I don't think older formats would be harmed by a slightly tougher Memnite. My original cost for this was , which would let the non creature colors get access to a bigger creature usually

Stampede of Brambles
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all noncreature permanents

Starscour
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all noncreature permanents

Memnite and Ornithopter see play in Legacy. I fear giving those decks copies 9-12 would allow them to reach some sort of critical mass.

Against the kind of deck that's interested in playing a creature that costs , you'd pretty much always pay the tribute. So the question becomes, is a free Devoted Hero broken? Maybe not.

Llanowar Tribe Except It's a Commander —
Legendary Creature — Elf Druid Archer (R)
Vigilance, reach, trample
: Add .
3/3

Shrink to Nothing -
Instant
Destroy target creature with power less than its base power.

Counterclasm
Instant (R)
Counter all spells. Draw that many cards.

Wouldn't that also cancel Counterclasm? Not being snarky, the corner case rules of magic are something I am often not aware of. Would you have to say "Counter all other spells. Draw a card for each spell countered in this way."?

Yes that’s Swift Silence

ITT: Cards that apparently do exist

That could be an interesting thread in of itself. As in one in the vein of "can you guess what existing card this is based on?"

Here's an example of that:

Hint: This is heeavily based on an existing design. I wonder how easy it might be to figure that out.

This is an interesting case...
seems too expensive for this.
seems weird when cast for .
seems weird when cast for or .
It wants to be 1X, but (unless you decide to do a color bleed) it kinda needs to be blue and black.


I like the simplicity, but maybe the answer is to add more to the ability?


And then it makes me like this version more:

The UB version is fine

Seems like a fine common.

These two are strictly better than Counterspell so I'm not seeing it as that card doesn't need a boost afaik. There's at least one super niche case of if you're playing blue-black and your spells start costing more (say opposing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), in which case you might have to spend extra black that would trigger the effect - but those sort of scenarios don't count for strictly better evaluations really any more than the infamous "This creature with worse stats is not strictly better because what if Mindslaver?"

Forbidden Pact —
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to play Forbidden Pact, pay X life.
Draw X cards.
“I wouldn't say I regret it,” Liliana said wistfully. “It's made me who I am, and I love who I am. So, no, I wouldn't do anything differently.”

Yoke
Enchantment (R)
Each player skips their choice of untap step or draw step each turn.

Fun fact: there are a LOT of possible stax pieces that are somewhere between Armageddon/Stasis/Smokestack and, like, Archon of Emeria and Talia. It doesn't have to be either complete lockdown or a scratch wound that barely matters.

Bio Denial
Instant (U)
Counter up to one target spell unless its controller pays
Distribute up to X +1/+1 counters among creatures you control.