Now before i begin this article I want to state Cleary that when I speak about yellow, I don't mean Gold cards
When I talk about yellow I mean yellow as a color on the color pie
I'm not suggesting to add more colors since honestly, Magic has evolved to such a point that it is already to awesome and incredible of a game to start adding things that would advance complexity
But rather Yellow is its own seperate Identity
To Prove yellow as a seperate Identity let me go over what White and green are in the Real world
White
White in the real world is the color of childrens games, the hope of a great tomorrow and peace. Ghandi's color is white, a smiling face depicts white, hardwork is white, meditation is white, day dreaming is white. These colors promote more the idea that white is a color of happiness outside of being rich, intelligence, having freinds or really having any material goods at all.
That being said, white also has a problem of which their goal doesn't involve other people usually, and if it does its to make other people happy, or involve teamwork of some sort. Debating with conviction, where influencing other people to make a choice that would be in your best interest through words and feeling.
Green
What is green? Green is the color of the forests. Whats in the forests? A food chain of creatures far different from one another. Green shows variety but also shows a caste system. Worms eat the dead, grass and plants grows from the worms digestion, Moles and rabbits eat the plants and cats and wolves eat them. Theres also a secondary one where mice eat bugs and owls eat the mice. Pretty much Its a bunch of chains. Then as humans enter it we come in as observers. As we observe we may get consumed by it, because though we feel bad for the prey we respect the predators more. On top of that its amazing the kind of love that the animals give to their young. It feels safer. However its not. There are poisonous parts of each forest/jungle and these types of places are unforgiving. The weak die, the strong survive. This isn't a sort of hopeful idea but rather a reality.
So why do we as humans love the forest so much? I'd say the forest is like music to a cobra, it hypnotizes and makes you believe its the proper place.
A very good magic set that I believe depicts the forest as it should be is Lorwyn. The trees survive off of the dead. And if its not the dead it needs a caretaker. Someone that i provides food, water, shelter and everything else it needs. The Trees aren't evil, since they make no action. However it's natural hunger is to feed off of the dead, off of worms. And as a result it needs those things to die so it can continue to prosper.
Why make this article
Before I get into yellow, I want to write a little bit about why I wrote this in the first place. Over the course of my life i have been taught red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. If you add them togethor when they are flashlights on a wall, they make white. If you add them togethor when they are dyes they make a murky dark color (but would make black most likely if they were bold/pure red/yellow/blue)
So the three colors red yellow blue make the rest in one form or another
Magic however depicts a different color system; red, blue green
This isn't uncommon as we can actually see in computer programming that it works off of red blue green as well. And all the other colors are made from the combonation. Likewise apparently our own eyes are see in red/blue/green which means in ways that yellow is nonexistant. Though obviously it exists.
Why i made this article is more the unrepresentation of yellow in so many areas it boggles my mind. Yellow is unrespected most likely because it is the hardest things to depict. Red/Blue/Green was probably very simple to program, so why include yellow? Yellow isn't seen very much by our eyes, so why make it a color we register?
And of course: Color isn't seen very often Thematically in a magical setting, so why should we care to include this color over Green in Magic: the Gathering?
Yellow
Yellow. Yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow.
What is Yellow? Yellow is................
Gold
Gold creates greed and a caste system
caste systems allow people to say "I'm better than you"
So what is Yellow? Yellow is a way to say "I'm better than you"
Historically, knights can be seen akin to modern day football players. They're assholes and they pick up all the good women. Romeo and Juliet and really all romance in many ways really are just stories, and yellow is the representation of the truth. Traders are also akin to yellow, They do not work the feilds, they do not help in mining. However, they offer supply and they can let other know the demand. They don't do much at all except for trade and influence other people to continue their line of work. However, if it wasn't for them, kings would not have known about rubys, saphires and pearls. Spices would not be in such high demand and of course Colonies and Settlements and Wars would not have been fought for the desire to have everything at hand
Yellow in many ways is the story of getting an inch and wanting a mile.
While red is a story of Fire and aggression and passion.
Blue is a story of the sea and understanding the ebb and flow
Yellow is the story of Gold and wanting more.
Confusion: Yellow and White
White has taken many of yellows more "desirable" aspects. Yellow created the caste system and a natural Law and Order amoung people. The King is on high, Then his advisors, then the military then the tax collectors, then the farmers/people with purpose then everyother worthless scab that floats on this great earth.
Amoung examples of why yellow is yellow is:
1) Our knights decided to rape and pillage in a foreign land? Did they bring anything good back? They're heroes.
2) I want to expand our kingdom, lets start a war
3) The church and ethics say I should only marry once and have no mistresses. I disagree.
4) A neighboring kingdom has crossbows, I want something better. A neighboring kingdom has an atomic bomb, I want 10,000.
These are actual representations of real yellow. Which however, has become more akin to white.
White however has taken the burden of being considered yellow.
First Strike
"Oh you have a 2/2? My 2/2 has first strike"
"Oh your 2/2 has first strike? My 2/2 strikes even before your first strike does"
This is an example of Yellows Arms Race. Its the color of being better at all costs.
White has a tendancy to want to play fair and win doing it, or to equalize everything so things are fair. Children are a great example, if someone isn't playing fair, they will get very upset. However, by making sure players can play fair and still win or at the very least have a good time thats important. One way to see this is the fact if yellow were to attack, obviously white wouldn't block. However they would attack back for the same damage. Yellow makes it more of a standstill situation.
Its important to point out though that yellow if it is to be the "arms race" color has access to everything in a way. Another way to look at it though is that they can pay for everything, and teach it to their minions.
Wrath of God: If I don't win, nobody will
Yes, this is iconic to Gods Judgement, and God is dipicted as undoubtedly white. However, as seen in biblical respresentations, god has a jealous side. And if we are to look at other things in the bible, he has purposefully made Job a miserable man just to prove to the devil he would still worship him. He tested mans passion in love.
However, if we are to look at things magically. If I were losing, and didn't care that much about my creatures or anything really except winning. I would destroy everything. Everything's gone now, but my stuff is better. My next card will be better than yours.
This is more of a yellow aspect
Knights and Showmen
Knights are nobility, Soldiers have a certian brother hood attached to it however they are also part of a caste system. A Militia is literally made by the people for the people. Riots are another example of By the People for the people, though obviously in a much more aggressive manner.
But pretty Much Knights are the football players of the magic universe, to the average person they may be assholes unless they don't want to be. However, when it comes down to it, they don't need to be nice, and the king may not even want them to be. A Showman is different though. Showmen are white. Why? because literally the only reason they do what they do is because they feel good pleasing the crowd. And who are any of us except for part of the crowd. A Showman can appreciate a good showman, a Knight may be jealous of another knight. A Showman may never escape his job. A knight may eventually become a duke.
A showman never needs to Blitz a small town. A knight may have to on order.
Even though Gladiators aren't necessarilly considered white, and may even be bigger assholes than a knight. Pleasing a crowd is white, Its when money and status starts getting involved where you start actually feeding into more yellow territory.
Equipment: The Arms Race
Equipment is obviously an arms race. However white isn't filled with artificers. In fact you have maybe one that loves his craft so much he spends their life working on it. However equipment is made for killing and take over. its purpose though also in defense, in mass quantities is more of a
the prophet predicting war and preparing for it is white
The factory creating them for mass use is yellow
yellow is also always looking for that one up, and as a result they're focus is one lean mean killing machines
Confusion: Yellow and Green
Mana dorks
Elves. Specifically Llanowar Elves. Llanowar elves have always been depicted as badasses, able to take down big creatures through enginuity and grace. Because they know their forest better than anyone else. What you actually see though is that they produce mana. Mana production isn't bad, however, I don't believe that is what an elf is meant to be. They're suppose to be a well working order adapted to the forest, not weaklings that spend every waking moment sapping mana for it. Sylvan Ranger is a truer elf than llano, though obviously llano has its place in the world
Yellow however is a caste system. Farmers, miners, factory workers
Farmers, miners and factory workers whole purpose is to provide resources for everyone else to use.
What is a mana dork? It provides resources for everyone else to use
Elves, like the native americans aren't immune to the wild. But what they do is they adapt to it and survive in it. In its good times and its hard times. They adapt. Mana dorks don't adapt. They are used for one purpose or to die. Thats not an elf.
What is Yellow?
Yellow is mana dorks, arms race and having things that are better than your opponents
About necessary sacrifices
Literally Yellow is the color of have one building where all people do is produce mana
Another building where all people do is produce tools of war
And another group where all they do is fight
And making sure people will do it even if they don't want to
Its the story of ant's and having things better
What is White?
White is about family and being happy with what you have
A story of misfits and happiness
About showmen and wonder despite the world being a hard place to live in
The story of the underdog getting there
The story of migration to new begginings
Its also the story of forgetfulness and unawareness of others intentions. Or even ignoring them.
What is Green?
Green is about the wild, about taming and understanding what really is just a terrible place.
Death isn't a nice thing, and yeah we can understand it. But in a way green is about living in a place where you know its dangerous, but you learn to adapt in it rather than changing it.
Conclusion
Theres a lot in here thats a bit incomplete and half hazard. However I am convinced in my argument and will probably stand firm by it despite the fact it may not be seen by others and isn't fully fleshed out. However, without yellow, White has taken the role where yellow should be. Yellow is about organization and mindlessness while white is about playfulness and relaxation. Being human. Green also is in the territory wiht mana dorks and Shouldn't even be a color to begin with.
That being said, should magic change? Probably not. The difficulty in retuning and readjusting the color pie isn't an easy one. It takes observation and finding rhyme rhythim and patterns that can't be found over night (well they can but thats another story). Also, Our colors in magic are so fun and fleshed out that it would be a dissappointment to see anything change. Why fix a well working wheel?
However, I do share these complaints because though white is my color of choice. I don't like how its represented at all. I understand why its represented that way, but I don't appreciate it.
Also, though I think green's appearence is more widely understood than yellow, I also think its misrepresented. Never mind the fact I think it shouldn't be a color to begin with
Thanks for your time :)
