Basically, I tried to fix depletion lands here: rather than getting color at the cost of mana, you get color at the cost of color. However, these are colorless the first turn (since I decided I like storage counters better than depletion counters). Also they have another ability that also costs storage counters, and thus competes with producing colored mana.
RG Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or G
(R/G), T, remove two storage counters from this: target creature gets +3/+2 until eot
GW Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add G or W
(G/W), T, remove two storage counters from this: create a 1/1 green squirrel token
WU Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add W or U
(W/U), T, remove a storage counters from this: tap target nonland permanent
UB Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add U or B
(U/B), T, remove three storage counters from this: scry 2
BR Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add B or R
(B/R), T, remove two storage counters from this: this deals 1 damage to any target
RW Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or W
(R/W), T, remove three storage counters from this: creatures you control get +1/+1 until eot
GU Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add G or U
(G/U), T, remove five storage counters from this: target creature gains hexproof until eot
WB Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add W or B
(W/B), T, remove a storage counters from this: each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life
UR Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add U or R
(U/R), T, remove four storage counters from this: draw a card then discard a card
BG Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add B or G
(B/G), T, remove two storage counters from this: put a +1/+1 counter on target creature
I did try to balance the extra abilities, but I might still be off. It's kinda difficult on lands, especially when their base design is unusual.
I think these lands are too powerful, because they effectively tap for 2 Mana. Even though you get one now and one later, they don't set your tempo back since they come in untapped. The Time Spiral lands could general mana OR net a counter, but not both and so were balanced.
I like your idea of the activated abilities, you just need to slow down the rate of Mana generation. If the first ability was "Add 1 or gain a counter." you'd be far better off.
I don't think you read what they do: they either tap for a colorless mana (and get a counter), OR they tap for a colored mana (which costs a counter), OR they tap for the other ability. Either way, they're tapped afterwards. Unless you untap them in between, there's no way to get 2 mana out of them.
Now, they may very well be OP, but not from merely tapping for colored mana every other turn, not including the turn they entered.
I also understand that existing storage lands produce less than 1 mana per turn. That's because they tend to produce multiple mana in one turn (except Mirrodin's Core). These don't.
Ah yes, I read it as the storage lands do of adding mana equal to the charges removed. That's what i get for commenting when I cant sleep in the middle of the night.
These are definitely too good as is. Because you rarely need all colored mana at worst these a CIPT lands with additional benefit. As an initial balance prospect I would make the mana ability remove all counters. If that proves yo be an over correction, rather than reverting back try the bonus as costing only 1 counter.
The problem with removing all counters is, you can still do it when it doesn't have any.
Whether those are effectively better taplands at the base depends on how colored your mana costs are. Two color deck with other good lands and mostly generic mana costs? these are definitely OP. Three color deck with heavy color requirements and not too great other lands? you might frequently run into trouble with having to make generic mana roughly every other turn.
I do however agree that in total the lands are too powerful. I could just make the colored mana ability cost two counters. (you more easily run out of color then, but aesthetically, I'd like getting colored mana only once every three turns way better on 3 color lands). I think I prefer a different fix:
RG Land
Land
T: add 1. when you spend this mana to cast a spell, put a storage counter on ~.
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or G
RG, T, remove two storage counters from this: target creature gets +3/+2 until eot
rather than a hybrid mana, the activation now costs both mana, because the previous design made it way too easy to use these lands for a splash color and still get full value. Additionally, this should help make your mana costs more color intensive so you have to use the second ability more (if you do have multiple such lands).
It also makes the abilities as such less powerful. I mean, it still doesn't look terrible, but at least it's no longer almost Giant Growth.
In addition to that, now you can't just tap the land for a counter when you don't need the mana, and you don't get colored mana at all unless you find a way to spend generic mana.
They are still powerful in a two color deck where practically all cards have a generic portion to their mana cost. But then, you will have 1drops, and if there's also some double color 2drops in your deck, these lands may already be less great (I mean, still powerful enough that you'd include some, but possibly not the full four).
In a set that co-exists with with an artifact (or otherwise colorless) theme, I certainly wouldn't put them.
@rowanalpha: happens to all of us. It's not difficult to misread something even when well rested. And I did call them storage lands, which is technically accurate, but associated with a different concept.
RG Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or G
(R/G), T, remove two storage counters from this: target creature gets +3/+2 until eot
GW Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add G or W
(G/W), T, remove two storage counters from this: create a 1/1 green squirrel token
WU Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add W or U
(W/U), T, remove a storage counters from this: tap target nonland permanent
UB Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add U or B
(U/B), T, remove three storage counters from this: scry 2
BR Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add B or R
(B/R), T, remove two storage counters from this: this deals 1 damage to any target
RW Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or W
(R/W), T, remove three storage counters from this: creatures you control get +1/+1 until eot
GU Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add G or U
(G/U), T, remove five storage counters from this: target creature gains hexproof until eot
WB Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add W or B
(W/B), T, remove a storage counters from this: each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life
UR Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add U or R
(U/R), T, remove four storage counters from this: draw a card then discard a card
BG Land
Land
T: add 1. put a storage counter on this
T, remove a storage counter from this: add B or G
(B/G), T, remove two storage counters from this: put a +1/+1 counter on target creature
I did try to balance the extra abilities, but I might still be off. It's kinda difficult on lands, especially when their base design is unusual.
I like your idea of the activated abilities, you just need to slow down the rate of Mana generation. If the first ability was "Add 1 or gain a counter." you'd be far better off.
Now, they may very well be OP, but not from merely tapping for colored mana every other turn, not including the turn they entered.
I also understand that existing storage lands produce less than 1 mana per turn. That's because they tend to produce multiple mana in one turn (except Mirrodin's Core). These don't.
Whether those are effectively better taplands at the base depends on how colored your mana costs are. Two color deck with other good lands and mostly generic mana costs? these are definitely OP. Three color deck with heavy color requirements and not too great other lands? you might frequently run into trouble with having to make generic mana roughly every other turn.
I do however agree that in total the lands are too powerful. I could just make the colored mana ability cost two counters. (you more easily run out of color then, but aesthetically, I'd like getting colored mana only once every three turns way better on 3 color lands). I think I prefer a different fix:
RG Land
Land
T: add 1. when you spend this mana to cast a spell, put a storage counter on ~.
T, remove a storage counter from this: add R or G
RG, T, remove two storage counters from this: target creature gets +3/+2 until eot
rather than a hybrid mana, the activation now costs both mana, because the previous design made it way too easy to use these lands for a splash color and still get full value. Additionally, this should help make your mana costs more color intensive so you have to use the second ability more (if you do have multiple such lands).
It also makes the abilities as such less powerful. I mean, it still doesn't look terrible, but at least it's no longer almost Giant Growth.
In addition to that, now you can't just tap the land for a counter when you don't need the mana, and you don't get colored mana at all unless you find a way to spend generic mana.
They are still powerful in a two color deck where practically all cards have a generic portion to their mana cost. But then, you will have 1drops, and if there's also some double color 2drops in your deck, these lands may already be less great (I mean, still powerful enough that you'd include some, but possibly not the full four).
In a set that co-exists with with an artifact (or otherwise colorless) theme, I certainly wouldn't put them.
@rowanalpha: happens to all of us. It's not difficult to misread something even when well rested. And I did call them storage lands, which is technically accurate, but associated with a different concept.