RNA, I think, has a great mechanic - Riot (This creature enters the battlefield with your choice of a 1+1 counter or haste.) - and a fair mechanic - Spectacle (You may cast this card for its spectacle cost rather than its mana cost if an opponent lost life this turn.). Afterlife is good enough, but Addendum rubs me the wrong way and Adapt is bad monstrosity
That said, I think WOTC might have dropped the ball with some of the Spectacle designs and so my goal here is to outline how I might have done Spectacle in the set if given the chance. (This means no changing mechanics I don't like, and only minor changes to non-Rakdos cards largely for limited concerns.)
To start off with, a few restrictions:
(1) To avoid stepping on Riot's heels, no haste on creatures in the set. Fortunately, Haste his clunky with Spectacle, as the normal Spectacle trigger will be combat.
(2) To avoid stepping on Surveil's heels, no Scry. Honestly, the inclusion of "Scry" in this set seems wrongheaded, with only Sphinx of Foresight being remotely interesting. That said, I'd save Sphinx of Foresight for a set where I can fill out the cycle. Sometimes a card design is good, but not good for a particular set. As Rakdos usually doesn't get Scry, unless as part of a Magma Jet-style cycle, this shouldn't be a tough restriction.
Rakdos Black: Drill Bit (U) -> (C). Coercion is common; Drill Bit is a coercion variant, so that's that. Maybe development found that this was "too strong" as a (C) due to a turn 2 Drill Bit after a lack of a 1 drop. Solution? Print more 1 drops.
Step 1: Hard Wall of Wood cycle; this is to say elaborate on Saruli Caretaker to make a cycle of 0/3 defenders. Making Spear Spewer a 0/3 is easy enough. The question would be whether there should be an activation cost boost. While I'm inclined to say "no," maybe throw "Reveal your hand" infront of the tap to make for interesting choices. Resolute Watchdog -> common and looses a power and activates w/o a mana cost. Simple. I suppose Blue's member could be a 0/3 with Adapt that can attack if it has a +1/+1 counter... but to avoid block mechanics, how about Illusory WallU Illusion Spirit Wall - When ~ blocks, return it to it's owner's hand. Otherwise, just a 0/3 that mills when it's dealt damage would be fine. Completing the cycle, maybe black gets Carrion Feeder - the Wall. 0/3 for B, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on ~. Yes, I'm casually giving black the manaless sacrifice outlet it deserves at (C) as a defender. Alternatively, a 0/3 for B that had "B, Sacrifice this creature: Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life." would be an enabler for the mechanic. Test 'em to see which work and which don't.
Step 2: Create simple Adapt 1 drops for simic. 1/1 flying for U with some expensive adapt cost would work (and yes, this means changing or scrapping Pteramander which I'm okay with), and a 1/2 reach or 1/1 deathtouch or 1/1 trample with some expensive adapt cost for G. You run these if only for their "adapted" versions; the fact they block Rakdos 1 drops to stave off a turn 2 drill bit is good.
Step 3: French Vanilla 1 drops all around; maybe Healer's Hawk gets reprinted (ugh) with a cycle of 2-keyword 1/1s at (C) (yeah!).
Dead Revels (C) -> (U) and Spectacle 1B -> B. Honestly, I kind of think this should cost 2B... but 1BB might be more "fair" and as double-colors in a card should be avoided in multicolor sets, 3B ends up being right. But all too often you'll be losing attackers to push through the damage for this, so costing its spectacle B makes this a bit easier to think about. I somewhat doubt people would ever consider this sorcery speed card over Find from Find // Finality, so this might just be a "dead design space"; that said making spectacle cost less than Find might make up the difference.
Shambling Clown1B Creature - Zombie 2/2 Spectacle - Pay 4 life. (Simple design made to work with Font of Agonies and/or Death's Shadow while also being something of a skill tester card. You'd run this for it being a 2/2 for 2 in many decks, but would you pay it's spectacle cost? That's INTERESTING.)
Spawn of Mayhem (M) -> Mayhem Demon5BB Creature - Demon (U) Flying, Menace, Spectacle 1BB, Pay 4 life. 4/4 (French vanilla is good design space) Some fancy legendary name4BB Legendary Creature - Demon Rogue (M) "During your upkeep, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life." Spectacle2BB 5/5 (Juzám Djinn homage. Spawn of Mayhem has far too many lines of text on it that will rarely matter. MAYBE if you want to do something with +1/+1 counters, make a Sengir Vampire variant... but I don't want to do that here.)
Returning Performance4B Sorcery (U) "Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield." Spectacle 1B, Sacrifice a creature. (Zombify Spectacle variant, as opposed to a Gruesome Encore/Macabre Mockery mechanic).
Feral Maaka -> 1R 3/1 Spectacle R (I like vanilla creatures as much as the next person, but come on... by the way, give Prowling Caracal Vigilance or Flash - mostly to make it interesting.)
Rix Maadi Reveler (R) -> (U) 3R 2/2 "T: Discard a card, then draw a card." Spectacle 1R (AKA, works with hellbent)
Skewer the Critics -> Skewer1R Sorcery "Skewer deals 3 damage to any target." "This spell cannot be countered." Spectacle R (WOTC naming conventions suggest Skewer the Critics is designed to be bad. I'd rather it not be so bad, hence this version with the coveted one-word name)
Spikewheel Acrobat -> Giant Juggler3R Giant Rogue (C) Spectacle RR 3/3 (Hill Giant -> Watchwolf is interesting. Good? Probably not, but interesting. Double R keeps it from being too good in limited)
Rubble Reading -> Split in Twain2R Sorcery (U) Destroy target land an opponent controls. That lands controller may search their library for up to two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped. Draw two cards. Spectacle 1R
Okay, so what is this? Well, it's an attempt to make a Stone Rain effect more like Ghost Quarter without card disadvantage and w/o depriving a 2-color deck of it's two colors by hitting their dual land. More complex than desired, hence the effect is (U). A core set might be able to do this effect w/o getting the opponent 2 lands, and thus this card is given a non-ideal name. That said, this is an answer for IXA flip lands at a reasonable cost.
Red/Black Rakdos Fireblade Artist -> 2/2 Menace, Deathtouch (I know it's not a spectacle card, but a cool french vanilla effect that gives your opponent hard choices and usually enables Spectacle seems like a good, simple substitute.)
Hackrobat -> 3/3 for 2BR with Spectacle RB and the same abilities. Not much to say here, but the spectacle discount feels better now - something worth working for.
Rafter Demon -> Rafter Wizard2BB Creature - Imp Rogue Wizard (U) Flying, Spectacle BR At the end of your turn, if you played a spectacle cost that turn, each opponent discarda card. 2/2
and Rafter Raiser2RR Creature - Goblin Rogue Shaman (U) Menace, Spectacle BR At the end of your turn, if you played a spectacle cost that turn, each opponent sacrifices an artifact. 2/2
amd Spectacular Wurm5BR Creature - Demon Wurm Spectacle 1BR, discard your hand. 5/5 (Hellbent enabler, and yet another skill tester.
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That said, I think WOTC might have dropped the ball with some of the Spectacle designs and so my goal here is to outline how I might have done Spectacle in the set if given the chance. (This means no changing mechanics I don't like, and only minor changes to non-Rakdos cards largely for limited concerns.)
To start off with, a few restrictions:
(1) To avoid stepping on Riot's heels, no haste on creatures in the set. Fortunately, Haste his clunky with Spectacle, as the normal Spectacle trigger will be combat.
(2) To avoid stepping on Surveil's heels, no Scry. Honestly, the inclusion of "Scry" in this set seems wrongheaded, with only Sphinx of Foresight being remotely interesting. That said, I'd save Sphinx of Foresight for a set where I can fill out the cycle. Sometimes a card design is good, but not good for a particular set. As Rakdos usually doesn't get Scry, unless as part of a Magma Jet-style cycle, this shouldn't be a tough restriction.
Rakdos Black:
Drill Bit (U) -> (C). Coercion is common; Drill Bit is a coercion variant, so that's that. Maybe development found that this was "too strong" as a (C) due to a turn 2 Drill Bit after a lack of a 1 drop. Solution? Print more 1 drops.
Step 1: Hard Wall of Wood cycle; this is to say elaborate on Saruli Caretaker to make a cycle of 0/3 defenders. Making Spear Spewer a 0/3 is easy enough. The question would be whether there should be an activation cost boost. While I'm inclined to say "no," maybe throw "Reveal your hand" infront of the tap to make for interesting choices. Resolute Watchdog -> common and looses a power and activates w/o a mana cost. Simple. I suppose Blue's member could be a 0/3 with Adapt that can attack if it has a +1/+1 counter... but to avoid block mechanics, how about Illusory Wall U Illusion Spirit Wall - When ~ blocks, return it to it's owner's hand. Otherwise, just a 0/3 that mills when it's dealt damage would be fine. Completing the cycle, maybe black gets Carrion Feeder - the Wall. 0/3 for B, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on ~. Yes, I'm casually giving black the manaless sacrifice outlet it deserves at (C) as a defender. Alternatively, a 0/3 for B that had "B, Sacrifice this creature: Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life." would be an enabler for the mechanic. Test 'em to see which work and which don't.
Step 2: Create simple Adapt 1 drops for simic. 1/1 flying for U with some expensive adapt cost would work (and yes, this means changing or scrapping Pteramander which I'm okay with), and a 1/2 reach or 1/1 deathtouch or 1/1 trample with some expensive adapt cost for G. You run these if only for their "adapted" versions; the fact they block Rakdos 1 drops to stave off a turn 2 drill bit is good.
Step 3: French Vanilla 1 drops all around; maybe Healer's Hawk gets reprinted (ugh) with a cycle of 2-keyword 1/1s at (C) (yeah!).
Blade Juggler (C) - good enough, I suppose.
Dead Revels (C) -> (U) and Spectacle 1B -> B. Honestly, I kind of think this should cost 2B... but 1BB might be more "fair" and as double-colors in a card should be avoided in multicolor sets, 3B ends up being right. But all too often you'll be losing attackers to push through the damage for this, so costing its spectacle B makes this a bit easier to think about. I somewhat doubt people would ever consider this sorcery speed card over Find from Find // Finality, so this might just be a "dead design space"; that said making spectacle cost less than Find might make up the difference.
Shambling Clown 1B Creature - Zombie 2/2 Spectacle - Pay 4 life. (Simple design made to work with Font of Agonies and/or Death's Shadow while also being something of a skill tester card. You'd run this for it being a 2/2 for 2 in many decks, but would you pay it's spectacle cost? That's INTERESTING.)
Spectacular Death 5B Sorcery. Destroy target creature. Spectacle - 1B (Dark Withering-homage; replaces Consign to the Pit.
Spawn of Mayhem (M) ->
Mayhem Demon 5BB Creature - Demon (U) Flying, Menace, Spectacle 1BB, Pay 4 life. 4/4 (French vanilla is good design space)
Some fancy legendary name 4BB Legendary Creature - Demon Rogue (M) "During your upkeep, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life." Spectacle2BB 5/5 (Juzám Djinn homage. Spawn of Mayhem has far too many lines of text on it that will rarely matter. MAYBE if you want to do something with +1/+1 counters, make a Sengir Vampire variant... but I don't want to do that here.)
Returning Performance 4B Sorcery (U) "Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield." Spectacle 1B, Sacrifice a creature. (Zombify Spectacle variant, as opposed to a Gruesome Encore/Macabre Mockery mechanic).
Rakdos Red:
Light Up the Stage - Perfect.
Feral Maaka -> 1R 3/1 Spectacle R (I like vanilla creatures as much as the next person, but come on... by the way, give Prowling Caracal Vigilance or Flash - mostly to make it interesting.)
Rix Maadi Reveler (R) -> (U) 3R 2/2 "T: Discard a card, then draw a card." Spectacle 1R (AKA, works with hellbent)
Skewer the Critics -> Skewer 1R Sorcery "Skewer deals 3 damage to any target." "This spell cannot be countered." Spectacle R (WOTC naming conventions suggest Skewer the Critics is designed to be bad. I'd rather it not be so bad, hence this version with the coveted one-word name)
Spikewheel Acrobat -> Giant Juggler 3R Giant Rogue (C) Spectacle RR 3/3 (Hill Giant -> Watchwolf is interesting. Good? Probably not, but interesting. Double R keeps it from being too good in limited)
Rubble Reading -> Split in Twain 2R Sorcery (U) Destroy target land an opponent controls. That lands controller may search their library for up to two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped. Draw two cards. Spectacle 1R
Okay, so what is this? Well, it's an attempt to make a Stone Rain effect more like Ghost Quarter without card disadvantage and w/o depriving a 2-color deck of it's two colors by hitting their dual land. More complex than desired, hence the effect is (U). A core set might be able to do this effect w/o getting the opponent 2 lands, and thus this card is given a non-ideal name. That said, this is an answer for IXA flip lands at a reasonable cost.
Red/Black Rakdos
Fireblade Artist -> 2/2 Menace, Deathtouch (I know it's not a spectacle card, but a cool french vanilla effect that gives your opponent hard choices and usually enables Spectacle seems like a good, simple substitute.)
Hackrobat -> 3/3 for 2BR with Spectacle RB and the same abilities. Not much to say here, but the spectacle discount feels better now - something worth working for.
Rafter Demon ->
Rafter Wizard 2BB Creature - Imp Rogue Wizard (U) Flying, Spectacle BR At the end of your turn, if you played a spectacle cost that turn, each opponent discarda card. 2/2
and
Rafter Raiser 2RR Creature - Goblin Rogue Shaman (U) Menace, Spectacle BR At the end of your turn, if you played a spectacle cost that turn, each opponent sacrifices an artifact. 2/2
amd
Spectacular Wurm 5BR Creature - Demon Wurm Spectacle 1BR, discard your hand. 5/5 (Hellbent enabler, and yet another skill tester.