This article is about the role of the color White in the multiplayer format. If you're is going to play in a multiplayer game, please keep the following statements in mind.

"White always wins. It has no weaknesses. I hate White." - Does Monocolor Work in Multiplayer?, written by The Ferrett, 3/28/00

"What White needs: Nothing. White is too damn strong in Multiplayer." -Hi, Mark!, written by The Ferrett, 9/8/00

These are two direct quotes that I was able to immediately find in the archives of previous articles written by the esteemed editor... But I found similar commentary in Anthony Alongi's articles as well. They're both quite correct. White is so good because it has cards that imitate abilities normally associated with the other colors.

Fog, Respite, and Tangle are widely used among decks involving green in my group. White's answer: Holy Day, which has the same single-mana cost as a Fog. Playing black and losing life quickly? Go ahead and tap seven black lands so you can try draining the White player. In response, the White mage taps one White mana and one of any other mana source whatsoever, then casts Shadowbane. The White player gains five life and sits there at the end of the table, thinking about how efficient he is. The black player just sits there with tapped mana and nothing to show for it.

Want to cause the White player some direct damage by using some red spells? You pump so much mana into that ridiculously-large Disintegrate that you are convinced the only thing that will be left of the White player is his silhouette, flash-fried into the wall. Incorrect. Enter Honorable Passage, where for the same ludicrously low casting cost, he causes the damage to rebound at you, all the while continuing to sit there unscathed.

The color blue has Propaganda, which prevents people from attacking the blue player unless two colorless mana is paid for each attacker. Fog Bank helps to deal with any creatures that were paid for. And if the situation becomes untenable, the blue player can Evacuate, putting all creatures back into their owner's hands. With Moat and Teferi's Moat, the White player is essentially saying that unless they fly, it is irrelevant how many creatures are on the table. Make as many saprolings and squirrels as you like; you won't be able to do anything with them. (Pegasi, admittedly, are a problem).

And is it just me, or is there a subtle influx of White cards that allow the caster to draw a card in addition to the main focus of the card? I offer up Lashknife Barrier and Second Thoughts for this category.

I hope that I have given you the idea that White has cards that have warped similarities to effects usually dominated by other colors. There are probably better comparisons, but I do not want to linger on this point. What I would like to do next is point out what I consider to be a flaw in a statement made by the esteemed editor.

"A traditional weakness of White's is creature removal." -Hi, Mark!, written by The Ferrett, 9/9/00

I must disagree. I submit the following: Swords to Plowshares, Excise, Afterlife, Catastrophe, Second Thoughts, Honor the Fallen (arguable, but great against decks built around graveyard recursion), Balance (it's one of the effects, although not necessarily with that use in mind), Wrath of God, Rout, Kirtar's Wrath, Topple, Reprisal, and Retribution of the Meek. These were cards that I had lying around in plain sight; I didn't bother going through my various binders trying to find every example of creature control that White has.

What also should be covered is the admittedly more limited and situational creature cards White also has that help with removal. This is where Lawbringer, Lightbringer, Northern Paladin, and Southern Paladin come in. It is arguable that a Lawbringer would only be useful in the sideboard of a duel, since your opponent may not be playing red. However, in a multiplayer game, the odds that nobody is playing any red are poor. (This is particularly true since Invasion was released, because so many creatures have dual colors in the casting cost.) But permit me to point out White's efficiency again: Suppose another player has come up with the appropriate combination of six mana, played a Rith, the Awakener, and is preparing to spawn a massive Saproling population. Unfortunately for Rith, it has red in the casting cost, making it - among other things - a red creature. The White player taps and sacrifices the Lawbringer, thus removing Rith from the game, all for only having previously spent one White mana and two colorless.

I hope that I have convinced the readers that White does have creature control. Although to be fair to the esteemed editor, perhaps it could be stated that White has difficulties with small power and toughness creatures. Take away the obvious mass creature-removal spells and Swords to Plowshares, and the remaining spells I mentioned tend to have restrictions. They tend to say "power four or greater", or "target attacking creature." There are plenty of small creatures with extremely annoying abilities that cause problems - like Boneshredder, Priest of Titania, etc.

Another point is White's card efficiency. Oh, have I already covered that? Permit me to drive home the point again. Never having participated in a tournament, I have nevertheless managed to learn that one of the formats got rid of Dark Ritual. Did this format also happen to have the foresight to remove Disenchant? The name of the card implies its purpose... But the geniuses at R&D threw in artifact removal as well. This actually serves as another example of White entering into the province of another color again, since artifact removal is usually associated with red. I seem to recall that the spells red has to destroy artifacts tend to run in the three casting-cost range. White is given a choice of two things, and this is accomplished with the massive casting cost of one White mana and a singleton, making it arguably one of the most versatile cards in the game.*

Lifegain. How can I talk about White without at least briefly covering this topic? In multiplayer, there really is only one card that needs to be mentioned. I turn to the esteemed editor once again.

"But you've already accidentally created some near-broken multiplayer cards (Congregate, cough, Congregate)..." -Hi, Mark!, written by The Ferrett, 9/8/00

Indeed. In my opinion, this is the most efficient life-gaining card in the multiplayer format, with the only other card to come close being Syphon Soul. Did I mention that this card is an instant? This means, of course, that the White mage can cast it on the stack after casting a Wrath of God. The mana for all of this spellcasting is produced through the judicious use of a Land Tax. This card helps to ensure, but not guarantee, a lower ratio of losses resulting from mana screw. Just to round off the advantages of White.

Have I succeeded at all in convincing you of how dangerous White really is in the Multiplayer format? If I have not succeeded with this article, I cannot do it. That having been said....

I.... am the White mage of my group.

Seriously.

Now before readers start sending e-mails to the Ferrett demanding that my entrails be exposed to daylight, let me explain, dammit! When I was reading the articles I found in the archives, I eventually became tired of writers always complaining about my favorite color. I decided to try an idea. I would write an article that explained and gave specifics on why White is dangerous. This way, I hoped that maybe I could show the readers some legitimate reasons why they should play White. I didn't call the folks in R&D geniuses sarcastically. All of what I mentioned in this article only holds true if you are playing against White. Think about it; it is a matter of perspective. Did I write about the problems White poses, or the advantages this color has?

And it is not like I did not give the readers any clues. Or is everyone going to claim that they never realized I always capitalized the word White and no other color? What about all those White creature removal spells that I actually said I had lying around in plain view? Doesn't this indicate a more than passing familiarity with White? If this actually escaped the attention of the readers, then it could be said that I .... Sneaked. For those of you still burning me in effigy, relax. The Ferrett is probably screaming from the mountaintops that this is hell and gone from anything he ever meant sneaking to be, and screaming dire vengeance. (And how dare do you use my words in an article to advocate white, you miserable little white-using sonuva...? - The Ferrett)

- Andrew Healy

* - Or at least this is what one of my fellow group members says, anyway. Who am I to disagree?