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Resolve Card-Writing Headaches, Please!
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You know how a lot of effects generate tokens that you're forced to sacrifice or exile later? I'm talking stuff like Akoum Stonewalker, Angelic Favor, Chandra, Flamecaller, Balduvian Dead, pretty much anything with myriad, et cetera. What if you could keep them?
The gist of this idea is, basically, making these temporary tokens true permanents by skipping the "Sacrifice this permanent at the beginning of the next end step/upkeep step" clause. Maybe it could be extended to proper cards that self-destruct (like Arc Runner, Ball Lightning, or pretty much anything with evoke), but I think that shouldn't be part of the base effect, due to potentially being imbalancing; it would be better as a kicker effect, a conditional effect, or something like that. Also, would specifically apply to tokens (and potentially cards) that self-destruct (i.e. sacrifice themselves, exile themselves, or return themselves to your hand or library) automatically upon progressing to a certain phase. It wouldn't apply to tokens and/or cards that get sacrificed/exiled/otherwise removed from the battlefield upon a specific condition applying (such as Illusion tokens, Gossamer Phantasm, Illusionary Servant, or Phantasmal Bear), tokens and/or cards that require some sort of ukpeep cost to keep on the battlefield (like anything with echo or cumulative upkeep), tokens and/or cards that automatically sacrifice/remove themselves on some sort of counter-based time delay (like anything with fading or vanishing), or tokens and/or cards that you sacrifice voluntarily in order to activate or trigger an ability (such as Eldrazi Scions, Clue tokens, Arms Dealer, Aerie Ouphes, or Alchemist's Apprentice). Indeed, the only thing it prevents sacrificing for is being forced to leave the battlefield at the end of the turn a permanent entered play or the beginning of the next turn (or its controller's next turn).
As for color, it would most likely be green and utilize Phyrexian mana.
Card Idea 14: Accumulation of Interest
Cost: {1}{b}
Type: Sorcery
Rarity: Common
Rules text: Kicker {1}{g}
Buyback {1}{u} (You may pay an additional {1}{u} as you cast this spell. If the buyback cost was paid, put this spell into its owner's hand instead of into that player's graveyard as it resolves.)
Put X charge counters on target permanent, where X is half the number of charge counters already on that permanent (rounded down). If this spell was kicked, instead choose any type of counter on the target permanent and put X counters of that type on that permanent, where X is half the number of counters of that type already on that permanent (rounded down).
Notes: This card's color identity was interesting to come up with. By design, it's black, because black is the color most associated with wealth (this card is flavored as earning money on an investment, like money in a savings account or purchased stocks). The buyback cost is blue because the focus on charge counters is also, implicitly, a minor focus on artifacts - and blue is the main color for utilizing artifacts. Most of the other main counter types tend to be used for powering up creatures (or in the case of loyalty counters, powering Planeswalkers period (hey, that's fun to say)), so I made the kicker cost green.
Rulings 1: The main types of counter are +1/+1 counters, -1/-1 counters, charge counters, and loyalty counters. Other relatively common types of counter include age counters, time counters, and storage counters.
Rulings 2: This card specifies that it targets a permanent. It cannot target a player (to increase poison or experience counters, for instance) or a card not on the battlefield (including a card in exile or on the stack).
Rulings 3: Since X is rounded down, Accumulation of Interest will not add any counters to a permanent with 0 or 1 of the chosen type of counter.
Rulings 4: The default type of counter for this spell's effect is charge counters. Charge counters are the only option if the spell is not kicked. (They're still an option if the spell is kicked, but that's just a waste of mana...)
The problem: I'm not sure on this, but I think the wording of the kicker effect (i.e. choosing any type of counter and putting half the existing number of counters on the target permanent) could be worded more clearly and concisely. Of course, I'm not actually sure how (if I was sure, I would've done it already). The real question here is about the color. Currently, the mana cost incorporates black mana (since the flavor is about the growth of one's wealth, and Black is the color with the strongest ties to currency) and the buyback cost incorporates blue mana (since the default effect revolves around charge counters, which are most common on artifacts, which are something Blue is the most proficient color in). I'm considering switching those two around, so the mana cost incorporates blue mana (making the spell blue, not black, outside considerations of color identity). This would have the effect of shifting its emphasis from its flavor (i.e. wealth) to its in-game effect (i.e. empowering permanents, particularly artifacts). Should I go through with this?