There are five colors available to you in Magic the Gathering. The colors your deck is comprised of will affect the way it plays, and what cards, strategies, and mechanics are available to you.

If this is your first time building an MtG deck, I would recommend choosing a single color by what artwork and card descriptions appeal to you the most. Like zombies? Go with black. If you’re more into dragons and fireballs, you’ll have a blast with red. As you play more, you’ll have a better idea of what your gameplay style preference is, but for now, just pick what looks fun and go for it.

White

Peace, law, structure, selflessness, equality

White is all about fairness and cooperation. It is possibly the most defensive option of all the colors available, with Blue being its main contender. With white, you can expect healing spells, defensive ‘wall’-type creatures, lots of smaller creatures, or ‘weenies’, that work together, and spells that can protect you or pacify your enemy’s attackers.

Do not underestimate white though. For all of its niceness, it can unleash torment on your foes with massive board wipes (destroying every creature in play) and absolutely dominate the battlefield with angels and similar creature types.

Common Tribes (these are creature types that you usually see in this color): Humans, Angels, Clerics, Soldiers

Blue

Knowledge, deceit, caution, deliberation, perfection

Blue is for players who like scheming and manipulating their opponent. You’ll typically see blue used in ‘Control’ decks (these are decks that use cards to dispel and counter the other player’s cards, disabling them at every turn until unleashing a large creature or spell after enough mana is gathered), or ‘Mill’ decks (these make a player mill, or discard cards from their library into their graveyard, forcing a win by depleting their resources).

If you like playing the long game and winning by outsmarting your opponent, this is a great place to start. This is also a great color for players that like water themes, and monsters lurking in the deep.

Common Tribes: Merefolk, Illusions, Wizards, Birds

Black

Power, self-interest, death, sacrifice, uninhibitedness

If you have a horror movie marathon every October and tend to root for the villain, Black is your style. Devious, forbidden magic and power at any cost define this color. You can expect to unleash a horde of zombies at your foe, sap their will and energy with vampires, or make a deal with the devil to outright remove creatures from the board.

The typical playstyle for black falls under board control, similar to blue. You’ll likely use a lot of ‘removal’ (destroying creatures, artifacts, and other permanent cards) or cards that invoke negative penalties on the other player.

Common Tribes: Zombies, Vampires, Rats, Demons

Red

Freedom, emotion, action, impulse, destruction

Scorched earth. Red is for players who thrive in chaos, reigning fire and destruction from the skies. If you’ve been called impatient or reckless, this color will likely be a lot of fun.

Red decks almost always hit the ground running, blasting an opponent or overwhelming them with an army of goblins before the other player has a chance to respond. You’ll most likely be playing an Aggro-type deck. These typically are filled with low-cost spells and creatures, with the intent of throwing out as much damage in as little time possible.

Common Tribes: Goblins, Elementals, Dragons, Orcs

Green

Nature, wildlife, connection, spirituality, tradition

Might makes right. Green is all about creatures. If you want a deck that can throw a physical beatdown like no other, this is a great place to start. You’ll find some of the biggest creatures in the game here, as well as several small, efficient ones. There are also a plethora of spells to buff those monsters, making them bigger and badder.

Additionally, green also tends to be the best color for ramp decks. These are decks that are able to get mana on the board faster, allowing you to use cards with much larger mana costs earlier in the game.

Common Tribes: Elves, Snakes, Spiders, Fungi

If you would like to get started building your first deck, check out my other article here: https://fordytoo.com/archives/4012