In case anyone wanted to know about the full list of Vanguards, whether online or the originals, they do still exist on wizards.com, but they are full of many little errors and haven't been refined to modern wording (the old ones still say "during" instead of "at the beginning of...!")
A while ago, I made a list of all existing ones, and I just finished updating it so now it has every one through M10. And now, here it is. Enjoy.
Old:
Ashnod
Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -8
Barrin
Sacrifice a permanent: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Crovax
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature or player, you gain 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: +0
Eladamri
If damage would be dealt to a creature you control, you may have that damage be dealt to you instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +15
Ertai
Creatures you control can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +4
Gerrard
At the beginning of your draw step, draw an additional card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -4
Starting Life: +0
Gix 3: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +18
Greven il-Vec
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +2
Hanna
Spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -5
Karn
Each noncreature artifact you control is an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its converted mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +6
Lyna
Creatures you control have shadow.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -4
Maraxus
Creatures you control get +1/+0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +2
Mirri
Basic lands you control have “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Mishra
If a creature you control would deal damage, it deals double that damage instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Multani
Creatures you control get +X/+0, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -3
Starting Life: -2
Oracle 0: Untap target attacking creature you control and remove it from combat.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +9
Orim
Creatures you control have reach.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +12
Rofellos
Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +4
Selenia
Creatures you control have vigilance.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +7
Serra
Creatures you control get +0/+2.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +1
Sidar Kondo 3: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +12
Sisay
Whenever you tap a land for mana, it produces one additional mana of the same type.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -3
Sliver Queen, Brood Mother 3: Put a 1/1 colorless Sliver creature token onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +8
Squee
Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Starke
At the beginning of your draw phase, you may draw a card. If you do, put a card in your hand on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Tahngarth
Creatures you control have haste.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +7
Takara
Sacrifice a creature: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -8
Tawnos
You may cast artifact, creature, and enchantment spells as though they had flash.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Titania
You may play an additional land each of your turns.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -5
Urza 3: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +10
Volrath
Whenever a creature you control is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may put that creature on top of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -3
Xantcha
Sacrifice a permanent: Regenerate target creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it gains two of the following abilities at random: flying, first strike, trample, haste, protection from black, protection from red, or vigilance.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +7
Arcanis the Omnipotent X, Return a creature you control with converted mana cost X to its owner's hand: Draw a number of cards chosen at random between 0 and X. X can't be 0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -3
Arcbound Overseer
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a charge counter on target permanent you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Ashling the Pilgrim 2: Deal 1 damage to each creature and each player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +6
Birds of Paradise
Lands you control have “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Bosh, Iron Golem X, Sacrifice an artifact: Deal X damage to target creature or player, where X is the sacrificed artifact’s converted mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Braids, Conjurer Adept 2: Each player may put a land card from his or her hand onto the battlefield tapped. 3: Each player may put a noncreature artifact card from his or her hand into the battlefield. 5: Each player may put a creature card from his/her hand onto the battlefield. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Starting Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Chronatog
You have no maximum hand size. 0: Draw three cards. You skip your next turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +1
Dakkon Blackblade
You may play any colored card from your hand as a copy of a basic land card chosen at random that can produce mana of one of the card's colors.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +0
Diamond Faerie S: Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails 1: Target permanent you control gains protection from a random color it doesn't already have protection from until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -3
Eladamri
At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, that player adds GG to his or her mana pool.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +2
Elvish Champion
You start the game with a 1/1 green Elf creature token on the battlefield that has “T: Add G to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Enigma Sphinx
Whenever you cast a colored artifact spell for the first time in a turn, search your library for a colored artifact card chosen at random whose converted mana cost is less than the spell's converted mana cost. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. If you don't, put that card on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Erhnam Djinn
Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Etched Oracle
You may pay WUBRG rather than pay the mana cost for spells you cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -4
Fallen Angel
Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Figure of Destiny x: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature with fewer than X +1/+1 counters on it.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Flametongue Kavu
Whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, it deals a random amount of damage between 0 and 4 to target creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -6
Frenetic Efreet
Permanents you control have phasing.
At the beginning of your end step, flip a coin. If you win the flip, take an extra turn after this one.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -3
Goblin Warchief
Attacking creatures you control get +1/+0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +2
Grinning Demon
Whenever a nontoken creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target opponent discards a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Haakon
Pay 1 life: You may play target creature card in your graveyard this turn.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, if you played it from your graveyard, it becomes a black Zombie Knight.
If a Zombie Knight would be put into your graveyard from the battlefield, exile it instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Heartwood Storyteller
The first creature spell you cast each turn costs 1 less to cast.
The first noncreature spell each opponent casts each turn costs 1 more to cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +4
Hell’s Caretaker 3, Sacrifice a creature: Return target creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -4
Hermit Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a land card from your library chosen at random onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -2
Higure
Whenever a nontoken creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, search your library for a random creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +3
Ink-Eyes
At the beginning of the game, look at target opponent's hand and choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. X, Pay X life: Put target creature card with converted mana cost X in an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Jaya x: Deal an amount of damage chosen at random from 0 to X to target creature or player. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +1
Jhoira 3, Discard a card: Copy three instant cards chosen at random. You may cast one of the copies without paying its mana cost. 3, Discard a card: Copy three sorcery cards chosen at random. You may cast one of the copies without paying its mana cost. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +0
Karona
At the beginning of your upkeep, exchange control of a random permanent you control and a random permanent target opponent controls.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +8
Kresh
Whenever a creature you control is devoured, put an X/X green Ooze creature token into play, where X is the devoured creature's power.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Loxodon Hierarch Sacrifice a permanent: Regenerate target creature you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +12
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch Hellbent — As long as you have no cards in hand, if a source you control would deal damage to a creature or player, it deals double that damage to that creature or player instead. Hellbent — At the beginning of your end step, if you have no cards in hand, each of your opponents discards a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -1
Maelstrom Archangel
At end of combat, for each creature you controlled at the time it dealt combat damage to a player this turn, copy a random card with the same mana cost as that creature. You may pay 3 mana. If you do, choose one of those copies. If a copy of a permanent card is chosen, you may put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of that card. If a copy of an instant or a sorcery card is chosen, you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Malfegor, Nightmare of Bant
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it was unearthed, it gets +3/+0.
Whenever a creature you control is exiled, if it was unearthed, shuffle that card into its owner's library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -2
Maralen
You can't draw cards.
At the beginning of your draw step, search your library for a card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. You lose life equal to its converted mana cost. You can't search for a card with the same name as a card you've searched for with this ability this game.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +7
Maro
Tap an untapped creature you control, Discard a card: Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -7
Master of the Wild Hunt 2G: Put a green creature token onto the battlefield that's a 2/2 Wolf, a 2/3 Antelope with forestwalk, a 3/2 Cat with shroud, or a 4/4 green Rhino with trample, chosen at random.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Mayael
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card with power 5 or greater, put it into your hand. Otherwise, you may put it on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Mirri the Cursed
Creatures you control have “t: Another target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -3
Mirror Entity X: Choose a creature type. Creatures of that type you control become X/X and gain all creature types until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -2
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary X, Discard a card: Put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of random creature with converted mana cost X. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery and only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +4
Morinfen
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each permanent you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +30
Murderous Redcap
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control with a counter on it, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Necropotent Being
Skip your draw step.
At the beginning of your end step, if it’s not the first turn of the game, you gain a death counter. You draw X cards and you lose X life, where X is the number of death counters you have.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +4
Nekrataal
Creature spells you cast cost B less to cast. This effect reduces only the amount of colored mana you pay.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -4
Oni of Wild Places Creatures you control have haste.
At the beginning of your upkeep, return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Orcish Squatters
At the beginning of your precombat main phase, add x to your mana pool, where X is the number of lands target opponent controls.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -1
Peacekeeper 3: For each opponent who controls a creature, put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of a card named Arrest and attach it to a creature that player controls chosen at random.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +9
Phage
Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, destroy that creature.
Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever target creature deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Platinum Angel
If you control an artifact, a creature, an enchantment, and a land, you can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Prodigal Sorcerer
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Raksha Creatures you control get +0/+1.
Equipped creatures you control get +1/+0 and have first strike.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +9
Reaper King
Each creature you control gets +1/+1 for each of its colors.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -5
Rith
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may pay 5. If you do, put a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Royal Assassin
At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +0
Rumbling Slum
At the beginning of your upkeep, deal 1 damage to each opponent.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +1
Sakashima 2: Choose a creature you control. It becomes a copy of target creature except for its name.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +1
Serra Angel
Whenever you cast a spell, you gain 2 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -1
Seshiro
At the beginning of the game, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control, creature spells you control on the stack, and creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield or on the stack have the chosen type in addition to their other types.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -1
Sisters of Stone Death
Each creature you control must be blocked if able. 4: Exile target creature blocking a creature you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -5
Sliver Queen, Hive Mistress
Whenever you cast a non-Sliver creature spell, exile that spell. If you do, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of a random non-Shapeshifter Sliver creature card w/ the same converted mana cost as that spell.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +7
Squee 1: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature you control this turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Stalking Tiger
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +2
Stonehewer Giant
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a copy of random Equipment card with converted mana cost less than or equal to that creature's converted mana cost onto the battlefield. Attach that Equipment to that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -4
Stuffy Doll 0: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you by a source of your choice this turn. Deal damage equal to half the damage prevented this way, rounded up, to you and target opponent. Activate this ability only once per turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -6
Teysa
Whenever a nontoken creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Tradewind Rider 3: Each player returns a permanent he or she controls to its owner's hand unless he or she pays 2 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +4
Two-Headed Giant of Foriys Each creature you control can block an additional creature each combat.
Each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -4
Vampire Nocturnus
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is black, black creatures you control get +2/+1.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Viridian Zealot 2, Sacrifice a creature: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. Search your library for a card with the same name as the creature you sacrificed, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +2
EDIT: Sorry about the split-ups with the spoiler tags in the beginning; they just won't go away!
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
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A while ago, I made a list of all existing ones, and I just finished updating it so now it has every one through M10. And now, here it is. Enjoy.
Old:
Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -8
Barrin
Sacrifice a permanent: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Crovax
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature or player, you gain 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: +0
Eladamri
If damage would be dealt to a creature you control, you may have that damage be dealt to you instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +15
Ertai
Creatures you control can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +4
Gerrard
At the beginning of your draw step, draw an additional card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -4
Starting Life: +0
Gix
3: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +18
Greven il-Vec
Whenever a creature you control deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +2
Hanna
Spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -5
Karn
Each noncreature artifact you control is an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its converted mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +6
Lyna
Creatures you control have shadow.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -4
Maraxus
Creatures you control get +1/+0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +2
Mirri
Basic lands you control have “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Mishra
If a creature you control would deal damage, it deals double that damage instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Multani
Creatures you control get +X/+0, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -3
Starting Life: -2
Oracle
0: Untap target attacking creature you control and remove it from combat.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +9
Orim
Creatures you control have reach.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +12
Rofellos
Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +4
Selenia
Creatures you control have vigilance.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +7
Serra
Creatures you control get +0/+2.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +1
Sidar Kondo
3: Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +12
Sisay
Whenever you tap a land for mana, it produces one additional mana of the same type.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -3
Sliver Queen, Brood Mother
3: Put a 1/1 colorless Sliver creature token onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +8
Squee
Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Starke
At the beginning of your draw phase, you may draw a card. If you do, put a card in your hand on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Tahngarth
Creatures you control have haste.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +7
Takara
Sacrifice a creature: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -8
Tawnos
You may cast artifact, creature, and enchantment spells as though they had flash.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Titania
You may play an additional land each of your turns.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -5
Urza
3: Deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +10
Volrath
Whenever a creature you control is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may put that creature on top of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -3
Xantcha
Sacrifice a permanent: Regenerate target creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +7
Arcanis the Omnipotent
X, Return a creature you control with converted mana cost X to its owner's hand: Draw a number of cards chosen at random between 0 and X. X can't be 0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -3
Arcbound Overseer
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a charge counter on target permanent you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Ashling the Pilgrim
2: Deal 1 damage to each creature and each player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +6
Birds of Paradise
Lands you control have “T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Bosh, Iron Golem
X, Sacrifice an artifact: Deal X damage to target creature or player, where X is the sacrificed artifact’s converted mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Braids, Conjurer Adept
2: Each player may put a land card from his or her hand onto the battlefield tapped.
3: Each player may put a noncreature artifact card from his or her hand into the battlefield.
5: Each player may put a creature card from his/her hand onto the battlefield. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Starting Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Chronatog
You have no maximum hand size.
0: Draw three cards. You skip your next turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +1
Dakkon Blackblade
You may play any colored card from your hand as a copy of a basic land card chosen at random that can produce mana of one of the card's colors.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +0
Diamond Faerie
S: Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
1: Target permanent you control gains protection from a random color it doesn't already have protection from until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -3
Eladamri
At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, that player adds GG to his or her mana pool.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +2
Elvish Champion
You start the game with a 1/1 green Elf creature token on the battlefield that has “T: Add G to your mana pool.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Enigma Sphinx
Whenever you cast a colored artifact spell for the first time in a turn, search your library for a colored artifact card chosen at random whose converted mana cost is less than the spell's converted mana cost. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. If you don't, put that card on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Erhnam Djinn
Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +3
Etched Oracle
You may pay WUBRG rather than pay the mana cost for spells you cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -4
Fallen Angel
Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Figure of Destiny
x: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature with fewer than X +1/+1 counters on it.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Flametongue Kavu
Whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, it deals a random amount of damage between 0 and 4 to target creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -6
Frenetic Efreet
Permanents you control have phasing.
At the beginning of your end step, flip a coin. If you win the flip, take an extra turn after this one.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -3
Goblin Warchief
Attacking creatures you control get +1/+0.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +2
Grinning Demon
Whenever a nontoken creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, target opponent discards a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Haakon
Pay 1 life: You may play target creature card in your graveyard this turn.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, if you played it from your graveyard, it becomes a black Zombie Knight.
If a Zombie Knight would be put into your graveyard from the battlefield, exile it instead.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Heartwood Storyteller
The first creature spell you cast each turn costs 1 less to cast.
The first noncreature spell each opponent casts each turn costs 1 more to cast.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +4
Hell’s Caretaker
3, Sacrifice a creature: Return target creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -4
Hermit Druid
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a land card from your library chosen at random onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -2
Higure
Whenever a nontoken creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, search your library for a random creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +3
Ink-Eyes
At the beginning of the game, look at target opponent's hand and choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
X, Pay X life: Put target creature card with converted mana cost X in an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -3
Jaya
x: Deal an amount of damage chosen at random from 0 to X to target creature or player. Activate this ability only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +1
Jhoira
3, Discard a card: Copy three instant cards chosen at random. You may cast one of the copies without paying its mana cost.
3, Discard a card: Copy three sorcery cards chosen at random. You may cast one of the copies without paying its mana cost. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +0
Karona
At the beginning of your upkeep, exchange control of a random permanent you control and a random permanent target opponent controls.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: +8
Kresh
Whenever a creature you control is devoured, put an X/X green Ooze creature token into play, where X is the devoured creature's power.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Loxodon Hierarch
Sacrifice a permanent: Regenerate target creature you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +12
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
Hellbent — As long as you have no cards in hand, if a source you control would deal damage to a creature or player, it deals double that damage to that creature or player instead.
Hellbent — At the beginning of your end step, if you have no cards in hand, each of your opponents discards a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -1
Maelstrom Archangel
At end of combat, for each creature you controlled at the time it dealt combat damage to a player this turn, copy a random card with the same mana cost as that creature. You may pay 3 mana. If you do, choose one of those copies. If a copy of a permanent card is chosen, you may put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of that card. If a copy of an instant or a sorcery card is chosen, you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Malfegor, Nightmare of Bant
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it was unearthed, it gets +3/+0.
Whenever a creature you control is exiled, if it was unearthed, shuffle that card into its owner's library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -2
Maralen
You can't draw cards.
At the beginning of your draw step, search your library for a card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. You lose life equal to its converted mana cost. You can't search for a card with the same name as a card you've searched for with this ability this game.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +7
Maro
Tap an untapped creature you control, Discard a card: Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +2
Starting Life: -7
Master of the Wild Hunt
2G: Put a green creature token onto the battlefield that's a 2/2 Wolf, a 2/3 Antelope with forestwalk, a 3/2 Cat with shroud, or a 4/4 green Rhino with trample, chosen at random.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Mayael
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a creature card with power 5 or greater, put it into your hand. Otherwise, you may put it on the bottom of your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +3
Mirri the Cursed
Creatures you control have “t: Another target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.”
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -3
Mirror Entity
X: Choose a creature type. Creatures of that type you control become X/X and gain all creature types until end of turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -2
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
X, Discard a card: Put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of random creature with converted mana cost X. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery and only once each turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +4
Morinfen
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each permanent you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +30
Murderous Redcap
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control with a counter on it, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to target creature or player.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Necropotent Being
Skip your draw step.
At the beginning of your end step, if it’s not the first turn of the game, you gain a death counter. You draw X cards and you lose X life, where X is the number of death counters you have.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +4
Nekrataal
Creature spells you cast cost B less to cast. This effect reduces only the amount of colored mana you pay.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -4
Oni of Wild Places
Creatures you control have haste.
At the beginning of your upkeep, return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Orcish Squatters
At the beginning of your precombat main phase, add x to your mana pool, where X is the number of lands target opponent controls.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -1
Peacekeeper
3: For each opponent who controls a creature, put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of a card named Arrest and attach it to a creature that player controls chosen at random.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +9
Phage
Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, destroy that creature.
Pay 1 life: Until end of turn, whenever target creature deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -5
Platinum Angel
If you control an artifact, a creature, an enchantment, and a land, you can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Prodigal Sorcerer
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +5
Raksha
Creatures you control get +0/+1.
Equipped creatures you control get +1/+0 and have first strike.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +9
Reaper King
Each creature you control gets +1/+1 for each of its colors.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: -5
Rith
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may pay 5. If you do, put a 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +6
Royal Assassin
At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -2
Starting Life: +0
Rumbling Slum
At the beginning of your upkeep, deal 1 damage to each opponent.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +1
Sakashima
2: Choose a creature you control. It becomes a copy of target creature except for its name.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +1
Serra Angel
Whenever you cast a spell, you gain 2 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -1
Seshiro
At the beginning of the game, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control, creature spells you control on the stack, and creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield or on the stack have the chosen type in addition to their other types.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -1
Sisters of Stone Death
Each creature you control must be blocked if able.
4: Exile target creature blocking a creature you control.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -5
Sliver Queen, Hive Mistress
Whenever you cast a non-Sliver creature spell, exile that spell. If you do, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of a random non-Shapeshifter Sliver creature card w/ the same converted mana cost as that spell.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +7
Squee
1: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature you control this turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +3
Starting Life: -4
Stalking Tiger
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +2
Stonehewer Giant
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a copy of random Equipment card with converted mana cost less than or equal to that creature's converted mana cost onto the battlefield. Attach that Equipment to that creature.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -4
Stuffy Doll
0: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you by a source of your choice this turn. Deal damage equal to half the damage prevented this way, rounded up, to you and target opponent. Activate this ability only once per turn.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -6
Teysa
Whenever a nontoken creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: -2
Tradewind Rider
3: Each player returns a permanent he or she controls to its owner's hand unless he or she pays 2 life.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: +4
Two-Headed Giant of Foriys
Each creature you control can block an additional creature each combat.
Each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +1
Starting Life: -4
Vampire Nocturnus
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is black, black creatures you control get +2/+1.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: -1
Starting Life: -2
Viridian Zealot
2, Sacrifice a creature: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. Search your library for a card with the same name as the creature you sacrificed, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Starting & Max. Hand Size: +0
Starting Life: +2
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.