In most cases, you're getting nine uses of that land and then you just never tap it the 10th time. Maybe something like:
Undiscovered Isle of Gems
Land T, gain a poison counter: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. 4: Proliferate. Any player may activate this ability, as a sorcery.
I think the emanation cost may be a bit low for their re-usability, especially Food for Locusts. At minimum, it gets added to every creature you play. At maximum ...
Starting Hand: 4x FfL, 3x Ornithopter
Result: 3x 4/6 fliers on T1, each explodes into four insects when it dies. Land? Who needs land?
But more importantly, there's a big memory problem. You're putting tokens into play whose template is hidden in a player's hand. With Splice, you don't need to remember the cards after the spell happens, but with this you'd need to remember them all game, or bring a bunch of custom tokens.
I'm assuming that suspending the land doesn't count as your land play that turn, and having it enter the field does?
For both of these, I think they should just ETBT if you play them directly, not be sacrificed.
Also, I think Seedling Grove could suspend for G, given that 1G gets you Nature's Lore.
Some interesting gameplay if you get these at the start, but just a disadvantage if you get them later on.
"The madness card" is Reizo Voldaren itself. So this ability would be the same as "Madness 0".
I think you may be under the misimpression that Madness involves discarding another card besides the one with the Madness ability. It doesn't.
It can't be sacrificed, but you could still Murder it.
Possible alternative:
Your life total can't go below 7.
When ~ ETB, gain three poison counters.
Gain one poison counter on each of your end steps.
You still die in seven turns (and not before then unless it's removed), but you aren't left with a massive life total if you kill it early. And there's some risk if your opponent has any sources of poison.
I like the idea, but I think it would be more of a dilemma if you chose last and the life-loss was "unless they control as many Horrors as you". So the other players have the choice to pay life for a horror they might not need, but if they don't, you might surpass them and cause life loss anyway.
Ned, the Stubborn - 1B
Legendary Creature - Human
When ~ dies, return it to the battlefield under your control, transformed.
1/1
///
Undead Ned
Creature - Zombie (B)
When ~ dies, put a 3/3 black spirit creature token with flying named “Ned’s Spectre" onto the battlefield under your control.
2/2
For each color:
Prosper (tokens version), Insight, Unending, Sacred Lightning, Flourishing.
That said, I'm only picking Insight because you could mill with it. Both of the blue ones seem kind of pointless - outside of very specific tricks, what's the point of drawing cards you can't cast? Prosper (life version) could easily lead to a draw, and Doom Plague has diminishing returns, so not a big fan of either. Unending could potentially become useless at a point, but I figure you're not casting that without a large graveyard, so fine.
I think Flourishing and Unending are my favorites, since you're still making choices throughout.
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, you may flip a coin. If it comes up heads, copy that spell and you may choose a new target for the copy. If it comes up tails, copy that spell and target opponent may choose a new target for the copy.
Interesting; seems like usually you'd be picking a low value of X, which makes me wonder if the life cost is necessary - could just be "any number of time counters greater than zero". But aside from that, looks like it could have some fun uses.
Version 2 of this one. I'd like to keep the effect of being able to switch forms frequently without exiling more, if there's a balanced way to do that.
Cibopath2UB
Creature - Shapeshifter (R) T: Exile target creature from a graveyard. 1U: ~ becomes a copy of any creature it's exiled, gains this ability, and gains the prior ability.
1/1
From the other pact cards, 1RR seems closer, and just the potential of this would put an opponent on guard. Not sure it would be crazy at RR, but I think it's still good at the higher cost.
Cibopath2UB
Creature - Shapeshifter (R) T: Exile target creature from a graveyard. 0: ~ becomes a copy of any creature it's exiled, gains this ability, and gains the prior ability.
1/1
Not sure if I'm wording the second ability correctly; the intent is that you keep both the abilities when becoming a copy. Also not sure if making the second ability free leads to anything insane. Dimir Doppelganger costs more to switch, but doesn't have to spend time exiling it first.
Dread Solipsist6RR
Creature - TBD
Trample
If a spell or ability that doesn't target ~ would remove it from the battlefield, don't remove it instead.
8 / 8
Does that achieve the effect I want? Ie. Murder would destroy it just fine, but Wrath of God would do nothing to it.
I know the current wording doesn't prevent death by non-targeting damage or toughness loss, so if there's a way to do that without overcomplicating it, that'd be great.
Of course, based purely on the comic, this may be more accurate:
"If a spell or ability that doesn't target ~ removes it from the battlefield, the controller of that spell or ability loses the game."
Undiscovered Isle of Gems
Land
T, gain a poison counter: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
4: Proliferate. Any player may activate this ability, as a sorcery.
Starting Hand: 4x FfL, 3x Ornithopter
Result: 3x 4/6 fliers on T1, each explodes into four insects when it dies. Land? Who needs land?
But more importantly, there's a big memory problem. You're putting tokens into play whose template is hidden in a player's hand. With Splice, you don't need to remember the cards after the spell happens, but with this you'd need to remember them all game, or bring a bunch of custom tokens.
For both of these, I think they should just ETBT if you play them directly, not be sacrificed.
Also, I think Seedling Grove could suspend for G, given that 1G gets you Nature's Lore.
Some interesting gameplay if you get these at the start, but just a disadvantage if you get them later on.
I think you may be under the misimpression that Madness involves discarding another card besides the one with the Madness ability. It doesn't.
Possible alternative:
Your life total can't go below 7.
When ~ ETB, gain three poison counters.
Gain one poison counter on each of your end steps.
You still die in seven turns (and not before then unless it's removed), but you aren't left with a massive life total if you kill it early. And there's some risk if your opponent has any sources of poison.
Edict of Simplicity ?W
Enchantment
Lands lose all abilities except for mana abilities.
No, no, no, lands tap for mana, that's all they do!
That would hammer ... a ton of stuff, actually. Not even sure what a reasonable price would be, if any.
Humble Beginnings also smacks any creatures with Haste. Legit for 1W?
Ned, the Stubborn - 1B
Legendary Creature - Human
When ~ dies, return it to the battlefield under your control, transformed.
1/1
///
Undead Ned
Creature - Zombie (B)
When ~ dies, put a 3/3 black spirit creature token with flying named “Ned’s Spectre" onto the battlefield under your control.
2/2
Prosper (tokens version), Insight, Unending, Sacred Lightning, Flourishing.
That said, I'm only picking Insight because you could mill with it. Both of the blue ones seem kind of pointless - outside of very specific tricks, what's the point of drawing cards you can't cast? Prosper (life version) could easily lead to a draw, and Doom Plague has diminishing returns, so not a big fan of either. Unending could potentially become useless at a point, but I figure you're not casting that without a large graveyard, so fine.
I think Flourishing and Unending are my favorites, since you're still making choices throughout.
Explode the Moon ?
Sorcery
You gain an emblem with "Creatures can't transform".
Why not an enchantment? Well, you can't put the moon back together after it blows up.
Creature - Human [C]
R: Terrible Dude gains +1/+0. Activate this ability only once per turn.
0/1
Perhaps?
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, you may flip a coin. If it comes up heads, copy that spell and you may choose a new target for the copy. If it comes up tails, copy that spell and target opponent may choose a new target for the copy.
Version 2 of this one. I'd like to keep the effect of being able to switch forms frequently without exiling more, if there's a balanced way to do that.
Cibopath 2UB
Creature - Shapeshifter (R)
T: Exile target creature from a graveyard.
1U: ~ becomes a copy of any creature it's exiled, gains this ability, and gains the prior ability.
1/1
Cibopath 2UB
Creature - Shapeshifter (R)
T: Exile target creature from a graveyard.
0: ~ becomes a copy of any creature it's exiled, gains this ability, and gains the prior ability.
1/1
Not sure if I'm wording the second ability correctly; the intent is that you keep both the abilities when becoming a copy. Also not sure if making the second ability free leads to anything insane. Dimir Doppelganger costs more to switch, but doesn't have to spend time exiling it first.
Dread Solipsist 6RR
Creature - TBD
Trample
If a spell or ability that doesn't target ~ would remove it from the battlefield, don't remove it instead.
8 / 8
Does that achieve the effect I want? Ie. Murder would destroy it just fine, but Wrath of God would do nothing to it.
I know the current wording doesn't prevent death by non-targeting damage or toughness loss, so if there's a way to do that without overcomplicating it, that'd be great.
Of course, based purely on the comic, this may be more accurate:
"If a spell or ability that doesn't target ~ removes it from the battlefield, the controller of that spell or ability loses the game."
But that's a card for another day.