History MagicTheGathering / ColorTropes

** Red and White both have an intense sense of justice and tend to see the world in moral absolutes. They are both quick to act out against a perceived injustice and are likely to do so via ThePowerOfFriendship. They're also the two colors most associated with the Soldier and Warrior classes, as well as [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]]

White is the color of [[LightEmUp light]], law, and [[HolyHandGrenade holy magic]]. It specializes in various forms of healing and protection (such as gaining life, preventing damage, and boosting creatures' toughness scores), efficient small creatures that reinforce each other, and abilities that dictate the flow of combat. White is chivalrous: rather than kill directly, it prefers to disable non-combative foes with spells like [[http://magiccards.info/som/en/2.html Arrest]], [[https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/125/pacifism Pacifism]], and [[http://magiccards.info/arc/en/3.html Oblivion Ring]], but has no qualms about killing creatures that have struck first, as seen in cards like [[http://magiccards.info/m10/en/8.html Divine Verdict]] and [[http://magiccards.info/10e/en/8.html Ballista Squad]]. When pushed, White engages in MutualDisadvantage, giving you something in return for taking something away, or resorts to mass destruction to wipe the slate clean equally. Learn more about white [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr57 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/7 here.]]

Blue is the color of knowledge, illusion, and mental magic. Its specialties are {{counterspell}}s, {{Eureka Moment}}s via drawing cards, and delaying your opponent by forcing them to replay or redraw the same cards, or skipping phases or whole turns. Because of its careful, analytical approach, blue is often reactive, and rarely rushes directly into the fray. Accordingly, its creatures tend to sacrifice brute force in favor of abilities like flying that allow them to gain an advantage in other ways. Because blue has traditionally had many of the most powerful cards, it has gained an unfavorable reputation in some circles, as satirized by [[http://cardboard-crack.com/tagged/blue this set of comic strips]]. Learn more about blue [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr84 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/13 here.]]

Black is the color of death, ambition, and ruthlessness. Its goal is power, no matter the cost -- Black will do anything to win, even if it means sacrificing its own creatures or HitPoints to power its spells. Black specializes in death and decay; its power over death makes it excellent at both killing creatures and [[{{Necromancer}} raising them from the dead to fight again]]. It's also the best color at attacking the opponent's hand through MindRape-styled discard effects, and offers Faustian bargains of powerful creatures and effects that match or exceed other colors' specialties, if you don't mind [[PowerAtAPrice paying for the difference with something other than mana]]. Learn more about black [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr109 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/9 here.]]

Red is the color of chaos, passion, and emotion. It's aligned with the elements of [[PlayingWithFire fire]], [[DishingOutDirt earth]], and [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], and it specializes in direct damage and the destruction of all things material. Red lives in the moment and rarely considers the future consequences of its actions; this theme is frequently shown through powerful but temporary advantages such as [[http://magiccards.info/10e/en/242.html Threaten]] and [[http://magiccards.info/m10/en/125.html Ball Lightning]], with creatures that aren't always quite controllable once they hit the field, and with excessive bursts of mana or effects that destroy your lands in return for immediate power. Red is designed to play aggressively and win quickly, and is in danger of stalling out if it can't keep tempo. Red's reliance on spells that deal with fire and lightning have lead to the perception that red is not as diverse as the other colors, as satirized [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=burning%20cinder%20fury%20of%20crimson%20chaos%20fire here.]] Learn more about red [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr133 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/15 here.]]

Green is the color of life, [[GreenMeansNatural nature]], and tradition. Thanks to its mastery of life and growth, Green is the best color at creating swarms of token creatures, and its creatures tend to be bigger than those of other colors for the same cost, especially at the higher end of the scale: for the first year of the game, it had ''the'' biggest creature in existence, though that office has mostly gone to blue or colorless creatures since. Green also has the ability to boost the size of its creatures, both temporarily and permanently, and is the best color at generating extra mana in the long term, often by playing additional lands. It has become the second-best color at card drawing, representing a growth of the mind to match the body. Green magic is rarely subtle and often relies on brute force -- while it's perfectly willing to destroy the opponent's artifacts, enchantments, and lands, Green's preferred means of dealing with opposing creatures is to outmatch them in combat [[IncrediblyLamePun as nature intended]]. Learn more about green [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr43 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/11 here.]]

* MirroringFactions: As diametrically opposed as enemy colors may be, there is more overlap between them than any would like to admit. And bear in mind that cards don't have to be mono-colored; they can also be any combination of two or more. Enemy-pair two-colored cards are almost as common as ally-pair ones, and any more complex combinations will include some enemy colors by definition. (Three-colored cards are the most common multi-colors after two-colored ones, followed by five-colored cards. There are only a handful of four-colored cards, since it's hard for Creative to come up with a theme for them.)

* MirroringFactions: As diametrically opposed as enemy colors may be, there is more overlap between them than any would like to admit. And bear in mind that cards don't have to be mono-colored; they can also be any combination of two or more.

* {{Wrath}}: As should be obvious by now, Red's most pronounced flaw is its tendency to produce bloodthirsty zealots.

Green is the color of life, [[GreenMeansNatural nature]], and tradition. Thanks to its mastery of life and growth, Green is the best color at creating swarms of token creatures, and its creatures tend to be bigger than those of other colors for the same cost, especially at the higher end of the scale: for the first year of the game, it had ''the'' biggest creature in existence, though that office has mostly gone to Blue or colorless creatures since. Green also has the ability to boost the size of its creatures, both temporarily and permanently, and is the best color at generating extra mana in the long term, often by playing additional lands. It has become the second-best color at card drawing, representing a growth of the mind to match the body. Green magic is rarely subtle and often relies on brute force -- while it's perfectly willing to destroy the opponent's artifacts, enchantments, and lands, Green's preferred means of dealing with opposing creatures is to outmatch them in combat [[IncrediblyLamePun as nature intended]]. Learn more about green [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr43 here]] and [[http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/11 here.]]

* EnergyWeapon: Although White has domain over light, some Red spells involve piercing the enemies with beams of light, most notably [[http://magiccards.info/cmd/en/116.html Cleansing Beam]].

* FeatheredSerpent: While snakes as a whole are generally green, Ixalan and Alara are both home to mystical blue-aligned coatls.

* ImmortalitySeeker: Ironically, many black-aligned characters are terrified of their own mortality and will use [[TheDarkArts any means necessary]] to stave off death... [[OurLichesAreDifferent or at least remain active and conscious indefinitely]].

* LifeDrain: Going with black's knack for vampiric creatures, it sports several sources of ''Lifelink'' to keep its health up so it almost always has some life to pay. Many of black's healing spells and abilities also come at the expense of the opponent's creatures or life total.

* TheHorde: In early sets especially, Red was the go-to color for typically barbaric and monstrous fantasy races like Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Giants and Trolls (until Trolls became associated with Green) in addition to human bandits and [[BarbarianTribe barbarians]], with [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]] being the only typically good fantasy characters associated with Red in this era.

* EvilLuddite: Green is opposed to advanced science, technology, industry and any altering of the world from its natural state on general principles, and this tends to move it into villainous territory when it takes it too far. In the more recent artifact-focused Kaladesh block, however, Green-aligned characters went the "let's make technology work in harmony with nature" route instead.

** Black and Green share a sense of ruthlessness, as Black is the color of amorality and Green is the color of [[GreenMeansNatural natural instinct]]. Both are willing to deal with threats ''immediately'', and share a "survival of the fittest" mentality. Of all the enemy colors, they probably share the most creature types, including Treefolk, Fungi, Insects, Spiders, Trolls, Worms, and Gorgons.

** In addition, cards like the infamously [[GameBreaker Game Breaking]] [[https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/841/swords-to-plowshares Swords to Plowshares]] weaponizes this trope, calling an enemy creature to agriculture ''so strongly'' that they [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave the fight entirely]].[[invoked]]

** In addition, cards like the infamous [[https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/841/swords-to-plowshares Swords to Plowshares]] weaponizes this trope, calling an enemy creature to agriculture ''so strongly'' that they [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave the fight entirely]].

* WeakButSkilled: Even with the help of its beloved artifacts, Blue has way less raw damage potential than any other color. It has also, in the past, bordered on a GameBreaker.

** Green and Blue prefer to look at the big picture when considering their options. Both also tend to act cautiously, with measured and deliberate actions, up to and including implementing an AlienNonInterferenceClause. Recently, green has also been borrowing some of blue's [[MakingASplash water theming]], leading to them sharing creature types like Merfolk and Crocodiles.

* GrayingMorality: While Wizards has struggled to make the conflict between Black and White not too... well, [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]], they have had no such problem adding nuance to the conflict between Red and White. Early cards tended to portray it as [[KnightInShiningArmor Knights in Shining Armor]] vs TheHorde, with red rarely getting to showcase its traits of empathy and imagination. Nowadays, the dynamic has shifted, with the canon now also containing a number of [[OrderIsNotGood tyrannical White-aligned villains]] fighting against [[RedIsHeroic Red-aligned]] [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVillified revolutionaries]].

** In addition, cards like the [[GameBreaker infamous]] [[https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/841/swords-to-plowshares Swords to Plowshares]] weaponizes this trope, calling an enemy creature to agriculture ''so strongly'' that they [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leave the fight entirely]].

*** White: Humans, [[CatFolk Leonin]], and Kor. [[note]]This one is still, according to WordOfGod, subject to change, given that [[HumansAreAverage humans are only slightly more common in white than they are in the other colors]], and Kor and Leonin are not StandardFantasyRaces that new players are likely to be familiar with.[[/note]]

** Green and Blue prefer to look at the big picture when considering their options. Both also tend to act cautiously, with measured and deliberate actions. Recently, green has also been borrowing some of blue's [[MakingASplash water theming]], leading to them sharing creature types like Merfolk and Crocodiles.

* JackOfAllStats: While White and Green have the best creatures and Red and Blue have the best spells, Black is the most balanced color in both aspects, though this [[CastFromHitPoints also has its price]].

* MurderInc / ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: Black currently has the most creatures with the Rogue class in the game. They also currently have the most creatures with the Assassin class. It also has the third-highest number of creatures with the {{Pirate}} class, and is the primary color for the now rarely-used Mercenary class.

*** White: Humans and Kor.

*** Red: Goblins, Dwarves, and [[LizardFolk Viashino]].

** Characteristic spellcasters:[[note]]Considerably more flexible than the others, as Wizards maintain a consistent presence in all colors and Shamans have appeared in Green and Clerics in Black. The idea of sorting spellcaster creature types this way is relatively recent, and Warlock only started being a type in ''Throne of Eldraine''.[[/note]]

* RedIsHeroic: [[DownpayedTrope Downplayed]] originally, but increasingly PlayedStraight. While the earliest cards mostly characterizes Red as [[{{Sadist}} openly sadistic]] and [[GenericDoomsdayVillain almost mindlessly violent]], decades of CharacterDevelopment have showcased the color's more likeable qualities, like spontaneity, sociability, and independence. Today, many of the game's flagship heroes are aligned primarily to Red mana.

* GrayingMorality: While WotC has struggled to make the conflict between Black and White not too... well, [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]], they have had no such problem adding nuance to the conflict between Red and White. Early cards tended to portray it as [[KnightInShiningArmor Knights in Shining Armor]] vs TheHorde, with red rarely getting to showcase its traits of empathy and imagination. Nowadays, the dynamic has shifted, with the canon containing a number of [[OrderIsNotGood tyrannical White-aligned villains]] fighting against [[RedIsHeroic Red-aligned]] [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVillified revolutionaries]].

* GrayingMorality: While WotC has struggled to make the conflict between Black and White not too... well, [[BlackAndWhitMorality black and white]], they have had no such problem adding nuance to the conflict between Red and White. Early cards tended to portray it as [[KnightInShiningArmor Knights in Shining Armor]] vs TheHorde, with red rarely getting to showcase its traits of empathy and imagination. Nowadays, the dynamic has shifted, with the canon containing a number of [[OrderIsNotGood tyrannical White-aligned villains]] fighting against [[RedIsHeroic Red-aligned]] [[ThisRevolutionWillNotBeVillified revolutionaries]].

* HeelFaceTurn: If a coalition of differently-colored characters is present, the Black one is the likeliest to have pulled on off to join the good guys.

* FaceHeelTurn: If a coalition of differently-colored characters is present, the Black one is the likeliest to have pulled on off to join the good guys.

** White and Black both frequently engage in {{Realpolitik}}, and have a firm belief that [[WellIntentionedExtremist the ends justify the means]] and that strict hierarchy is a desirable state of affairs. Tribalism is a nasty habit associated with the White/Black combination, as the communalism of White meets the self-interest of Black.
** Blue and Red are both focused on new ideas and revel in change for change's sake. They both have an intense curiosity and a propensity for obsession. This is reflected in their making the most use of DiscardAndDraw mechanics out of the five colors, although Blue will usually pick-and-choose more carefully than Red. They are also the two colors most heavily associated with technological innovation and tinkering.
** Black and Green share a sense of ruthlessness, as Black is the color of amorality and Green is the color of [[GreenMeansNatural natural instinct]]. Both are willing to deal with threats ''immediately'', and share a "survival of the fittest" mentality.
** Red and White both have an intense sense of justice and tend to see the world in moral absolutes. They are both quick to act out against a perceived injustice and are likely to do so via ThePowerOfFriendship. They're also the two colors most associated with Soldiers and Warriors.
** Green and Blue prefer to look at the big picture when considering their options. Both also tend to act cautiously, with measured and deliberate actions.

* ScaryScorpions: Unlike most "regular" animals, which tend to be Green, scorpions are almost exclusively Black. They usually get ''Deathtouch'' (meaning they destroy any creature they deal any damage to) or some way to weaken enemy creatures.

* {{Samurai}}: In any given Kamigawa block, the Samurai creature class will often take the place of Knights. In the Bushido-era (the Kamigawa of millennia past), Samurai would have had the ''Bushido'' keyword in which they get a stat-boost whenever they block or are blocked [[note]]For calculation purposes, a samurai with ''Bushido 1'' gets +1/+1 until the end of the turn if they block a creature or they get blocked[[/note]]. Nowadays, and as of the Neon Dynasty era (the Kamigawa of the present), [[ThePowerOfFriendship the Samurai give buffs to allies that attack alone]].

* {{Lobotomy}}: Black's ability to look through a library and exile specific cards gets this flavor, being usually depicted as black unsubtly and damagingly rooting through an opponent’s mind for information.