Warning: if you aren't mildly familiar with Magic The Gathering, this probably won't make any sense!
In my opinion, one of the most influential things created by MTG was the color pie. It was an interesting and thoughtful way to describe the game mechanics, value system, and "flavor" behind each type of magic. Having switched (permanently) from MTG to MW, I found myself wondering if MW has its own implicit version of the color pie. Since each color in MTG had its own value system, each color in MTG had two ally colors and two enemy colors based on this system of values.
So I want to pose a question and then give my answer. Do you think MW has an implicit color pie in any shape or form? If so, which MW schools of magic would you associate with the MTG colors of magic?
My answer is Yes. I do think MW has a sort of color pie. (This is obvious; otherwise, what point would I have in writing this post?)
White = Holy
Blue = Arcane, Mind
Black = Dark
Red = Fire, Earth
Green = Natural, Water, Air
In MTG, White and Blue are very controlling areas of magic; in MW, the Holy, Arcane, and Mind schools are the most controlling schools of magic.
In MTG, White and Green have life gain and "growth" cards; In MW, the Holy and Nature schools have spells with life gain/regenerate effects, like Heal, Regrowth Belt.
In MTG, White is enemies with Red (since Red values aggression over defense) and Black (since Black is immoral). Likewise, in MW the Holy school is filled with protective/defensive spells whereas Fire and Earth spells are rarely defensive and emphasize total offense. Obviously, Holy spells are seen as moral whereas Dark spells are immoral.
Blue in MTG is friends with White but also with Black. Blue and Black share the desire for secrecy, power, and control and aren't above manipulation and trickery. I can't help but think of Arcane, Mind, and Dark spells the same way.
Blue in MTG doesn't like Red (because Red emphasizes spontaneity over strategy) or Green (because Green emphasizes nature over the unnatural). In MW, Arcane and Mind magic is very strategic and doesn't focus on brute force; Fire and Earth magic is very direct and all about dealing damage quickly. Admittedly, I think the Blue vs Green case doesn't apply as cleanly as it does to MW (i.e. Arcane, Mind VS Nature). Or maybe we have yet to see anti-unnatural cards from the Nature school and anti-nature cards from the Arcane and Mind schools.
Black and Red are friends in MTG. Dark and Fire are friends in MW. Just look at the Warlock! Black hates White, as mentioned earlier, and it hates Green too. Black is about decay and death. Green is about life and growth. You see this Black vs Green distinction in MW all the time. What do curses from the Dark school do? They weaken, they kill, they drain things, they cripple things. What is magic from the Natural school capable of? Regenerating life, boosting creatures, and turning things that are weak into things that are strong.
Finally, Red hates Blue and White (as mentioned already) but is friends with Black and Green. At first thought, Red and Green might not seem to have much in common in either MTG or MW. (Afterall, isn't the Beastmaster, a master of nature, very WEAK against FIRE spells?) But in MTG, Red and Green share a tie to nature. You will notice I have outlined the "MW color pie" such that all the elemental schools (earth, fire, air water) are in the Red and Green categories.
You may have noticed I left the War school out of the picture. This is open for discussion, but I don't think the War school of magic really fits into this argument. (Not dissing on the War school. I think it is awesome personally.)
In conclusion, I hope this post was informative or at least a little interesting. I also hope I may have convinced you that MW does indeed have its own version of the color pie as seen in MTG, albeit an implicit one.
As a final note, I am in NO shape or form accusing MW of "ripping off" MTG. I just wanted to show how MTG could have possibly influenced MW, as I am sure it did.
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