What it does
Sunburst is a static ability that makes a permanent enter the battlefield with a number of counters based on how many colors of mana you spent to cast it. If it's a creature, it gets that many +1/+1 counters; if it's an artifact (non-creature), it gets that many charge counters. So spending mana of three different colors means three counters.
The key nuance: it counts colors of mana spent, not the number of mana symbols or total mana. Five generic mana gives zero counters, while 



gives five. Colorless mana also counts for nothing—only the five actual colors matter. Generic costs paid with colored mana do count toward distinct colors.
In Commander, Sunburst rewards five-color or heavily multicolor decks. Cards like Engineered Explosives become flexible board wipes, scaling their effect with your mana base. It's niche but shines in WUBRG-friendly builds with strong fixing.













