Greetings all! I love making strange kitchen table 60 card decks and I've recently been toying with the idea of a mono blue resource denial deck akin to land destruction. I plan on using cards like "Spectral Shift" "Mind Bend" and "Alter Reality" to convert opposing lands into useless forms while I ramp with some myr creatures and wait for my leviathan/kraken win cons. The crux of the question lies in just how effective this concept might be. Would it be possible to change the land type of a spell's CMC? Essentially, am I able to turn a basic 2 blue counterspell cast by an opponent to a 2 red counterspell in response, etc.? The ambiguity in "change basic land type" has me thinking this could be far more broken a deck than I first thought. Especially when looking at some of the rulings. Are there any cards, assuming I'm wrong in that aspect, that actually CAN convert the color cost of an opposing spell? I really like the "Chromatic Counter" flavor here and want to maximize it as much as possible. Thanks!
(P.S) the deck is effectively mono blue EXCEPT for the inclusion of Arixmethes (simic) specifically to have the strongest kraken in print yet, AND to have it's ramp ability while slumber countered into being a land. For non blue opponents I'm going to default into turning lands to islands, added flavor and all. CTHULHU FTHAGN IA DAGON IA CTHULHU!
While Mind Bend and co. can indeed change basic land types of lands, changing a card's colors does not change any of the mana symbols within it, nor would changing the mana symbols in Counterspell's cost to RR do anything appreciably useful while that spell was on the stack. Using blue land type alteration as color denial also falls apart if the opponent is playing any dual lands or similar that don't have basic land types.
Well shucks, I thought I may have been on to something. Though honestly Blue is broken enough without this aspect. Now obviously dual lands and colorless/artifact decks absolutely throw a wrench into this deck's plan but I think all decks have that kryptonite aspect. Especially when it's casual/jank/flavor intensive as opposed to competitive to the extreme. I wanted to build a Blue compliment to my Gruul land destruction deck with Koth of the Hammer and Nissa Worldwaker. I can settle for land alteration. LET THE ENCROACHING SEAS BRING THINE BODY UNTO CTHULHU!
Wait hold on. Say an opponent casts a spell. While it is on the stack, I cast an instant that changes that card's basic land type. Being that the stack resolves backwards relative to how it was formed, even though my opponent cast the spell and tapped the mana, my response changes the land type of that card before it resolves. Thereby countering the spell AND wasting the mana spent to cast it, being that by the time it has resolved the mana type to cast it has changed? Aw man, so convoluted haha
EDIT: rereading the first sentence of your response answered my question. Apologies.
Since paying a spell's cost happens long before it resolves, changing its mana symbols so that it had the "wrong" cost (by a theoretical effect that did do this) would have no effect.
If you want to go this route, ignore the color of spells as it's rarely relevant on the stack without Lifeforce or Deathgrip involved. Changing the opponent's land types is viable however. Merfolk has a "islands matter" subtheme. They have a few creatures that make a land the basic land type of your choice, and cards like Seasinger then take advantage of this. Spreading Seas permanently changes the land type and cantrips. Benthic Explorers taps down lands and reef shaman will set the land type.
Also, Void_nothing's statement about the land retaining abilities isn't true in the strictest sense. If something is giving their lands abilities, changing the type will do nothing, but if they are playing duals, changing all of their lands into islands will work just fine. From the comprehensive rules:
305.7. If an effect sets a land’s subtype to one or more of the basic land types, the land no longer has its
old land type. It loses all abilities generated from its rules text, its old land types, and any copy
effects affecting that land, and it gains the appropriate mana ability for each new basic land type.
Note that this doesn’t remove any abilities that were granted to the land by other effects. Setting a
land’s subtype doesn’t add or remove any card types (such as creature) or supertypes (such as basic,
legendary, and snow) the land may have. If a land gains one or more land types in addition to its
own, it keeps its land types and rules text, and it gains the new land types and mana abilities.
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(P.S) the deck is effectively mono blue EXCEPT for the inclusion of Arixmethes (simic) specifically to have the strongest kraken in print yet, AND to have it's ramp ability while slumber countered into being a land. For non blue opponents I'm going to default into turning lands to islands, added flavor and all. CTHULHU FTHAGN IA DAGON IA CTHULHU!
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
EDIT: rereading the first sentence of your response answered my question. Apologies.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Also, Void_nothing's statement about the land retaining abilities isn't true in the strictest sense. If something is giving their lands abilities, changing the type will do nothing, but if they are playing duals, changing all of their lands into islands will work just fine. From the comprehensive rules:
305.7. If an effect sets a land’s subtype to one or more of the basic land types, the land no longer has its
old land type. It loses all abilities generated from its rules text, its old land types, and any copy
effects affecting that land, and it gains the appropriate mana ability for each new basic land type.
Note that this doesn’t remove any abilities that were granted to the land by other effects. Setting a
land’s subtype doesn’t add or remove any card types (such as creature) or supertypes (such as basic,
legendary, and snow) the land may have. If a land gains one or more land types in addition to its
own, it keeps its land types and rules text, and it gains the new land types and mana abilities.