Chromatic OrreryHow it works & interactions with other cards

Universal Mana and Ramp

The first ability of Chromatic Orrery is a continuous effect that allows you to spend mana as though it were mana of any color. This does not change the actual color of mana your lands or artifacts produce, but it changes how you can pay for costs. Additionally, you can tap it to add five colorless mana, which can then be spent as any color due to its own static ability.

Drawing from the Spectrum

The final ability costs five mana and requires you to tap the Orrery to draw cards based on the colors of permanents you control. It checks for White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. It is important to remember that 'Colorless' is not a color. Even if you control many artifacts, they won't count toward this draw unless they have colors in their mana cost or a color indicator.

Strategic Implementation

Because this costs seven mana, it is often a late-game play that stabilizes your mana base for complex multi-colored spells. Once it is on the battlefield, you no longer need to worry about having the correct lands for specific color requirements, allowing you to focus entirely on total mana volume.

Interaction examples

Casting High-Cost Spells

Meteor Golem

With Chromatic Orrery on the battlefield, you can tap it for five colorless mana. You can then use those five mana, plus two more from any other source, to cast Meteor Golem. When Meteor Golem enters the battlefield, you destroy a nonland permanent an opponent controls.

Protection and Colorless Synergy

Chimil, the Inner Sun

If you control both Chromatic Orrery and Chimil, the Inner Sun, your spells cannot be countered. Note that since both these permanents are colorless artifacts, they do not contribute to the card count for Chromatic Orrery's activated ability. If these are your only two permanents, you will draw zero cards when activating the Orrery.