Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast - #1062: Red-Green-White

Episode Date: August 18, 2023

This is another podcast in my three-color series. In this episode, I talk about red-green-white.

I'm not pulling out of the driveway. We all know what that means. It's time for the Drive to Work at Home Edition. So I started doing a series of three-color podcasts where I talk about the philosophy of three-color combinations. So I've done four of them so far, and so today I'm going to do the final arc or shard, if you will, red, green, white. And so what I want to do is I want to walk through, I'm going to explain how the, how, how each color functions, how they function together, and then sort of talk about how they function depending on who's the center of it. Okay. So first up, let's run through the three colors. So red, red is about freedom through action.

Basically red believes that you fundamentally know what you want, that it's within you, that your heart speaks to yourself. And that part of living a happy life is just following your heart. If you're happy, laugh. If you're sad, cry. If you're angry, punch someone. You know, that you have to sort of express what you are.

And fundamentally, it wants everybody to have that ability. When it talks about freedom, it wants each person to live their own truth and their own life. And the way to do that is you have to act on it. If you want something to happen you can't just sit around. You gotta do right now. And red's all about spontaneity and about acting in the moment

and, you know, red is the color that's like live life to the fullest and live it now. Now that means red's not really good at thinking long term and, you know, it can get itself into trouble and it sort of acts before it really thinks through why it's acting. But it is the color that's the most willing to sort of just live in the moment.

Green is growth through acceptance. The idea there is green believes that the world functions the way it's supposed to. It believes in the natural way and that the key to life is understanding your role in it, your place in it. You know, it's not as if you have something to decide as much as something to realize, to understand. There's a giant inner working and interweb of life, and your job is to understand what your role is and to fulfill that role as best as you can fulfill it. And if you do that, if you become sort of part of the natural system, then you inhabit and encourage growth.

White believes in peace through structure. White is like, look, we have enough resources that nobody needs to be wanting. No one needs to starve. No one needs to, you know, there doesn't need to be crime or all sorts of, all the evils that exist. None of them have to exist. We have the things we need, but in order to do that, we have to think in terms of the group. We have to make decisions in terms of what's best for everybody rather than what's just best for me. Now, white understands

that people inherently are kind of greedy, so it understands that it needs to sort of remind people. So it uses structure. It uses civil structure through things like laws and moral structure through things like religion to help make people understand of what right and wrong is and that you're supposed to do things that are right and not do things that are wrong. Okay, now let's start talking about how these colors mix and match. Okay, let's first get to red and green.

So red and green are allies, and they have a shared enemy, which is blue. So very much, they're the opposite of blue. Blue's all about thinking everything through, taking your time, you know, being very exacting in what you do. Well, red and green, not at all. They are the anti-thinking colors. Red is all about being impulsive. Green is all about being instinctive. That red and green believe that from within that you fundamentally on some level know what you need to be doing. You need to listen to yourself and act on that. Not think about it, act on it. And so red and green lean into that impulse instinct quality.

So red and green to get together, they're not at all about, you know, they're about living in the moment and following one's instincts and impulses and just doing what seems natural, what guess what I was going to say. The red and green want you to sort of always live in the moment. I guess that's the best way to say it. And that sort of embrace those that are close to you. You know, red and green definitely have a sense of camaraderie and of, you know, doing things for others. So that's red-green. Green-white is very about community.

White is all about thinking of the good of the group. And green is all about the importance of the interconnectivity of the web of life. And so both of them understand that, like, we exist in a system. We exist as part of something. And that if we don't pay attention to the larger whole, we as individuals will suffer. And so white and green really lean in and understand how important community is.

And then you get to red-white. So red-white is their enemy colors. So in any shard or arc, there's two ally combinations and one enemy combination. Red-white is about the conflict between order and chaos. Between freedom and restriction.

White basically is like, look, if people just do whatever they want, individuals will be harmed. So for the good of the individual, we need to set rules and boundaries and make sure that people aren't accidentally hurting people. But red says, but wait a minute, you're impinging my freedom.

That if you don't let me do the thing I want to do, then you are, you know, there's a greater injustice than someone accidentally getting hurt. And that is people not being themselves, not being their true self. And so red and white really much fight in this. Interestingly, where red and white sort of overlap a little bit is they understand the structure of systems. They understand white likes a very structured system.

Red likes a very loose system. So what they want are very opposite of each other, but they're both very much in sort of pushing toward the system. So, okay. So we see these get together. The first time we did in Shards of Alara

we had Naya. And so Naya was a world where black and blue had been eliminated. And so it was kind of this wild overgrown, there was just nature everywhere and giant creatures and it was just sort of nature run wild. You know, there's no humans reigning it in.

And then in Streets of New Campana, we had the cabaretti, and the cabaretti were all about sort of people and community, and they ran all the events in Streets of New Campenna. And their keyword was alliance, which was rewards you for having creatures enter the battlefield. Naya was all about size. It had a size matter theme. It wasn't named.

But Naya was sort of about going big and going tall, where the cabaret is more about community and interacting with people. So it's a good example where those are both sort of red, green, white, but going in slightly different directions. Okay, so let's get into the meat and potatoes of these is sort of talking through. So it's my contention when you have a three color combination that one of the colors kind of has to be the central color. That if you don't do that, it gets too mushy.

With two colors, usually there's an ends and a means where one color has the goals in mind and the other uses the tools to execute on those goals. With three color, I believe there has to sort of be a center. Both Naya and the Cabareti, the center was green. They were playing different aspects of green, but they was green. So let's start there.

So what happens when red and white are in support of green? So once again, let's go back to green's goal. Green wants growth through acceptance. So green is like, okay, I have nature. I want, I, my goal is to stop forces of interacting with nature in a way that's harming nature. Nature, I mean, there are things that are going to happen in nature. Nature is going to evolve.

It's going to adapt. It's going to grow. It's not that green has any problem with things sort of naturally changing, but it wants a natural change. It wants something where things happen at the pace they're supposed to happen. wants a natural change. It wants something where things happen at the pace they're supposed to happen and not outsiders coming in and sort of wreaking havoc without thinking of the ramifications of what is there. Okay, so green wants the natural order. Well, it looks at white and it says, wow, white has the tool of organization, of structure. Okay. Well, if I want people to act the way they need to act, I could lean on white and make sure that I have the system set up in place, that I have the

tools of which to push people to, like, white sort of uses order to push toward white's agenda. But when you get red, green, white together with a green center, green is going to push white for green's agenda. Okay, well, we don't want, you know, white, for example, will push towards civilization because civilization is a tool to help people work together. Well, green will push away from civilization because green wants, you know, civilization is at the cost of nature. You know, you have to tear down trees to build a city.

Green doesn't want that. But green can make use of white structure to sort of get the things it wants. And it can take red's sort of spontaneity. It's pushed toward action. Red is definitely the color that says, I want something. Well, I'm going to do something about it.

So when green sort of borrows red sort of impulsiveness, it definitely gets the willingness to take steps that it needs to get done, to do the thing it needs to do. It's funny that green sort of pulls toward, sorry, white pulls green toward its peaceful side and red pulls green toward its more violent side. And so as you see the influences now, the interesting thing on ally, you know, on arcs and shards is it's a color

with its allies and the allies sort of, they're obviously, its allies are enemies, but there's sort of a balance reach between them. And so green very much is sort of like when you get the green agenda and say, okay, white and okay, red, you're helping toward the green agenda. We're going to make, you know, we're going to make laws and rules and structure. We're going to take action and really it's green, like sort of on all charges

doing everything it can to make the system that it wants. Now, I will note, Naya is a good example. These are both green-centered. Naya is a good example where it's more nature-oriented, right? That it's nature run amok. And that, you know, the reason Naya is this green sort of utopia is that nature's a lot, that nothing observes nature. But if you look at, like, the Cabaret, the Cabaretty,

that's in a world all about crime, and it's sort of saying, okay, well, given you're about crime, how about you go about crime? So Red, Green, White says, okay, fundamentally, I want to take advantage of the systems that already exist. And so it definitely leans toward caring about people and caring about organizations. And then red has an aspect that's very charming.

Red, for example, red, black, black is very much the color of isolation, the color of selfishness. Red shares with black and there's a little bit of hedonism and there's elements of red that push toward me, me, me. But red also has passion. Red has loyalty. Red is the color that will go to the mat for somebody who really cares about. You know, red, red. Red loves things and cares about things with great passion. And so when something that red cares about is harmed, red will jump in. Just as much as it'll jump in for its own needs, it'll jump in for that.

So I think we're looking at the green-centered thing. When I talk about action, I'm also talking about sort of the charisma of red, the ability of Red, and then the willingness of Red to really bond with other creatures. That it is not that Red is isolation. There's elements of Red and the stuff that leans on the black side. But a lot of Red is sort of like, look, I want to interact with other people. I want to emotionally connect. You know, red very much is about feeling its emotions. And one of those emotions is camaraderie, is loyalty, is feeling at, you know, a comfort with those around you. So green-centered, you definitely get, it's all about sort of keeping the status quo,

but using the tools of red and white to do that. Okay, now let's look at a white-centered red, green, white. So white, like I said, is all about the good of the group. And so if the end of white is, I want to make sure that everybody's taken care of, it looks at red, it looks at green. And I think that red and green have a little more ferocity to it that I think white in a vacuum is very, it very

followed the book. So it's like, it's very contained. And white can use the law or use civil elements or, you know, moral elements to guide things. It's not that white can't control the situation, but white is very

much restrained. White is probably the most restrained color, blue being second. Red and green are the least restrained. Red and green are the most, I want to do what I want to do. And so when white gets them, it loosens whites up a little bit. So white's goal of sort of, okay, I'm going to do what's best for the group, but it has some tools available to it that Mono White does not have. And so it is definitely more of leaning on charisma.

Like, I'm going to use the structure, but I'm also going to persuade people that part of what you get a white center, red, green, white, and the Kabarati push a little bit like this, is you're more likely to get somebody that sways the group as a whole,

that says, hey, you know, I'm going to, the reason I'm going to get my goal and get what I want is I'm going to convince everybody around me that this is the way it needs to be and use my charisma and sort of get them all on board so that everybody's moving in the same direction. And so there very much is a persuasion issue when you get to a white-centered red, green, white, that it's like, okay, I know the best thing is for the whole group, and now I'm going to sell that to the group

in a way that the group will buy into it. White combined with different things changes in how it structures. White when it starts getting with blue or black is a lot more of using the rules as a means by which you force people to do something. Not that they want to do it, but you sort of force their hand.

White, red, green is a lot more about I want you invested in wanting to do it. Yeah, I have structure. Yeah, I have rules. But I want you all bored on those rules. I want you believing those rules are the right rules. It's not that I have a system that sort of forces your hand. It really wants to lean into the idea of you have a place and you

have a role and you have emotions. And white sort of, red-green has this I'm going to go where I'm going to go quality to it. And white, like, can lead that and guide that. And there's definitely, red-green-white has that quality of groups that are sort of led by the leader that's charismatic and persu that are sort of led by the leader that's charismatic and persuasive and sort of makes the group want to do that because they buy into what the leader is saying.

Okay, now we get into red. So red, red's goal is freedom. Red wants everybody to have the ability to do what they want. So obviously red with green. Green has a feral instinctive quality that green can play into. And the interesting thing is, one of the subtle differences between red and green is red is a little bit more about emotions, about feelings, where green is a little more about urges and about drives.

And so I think red, when it's mono-red, is persuasive. Red's pretty persuasive, but it taps onto emotional reasons. Here's an emotional reason you want to do that. When you get green involved, it starts getting a little more into the physical, right? There's certain reasons you do things,

not because you want to do it, but because you feel compelled to do it from a, you know, your body wants to do it. And so there's a lot of using some of those elements. Then when red gets to white, the idea there is, can I use some of the tools of white as a means to get my red agenda done?

And so the idea is, can I make rules that prevent rulemaking? You know, can I use structure in a way that I, by understanding the structure, I use the structure as a means. So a lot of what red does when it uses white structure is it uses the structure to keep things from happening, right? That I can use the law and structure as a means, I can use it to force behavior, or I can use it as a means to stop behavior. And so a lot of the structuring that red brings to the table when using white is trying to

set up systems where the system can't be stopped, where the system is something that is sort of an unstoppable system. The other thing about red is that red... Red is the most loyal of the colors. White and green care about the community as a whole. The interesting thing is red, green, white are the three colors that most care about the community as a whole. Like, the interesting thing is, red, green, white are the three colors that most care about others.

But how they care about them is really fundamentally different. And so, depending on where you're focusing in your color combinations, it'll shift. So, red is all about sort of connections, right? Red is about, I find someone, I bond with them, and the reason we're connected is we share something. There's something we share.

There's something we care about in common. That red's bondings are really about something where there is overlap between the two things. Perhaps we share a passion for some topic. You know, maybe I met you at a club or something and like, oh, we both love doing this thing. Or maybe there's some ideal we both hold to

and we're both wanting to hold that ideal. Or maybe there's just physical attraction. There's something about it in which you and I, we are drawn together because there's something that connects us. And Red can be very loyal, very passionate, but not for everybody. It is not, Red is not like, I like everybody no matter what.

It's like, no, no, no, I've bonded with specific people. And so Red is very much about the people that give it something. That it's not about, none of Red is about sort of like, I like people just because people. It's more like, I like people because I like that guy. I like Bob. Now, Green, Green's sense of community comes from the idea that everybody fulfills a role and everyone has a place.

It's not that Green likes Bob, but it understands that Bob, if Bob doesn't do what Bob has to do, then Green can't do what Green's wanting to do. So it's not that Green likes Bob, but Green understands the role of Bob. Green understands why Bob needs to be there. White is much more about, look, I'm trying to do the greater good,

and it thinks about people as all being sort of component pieces of a larger system. And so like, hey, if we want to get something to happen, everybody has to take their role. And so the idea of a lot of little mini tasks and many things you have to do to sort of get to where you want. But white does appreciate people, and white does make a system where people can thrive. Like red enjoys people,

green sort of needs people, and white makes use of people. And not just makes use of them, but for white. White is trying to do its best such that everybody can have what they need. Okay, so red, green, white. What do we see in red, green, white? Like I said, I think the biggest through line in red, green, white is their connection

to people. And I think that in any version of red, green, white usually, there is a, I mean, the other thing to remember from a game of Magic is, Green has the most creatures in it, White has the second most, then Black, then Red, then Blue. But Green and White are number one and two. Green, Red, White, I think is a little more creature-focused than Green, White, Black, although and part of that is philosophically, black and blue have a little bit of a coldness to them.

A little more like blue is trying to optimize what it needs to do, and black is trying to look out for itself. And in some ways, those are a little more introspective, a little more getting from within and prioritizing within. Now, given blue is white's ally, when blue and white get together, blue can optimize systems for whole communities and blue can get into technology.

So it's not, blue isn't quite as antisocial as black, as black's the most antisocial. Black very much sees people as a tool for it to use. It's not that black can't be social, but black is social because there's something in it for black to be social. But red, green, and white

definitely have this nice sense of the group and the community. It's why Cabaretty was all about people, why Alliance was the mechanic that tied to it. And it's the same reason that Naya tied into size. Red, green, and white, I think,

is a very creature-centric color combination. And when you see it, you're definitely going to have some... Now, once again, center green's a little bit about being big. Center white might be more about having lots of creatures. Center red might be more about sort of size.

Or red-green might be size. There's a bunch of different ways to play into that. Okay. So let's get into, now is the part of the time where I try crossing philosophies to see where that gets us. Okay, red wants freedom, green wants growth.

So in that idea is systems gone wild, or systems in which, unchecked systems, systems in which, you know, the general philosophy when you mix red and green is the idea that the world is at its best when people aren't trying to stop things from being what they're supposed to be. Now, for red, that's people living their truth,

and from green, it's sort of nature being what it wants to be. But there definitely is a philosophy when you mix the idea that the world is better if you set up systems that let things be the way they naturally want to be. Let people express what they want to express. Let nature do its thing. And so Red Green really has a little more laissez-faire of let's make systems and structures that let people do what they want to do.

You know, which flies a little bit in the face of white, but we'll get there in a second. Okay. Freedom and peace, so red and white together, is this idea that... Well, let's do that last because those are the enemies. So green and white. So green is growth. White is peace. So when those two ideas get together,

there's this real idea of, look, let's find a way that is as good for the community as possible, but also in a way that's good for nature, for the earth. And so what you get here is you really get this idea of

stuff like the green initiative, right? Things in which, can we find ways that are helpful to the world but also helpful to people? Can we find an organic system? The two don't have to fight each other. Green and white, when they get together, very much are sort of like, okay, hey, we want

to find the good. How do we help people and give people what they want while helping the world and giving it what it wants? And so you definitely start getting into a little more like group consciousness or societal, you know,

like I'm trying to do right by society, but doing right by society is doing right by the people and the world and the place. And you get conservation and you get, you know, you get a lot of things that are all about sort of living a clean and healthy life. And that part of the way that people get what they want is embracing what the earth provides. So when green and white get together, you do have communities,

but they're more rural and less, like white and blue get together, but they live in cities. Green and white get together, we're talking like an agricultural society or society in which people are living off the earth and being part of the earth. Okay, red-white is the trickiest one

because obviously you get enemies and you get freedom with peace. But what does it mean when you mix freedom with peace? And there is a sort of compromise there where the idea is, is there a way that I can get people what they want except in the fact that part of what they want is the sense of I'm being true to who I am. That Red's freedom, if you combine them, you have to accept the idea that you only get

peace through freedom and that you only have freedom through peace. So the idea there is how can I truly be happy if my fellow neighbor is suffering? So the combination of the idea is, White loosens up a little bit to say, hey, I have to respect that me feeling right about what I'm doing is an important value that individuals need. And White has to understand that, I'm sorry, red has to understand that part of freedom is being respectful of those around you.

That harming others, in a sense to get my freedom, is not true freedom. That true freedom involves me doing what I want to do in a way that involves others. And so when you mix all of them together, sort of freedom plus growth plus peace,

you really kind of get, in some level, a group in which they're like, look, here's what we want. We want everybody to have what they need. We want the earth to get what it needs. Nature gets what it needs. And we want people being true to who they are, true to their self. And so this is the most like, maybe you get a commune

or you would get something in which people are trying to live together in harmony but in a way that is being true to people being themselves and being true to the world around them. And there's a lot of sort of very openness to this. So like red, green, white definitely has a philosophy of, hey, I want to do right by everything. I'm going to do right by me.

I want to do right by you. I want to do right by nature. And it really has this idea that, hey, part of being happy is taking to account all the others around me and that I want to find my true happiness, but I also want to find my friend's true happiness and my neighbor's true happiness. And that there really is a cooperative inter-sharing element that you see in red, green, white, that is more so than anybody else. It's the most, we all want to look out for each other sort of, of the three-color pairs. It's the most

communi of them. It's the most, like, wanting to set up a system in which I kind of respect others. There's a lot of respect in red, green, white. There's a lot of the idea that part of me living my life is understanding how you live your life and letting you be you and letting me

be me and us understanding that in order to be us, we have to do that. And so that is pretty core and tied into red, green, white. Anyway, guys, I can see my desk here. So we're near the end here. I hope you guys have been

enjoying these philosophies of color pairs. It is neat to mix and match. So I will be getting, next up I will be getting to the wedges, which are a color and two enemies. When I get into that, I'll explain.

I mean, they're similar. They'll be similar podcasts, but they'll be slightly different. Anyway, guys, I hope you've enjoyed this. This is the fifth and final of the Arcs or Shards. But we have five more coming up with the Wedges. Hope you guys enjoyed that. But it's time, instead of talking magic, it's time for me to be making magic. So hope you guys enjoyed the talk today.

And I'll see you all next time. Bye-bye.