Some designs I've been thinking about. All 2 CMC. All instants with hybrid mana. I tried my best to make them interesting. Feedback welcome.
(W/U)(W/U) - Instant - Exile target spell or permanent. It's controller draws two cards.
Maybe too strong? Oblation costs 3. Also, I have my misgivings about whether blue can do this.
(W/B)(W/B) - Instant - Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield blocking target attacking creature an opponent controls. Sacrifice that creature at end of turn.
This feels solid, although maybe hard to fully grasp. The way I worded it, it can't be used on hexproof creatures or on creatures you control which may cause problems.
(R/W)(R/W) - Instant - Choose a creature you control. That creature gets +3/+3 and flying until end of turn. If you control no creatures, instead put a 3/3 elemental creature token with flying and haste into play. Sacrifice the token at end of turn.
I really like this design, although it's probably not the kind of card that I'd actually play with...
(G/W)(G/W) - Instant - Target non-land, non-creature permanents owner shuffles it into it's owner's library. Shuffle #this card# into it's owner's library.
Maybe boring. It's the best-ish I can do with W/G.
(U/B)(U/B) - Instant - Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. You may switch that creature's power and toughness until end of turn.
Kindof a sneaky, rules-ey kill card.
(U/R)(U/R) - Instant - Counter target spell an opponent controls. It's controller reveals card from the top of their library until they reveal a non-land card that costs less. That player may play that spell without paying it's mana cost.
I feel leery about giving red a spell that says "counter target spell", but I think it's in the spirit of chaos that lets red bend the rules. See Chaos Warp.
(G/U)(G/U) - Instant - Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. If you played another spell named #this card# this turn, return #this card# to it's owner's hand.
I feel the same way about giving blue counter-grow as I do about giving red counter spells, but I think the design is magically spell based enough to justify it. And it's not unprecedented in the Simic guild.
(B/R)(B/R) - Instant - Target player draws two cards and then discards until they have four or less cards in hand.
I've always wanted some way to punish people that play big hand decks. This card accomplishes this and manages to be not-broken instant speed discard. Also there's tension between whether it's better to play on yourself during an early turn to take a half-mulligan. I'm pretty pleased with myself on this one.
(B/G)(B/G) - Instant - Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a non-land card. Put those cards into your graveyard, then return a permanent card from your graveyard to your hand that costs less than the last card revealed this way.
This one is a little wordier than I like.
(R/G)(R/G) - Instant - Target creature with power five or more deals damage equal to it's power to another target creature or player.
Not much to say about this. I don't feel it's particularly strong or interesting.
A lot of these are off color. Hybrid color cards are "both colors can do that". You have a mono blue kill spell. No, it is not "Sneaky rulesy". They're blatant violations of the color pie.
Other than that:
UW -- too ridiculously good.
BW -- just remove "target" if it's a problem. However, this card raises questions that the answers aren't readily obvious (non flyer blocking a flyer?)
RW -- not red. Sure, primal strength is red, but that's already color shifted.
GW --a bit too good, IMO. Salvageable design it it cost a bit more.
RB -- instant discard is something Wizards doesn't like doing it because it raises a lot of questions. Monored instant discard?
(W/U)(W/U) - Instant - Exile target spell or permanent. It's controller draws two cards.
Maybe too strong? Oblation costs 3. Also, I have my misgivings about whether blue can do this.
(W/B)(W/B) - Instant - Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield blocking target attacking creature an opponent controls. Sacrifice that creature at end of turn.
This feels solid, although maybe hard to fully grasp. The way I worded it, it can't be used on hexproof creatures or on creatures you control which may cause problems.
(R/W)(R/W) - Instant - Choose a creature you control. That creature gets +3/+3 and flying until end of turn. If you control no creatures, instead put a 3/3 elemental creature token with flying and haste into play. Sacrifice the token at end of turn.
I really like this design, although it's probably not the kind of card that I'd actually play with...
(G/W)(G/W) - Instant - Target non-land, non-creature permanents owner shuffles it into it's owner's library. Shuffle #this card# into it's owner's library.
Maybe boring. It's the best-ish I can do with W/G.
(U/B)(U/B) - Instant - Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn. You may switch that creature's power and toughness until end of turn.
Kindof a sneaky, rules-ey kill card.
(U/R)(U/R) - Instant - Counter target spell an opponent controls. It's controller reveals card from the top of their library until they reveal a non-land card that costs less. That player may play that spell without paying it's mana cost.
I feel leery about giving red a spell that says "counter target spell", but I think it's in the spirit of chaos that lets red bend the rules. See Chaos Warp.
(G/U)(G/U) - Instant - Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. If you played another spell named #this card# this turn, return #this card# to it's owner's hand.
I feel the same way about giving blue counter-grow as I do about giving red counter spells, but I think the design is magically spell based enough to justify it. And it's not unprecedented in the Simic guild.
(B/R)(B/R) - Instant - Target player draws two cards and then discards until they have four or less cards in hand.
I've always wanted some way to punish people that play big hand decks. This card accomplishes this and manages to be not-broken instant speed discard. Also there's tension between whether it's better to play on yourself during an early turn to take a half-mulligan. I'm pretty pleased with myself on this one.
(B/G)(B/G) - Instant - Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a non-land card. Put those cards into your graveyard, then return a permanent card from your graveyard to your hand that costs less than the last card revealed this way.
This one is a little wordier than I like.
(R/G)(R/G) - Instant - Target creature with power five or more deals damage equal to it's power to another target creature or player.
Not much to say about this. I don't feel it's particularly strong or interesting.
Thanks. That's all. Feedback welcome.
Other than that:
UW -- too ridiculously good.
BW -- just remove "target" if it's a problem. However, this card raises questions that the answers aren't readily obvious (non flyer blocking a flyer?)
RW -- not red. Sure, primal strength is red, but that's already color shifted.
GW --a bit too good, IMO. Salvageable design it it cost a bit more.
RB -- instant discard is something Wizards doesn't like doing it because it raises a lot of questions. Monored instant discard?
UB -- haha, yeah, no.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn