Baral, Chief of ComplianceBaral, Chief of Compliance | Art by Yeong-Hao Han

There are a lot of topics that make Magic players irrationally upset. I've made a career of talking about these things, but usually these are social mechanics. I want to tackle something that is a core mechanic that makes up Magic: The Gathering, something so synonymous with the game that it's a wonder how players can play this game and despise it as much as they do.

No color in Magic gets more hate than blue.

The Sins of Blue

Before we can talk about what players hate about blue, we have to talk about what blue is known for. Some of the first things I think of when I think of blue is card draw in cards like Teferi, Master of TimeTeferi, Master of Time. There are endless cards in this color that puts cards into hand or gives some kind of card advantage.

I don't know about some players' pods, but card draw can be a source of a lot of salt. Rhystic StudyRhystic Study is on the Top 100 Saltiest cards. It's in the top five, as a matter of fact, next to cards like Winter OrbWinter Orb and Tergrid, God of FrightTergrid, God of Fright.

Rhystic StudyRhystic Study is the best card draw engine in the Commander format. Why do we hate draw so much?

First, we have to understand the value of card draw. In Commander, the two best things you can do in the game is ramp and draw cards. What I'll stress here is that usually over the course of a game the more important of those two things is card draw or card advantage.

Being able to see more options, being able to take more actions on your turn is hugely important. The more mana you make, the more card draw you need. More card draw leads you to more ramp and more options beyond that, but the opposite isn't true. More ramp doesn't usually get your more card advantage, unless you're playing Tatyova, Benthic DruidTatyova, Benthic Druid.

Why do we hate advantage in this way? The player with more card advantage having more options means they're harder to stop. They'll draw answers to problems. They'll draw win cons. It shoots them ahead so drastically.

When we think about our game plan and how much of a distance there is between the blue player's value and our own, we become frustrated. They always have it. They're always doing more on their turn. Their turns are more effective. It's hard not be frustrated with an engine that good - an engine as good as Rhystic StudyRhystic Study.

I say this, only partially understanding this. I don't often get frustrated by another player's value if I can overcome them, do my own thing. But blue is more notorious for keeping others from doing their own thing too.

The Real Sin of Blue

CounterspellCounterspell. Arcane DenialArcane Denial. Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship. Swan SongSwan Song. An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse. These cards are staples in any blue deck. Why? What blue does better than any other color is counterspells.

Most counterspells in other colors aren't very good. I wrote an article about the best non-blue counter magic and most of those cards aren't very good. Notably Tibalt's TrickeryTibalt's Trickery and Aven InterrupterAven Interrupter are good ways to counter, or disrupt, in other colors, but the list isn't every long.

What's wrong with countering spells? No other mechanic in the game makes an active player ask another player permission to do what they want. When a player sees open blue mana, even one, they have to play around the idea that they might get stopped. It's frustrating knowing that anything you might be building up to can be countered, shot down, stopped in it's tracks.

There's no limit to the number of these cards that deny other players freedom to win. You can run as many "I say no" cards in your deck as you want. In 27th place on the salt list is Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship. It's an expensive card to buy, it can counter anything but creatures, and it costs no mana if you have your commander.

Players hate blue because they have to ask permission to play their turns. On the blue player's turn, they're drawing endless different answers to everyone else's board. It's hard not to see the unique beauty and power behind this color, but is it justified to hate this?

Should this be the color that brings the most ire? Aren't there other relevant sins from other colors? Let's see.

The Sins of Black

The best tutors in the game are in this color. Tutors are something that players love discussing as a rule zero conversation because of how much it warps the power of the game. Black has Vampiric TutorVampiric Tutor, Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor, and Imperial SealImperial Seal.

I know that kind of advantage is a huge accelerator in Commander as a format. cEDH is supported heavily by tutors, and cEDH is the strongest version of Commander.

If that's not enough for you, we've got Tergrid, God of FrightTergrid, God of Fright as the top saltiest commander, one of the most miserable commanders to play against in the format right now.

It's the color of Rankle, Master of PranksRankle, Master of Pranks, making everyone sac a creature or discard a card. Which can be pretty miserable, but overall black minds its own business. It might make everyone sac creatures and discards cards, but often times, aside from Tergrid, it's not the main game plan of this color. It's not at the top of the list of salt.

The Sins of Red

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that red is the biggest threat here for the title of the saltiest color in Magic, but it isn't without sin. I wrote an article about the art of the Burn player and it sort of paints a vivid picture of the problem with letting the Burn player play any of their cards.

A streamlined game of life totals melting away is a good argument to hate this archetype. It's the kind of hit that keeps on giving, no matter what removal you have.

I think we're kinder to this archetype because it struggles with card advantage. But once you slap blue into there you've got an unstoppable Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier deck that burns and storms and draws cards with CuriosityCuriosity.

Ultimately, it's the assistance of blue that holds this archetype up, but it doesn't mean it's not oppressive. Solphim, Mayhem DominusSolphim, Mayhem Dominus is not a deck to ignore. Though I wouldn't put it at the top of the list for salt as a color.

The Sins of White

ArmageddonArmageddon. That's plenty, right? Blowing up all lands, holding priority and Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection-ing your self away. It usually means you win, but it definitely upsets everyone else at the table. It's the 7th saltiest card on that list too.

No? What about Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe? A little soft staxing your opponents into making a ton of Treasures for drawing. Getting outvalued for your draw step is hard. It's in the top 12 of saltiest cards. Still not worse than blue?

What about Drannith MagistrateDrannith Magistrate? No more playing your commander. No more casting from graveyard or from exile. Trust me, every time I see a Drannith MagistrateDrannith Magistrate, I consider horrible, horrible violence on the person who played it. But maybe that's still not enough.

Imagine if we let Staxy McGee white mix with the card draw and denial of blue. That's Azorius, the least loved color combination, in my experience. It's Grand Arbiter Augustin IVGrand Arbiter Augustin IV making all opponents' spells cost more while discounting their own.

Once again, the inclusion of blue seems to ramp up how oppressive the deck appears.

The Sins of Green

I'm a big believer that green has pretty privilege. I could scream from the top of my lungs that I think it's the strongest, most versatile color in casual Commander, and I'll get laughed out of the room every time.

Green doesn't ask permission. Its heavy creature-based strategies turn off counters like Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship and An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse. It has a great ratio of mana cost to creature stats, like Defiler of VigorDefiler of Vigor or Goreclaw, Terror of Qal SismaGoreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma which discounts spells.

Green is the color of ramp and draw. Nature's LoreNature's Lore and Skyshroud ClaimSkyshroud Claim are both excellent ramp spells. Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising, Guardian ProjectGuardian Project, and Elemental BondElemental Bond are cards that draw cards consistently when you take basic game actions. When we think about a color that outvalues, we have to be talking about green. It will draw more cards, be more resilient to disruption, and deal a significant amount of damage.

I'm not saying it has no weaknesses, but if we're thinking about a color that will do too much, we're looking at green. You throw blue into the mix and you have unstoppable Simic, with card draw built into ramp with commanders like Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre StraitAesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait.

Conclusion

Okay, I'm not confused by why we all hate blue. I'm not saying we shouldn't hate blue. It's salt inducing to be told "no" when you're going for the win by the same color over and over. It sucks watching that.

But if we're talking about colors that are oppressive, all the colors have their role to play. They have their own method of oppression and value. Blue gets most of the hate, when in actuality we should diversify and hate other colors just as much. Green should be getting more side eye and salt than a blue player, but I guess it depends on the commander. If they're playing Baral, Chief of ComplianceBaral, Chief of Compliance, I might feel differently.

But that's just what I think. Tell me your thoughts! I'm @strixhavendropout on Blue Sky.

Read More: