Pattern Recognition #391 - For my Dad - COLOR IDENTITY

Pattern Recognition

berryjon

27 November 2025

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Hello Everyone! My name is berryjon, and I welcome you all to Pattern Recognition, TappedOut.Net's longest running article series. Also the only one. I am a well deserved Old Fogey having started the game back in 1996. My experience in both Magic and Gaming is quite extensive, and I use this series to try and bring some of that to you. I dabble in deck construction, mechanics design, Magic's story and characters, as well as more abstract concepts. Or whatever happens to catch my fancy that week. Please, feel free to talk about each week's subject in the comments section at the bottom of the page, from corrections to suggested improvements or your own anecdotes. I won't bite. :) Now, on with the show!

Hey dad! This one is for you! Now, I tried to talk over supper last week. But it didn't work out, so I might as well use my platform to discuss the colours and what they mean from a non-mechaical perspective. I'll introduce each color and their pairings and their triads one by one, give an example picture for each, a quick one or two paragraph summary of their style, advantages and weaknesses. Read, consider, and let me know where you would like to begin when we sit down for deck building.

I will divide these up into five section of five each, as they all will work similarly or different for each set of five. I'll explain why as I get to them, as well as making it a little easier to parse and read through.

But understand this. There is no right or wrong. No good or evil. Just how you want to play the game.

And if you're not my dad, here's what's up. My dad wants to learn Magic to better connect with my brother and I, and while I got him the Doctor Who decks a couple years ago, putting a pile of 100 cards in front of him may not be the best way to teach him. So I offered to sit down with him one day, with my collection and we'll build him a deck from the ground up so he can see how all the pieces work together and to actually have hands-on experience with decision making and why cards go in or they don't. What follows will be summaries curated for my dad, and not meant for a more expert set of players. Like myself or most of you. But if you have feedback/suggestions and clarifications, feel free to say so in the comments below. Now, on with the show!

MONO COLOR

Probably the simplest decks to build, mono-colored decks have the most solid mana/resource bases in the game, and are inherently the most focused on what they do. However, each color has weaknesses as well as strengths, and you would be going all-in on a very tall tower with insufficient backup or options.

: White

Play Fair

Mono-White is the color of order, planning and perseverance. They punish wrongdoers passively and actively by setting traps for them to blunder into, while at the same time promote and reward people who play by the rules. The longer the game goes, the stronger this color becomes, but they are equally capable of great bursts of speed and power in the short term if that means meeting a specific goal.

Play this color if you're OK taking your time setting up your win, but be careful of those that move faster than you.

: Blue

Knowledge is Power

Mono-Blue is the color of knowledge, preparation and responsiveness. They act very much in reaction to what others do to take advantage of their momentary distractions. However, this responsiveness is usually setup for a knockout blow that will win you the game in an instant!

Play this color if you want to think hard about what you're doing, and what your opponents are doing to get the best use out of your resources. However, once you've committed, things can go very wrong, very fast.

: Black

Will to Power

Mono-Black is the color of taking charge of your own fate and making it your own. They act, heedless of the cost of their actions, playing them willingly to gain any sort of advantage they can. No resource is sacred, no cause untapped. You are your own master now, and everyone will know it.

Play this color if you are willing to do everything in your power to win, because you are willing to give it your all to get there. Beware of people who can get more worth for their resources than you can, as they can simply outlast you.

: Red

Just Do It

Mono-Red is the color of speed, of action and commitment. They move first, move fast and move hard, picking a direction and never giving up or giving in. This color builds momentum, build it fast, and just tries to keep one step of the opponents before they can catch up or even get their feet under them.

Play this color if you want to take the initiative and work with complete dedication towards the end of the game. Just watch out for people who can trip you us because when you crash, you will crash hard.

: Green

Bigger is Better

Mono-Green is color of growth, of reaching for ever greater heights of capacity and power. Card for card, turn for turn, you will have more than anyone else in the game, and the growth will just fuel more growth. And then you will have grown so big that nothing can stop you!

Play this color if you enjoy having more than anyone else, and being the biggest person around. However, the greater the height, the harder the fall, and if you lose what you've invested in, you tend to lose more.

ALLIED COLOR PAIRS

Allied colors are easy to see when you look at the back of a card. Each color is in a circle printed there, from the top and moving clockwise they are then back to the start with again. Colors are 'Allied' if they are adjacent to each other in this circle. Allies emphasize each others strengths, making what they are good at even better at the cost of sharing and emphasizing their weaknesses.

: Azorious

Play Fair + Knowledge is Power = THE SCHOLAR

This colour pairing represents the unity of patience and wisdom - in having all the options in the world and having the right answer at the right time. Here you find control over yourself and your opponents as long as you have the wisdom to act at the right time. Victory is yours, it's inevitable.

Play this color-pair if you are willing to be both tactical and strategic in your choices, because every choice matters, including those of your opponents. But one misstep will spell your downfall if your opponents act without opposition.

: Dimir

Knowledge is Power + Will to Power = THE DECEIVER

With these two colours, you are playing the game of deception and misdirection. Nothing you do is a straight line, and no answer you give or are given is what is seems. In this, you are the essence of being untouchable and unreachable, who can act and not be acted upon.

Play this colour pair if you enjoy playing mind games with your opponents, causing them to second guess themselves and to not be sure of what is real and what is not. But if someone can touch you? Well, if you're playing unconventionally, then a conventional response may not be something you can handle.

: Rakdos

Will to Power + Just Do It = NO PRICE TOO HIGH

What are you willing to spend for victory? I mentioned that this was one of the core aspects to Black, but when you add red to the mix, any restraints or wheels come off. This is not a bad thing, as this is probably the fastest color combination in the game, able to end games before other players can begin.

Play this combination if you want to jump headfirst into the fray and never look back, never doubt and never give up. On the other hand, this speed is not just a mimic of Mono-Red, but also you can starve yourself of resources far too easy to maintain the pace.

: Gruul

Just Do It + Bigger is Better = THE FORCE OF NATURE

These two colours represent the wild and untamable natural world. From majestic animals, to those who find their place in the deep and hidden places that do not exist on any map, these advance in a sure, but steady pace with indomitable motivation, and indomitable effort.

Play this combination if you prefer raw power and aggression at all stages of the game, pushing and pushing and pushing with all your might. But, just because you can, does not mean you should, and a more tactical player can slip past you to win.

: Selesnya

Bigger is Better + Play Fair = COMMUNITY MINDED

Perhaps the most consistent color pair, these two combined to represent not only the power and strength of nature, but in giving it order and purpose and direction to allow the best of both sides to come out. Family, caring for strangers and helping each other out are the hallmarks of this pair.

Play this if you're willing to spend time building and carefully constructing your game plan and then moving in for a solid victory. But, the same effort to set up means that if a key piece is removed, the pillar of your community, the whole thing can come crashing down around you.

ENEMY COLOR PAIRS

Enemy colors are on the opposite side of the circle of colors, not adjacent to each other. Two allies, two enemies. Enemy colour pairs, because of their dichotomy, tend to cover each other's weaknesses better than allies, but because of this spreading of effort, may not be able to reach the same heights of power and capacity that they can.

: Orzhov

Play Fair + Will to Power = CORRUPT NOBLE

This color pair takes the systems that are built by White, and exploits them for all they are worth. You set the rules, and, well, it's not your fault that the others can't handle them. You can just fine. This is not a color-pairing that wins fast, but by degrees. Sometimes those degrees are fast, sometimes they are slow, but a win is a win, even in the fine print.

Play this colour pairing if you don't mind playing plenty of interacting pieces that keep constant pressure on the opponent. There will be no grand slam here, just victory in the margins. Beware of anyone else who can play the game by the rules you are setting as they can avoid your punishments.

: Izzet

Knowledge is Power + Just Do It = GREAT WORK

These two colors are the least concerned with any permanence to their effects, always moving forward, never looking back, always seeking the next goal. Leave the consequences in your dust as you think fast and act faster. Because with these two, your actions speak loudest, over everyone else.

Play these colours if you don't mind a lot of thinking on your feet and setting up for the grand payoff. There are a couple very divergent ways these colors play, but they both agree that the only thing that matters is what you can do now, now what was or what could be. Now. But if anyone can withstand your assault, then you will be left defenseless when they come for you.

: Golgari

Will to Power + Bigger Is Better = LIFE AND DEATH

Nothing is ever truly gone when these two colors work together. The natural order at its finest, the circle of life is maintained through these two cards blending together. Your greatest resource isn't the cards in your hand, but the cards in your graveyard as they can be used to fuel even better results or be brought back again and again to always be there for you. You'll always have your friends by your side.

In this colour pair, you find that you'll always have options and help from the most unexpected of places. The setups are easy, the payoffs massive. And yet, everyone else can see what you're doing far ahead of time and because you're advertising your plan, their counter-play will be tailored toward it, making all your work for nothing.

: Boros

Play Fair + Just do It = MY FREINDS AND I

With these two colors, you are never alone. Friends, sidekicks, or even just a trusty tool, playing in this zone means always having backup, and always be ready to admit that maybe you can't do this on your own and call for help. Because you're not alone. We got your back, and you got ours.

Play these colors if you want a plethora of options, almost too many to count! But choose wisely as some friends are better than others, and some might not be able to help at all. And if you don't have the right friend, be it a body or a tool, you can't do anything.

: Simic

Bigger is Better + Knowledge is Power = EXPLORATION

These two colours have had a tumultuous relationship over the years, but they've fairly firmly settled on the idea of combining forces to reach the limits of the world. Always finding new things and learning everything you can about it. The combination seeks out the most powerful creatures, the most powerful magics and tries to bring them all into play on your side.

Play this if you want to push boundaries, and maximize your resources. You won't lack for anything to do, you just have to keep growing. But while you're looking upward and forward, your opponents can cut your supports out from under you, causing to to fall apart, unable to rebuild.

THE SHARDS

The Shards are designed around a central color and its two friends. However, because by definition, those two allied colors are mutual enemies. It is up to the central color to balance out the two opposites on their left and right and bring everything together.

: Bant

Community Minded + The Scholar + Exploration = THE STORYTELLER

Unifying these three colours is the notion that you are the teller of your own tales. The writer of your own legends. You are the exalted leader of your people and your surroundings, and that is all that matters. You lead with wisdom, and your followers lift you up as you all go together into the future.

Play these colors if you want to build a grand coalition of allies and take them into victory. But like all great groups, remove the leader and they can very quickly fall apart.

DAD! This is the color triad of the deck that my brother and I put in front of you.

: Esper

The Scholar + The Deceiver + Corrupt Noble = THE MASTERMIND

These three colors all play the game, and they all play it in different ways. But they all play to win. General knowledge, knowledge about your opponents and how to combine them to benefit yourself and yourself alone. You are not only playing, but you're running the game.

Play this if you want to watch your opponents dance to your tune right off the cliff. Yet, if someone doesn't do it, they can ruin all your carefully laid plans.

: Grixis

The Deceiver + No Price To High + Great Work = THE UNFETTERED

You will win. You will do everything in your power to win. Everything is in service to this goal and there is nothing that can stop you. If this sounds like you're also the badguy, it's an inevitable correlation. But your actions do not imply morality. Just the goal.

Play this if you want to win, and win decisively. Subtlety is for people without the confidence to act, and act you shall. Yet... you're missing something. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and those who pass over that line will very quickly come to realize the power of the masses.

: Jund

No Price To High + Force of Nature + Life and Death = MASTER OF THE WORLD

Everywhere you go is yours. Everything that you see is yours. Everything that lives and dies is yours. Everything is yours. Grow. Grow without limits or restraint. And if someone or something objects? Remove it. Stand atop the world, and make it yours.

Play these colors if you want to stake your claim and fight for it, tooth and nail. But while you are going forward, watch out for those who would stab you in the back, who make plans rather than simply strive to succeed.

: Naya

Force of Nature + Community Minded + My Buddies and I = THE PARTY

With this combination, you are throwing the biggest party ever! And Everyone is invited! There will be no stopping this train when it leaves the station, and it will only get bigger as you go along!

This is the combination that encourages bringing as many creatures to the table as possible, multiplying them and adding to them until you are at the head of an unstoppable wave of all creatures great and small. Sadly, trying to keep such an army going takes a lot of work, and getting cut down to size can happen before you know it.

THE WEDGES

Where the Shards represent a central colour and its two allies, the Wedge is the opposite. It's a central colour cooperating with its two enemy colours, who themselves are allied. It's a bit of a balancing act, but the results can be well worth it.

: Mardu

My Buddies and I + Corrupt Noble + No Price Too High = WE HANG TOGETHER

A curious description for this combination, but it helps to lay out that these are the colours that best represent the notion that "If you pick a fight with one of us, you pick a fight with all of us." The central colour brings a measure of organization and more permanent value to what the other two colors seek to find and create, meaning that where one goes, everyone goes.

This is the color where you and your followers throw caution to the wind and charge headlong into the enemy - but with a plan so you've increased your chances. But you can be countered by someone with more resources than you can bring to bear.

: Temur

Exploration + Great Work + Force of Nature = ONWARD TO THE EDGE

These colors combine into a whole that seeks out new things, always pushing, always seeking, never stopping or standing still. Where Simic is willing to sit and wait and enjoy things, Temur has that bit of wanderlust that drives them ever to new horizons.

Play this combination if you want to ever grow, ever see new things and never look back, because you've already been there. But because you're not, you can't watch out for things right in front of you. Or beside you. Or right behind you.

: Abzan

Corrupt Noble + Life and Death + Community Minded = THE GRAVEKEEPER

Standing in the middle of two colors that enjoy life and living and growing a lot, Black has to remind them that all things must end. But that's OK, because in ending, those that are left behind are stronger for their passing. Life is death and death is life and we are the unbroken chain of everyone we have ever met.

Play these colors to break parity on the graveyard, making into a growth resource and not just a zero-sum game. But you are even more dependent on this same resource, and if you can't get to it, you're not in a position to advance.

: Jeskai

Great Work + My Friends and I + The Scholar = THE ADVENTURER

The joy of discovery is here with these three colors. Finding new things, exploring new places. And respecting them enough to cry out "It belongs in a Museum!" Because wherever you go, you want to take something of it with you, to remind you of your history in both space and time.

Play these colors if you just want to hug everything and everyone and try to fit all the collectibles into your suitcase before you leave for the next destination. Because you just know that someone will try to steal your stuff when you're not looking.

: Sultai

Life and Death + The Explorer + The Deceiver = THE ETERNAL WITNESS

In this triad, you stand above and apart from all those with more ephemeral desires and existences. They are irrelevant to you, and your goals are something they may not be able to understand at all. After all, you were never there and certainly not doing anything that anyone might find objectionable.

These are the colors of finding no limits to your knowledge, in learning in the comings and goings of everything around you while staying above it all. Sadly, when you do get someone's attention, that you've been ignoring them doesn't mean they'll ignore you either.

And that's 25 very short summaries. Dad, after you've looked at all these, text me with any further questions you may have and I'll answer as best I can. Everyone else, please remember when you savage me for my summaries that these are meant for MY DAD, and not for the rest of you, so curate your comments accordingly.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. I'll see you next week!

Until then, please consider donating to my Pattern Recognition Patreon. Yeah, I have a job (now), but more income is always better, and I can use it to buy cards! I still have plans to do a audio Pattern Recognition at some point, or perhaps a Twitch stream. And you can bribe your way to the front of the line to have your questions, comments and observations answered!