Kozilek, Wastes, and the new Colorless Mana
oath of the gatewatch spoilers
Wizards officially spoiled Kozilek, the Great Distortion and two versions of Wastes during the World Magic Cup. These cards were leaked earlier in November and finally confirmed today. The tldr is they do what the community expected.
What is the Oracle text on Wastes?
From Matt Tabak, it reads:
Wastes
Basic Land
T: Addto your mana pool.
What is the new mana symbol?
The new mana symbol is , or written as C. It means Colorless mana. This is different from Generic mana, which is indicated by 
.
How does it work?
For costs, can be paid for with any colored mana (for example, R, W, G, etc including C), but can only be paid by C.
What produces C?
Wastes is a new basic land that produces C. Cards that previously generated Generic mana (e.g. Sol Ring) will now produce C. The oracle text will be updated on Sol Ring. As confirmed by Trick Jarrett:
Sol Ring will tap for {C}{C} rather than {2}, it will still cost {1} to cast though.
How do you get the new Wastes lands?
They will not be included in Land Stations at drafts and sealed events. They will appear in boosters at twice the rate of Commons, but you must draft them to include them in your deck. Trick Jarrett has confirmed that Wastes will be included in the land pack in the Oath of the Gatewatch Fat Pack.
How does this work with Domain and Converge?
Since Wastes doesn't have a subtype (e.g. Basic Land — Swamp), it won't count towards your Domain count. Since Colorless is not a color, it won't count towards your Converge count.
Does the new symbol affect Commander?
No. It is still Colorless and the new mana symbol does not affect color identity. So you can use cards with Colorless mana symbols even if you have a Colored general. If you use Kozilek, the Great Distortion as your general, you can use the same cards as say, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth today.
Why do this? Why not in Battle for Zendikar?
MaRo wrote a great article on Barry Lands, which explains the history of Wastes. Colorless was not introduced in Battle for Zendikar because it was mechanically irrelevant, although it sounds like there was a great debate within Wizards.
