Do abilities count for a spell's color?
Asked by DoctorMimic 12 years ago
For example, if I have a spell that costs 1W and it also has a Flashback cost of 1B, is it considered a White and Black spell, or is it just White? Does this change if I flash it back?
Another thing to note here is that the FB cost does not affect the mana cost in any way, even by how much it costs.
i.e. A player cannot use Spell Snare against a FB'd Lingering Souls as that is the alternative cost. The mana cost of the spell is 2W, and thus the CMC totals out to 3, thus not being able to be countered by Spell Snare .
September 26, 2012 8:11 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #3
As fireteam hinted at, color is different from color identity.
Color is derived from the mana cost, color indicators, and any CDAs of the card. Other than that, no text on the card is relevant to the color of that card.
Color identity, used for EDH/Commander, is defined as the color of a card plus the colors of any mana symbols in its text box.
The color of Lingering Souls , for example, is white. Its color identity is white and black.
fireteam says... Accepted answer #1
It's just white. The actual color of a spell is only dependent on its mana cost and if it specifies in its rules text if it's a specific color (Pact of Negation )
105.2. An object can be one or more of the five colors, or it can be no color at all. An object is the color or colors of the mana symbols in its mana cost, regardless of the color of its frame. An object's color or colors may also be defined by a color indicator or a characteristic-defining ability. See rule 202.2.
Flashback is "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost"
Therefore, the FB cost is simply an alternative cost, and thus the acutal mana symbols are what determines it's color.
NOTE: Color identity is a whole another animal.
September 26, 2012 8:08 p.m.