dual/multi mana card??

[Antny]

First---I am new to MtG hacking, so I may be missing something really simple.

What I am trying to do is create a card that is capable of generating multiple colors of mana either separately or concurrently. I have looked at a bunch of different cards as examples of different processes, but so far, have not been capable of figuring out a way of doing this. Any thoughts/assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[RiiakShiNal]

There is no one standard way to do this, and each method that has been devised has it's draw-backs.

One method is using an activated ability to produce Mana tokens. A Mana token is essentially an invisible (type-less) token that is created with a single standard mana ability. The main downside to this method is that it will trigger effects like that of Burning-Tree Shaman. Though other downsides are that it can't be auto-tapped for mana like a regular mana source, also depending on how other cards are coded it may trigger other effects like "Enters the Battlefield" for each token produced, and it requires "Hold Priority" to be set for proper usage. Pros include that once coded it is easy to produce any amount and any type of mana, can even be used for conditional production of mana, and can be used for temporary mana sources like Dark Ritual and Black Lotus.

Another method is to set a default colour and then use an activated ability to choose which colour to have active. The default colour prevents the card from crashing the game when it comes into play, while the activated ability allows the user to specify which colour they want the card to produce when auto-tapped for mana. Again the main downside to this method is triggering of abilities like that of Burning-Tree Shaman if not using the default colour. Other downsides would be that the card must always have an active mana ability while in play otherwise the game will crash and conditional mana production is not supported, can't be used for temporary mana sources. Pros include that it can auto-tap just like regular lands

Another method is to use standard mana abilities and auto-select which should be active at any given time based on some selection criteria. The downsides of this method are that the card must always have an active mana ability while in play or the game will crash, can't be used for temporary mana sources, can't be used for conditional mana generation, and the card may not auto-select the type of mana needed by the user. Pros include that it will not trigger abilities like Burning-Tree Shaman, auto-taps like regular mana sources.

So generally what method is used depends on what the card does, what it is needed for, and how confusing it may be for the user.

[Antny]

Ah. Well, that explains why I could not find a reasonable solution fairly easily.

I will take this info into consideration and maybe rethink my deck concept instead.

[pcastellazzi]

Take a look at this page. There you will find a solution using the second method described by RiiakShiNal and some multi color decks i made for testing.