Mana MazeHow it works & interactions with other cards

Understanding the Color Lock

Mana Maze creates a continuous effect that tracks the color of the spell most recently cast during the current turn. Once a spell is cast, no player can cast another spell that shares any of those colors until the turn ends or another spell of a different color successfully enters the stack. It is important to note that this restriction does not apply to the very first spell cast each turn, as there is no previous spell to compare it to.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When a player attempts to cast a spell, Mana Maze checks the attributes of the spell currently at the 'top' of the turn history. First, the player announces their spell and puts it on the stack. Second, Mana Maze verifies if the new spell shares a color with the spell cast immediately prior. If it shares a color, the action is illegal and the game state reverses. If it does not share a color, the spell is cast successfully and now becomes the 'spell most recently cast' for the next player.

Timing and Color Changes

A common point of confusion involves spells that change colors. Mana Maze looks at the color of a spell at the moment its announcement began. Even if an effect changes the color of a spell while it is on the stack, Mana Maze only cares about what color it was when it was first played. Additionally, colorless spells do not share colors with anything, meaning a colorless spell can be cast regardless of what was played before it, and any spell can be cast after a colorless one.

Strategic Implementation

To maximize Mana Maze, you should build a deck with a variety of colors or a high density of artifacts. It is particularly effective against mono-colored decks that rely on casting multiple spells in one turn, such as Storm or Prowess strategies. Because it affects all players, you must be careful to sequence your own spells by alternating colors to avoid locking yourself out of your own plays.

Interaction examples

Chaining Enchantments

Rhystic StudyMystic Remora

If you cast Rhystic Study as your first spell of the turn, it is successful because no previous spell exists. However, because Rhystic Study is blue, you cannot immediately follow up by casting Mystic Remora, as it is also blue and shares a color with the spell most recently cast. You would need to cast a spell of a different color or a colorless spell in between them.

Breaking the Cycle with Colorless Spells

Rhystic Study

Imagine you cast Rhystic Study (a blue spell). The next spell cast by any player cannot be blue. If you then cast a colorless artifact spell, the restriction resets based on the artifact. Since the artifact has no colors, the very next spell cast after the artifact can be any color at all—including blue—because the colorless spell shares no colors with it.

Opponent Interaction

Rhystic Study

If your opponent casts a green creature spell, the 'most recently cast' spell is now green. On your following priority, you are free to cast Rhystic Study because it is blue and does not share a color with the green creature. Once Rhystic Study is cast, the next spell cast by anyone (including your opponent) cannot be blue.