Transguild CourierHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it Does

Transguild Courier has a characteristic-defining ability stating it is all colors. This means it is white, blue, black, red, and green. This status is true in all zones: while it is on the battlefield, in your hand, in your library, and even in your graveyard. Because it is all five colors, it is considered a multicolored card.

How it Resolves Step by Step

When you cast Transguild Courier, you pay four generic mana. As it enters the battlefield, its ability is already active; it does not 'become' five colors, it simply is five colors. If an effect checks for a specific color, such as 'destroy target non-black creature,' Transguild Courier is a legal target because it is black, but it is also every other color. It remains an artifact creature throughout this process, as its color does not change its card type.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion is its card frame. Although it looks like a multicolored card, it is still an artifact. Another mistake involves its color identity in Commander: because its ability defines it as all colors, its color identity is all five colors, meaning it can only be played in five-color decks. Additionally, note that Protection from a specific color will apply to it; for example, a creature with Protection from Red cannot be blocked by Transguild Courier because the Courier is red.

When to Play It

You should play Transguild Courier in decks that reward you for controlling multicolored permanents or specific colors without needing to splash all five colors of mana. It is an excellent choice for satisfying 'domain' requirements or triggers that look for 'a spell of a certain color' being cast or present on the board.

Interaction examples

The Golem Connection

Solemn Simulacrum

If you have an effect that boosts Golem creatures, both Transguild Courier and Solemn Simulacrum will receive the bonus. However, if an opponent plays a spell that destroys 'all non-blue creatures,' Solemn Simulacrum (which is colorless) will be destroyed, while Transguild Courier will survive because it is blue (among its other colors).

Graveyard Retrieval

Eternal Witness

If Transguild Courier is in your graveyard, it is still all colors. When you play Eternal Witness and its ability triggers, you can target Transguild Courier to return it to your hand. If you have an effect that says 'Whenever you return a green card from your graveyard to your hand,' that effect will trigger because the Courier is green in the graveyard.