoid cards are unaffected by cards that target certain colors, but interact normally with things that target artifacts or colorless objects.
-
Color Identity vs. Color: Devoid only changes the color of the card; it does not alter its color identity. Color identity is determined by the mana symbols within the card’s casting cost and any color indicators. This is particularly relevant in Commander (EDH), where color identity restricts which cards can be included in a deck. This often confuses players, as a card can be colorless but still have a color identity because of the symbols in its mana cost.
-
Devotion: Mana symbols on permanents with devoid still contribute to devotion. Devotion counts the number of mana symbols of each color present, not the actual colors of the permanents themselves, which means that a colorless card with a mana cost of one red, will add one to red devotion, even though the card is colorless.
In summary, devoid is an ability that adds depth and complexity to the game. It provides a strategic angle by granting access to powerful effects with a different color interaction, expands deckbuilding options, and reinforces the lore of the Eldrazi. Devoid cards are strategically important, and add to many complex layers of gameplay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does devoid actually work?
Devoid is a characteristic defining ability that makes a card colorless, regardless of its casting cost. It’s an inherent quality of the card, similar to a card being an enchantment or a creature. It functions solely to change a card’s color and nothing else.
Can devoid cards go in any Commander deck?
No, devoid cards cannot go in any Commander deck. While they are colorless, they still retain their color identity based on their mana symbols, as well as colors in their rules text. For example, [[Catacomb Sifter]] is colorless due to devoid, but it has a color identity of Black/Green and can only be used in Commander decks that are at least Black/Green.
What’s the difference between devoid and colorless?
A card with devoid is a colorless card due to its ability, but it isn’t a colorless card because of being an artifact. It’s a distinction in the source of its colorlessness and is not always relevant, but important to understand when cards specifically interact with colorless spells as a whole or artifacts specifically. A card with devoid can be affected by effects that give the card color, while a non-devoid card that is colorless cannot.
Do devoid cards count towards devotion?
Yes, mana symbols on permanents with devoid do count towards devotion. Devotion tallies the mana symbols of a certain color, irrespective of the permanents’ color.
Is white the weakest color in MTG?
While white can be strong in formats like Standard and Modern with efficient creatures and removal, it is considered weaker in Commander due to the fact that it has less access to mana acceleration. However, each color has strengths and weaknesses in the many different formats available to the game. This is an opinion that can change quickly with new cards being printed, depending on the meta.
Are Eldrazi all colorless?
Yes, Eldrazi creatures are often colorless to emphasize their alien nature. This is highlighted by the devoid ability on many Eldrazi, but not all.
Are there any non-Eldrazi devoid cards?
Yes, there are a few non-Eldrazi cards that have devoid. These are typically cards that aim to either have an interaction with the Eldrazi in some way, or have other design reasons. Examples can be found in the set Oath of the Gatewatch.
Are “Un-set” cards legal in Commander?
Some Unfinity cards are legal in Commander. Cards without an acorn stamp are legal in Eternal formats like Commander, while cards with the acorn stamp are not.
What cards are banned in Commander?
Several cards are banned in Commander for various reasons, including cards like [[Primeval Titan]], [[Erayo, Soratami Ascendant]], and [[Fastbond]] for being excessively powerful or creating game states that are unfavorable and anti-fun.
What is “Rule 0” in Commander?
“Rule 0” is an unofficial concept in Commander where players can agree to alter the rules before a game. This allows for the use of banned cards, “silver-bordered” cards, or to add custom mechanics to the game.
Can you put colorless cards in a Commander deck?
Yes, as long as the card’s color identity is represented by mana symbols that appear on your commander’s card, or if the commander is colorless. All cards in your Commander deck must adhere to the Commander’s color identity rule.
What is the strongest color in MTG?
Blue is often cited as the strongest color in MTG, particularly in formats with access to older cards. This is due to its strong draw and manipulation effects. However, every color has its own strengths, and the strongest color can depend on the meta at the time.
What color combination is strongest?
Blue and Black are often considered the most powerful color combination, providing both control (black removal and card advantage from blue), and often game-ending bombs once the board state is established.
What does the symbol color of a card mean?
The symbol color of a card indicates its rarity. Black is common, silver is uncommon, gold is rare, and orange-red/bronze is mythic.
Do lands count towards devotion?
No, lands do not contribute to devotion. Lands are inherently colorless, and having effects to give lands a color will not affect their status as not adding to devotion.
By fully understanding the implications of devoid, Magic players can navigate the strategic options the ability introduces to both deckbuilding and gameplay itself. From the lore-rich Eldrazi, to the nuanced card interactions that devoid facilitates, it’s an ability that elevates strategic depth of the game. It is a core component of the complexity that Magic is known for.