Mana Drain type card

[Guardian]

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to fix Mana Drain because that can't be done. However, I believe there is something to be done with the mechanic to make it less abusable even if remains a strong card.

So the things I look for are the following:
1) Mana Drain gives too much mana so we need a restriction on the amount of mana it's gonna give.
2) Mana burn is going to go away so we need to enforce something to that effect on the card.
3) It needs to be multi color. Blue to counter, green for acceleration.
4) It needs to remain a blue card at heart so it's going to be UU for sure for the blue part.
5) Restrict where that mana is spent. No dumping into artifacts (even though blue likes them, green is not a friend of artifacts), no dumping into effects. So it's used to cast colored spells only.

So here it is:

NAME
GUU
Instant
Counter target spell. At the beginning of your next main phase, add X to your mana pool, where X is that spell's colored mana. That mana may only be used to cast non artifact spells.

Current wording

NAME
GUU
Instant
Counter target spell. At the beginning of your next main phase, add X to your mana pool, where X is that spell's colored mana. That mana may only be used to cast non artifact spells. At the end of that main phase, lose one life for every mana that was not spent.

Changes

[Anusien]

Why those restrictions?

Are you aware that they printed Scattering Stroke?

[Guardian]

Scattering Stroke is conditional that you win and mono blue and costs 4. Mine nets you mana if you counter a colored spell.

The non artifact spell restriction is for the green hate for artifacts. And the spell only clause removes the "Morphling dump".

But I removed the mana burn restriction as it's too much.

[Matt]

Scattering Stroke is conditional that you win and mono blue and costs 4. Mine nets you mana if you counter a colored spell.

Yes, thank you, we're aware of what each card does. The question was, given that they already DID print a fixed mana drain, why do you feel that the world needs a second fixed drain (third if you count Spelljack)?

[Mantis]

Perhaps it should only counter a multicolored spell? That seems to fit a lot better in recent policies (making counters less overpowered) and much more flavorable in the light of recent sets. If you want you could also make it add a mana for every different color used in the manacost.

[andrewpate]

Scattering Stroke is conditional that you win and mono blue and costs 4. Mine nets you mana if you counter a colored spell.

Yes, thank you, we're aware of what each card does. The question was, given that they already DID print a fixed mana drain, why do you feel that the world needs a second fixed drain (third if you count Spelljack)?

Well, I don't feel that way necessarily, but I can see why someone would.  Wizards has a history of printing many different "fixed" versions of overpowered cards.  Remember the buzz garnered by Scattering Stroke when it came out?  And look at Lion's-Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, Lotus Vale, Lotus Bloom, etc.  They just can't get enough of "fixing" Black Lotus, and every time they do it, the card generates enthusiasm.  The same goes for anything that draws parallels to an old, powerful card; it gets people talking and generates free advertisement.  You could list examples of such cards all day.

@the current wording
Why "non artifact spells?"  Why not "colored spells?"  Is there a special reason why you don't want people to cast Windwright Mage with this?

Color wheel?  A blue card has produced mana only twice (Ceta Disciple only fixes; it doesn't count) since Ice Age, including gold cards:  Vedalken Engineer, whose mana can only be spent on artifacts, and the aforementioned Scattering Stroke, which produces mana only at random.  Is this maybe a problem?

[Anusien]

Why should this add colored mana?

[Guardian]

@the current wording
Why "non artifact spells?"  Why not "colored spells?"  Is there a special reason why you don't want people to cast Windwright Mage with this?

I wanted to restrict to non artifact spells to reflect green hate of artifacts. That's all.

The other thing is I think people misinterpreted my point. Let's say you counter Morphling (3UU), then you add 2 at your next main phase.

Mantis, your versioon would be too weak I believe. I want it to be somewhat playable.