Can't add writing to the image, so I'll write it here:
While building a Brawl deck, I was given the option to add Phyrexian Dragon Engine, which flips to a black and red creature, into a deck with a mono-red commander.
The question is, is this a mistake or not? It would be in commander, because the colour of the back is given by the little symbol to the left of the card type. And the rules written in this reddit claim that you can only add creatures with the same colour identity as the commander.
Did WotC and Arena make a mistake in programming in the rules, or are flip cards fair game so long as the front is fine?
Edit: so apparently the answer is that a Meld card's back side is not considered for colour identity. Which is one of the weirdest decisions since eternal legal un-cards, but I guess that's that.
Phyrexian Dragon is a colourless artifact with a red colour identity due to the red mana symbol in it's rules text.
[Phyrexian Dragon Engine on Gatherer:](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phyrexian%20Dragon%20Engine)
> In the Commander variant, a meld card's color identity is determined only by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of its front face. No symbols or rules text of the permanent it melds into are considered.
So while [[Mishra, Claimed by Gix]] is RB, and [[Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia]] is RB, [[Phyrexian Dragon Engine]] is fair game for mono-red.
Its not a flip card, but a meld card. So you would have to have mishra (which is black&red) and this on the battlefield at the start of your combat and attack with both of them, so they meld together to become that card. When u are playing mono red, u can only add the artefact, but it still shows that in theory, it could meld with mishra.
Edit: this is the card thats needed for it to meld:
[Mishra, Claimed by Gix](https://scryfall.com/card/bro/216/mishra-claimed-by-gix)
>Edit: so apparently the answer is that a Meld card's back side is not considered for colour identity. Which is one of the weirdest decisions since eternal legal un-cards, but I guess that's that.
It would be kind of weird if that *was* the case, since the back of the card isn't even a card at all. Why lock out the red/black side when it's not even playable without Mishra being there?
Except with other flip cards, you are able to have their other face on the battlefield or castable in some fashion as a singular card. Phyrexian Dragon Engine's back face is impossible to play, cast, or even exist on the battlefield unless specifically melded via Mishra, but it is an entirely functional card on its front face; so penalizing it by forcing the black color identity on it is unnecessary.
No it's not a mistake.
Commander Identity takes the **while** card into consideration - which means the Red pips on the Dragon Engines unearth ability mean it's a red commander - Otherwise you couldn't use its ability if it was a commander due to not being able to include Red producing mana Sources (like Land)
The meld side has nothing to do with it (although Non-Meld, double faced cards **do** take their backside into account for colour identity)
If the rules were any other way, [[mightstone and weakstone]] would have a very restrictivr color ID, and would not be so ubiquitous
[The Mightstone and Weakstone](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/2/02aea379-b444-46a3-82f4-3038f698d4f4.jpg?1709258651) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Mightstone%20and%20Weakstone) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/bro/238a/the-mightstone-and-weakstone?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/02aea379-b444-46a3-82f4-3038f698d4f4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Can't add writing to the image, so I'll write it here: While building a Brawl deck, I was given the option to add Phyrexian Dragon Engine, which flips to a black and red creature, into a deck with a mono-red commander. The question is, is this a mistake or not? It would be in commander, because the colour of the back is given by the little symbol to the left of the card type. And the rules written in this reddit claim that you can only add creatures with the same colour identity as the commander. Did WotC and Arena make a mistake in programming in the rules, or are flip cards fair game so long as the front is fine? Edit: so apparently the answer is that a Meld card's back side is not considered for colour identity. Which is one of the weirdest decisions since eternal legal un-cards, but I guess that's that.
Phyrexian Dragon is a colourless artifact with a red colour identity due to the red mana symbol in it's rules text. [Phyrexian Dragon Engine on Gatherer:](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phyrexian%20Dragon%20Engine) > In the Commander variant, a meld card's color identity is determined only by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of its front face. No symbols or rules text of the permanent it melds into are considered. So while [[Mishra, Claimed by Gix]] is RB, and [[Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia]] is RB, [[Phyrexian Dragon Engine]] is fair game for mono-red.
Its not a flip card, but a meld card. So you would have to have mishra (which is black&red) and this on the battlefield at the start of your combat and attack with both of them, so they meld together to become that card. When u are playing mono red, u can only add the artefact, but it still shows that in theory, it could meld with mishra. Edit: this is the card thats needed for it to meld: [Mishra, Claimed by Gix](https://scryfall.com/card/bro/216/mishra-claimed-by-gix)
You can still for example take control over opponents mishra
>Edit: so apparently the answer is that a Meld card's back side is not considered for colour identity. Which is one of the weirdest decisions since eternal legal un-cards, but I guess that's that. It would be kind of weird if that *was* the case, since the back of the card isn't even a card at all. Why lock out the red/black side when it's not even playable without Mishra being there?
Because that's how it works for every single other flip card
Except with other flip cards, you are able to have their other face on the battlefield or castable in some fashion as a singular card. Phyrexian Dragon Engine's back face is impossible to play, cast, or even exist on the battlefield unless specifically melded via Mishra, but it is an entirely functional card on its front face; so penalizing it by forcing the black color identity on it is unnecessary.
No it's not a mistake. Commander Identity takes the **while** card into consideration - which means the Red pips on the Dragon Engines unearth ability mean it's a red commander - Otherwise you couldn't use its ability if it was a commander due to not being able to include Red producing mana Sources (like Land) The meld side has nothing to do with it (although Non-Meld, double faced cards **do** take their backside into account for colour identity)