Names are temporary, but meant to to evoke the right flavor.
Store N (Exile the top N cards of your library face down. You may look at them. Whenever you would draw one or more cards you may put that many cards exiled in storage into your hand instead.)
Trade Boon2U
Instant (U)
Store 3. Draw a card.
Great Library Assistant1(W/U)
Creature - Human Servant (C)
When ~~ enters the battlefield Store 1.
2/1
Paranoid Cultist3(U/B)(U/B)
Creature - Human Wizard (U)
When Paranoid Cultist enters the battlefield, store 2.
Paranoid Cultist gains +1/+1 for each exiled card you own in storage.
2/2
Seek New Grounds1G
Sorcery (C)
Store 3. Then you may put up to one exiled land card you own in storage unto the battlefield.
What cost considerations would you give to this mechanic? It's a card selection mechanic that doesn't inherently produce card advantage, but it's much stronger than scry (and surveil in a vacuum). Not only does this mechanic let you time when you "topdeck" cards in storage, the exile makes this a more effective way to get rid of unwanted cards than putting them on the bottom of your library. It also stacks better than scry, since leaving a wanted card on top weakens future scrys until the card is drawn. Really, there aren't any hard choices to speak of with this mechanic.
Thought about a slightly more versatile version ...
Reserve (Keyword Action): To reserve a card, exile it face-down. It's owner may look at it. Whenever it's owner would draw one ore more cards, he or she may put that number of reserved cards into his or her hand instead.
So we would have things like
Great Library Assistant 1(W/U)
Creature - Human Servant (C)
When Great Library Assistant enters the battlefield, reserve the top card of your library.
2/1
Banish is a cool name but it's too close to exile. It also has very negative connotation while the mechanic itself is neutral - sometimes it's something between bounce and removal, sometimes it's super scry.
Some extra card:
Whispers Lost in Time1(U/B)(U/B)
Instant (U)
Reserve up to two target instant or sorcery cards from your graveyard. Draw a card and exile ~~.
I'm sure I've seen someone tinkering with this, or something very similar to this, here on the forums before. I liked it then, and I like it now.
It’s a perennial design. Some ideas are just too far ahead of their time, but it’s seen in other games (like KeyForge), and now Magic’s more than ready for it too.
I think the cards should be exiled with a storage counter on them in order to differentiate them from other exiled cards.
Store N (Exile the top N cards of your library face down. You may look at them. Whenever you would draw one or more cards you may put that many cards exiled in storage into your hand instead.)
Trade Boon 2U
Instant (U)
Store 3. Draw a card.
Great Library Assistant 1(W/U)
Creature - Human Servant (C)
When ~~ enters the battlefield Store 1.
2/1
Paranoid Cultist 3(U/B)(U/B)
Creature - Human Wizard (U)
When Paranoid Cultist enters the battlefield, store 2.
Paranoid Cultist gains +1/+1 for each exiled card you own in storage.
2/2
Seek New Grounds 1G
Sorcery (C)
Store 3. Then you may put up to one exiled land card you own in storage unto the battlefield.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
Reserve (Keyword Action): To reserve a card, exile it face-down. It's owner may look at it. Whenever it's owner would draw one ore more cards, he or she may put that number of reserved cards into his or her hand instead.
So we would have things like
Great Library Assistant 1(W/U)
Creature - Human Servant (C)
When Great Library Assistant enters the battlefield, reserve the top card of your library.
2/1
But also
Calm Emotions (W/U)(W/U)
Instant (C)
Reserve target creature.
Peace Prevails 2WW
Sorcery (R)
Reserve all creatures.
Erase Memories 1B
Sorcery (C)
Target player reserve two cards from his or her hand.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
Some extra card:
Whispers Lost in Time 1(U/B)(U/B)
Instant (U)
Reserve up to two target instant or sorcery cards from your graveyard. Draw a card and exile ~~.
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
I'm sure I've seen someone tinkering with this, or something very similar to this, here on the forums before. I liked it then, and I like it now.
It’s a perennial design. Some ideas are just too far ahead of their time, but it’s seen in other games (like KeyForge), and now Magic’s more than ready for it too.
I think the cards should be exiled with a storage counter on them in order to differentiate them from other exiled cards.