I see URG as the most combo oriented colors. Imo, wedge design for a play style that builds up towards large explosive turns similar to storm would be most appropriate. I forget now who it was that first suggested the ability word "flow", but I think it captures that idea well without requiring total expenditure in one single turn.
Icy Touch2U Instant (C)
Tap two target permanents. Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, those permanents don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Flowing Flame1R Instant (C)
CARDNAME deals 3 damage to target creature. Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, CARDNAME deals 3 damage to that creature's controller.
Crashing Mammoths4G Instant (C)
Put a 3/3 green Elephant creature token onto the field.
Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, put another of those tokens onto the field.
What is important though for this design is the enablers that go along it. Mana acceleration and cheap cantrips or card filtering allow you to more easily cast multiple spells in a turn. Maybe in cycles for each color:
Pulse of SpringG Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever a player taps enchanted land for mana, that player adds an additional mana to his or her mana pool of any type that land produced.
Tectonic EruptionR Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a Mountain.
Whenever a player taps enchanted land for mana, that player adds an additional R to his or her mana pool.
Vibrant MirageU Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Enchanted land has "T: Add two mana of any one color to your mana pool. This land doesn't untap during your next untap step."
The red and green enchantments should probably be templated "Whenever enchanted land is tapped for mana, its controller adds..." unless you really want to reprint Piracy.
Tectonic Eruption is a red Wild Growth with bonus weird.
Pulse of Spring... I'm not sure whether or not it should be 1G instead, though at that cost it'd probably be "...add one mana of any color a land you control could produce." (Harvester Druid vs., say, Llanowar Elves -> this vs. Wild Growth) instead.
Vibrant Mirage: If Pulse of Spring is an odd version of Harvester Druid, this is an odd version of Vedalken Engineer, except I really can't see a good reason to cost this at Uunless you're trying to promote blue mana acceleration. (Which brings us right back to reprinting Piracy, as well as possibly variations on Mana Drain, Drain Power, and Apprentice Wizard.)
Would the red version be okay at 1R? I liked the idea of combining the mechanics from Blood Moon and Gauntlet of Might, but maybe Gauntlet is just too far out of red's abilities now.
Is mana acceleration in general outside of blue, or could it get something like this Mana Drain variant to help accelerate:
Mana Syphon1U Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2. If that player pays, at the beginning your next main phase, add 2 to your mana pool.
Reworking a proven broken mechanic... Is it still broken with this slight change?
Free ManRG Creature - Human Warrior (C)
When CARDNAME enters the field, untap up to two basic lands.
2/1
Free ThoughtUR Instant (C)
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Untap up to two basic lands.
Free WillGU Instant (C)
Counter target instant, sorcery, or enchantment spell.
Untap up to two basic lands.
I actually didn't have a problem with Tectonic Eruption. That's probably exactly what a red variation on Wild Growth would be printed as, in fact. The "bonus weird" was the "oh, and it becomes a Mountain now", which seems like a pretty safe "free" effect. (For that matter, I could see a cycle of those being printed. It's relatively safe mana acceleration, and in decks that aren't mono-colored, it gives you the option of fixing up one of your lands as well.)
Your free spells are probably okay as well; they might even be okay with "Untap a land. If that land was a basic land, untap another basic land." (Obviously that's longer and might run into space issues on other cards, but I think that's probably about right.)
Re: mana acceleration in blue... It's not entirely out of pie, even now, but that version was just a little strong at common. I'd be okay with "Enchanted lands gains 'T: Add two mana of any one color this land could produce. It doesn't untap during your next untap step.'" - the obvious flavor being you're borrowing against the future - but unrestricting it speeds things up a little faster than blue should be doing outside of getting artifacts out faster.
Mana Syphon is okay, I think. (I'm not sure if WotC would word it that way or "Target spell's controller may pay 2. If he or she does, add 2 to your mana pool at the beginning of your next main phase. Otherwise, counter that spell.")
Mana Siphon - fine, but I feel like I've seen it before. A lot.
Free man is broken. It needs to add GR to your mana pool, and still it's pretty darned good w/o mana burn.
Free thought, again, needs to add the mana, not untap lands. W/o mana burn there is no problem and avoids combos.
Free will is a horrible use of the term. THe ability is bland and, again, really should add mana not untap lands. Also, it's a pretty lousy counter spell.
I'm interested in seeing examples of how Free Man and Free Thought are broken. (Free Will seems like a fair tradeoff, especially looking at it as a weaker Early Harvest + the ability to counter some spells rather than a limited-usage counter that untaps lands.)
Its not that the Free cards are broken, but they create tension in the most basic parts of deckbuilding (manabase) without need. People will want to cut down on dual lands to get value out of their Free spells, then get color screwed - unfun. Either that or they will run duals and not have that many basics to untap - unfun.
Its not that the Free cards are broken, but they create tension in the most basic parts of deckbuilding (manabase) without need. People will want to cut down on dual lands to get value out of their Free spells, then get color screwed - unfun. Either that or they will run duals and not have that many basics to untap - unfun.
That's an entirely different argument, though. (And depending on what sources of color fixing are available in the same set, the "no duals = color screwed" may not even be the case.) Lockdown's assertion was that the cards are, in fact, broken; I'd like to see him back it up.
As a middle ground between "Untap two lands", "Untap two basic lands", and "Add (this spell's mana cost) to your mana pool", how about this variation on Free Man:
Free ManGR
Creature - Human Warrior
When ~ enters the battlefield, untap a Mountain and a Forest.
2/1
I'm not sure if this version causes more problems than it solves, though. (Ravnica duals and Shadowmoor off-basics [the ones with the "if you control two or more permanents of this color, you can activate this special ability" abilities] like it, but most other duals still are out in the cold.)
Instant (C)
Tap two target permanents.
Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, those permanents don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Instant (C)
CARDNAME deals 3 damage to target creature.
Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, CARDNAME deals 3 damage to that creature's controller.
Instant (C)
Put a 3/3 green Elephant creature token onto the field.
Flow - If you've cast two or more spells this turn, put another of those tokens onto the field.
What is important though for this design is the enablers that go along it. Mana acceleration and cheap cantrips or card filtering allow you to more easily cast multiple spells in a turn. Maybe in cycles for each color:
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever a player taps enchanted land for mana, that player adds an additional mana to his or her mana pool of any type that land produced.
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a Mountain.
Whenever a player taps enchanted land for mana, that player adds an additional R to his or her mana pool.
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Enchanted land has "T: Add two mana of any one color to your mana pool. This land doesn't untap during your next untap step."
Tectonic Eruption is a red Wild Growth with bonus weird.
Pulse of Spring... I'm not sure whether or not it should be 1G instead, though at that cost it'd probably be "...add one mana of any color a land you control could produce." (Harvester Druid vs., say, Llanowar Elves -> this vs. Wild Growth) instead.
Vibrant Mirage: If Pulse of Spring is an odd version of Harvester Druid, this is an odd version of Vedalken Engineer, except I really can't see a good reason to cost this at U unless you're trying to promote blue mana acceleration. (Which brings us right back to reprinting Piracy, as well as possibly variations on Mana Drain, Drain Power, and Apprentice Wizard.)
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Would the red version be okay at 1R? I liked the idea of combining the mechanics from Blood Moon and Gauntlet of Might, but maybe Gauntlet is just too far out of red's abilities now.
Is mana acceleration in general outside of blue, or could it get something like this Mana Drain variant to help accelerate:
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2. If that player pays, at the beginning your next main phase, add 2 to your mana pool.
Reworking a proven broken mechanic... Is it still broken with this slight change?
Creature - Human Warrior (C)
When CARDNAME enters the field, untap up to two basic lands.
2/1
Instant (C)
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Untap up to two basic lands.
Instant (C)
Counter target instant, sorcery, or enchantment spell.
Untap up to two basic lands.
Your free spells are probably okay as well; they might even be okay with "Untap a land. If that land was a basic land, untap another basic land." (Obviously that's longer and might run into space issues on other cards, but I think that's probably about right.)
Re: mana acceleration in blue... It's not entirely out of pie, even now, but that version was just a little strong at common. I'd be okay with "Enchanted lands gains 'T: Add two mana of any one color this land could produce. It doesn't untap during your next untap step.'" - the obvious flavor being you're borrowing against the future - but unrestricting it speeds things up a little faster than blue should be doing outside of getting artifacts out faster.
Mana Syphon is okay, I think. (I'm not sure if WotC would word it that way or "Target spell's controller may pay 2. If he or she does, add 2 to your mana pool at the beginning of your next main phase. Otherwise, counter that spell.")
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Free man is broken. It needs to add GR to your mana pool, and still it's pretty darned good w/o mana burn.
Free thought, again, needs to add the mana, not untap lands. W/o mana burn there is no problem and avoids combos.
Free will is a horrible use of the term. THe ability is bland and, again, really should add mana not untap lands. Also, it's a pretty lousy counter spell.
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As a middle ground between "Untap two lands", "Untap two basic lands", and "Add (this spell's mana cost) to your mana pool", how about this variation on Free Man:
Creature - Human Warrior
When ~ enters the battlefield, untap a Mountain and a Forest.
2/1
(Probably NSFW) So you may have heard I'm trying to write a TV series...
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