It's been suggested before. Something along the lines of:
Teferi's Ruse0
Sorcery
~ is blue.
Counter target spell.
With Teferi, Time Raveler currently in print, as well as many eternal cards like Alchemist's Refuge, Leyline of Anticipation, Quicken, etc., it's not unimaginable to have this find its way into a deck. However, most people agree it's generally too niche, or cute for the sake of being cute. So how about this?
Teferi's Veto0
Sorcery
~ is blue.
You may cast ~ as though it had flash if you pay 1UU more to cast it.
Counter target spell.
I would not say the second version is too good, as better Cancels are printed all the time (even as low as common); it is much more functional, but for how strange it is it has to be rare.
1UU
Instant
~ costs 1UU less to cast if you cast it during your main phase.
Counter target spell.
Idk how balanced that is, but it's about as close to your intended design as we'd get.
The design isn't to make a counterspell that's cheaper at sorcery speed, but rather to be a free counterspell at instant speed if you +1 Teferi, or if you can cast Sorcery spells as though they had flash through other means.
The problem is that a card should not require you to have a very specific, infrequent, rare effect in play just to be able to play it. A sorcery that counters a spell is just confusing and bad. Heck, even if you did jump through the hoops required to make the card playable, you're still spending more resources to play the card than you normally would for that effect. 1WU and a card for Teferi, and then another card for the spell, all spaced out likely over multiple turns and phases and such. I'd rather just hold up 1UU for Cancel and be done with it.
What I'm saying is that, even disregarding the counterintuitiveness of your design, the floor of the card is "literally unplayable" and the ceiling is "really, really bad Cancel."
What I'm saying is that, even disregarding the counterintuitiveness of your design, the floor of the card is "literally unplayable" and the ceiling is "really, really bad Cancel."
It seems you have significantly misunderstood the card presented. Its floor is literally cancel. With it's high being 0 mana counter spell. It's a novel design that is very confusing but in the right supplemental product could be a good include.
It seems you have significantly misunderstood the card presented. Its floor is literally cancel. With it's high being 0 mana counter spell. It's a novel design that is very confusing but in the right supplemental product could be a good include.
I was talking about the first design. Yes, functionally, the second one is just Cancel, but the number of situations in which that card isn't just Cancel-but-with-pointlessly-confusing-wording is so small, that there is literally no point in making the card.
Look, I get that there are a handful of situations in which this card goes from incredibly confusing to "wow, free counterspell!" but that is just bad game design. But whatever. Do you.
It seems you have significantly misunderstood the card presented. Its floor is literally cancel. With it's high being 0 mana counter spell. It's a novel design that is very confusing but in the right supplemental product could be a good include.
I was talking about the first design. Yes, functionally, the second one is just Cancel, but the number of situations in which that card isn't just Cancel-but-with-pointlessly-confusing-wording is so small, that there is literally no point in making the card.
Look, I get that there are a handful of situations in which this card goes from incredibly confusing to "wow, free counterspell!" but that is just bad game design. But whatever. Do you.
If you were talking about the first design then how is the Ceiling "Really, really bad Cancel" its free no matter what, there is no mana cost anywhere on the card. I can understand the unplayable part for the first design as it is normally unplayable which is why its a bad card. The second card is definitely confusing to see, as it is 'normally' unplayable for its 0 cost. However in a nonstandard set, preferably a preconstructed deck based on instants and flash granting effects the second design has actual value.
Teferi's Ruse 0
Sorcery
~ is blue.
Counter target spell.
With Teferi, Time Raveler currently in print, as well as many eternal cards like Alchemist's Refuge, Leyline of Anticipation, Quicken, etc., it's not unimaginable to have this find its way into a deck. However, most people agree it's generally too niche, or cute for the sake of being cute. So how about this?
Teferi's Veto 0
Sorcery
~ is blue.
You may cast ~ as though it had flash if you pay 1UU more to cast it.
Counter target spell.
Being a strictly better Cancel, is this too good?
cEDH: [G(U/R) Animar] - [(U/B)(G/W) Redless Wheels] - [(G/U)(W/B) Redless Pod] - [(B/G)W Ghave Metapod]
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
1UU
Instant
~ costs 1UU less to cast if you cast it during your main phase.
Counter target spell.
Idk how balanced that is, but it's about as close to your intended design as we'd get.
I think this works too well in nonblue decks.
cEDH: [G(U/R) Animar] - [(U/B)(G/W) Redless Wheels] - [(G/U)(W/B) Redless Pod] - [(B/G)W Ghave Metapod]
Well, that's just a better Pact of Negation for combo decks. The OP's ideas at least requires the user to work for the free countermagic.
What I'm saying is that, even disregarding the counterintuitiveness of your design, the floor of the card is "literally unplayable" and the ceiling is "really, really bad Cancel."
Look, I get that there are a handful of situations in which this card goes from incredibly confusing to "wow, free counterspell!" but that is just bad game design. But whatever. Do you.