The 6th Color of Magic the Gathering | Mystery Solved

It has been asked many times "What is would the sixth color of Magic the gathering be?" In this video I will posit to you that Colorless is indeed the sixth color and its philosophy is as rich as any member of the color pie. I have made many videos about the color pie and I believe that I am in a unique position to discuss colorless and what it means in terms of the color pie and what its color philosophy would be. So join me in this deep dive into the color philosophy of colorless the missing member of the color pie

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[DiceTry]

Which concept did you find most interesting?

[BurningOleander]

I like the idea of the Eldrazi being so strange to us and so unfathomable, that the only way for us to grasp them is through colorless. To them, they might be a wide spectrum that our puny material eyes can't perceive and that out minds can't understand, leading to mutation and madness.

[Tomrash]

I'd argue that you could also argue for all living beings being colorless: From a mechanical perspective, any color features cards that can be payed partialy with any color of mana, even colorless. From a philisophical standpoint, I would call it "Soul", a part of our being that moves towards entropy (Void), driven by the other colors (Purpose) and is beyond human comprohension (Transcendence).

[Triforcer]

In Strixhaven we see two more examples of colores identity. Codie the Vociferous Codex who's purpose is to store spells of every kind for use by others And the Wandering Archaic who is portrayed as enlightened beings who when people return from speaking to them are hailed as the most enlightened mages with a deeper understanding of magic, and mana.

[RaunienTheFirst]

My thoughts on colourless are that it is pure, unrefined mana. Unlimited potential. Each colour filters mana through its ideology, focusing it to a particular purpose. Green to growth and acceptance, Red to freedom and action, etc. But Colourless is capable of all of these things. It is capable of the massive growth of Green, the collective thought of White, the manipulation and knowledge of Blue, the ruthlessness of Black, and the rage of Red. It is, in a sense like 5C in this way, but where 5C fully embodies all the colours, colourless is a pale shadow of them. It is possibility, but without the focus, without refinement. There is, however one thing colourless can be, that not even 5C can achieve. And that, is the void. When mana is filtered into a colour it necessarily takes on aspects of the world in which it was filtered. Even after recombining the mana from all 5 filters the possibility of what could be *beyond* that reality is missing. This is why Eldrazi are colourless. This is why Ugin is colourless. They either are, or possess a strong connection to, the void. What does this even mean? Well, it's unknowable by definition, but we mortals can get glimpses of it, and even make limited use of it. The Morph mechanic. Shapeless potentialities closely linked to Ugin. The Hedrons. No one but Ugin understands how they work (and he isn't telling) but they have the capability to imprison the Eldrazi, naturally colourless "creatures". Sorin gleaned a little of that knowledge and built the Helvault out of moonsilver, an artifact that seems to imprison beings within itself, somehow containing vast dimensions inside something little larger than a van. And apparently Innistrad's moon is inherently tied somehow to that magic as Emrakul imprisoned herself within it, reminiscent again of the Hedrons.
But, back to this idea of potentiality and focus. Whic aspects of colourless does each colour take and shape into a clear and actionable form? Colourless simply "is". It does not strive, it does not change. It does what it does. Green loves this and filters this into acceptance of your place in the world. Colourless has no concept of morality. It transcends such notions and simply takes what needs and does what it must. Black takes this is filters into amorality, a heartless quest for personal gain. Colourless does not scheme or bargain. It does not consider consequences. It only acts. Red filters this into direct action and fierce independence. Colourless is united. It does not bicker, it does to not squabble, it serves a purpose. White filters this into peace and obedience. Colourless is transcendent. It is unconcerned with earthly affairs and goes about its own unknowable business. Blue filters this into a quest for perfection.
I think I've rambled on for quite long enough now...

[DragonxFlutter]

Ooh~! Very interesting that you chose to go the route of putting the Colorless symbol in the middle! Your explanation makes sense, though I believe the same effect can be obtained if we make Colorless the "crust" of the pie, so to speak. A silver ring around the other five symbols, representing that it is both nothing without them and _everything_ without them. Both the ultimate blank slate, and the culmination of all five colors.

Void: No thoughts, head empty. The most pure form of raw instinct. No motivation beyond "this is what I do, what I have done, and what I will always do". No purpose beyond mere existence. I think that fits.
Sub-philosophy: Tranquility and Inner Peace beyond living a happy and content life. The ultimate "go with the flow" of meditation. That's an interesting take.

Purpose: An Automaton with a set purpose, never deviating, never questioning. Very fitting, given most of the "creatures" in Colorless are Artifacts.

Transcendence: Becoming the light before it is filtered by the prism. Very much along my line of thinking, in terms of a character like Ugin.

Very nice job on this video! I love how you can take a card game and make it thought provoking!

[dario]

Nice, now we want the 5 colors philosophy, and How it differs from colorless.

[AzazinNote]

It's interesting to note how our description of transcendence fits well with the origin of the eldrazi. Oficially they are colorless because they predate the concept of colored mana.
Anyway, now we need to take a look into WUBRG to see how it is diferent from colorless.
Oh, and about the placement of it in the pie, I'd put every color inside of colorless.

[datamancy]

placing colorless in the center of the pie also makes a strong case for the design mechanic of its identity being... somewhat precarious? in that, save for devoid, something whose color identity is Colorless/X, where x is literally any other color... isn't a thing, isn't possible. it stops being that when it is swayed to or away from any color.

though on the note of devoid, i wonder if it would be useful as a descriptor for a character's color identity who seems to be touched by any of colorless' philosophies without full on becoming colorless.

[jantheflyingdutchman]

I like the way you approached this, and putting it in the center. I think we all start out in the colorless. As you are born, you just exist. As you grow days, weeks, months, years, you lean more towards the colors based on what drives you. Colorless never develops towards a color spectrum. Their ambitions or drives don't change, they exist. Awesome job.

[raptorsovietico]

I´m an artist who fell in love with magic in his chilhood. Your desconstruction of the concepts and love for the worldbuilding it´s incredible. I love to listen you while i´m drawing. Thanl you so much for your work.

[overfailed]

Gor the Eldrazi: I think the reason some eldrazi have a colored mana in their costs, but still are devoid could tell us something about them. They may have no color, but this specific breed of Eldrazi could need this type of mana or enviroment or just a deciding factor in their evolution to be produced. They themself may not have a color, but their creation process could have.

[mariusw_]

I always loved eldrazi and ugin but never could get over the need of mechs or artifacts I saw not fitting flavour wise for an eldrazi deck. Because of that I hated colorless and usually wouldn't build any deck with it.
After I watched this video I discovered 2 things :
1) A new way to look at colorless and respect it, even adore it.
2) Your channel is amazing and I'm loving your philosophical videos about the colors and anything magic related.
Thank you for this video and keep going!

[Dile]

15:54

"Infinite beatitude of existence! [I am]; and there is nothing else besides [me]. [I fill] all Space, and what [I fill, I am]. What [I think], that [I utter]; and what [I utter], that [I hear]; and [I myself] is Thinker, Utterer, Hearer, Thought, Word, Audition; [I am] the One, and yet the All in All. Ah, the happiness, ah, the happiness of Being! Ah, the joy, ah, the joy of Thought! What can me not achieve by thinking! My own Thought coming to Itself, suggestive of me disparagement, thereby to enhance my happiness! Sweet rebellion stirred up to result in triumph! Ah, the divine creative power of the All in One! Ah, the joy, the joy of Being!"
— Monarch of Pointland

[rubyseverinwhitworth]

Each idea matches to a major colourless figure which I think is cool

Void: Eldrazi
Purpose: Karn
Transcendence: Ugin

[accountinesistente]

Maybe one of the best of your videos about the color pie. I watched through all of it with vivid interest. Thank you.

[JuniperHatesTwitterlikeHandles]

One thing you didn't touch on here also is the difference between colorless with only generic costs and colorless only costs. While generic costs show up on things like artifacts, where they can be utilized by any color, in some ways taking on the color of their surroundings, following the purpose of their creators without the thought that went in to creating that purpose, etc, colorless only costs (which mostly show up on eldrazi) seem to actively reject purpose, reason, or philosophy, the eldrazi do not do things for the sake of ideals (or if they do, those ideals are incomprehensible to us).

If I were to sum colorless up in two words I would call it 'material reality'. Land is colorless, objects are colorless, colorless is not concerned with the 'why', only the 'what', which in most cases leaves that space empty for others to fill with their own ideas. But the eldrazi cannot be understood, you cannot apply any reason to their existence, they just _exist, _ they are colorless and only colorless.

[The_Loreseeker]

Another splendid video essay! I'm glad we've reached the colorless edge of the pie.

[machina]

I view colourless as a detachment from the physical and an acceptance that nothing lasts forever, and I wish there was a colourless archetype inspired by Buddhist mythologies

[realmsofroleplaying]

I had always just viewed Colorless as simply a lack of color, but you bring up some great points to the contrary.

Excellent video 😁👌