Color Identity
Color theory · beginner
In Commander, your color identity restricts what cards you can include in your deck. It's the rule that gives commanders so much identity and limits cross-pollination between decks.
What counts toward color identity
A card's color identity is the set of colors made up of:
- Colors in its mana cost.
- Colors of any mana symbols in its rules text (other than reminder text).
- Any color indicator in the top-left corner.
Hybrid mana symbols (like {W/U}) count as both colors.
What doesn't count
- The card's printed colors based purely on art or flavor.
- Colors of cards the rules text names (e.g. "Cast a copy of Lightning Bolt" doesn't count).
- Colors of effects produced (a card that just says "Add one mana of any color" without colored symbols stays its mana-cost color).
How to check a card's color identity
In this dashboard, look at the card's color_identity field (we sync it from Scryfall). Or just look at the card: any colored mana symbol anywhere in cost or rules text counts.
Examples
| Card | Color identity | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sol Ring | Colorless | No colored symbols anywhere |
| Birds of Paradise | Green | {G} mana cost; "any color" doesn't count |
| Bloodbraid Elf | Red, Green | {2}{R}{G} mana cost |
| Dack Fayden | Blue, Red | Mana cost {1}{U}{R} |
| Vivien Reid | Green | Even though her text mentions all five colors, no colored mana symbols outside her cost |
| Lightning Helix (R/W hybrid) | Red, White | Hybrid counts as both |
Why this rule exists
It keeps Commander commander-driven. Without color identity, a 5-color manabase could pull in any card from any deck. Color identity ties your card pool to the legendary creature that anchors the deck.
Related rule
[903.4]