Multi-Colored Cards

Some cards are multicolored (sometimes called “gold” due to their card frame), meaning they require more than one type of mana to use. Although Invasion block, the first set prominently themed around multicolor, was a smashing success (as evidenced by a definite spike in tournament attendance), in Mark Rosewater’s words, it wasn’t really a mechanic they explored much. The card pool was dominated by “Chinese menu” cards, meaning they took one ability from two colors, scrunched them together on one card, and saw what happened. (the old adage of “one from column A, one from column B”)

The “guild model” from Ravnica block has given way to a new era of understanding color combinations (especially two-color combinations). Mark Rosewater boldly campaigned to showcase all ten two-color combinations equally. Later the “small plane model” (shards) from Alara block and the “clan model” (wedges) from Tarkir block added a deeper understanding of the three-color combinations. The “triomes” from Ikoria gave new names to the wedge colors but the colors are not tied to factions or existing wedge identities.