<p>No, stealing an opponent's creature of any color is fine.</p>

<p>The only limitations are the ones explicitly imposed by <a href="http://www.mtgcommander.net/rules.php" rel="nofollow">the rules</a>:</p>

<ul>
<li><em>Color identity</em> applies during deck creation. You may not put a white card or a card that uses white mana symbols in your red/black Olivia deck. (You could include a black card that creates a white token, though; or an extort card, since that's just reminder text.)</li>
<li><strong>(Historical only.)</strong> <a href="http://www.dragonhighlander.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;t=18057&amp;sid=649200cd90cc81ec8f21c81cb362935a" rel="nofollow">Before 2016</a>, there was a special rule limiting how you generate mana: mana outside of your color identity would become colorless when it entered your mana pool. So if you were playing Olivia Voldaren and you would add {W} to your mana pool, you'd get colorless mana instead. This meant you would might trouble activating the abilities of some of the creatures you stole with Olivia.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-26T06:25:42.660Z
2016-02-18T19:55:04.780Z
2016-02-18T19:55:04.780Z
Alex P
<p>In trying out EDH for the first time last night we ran into a confusing issue. I was using <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Olivia%20Voldaren">Olivia Voldaren</a> as my commander.</p>
<p>One opponent activated <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ajani%20Goldmane">Ajani Goldmane</a>'s 6 point ability to summon a white avatar creature, which I then used Olivia to vampire and steal. I think this is okay because despite being white the avatar wouldn't have any non-black, non-red dots on the face.</p>
<p>I then wanted to steal another one of his creatures that was white and had white mana on the face, but I wasn't sure if this was allowed.</p>
<p>So in EDH, I know that I can't construct my deck with cards outside of my commander's colour identity, but does this stop me taking control of creatures outside of my colour range?</p>

<magic-the-gathering><mtg-commander><mtg-color-identity>
In Commander, does color identity prevent me from taking control of a different colored permanent?
MarkBaillie
# In Commander, does color identity prevent me from taking control of a different colored permanent?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-04-26)

In trying out EDH for the first time last night we ran into a confusing issue. I was using [Olivia Voldaren](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Olivia%20Voldaren) as my commander.

One opponent activated [Ajani Goldmane](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ajani%20Goldmane)'s 6 point ability to summon a white avatar creature, which I then used Olivia to vampire and steal. I think this is okay because despite being white the avatar wouldn't have any non-black, non-red dots on the face.

I then wanted to steal another one of his creatures that was white and had white mana on the face, but I wasn't sure if this was allowed.

So in EDH, I know that I can't construct my deck with cards outside of my commander's colour identity, but does this stop me taking control of creatures outside of my colour range?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering, mtg-commander, mtg-color-identity


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-04-26. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

No, stealing an opponent's creature of any color is fine.

The only limitations are the ones explicitly imposed by [the rules](http://www.mtgcommander.net/rules.php):

* *Color identity* applies during deck creation. You may not put a white card or a card that uses white mana symbols in your red/black Olivia deck. (You could include a black card that creates a white token, though; or an extort card, since that's just reminder text.)
* **(Historical only.)** [Before 2016](http://www.dragonhighlander.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18057&sid=649200cd90cc81ec8f21c81cb362935a), there was a special rule limiting how you generate mana: mana outside of your color identity would become colorless when it entered your mana pool. So if you were playing Olivia Voldaren and you would add {W} to your mana pool, you'd get colorless mana instead. This meant you would might trouble activating the abilities of some of the creatures you stole with Olivia.


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