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Self Improvement Through the MTG Color Pie

On my channel and this website, I spend a lot of time coming up with grandiose philosophies based on the colors of Magic: the Gathering. It's an entertaining way to talk about philosophy and at the same time breathe more life into the game we all love. While I obviously enjoy this as a matter of pure self-indulgent fun, I am actually quite interested in discussing ideas and how they apply to our lives.

So this got me thinking, how could we use the color pie in its most basic form to improve our own lives. Well, I believe I have done just that, and it turns out it's pretty simple. To do this we will find out what the weakest colors in our own pie is and then learn what their absence means, from there we can use that knowledge to improve our lives by strengthening those points. Keep in mind this isn't a replacement for good old fashioned self-introspection, but its definitely a great way of taking a deeper look into yourself and finding out what you could stand to work on.

Now before we can begin it will be important to find out what colors we lean most into and what colors we lack. To do this I would like to direct you to an awesome MTG Color quiz.



It uses word association to figure out what ideals you find most important to you, and at the same time which ones go against your way of seeing the world.

As I like to say, it's fun to assign colors to ourselves in combinations of two or three, but the reality is that we are much more complex than that. In the end, I believe firmly we are all five colors, it's just that we lean more or less into certain ones. So take this test, markdown your scores and return here to see how we can bump up the numbers of the colors you seem to lack the most, and in doing so become a more balanced human being. If you want to see me go through the test and check out my scores I also have a video on that right here.

So you have your scores, what's next? How can you take your lowest scores and use that knowledge to become a more rounded person? Well, I think it's simple, we will go through each of the five colors and discuss what core ideals you can take from those colors to shift your way of thinking, then by doing this become a more balanced person.

Keep in mind that even though we strongly lean into one or more color, there is always room to accept other ways of thinking and in doing so, become a better person because of it, or at the very least gain some insight into other world views. OK let's start things off on the top of the Pie with the color White and move clockwise from there. Feel free to read through each of the colors, even if those are your stronger colors, as there are still things to be learned by reflecting on your strengths.

White

Structure

You might be the type of person who does not like putting restrictions on themselves, but let me ask you this. Is there value in setting yourself up for success? Perhaps the lack of structure in your life is holding you back in some ways. Without a schedule or plan for the future sometimes our lives can become chaotic, and it's in this chaos that we might waste energy that could be put to use. Perhaps think of adding a few positive habits in your life than build from there

Community

Now it could be that you prefer to go it alone. While that is an important skill to have, it still goes against human nature. The reason Humans are such a successful species, besides our giant brains, is that we are able to share the load, help each other out, and lift each other up. It's because of our shared experience that we are able to find the strength to succeed. But even more than that we just need it. We need one another for sanity's sake, so allow yourself more time with the people around you.

Blue

Learning

Perhaps you fancy yourself a person who gets by with nothing more than common sense, but maybe it's time to expand your mind even further. I can understand the disdain that some feel for the institutions of learning that are presented to us. (I'm right there with you) But we live in an age with information at our fingertips and new skills ready to be learned after a simple search`. Make the most out of your time by learning something new.

Curiosity

As we get older our curiosity seems to wane until it simply feels that there isn't much interesting left in the world. To that, I would say you should try and keep the fires of curiosity alight, as everything physical, mental, and spiritual is always ready to show you something fascinating that you have never seen before. Don't let curiosity fade, keep at it and you'll be surprised what you could find.

Black

Self Care

It is a valiant trait to put others first but if you do not take care of your own needs you will find that you will have nothing to give others. A broken person is of no use to anyone, so be sure to do something that's just for you, reward yourself, you deserve it. Don't think of it as being selfish, think of it as taking care of yourself first so that you may take care of others later.

Ambition

Sure, being satisfied with what you have is a great way to lead a full life, but unfortunately, life won't sit by and hand you things forever. At some point, you are going to have to achieve more for yourself and secure a more full existence. Now do not confuse this with blind greed, it's just a matter of creating a better basis for your life. There is nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself and those you care about, just keep that humble mindset all the way through.

Red

Impulse

It's OK to live a structured life, set with routines, I think that's just human nature and there is a comfort in that. Unfortunately, this way of life can feel stagnant and at times monotonous and can cause depression. If this is your low color then perhaps you need to do something outside of your comfort zone. It's alright to be scared, all it takes is that first step and a new world could open up to you.

Compassion

Maybe your lack of Red comes from always having to depend on yourself and because of that, you have put up a wall that makes it hard for people to read you and in turn others. Sometimes you have to open up and let your emotions fall out even if it results in landing on your face. Emotionally putting yourself out there can be scary, but you would be surprised how others might respond, you'll never know if you don't put your feelings out there.

Green

Tranquility

The world around you, and the vast one around that, are beyond anything we could begin to imagine. Perhaps you need to take a moment to realize that, but don't fear, from there you will be able to find peace in that knowledge. There is a sort of release that can be had once you find your place within the universe, don't fight it move along with it, and be at peace with it.

Nature

Maybe you grew up surrounded by the brick and steel of the city, and feel no connection with nature. Even though the last 100 years have seen humans draw away from nature, it remains an integral part of who we are. Make some time to tend to a small garden, go hiking, or go camping. You would be surprised how much being in nature can heal your soul.


Thanks for trying out this experiment with me. I hope you took something useful away from this discussion, or at the very least it got you thinking about what you could do to improve your life.

The colors of Magic the Gathering are by no means complete philosophies, but by putting things into these categorize we can hope to understand them better, and for that, I think the color pie is something special.

Be sure to sign in and leave me a comment below letting me know if this helped you at all, or if you have any ideas for more content in the same vein. This website will be filling up with more original content like this going forward so check back often.


With that, I will catch you in the multiverse, bye!


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1 Comment


mandrake mech
mandrake mech
Dec 13, 2020

Fantastic article. Really enjoy how you point out two strong themes in each colour and then write from the opposite viewpoint, so that someone lacking in that perspective can tell where they might be, and recognize where they can strive to go.

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