The process of acquiring the sword is considered one of the worst side quests in the series, but the raw power it provides does balance it out somewhat
Its just too easy to build a deck where the choice isnt really a choice for your opponent, especially when both cards you select end up in accessible zones
Clean removal, protection effects, taxes, and board wipes are where the color really shines
If a card with a colorless cost has one or more colored mana pips somewhere in its rules text, then those colors are part of its color identity
Often in EDH you'll just want a 1-mana cantrip to fuel some storm or Izzet shenanigans
While its next two chapters place a +1/+1 counter on two target creatures and gain two life arent wildly powerful, they still provide you ample value for the low, low price of