What exactly is the difference between the otter having it's text written as is and the otter being a two color card, aside from the fact that you cant even play dual lands in the real version? like its just a commander that says "i'm a two color commander but you can pick which other color i am". there is nothing crazy or unbelievable happening on the card. as someone else said, it is basically "choose a background" but you dont even get the extra commander enchantment. and again, the otter has restrictions around cards you can include, so it doesnt even seem strong enough to supplant other Ux decks
i'm asking this in good faith because i respect your opinion on several of your takes and this is one of the first big ones that i just don't see the issue with. thanks
It's funny, because this is literally worse than a mono-colored "two color" commander. But it's not about power level. It could be a mono-blue 1/1 eight-drop that says "your deck can include White Artifacts," and I'd have the same issue.
Okay, here's what I think it is. This is what bugs me so much. This card does not change its own color identity to match the cards you're using. You are literally building an illegal deck that is only made legal by your commander's ability. Swap out your commander for another mono-blue spellslinger and it's not just that the deck doesn't function, it can't exist at a structural level. It's like your commander is breaking the fourth wall to make the deck work.
If it partnered with a useless enchantment with an Eminence ability that said "Pick a color. This card is that color," I would be more understanding of that. I wouldn't like it, I think it's bad design, but it's bad design within the rules. But that's not what it does. It's not about what it does. It's how it goes about doing it.
Having said all that, something I didn't consider at first is that this card is obviously intended to help with draft. Again, it's a non-issue in the big picture. It just bugs me.
Also, it appears that it isn't really a 2-color deck, it is a blue-inclusive guilds deck. I think it is (c>u c=2) if you're in scryfall. And you can only use basics but you can use all basics, even if you choose to only use blue and green spells with Domain cards included.
And that's the thing, it is the slow eroding of the rules. First, you get partners and backgrounds that make sense, and are a bit of rules text that have some purpose like making a more interesting limited environment. This is rulebreaking for the sake of rulebreaking, just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, and the idea behind that sort of attitude Is to has at least Something stick.
Oh interesting, yeah that was my initial reading on it as well. It's a little unclear. I'm sure we'll get some official clarification some time.
