<p>It is logically impossible for a card to both have a color and be colorless, according to the definition provided in rule 105.2c.</p>
<p>If you broaden your criteria for what matches your objective, one option is to use a creature with Devoid that has green in its cost, such as <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blisterpod">Blisterpod</a>. A card like that is actually colorless, but the play constraints that its cost creates are more similar to green cards than to most other colorless cards.</p>
<p>You can also put the color in the name. The card <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Spy%20Kit">Spy Kit</a> gives a creature the names of every non-legendary creature card. There are <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;extras=true&amp;lang=any&amp;order=name&amp;q=colorless&amp;unique=cards" rel="nofollow noreferrer">no cards with the word colorless in their name</a>, but there are <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=name%3A%2F%5Cbgreen%5Cb%2F%20t%3Acreature%20-t%3Alegendary&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=name" rel="nofollow noreferrer">4 non-legendary creatures with the word &quot;Green&quot; in their names</a>. A creature equipped with Spy Kit will have all of those names.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-04T14:21:54.297Z
It's not logically impossible at all.  A valid card could have an ability like: "XXX counts as colorless in addition to any colors that it has".  My question is whether any abilities like this exist.
Zags
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-04T15:12:42.403Z
Colorless *means* "has no colors". The card text you describe would be logically inconsistent: an object cannot simultaneously have colors and not have colors.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-18T21:11:24.783Z
@murgatroid99 an object that has simultaneously colors and does not have colors, that would be inconsistent, but it doesn't mean that such inconsistency might not occur.
Sextus Empiricus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-18T21:36:30.020Z
It does in fact mean that. One of the basic axioms of logical systems is the [Law of noncontradiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_noncontradiction), and the Magic rules are such a system.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-03T23:16:50.413Z
2022-11-05T04:12:11.857Z
2022-11-05T04:12:11.857Z
murgatroid99
<p>Let's start with the obvious; I know the rules say an object can't be both green and colorless:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>105.2. An object can be one or more of the five colors, or it can be no color at all.</p>
<p>105.2c A colorless object has no color.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, there might be exceptions:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>101.1. Whenever a card’s text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The situation that I want is for Magic to create a sensible interpretation for the sentence <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorless_green_ideas_sleep_furiously" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&quot;colorless green ideas sleep furiously&quot;</a>.  I'm most of the way there:</p>
<ul>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Well%20of%20Ideas">Well of Ideas</a> is the &quot;ideas&quot;</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Opalescence">Opalescence</a> makes it a creature</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sleep">Sleep</a> can now affect it, making it &quot;sleep&quot;</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Furious%20Bellow">Furious Bellow</a> can now target it making it's sleep &quot;furious&quot;</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Moonlace">Moonlace</a> and <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Prismatic%20Lace">Prismatic Lace</a> can make it colorless and green respectively</li>
</ul>
<p>The problem is there isn't a way for it to be green and colorless at the same time.  Is there any card that has been printed that can get me there?  I'm open to creative solutions as this is obviously not a competitive deck.</p>
<p>For example, if there are no abilities like &quot;XXX counts as colorless in addition to any colors that it has&quot;, are there name changing effects that could put &quot;green&quot; in the name?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-18T21:23:38.543Z
I wonder what would happen when we use moonlace on a creature that has an enchantment that tells that the creature has a specific color. For instance [witness protection](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=555267) "Enchanted creature loses all abilities and is a green and white Citizen creature...". Does this remove the effect of the enchantment?
Sextus Empiricus
<magic-the-gathering>
Can a permanent be both green and colorless?
Zags
# Can a permanent be both green and colorless?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-11-03)

Let's start with the obvious; I know the rules say an object can't be both green and colorless:

> 105.2. An object can be one or more of the five colors, or it can be no color at all.
>
> 105.2c A colorless object has no color.

However, there might be exceptions:

> 101.1. Whenever a card’s text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence.

The situation that I want is for Magic to create a sensible interpretation for the sentence ["colorless green ideas sleep furiously"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorless_green_ideas_sleep_furiously). I'm most of the way there:

* [Well of Ideas](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Well%20of%20Ideas) is the "ideas"
* [Opalescence](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Opalescence) makes it a creature
* [Sleep](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sleep) can now affect it, making it "sleep"
* [Furious Bellow](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Furious%20Bellow) can now target it making it's sleep "furious"
* [Moonlace](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Moonlace) and [Prismatic Lace](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Prismatic%20Lace) can make it colorless and green respectively

The problem is there isn't a way for it to be green and colorless at the same time. Is there any card that has been printed that can get me there? I'm open to creative solutions as this is obviously not a competitive deck.

For example, if there are no abilities like "XXX counts as colorless in addition to any colors that it has", are there name changing effects that could put "green" in the name?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I wonder what would happen when we use moonlace on a creature that has an enchantment that tells that the creature has a specific color. For instance [witness protection](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=555267) "Enchanted creature loses all abilities and is a green and white Citizen creature...". Does this remove the effect of the enchantment?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-11-03. Score: 8

It is logically impossible for a card to both have a color and be colorless, according to the definition provided in rule 105.2c.

If you broaden your criteria for what matches your objective, one option is to use a creature with Devoid that has green in its cost, such as [Blisterpod](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blisterpod). A card like that is actually colorless, but the play constraints that its cost creates are more similar to green cards than to most other colorless cards.

You can also put the color in the name. The card [Spy Kit](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Spy%20Kit) gives a creature the names of every non-legendary creature card. There are [no cards with the word colorless in their name](https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&extras=true&lang=any&order=name&q=colorless&unique=cards), but there are [4 non-legendary creatures with the word "Green" in their names](https://scryfall.com/search?q=name%3A%2F%5Cbgreen%5Cb%2F%20t%3Acreature%20-t%3Alegendary&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name). A creature equipped with Spy Kit will have all of those names.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: It's not logically impossible at all.  A valid card could have an ability like: "XXX counts as colorless in addition to any colors that it has".  My question is whether any abilities like this exist.  
> **username_2**: Colorless *means* "has no colors". The card text you describe would be logically inconsistent: an object cannot simultaneously have colors and not have colors.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 an object that has simultaneously colors and does not have colors, that would be inconsistent, but it doesn't mean that such inconsistency might not occur.  
> **username_2**: It does in fact mean that. One of the basic axioms of logical systems is the [Law of noncontradiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_noncontradiction), and the Magic rules are such a system.  

---

