Fastbound Tower

[DubDub]

I thought this would have been a cool card for them to print in Zendikar Block:

Fastbound Tower
Land (UNC)
Playing Fastbound Tower does not count as your regular land drop for the turn.
When Fastbound Tower enters the battlefield it does one damage to you.
You may not play more than one Fastbound Tower per turn.
 : Add   to your mana pool.

The first line of rules text is my attempt at making the card work, not sure if the wording is correct.  The second line is more for flavor (to line up with Fastbond) than power level concerns.  I realize MaRo has said over the past few years that they don't like to print painlands anymore.  The third line is more of a control on power level, though I suppose it's only true while it's in play, so it's currently a Hatred in combination with Meloku.

Is this too powerful as is?  Does anything need to change, or does '~ enters the battlefield tapped.' need to be added?

Current Version:

Fastbound Tower
Legendary Land (UNC)
Playing Fastbound Tower does not count as your regular land drop for the turn.
When Fastbound Tower enters the battlefield it does one damage to you.
If Fastbound Tower would leave the battlefield, exile it instead.
 : Add   to your mana pool.

[Oath of Happy]

So its basically a Mox that deals you 1 damage, makes you wait till turn 2 to play a second if you have 2 in your hand, and isn't slowed by Spheres/stopped by Chalice.  Yes it's too powerful.

[DubDub]

So its basically a Mox that deals you 1 damage, makes you wait till turn 2 to play a second if you have 2 in your hand, and isn't slowed by Spheres/stopped by Chalice.  Yes it's too powerful.

Storm doesn't want this because it doesn't contribute to the storm count.
Gush doesn't want this because it's not an island.
Mana Drain/Jace decks don't want this because it doesn't produce .
Dredge doesn't want this because it doesn't need  at all.

That leaves it as an option for what?  Oath, Fish, and Workshops.

Getting  early has never been as much of an issue for Oath as finding Oath, resolving it, and triggering it, none of which this helps with.
Fish decks could use this to accelerate out Null Rod without turning off their acceleration, but it doesn't help cast colored spells.  It could be a four-of here.
Workshops is the big one, as there generating generic mana is less of a drawback, but Workshops have not typically been looking for additional fast sources of generic mana.  Grim Monolith for example sees next to no play.  Maybe someone with Workshop-piloting experience could chime in.

It's possible it would see play as a way to combat Workshops, by allowing one to pay for Spheres, but that's not such a bad thing is it?

All that said, this would probably warrant a ban in Legacy, as its drawback is among the least severe for accelerants in that format, especially for permanent sources of mana.

[BruiZar]

Too dangerous... No real drawback. Since Workshop was already broken in half, it would be broken in a quarter with this land. This land upgrades City of Traitors and Ancient Tomb by a large margin, because they would now function similarly as workshops. Also, play this AND a wasteland is just nasty

[policehq]

Does it make the card too dumpy if you can use the mana only to cast colored spells? That way, it's a Workshop defense, not a Workshop tool.

[DubDub]

I've had trouble posting in this thread, so I'm rewriting this for the third time:

How about " : Add  to your mana pool, spend this mana only on spells with converted mana cost  or less, or on activated abilities."?

Severe limitation for Workshop, which really wants to cast Lodestone/Hellkite/Stack etc.  Doesn't stop Fish from casting Null Rod early without the drawback of turning off moxen.  With this change it can't be used to cast early Planeswalkers or Draw-7s, another abusive use.

[Darkenslight]

I've had trouble posting in this thread, so I'm rewriting this for the third time:

How about " : Add  to your mana pool, spend this mana only on spells with converted mana cost  or less, or on activated abilities."?

Severe limitation for Workshop, which really wants to cast Lodestone/Hellkite/Stack etc.  Doesn't stop Fish from casting Null Rod early without the drawback of turning off moxen.  With this change it can't be used to cast early Planeswalkers or Draw-7s, another abusive use.

I'd actually make it the inverse of Workshop, like this:

" : Add  to your mana pool.  Spend this mana only on activated abilities."

[AmbivalentDuck]

What about:

: Add  to your mana pool. This mana cannot be used as colorless mana.
Whenever mana is emptied from your mana pool, ~this~ deals one damage to you for each mana removed.

[policehq]

What about:

: Add  to your mana pool. This mana cannot be used as colorless mana.
Whenever mana is emptied from your mana pool, ~this~ deals one damage to you for each mana removed.

What on earth makes you think that is printable??

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&color=+[W]++++&cmc=+=[5] turn 1. These are still probably not even the best application.

[Mr. Type 4]

If it were Legendary you wouldn't really need the "one per turn rule", so it would be more elegant.  Mox Colorless would prob need to be legendary if it were ever printed.  This is slightly better than that in that it plays through Chalice and Spheres.  

If it were legendary and CIP tapped I'd say it's still pretty good but fair, and prob wouldnt need to deal you damage.  Or maybe it should just deal you damage everytime you use (maybe even 2 damage).  

Storm doesn't want this because it doesn't contribute to the storm count.
Gush doesn't want this because it's not an island.
Mana Drain/Jace decks don't want this because it doesn't produce .

I'd argue that all of this is just plain untrue and I;d def try to play Vintage decks with 4 of this in it's current wording if it were real (and it would obviously be in most type 2 decks).  At minimum it would be a killer SB card vs Shop.  Kinda like Elvish Spirit guide except you'd get the mana more than once.

[AmbivalentDuck]

What about:

: Add  to your mana pool. This mana cannot be used as colorless mana.
Whenever mana is emptied from your mana pool, ~this~ deals one damage to you for each mana removed.

What on earth makes you think that is printable??

Because it's either worse than Tarnished Citadel or requires running a bunch of five-color cards.  The only four color cards in print are awful.  Unlike Mishra's Workshop, you can't use Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors to produce similar mana.  You're stuck with Gemstone Mine and City of Brass, both of which have major drawbacks of their own.

Of all the cards in print, it's probably closest to Ancient Tomb in function and power.

Besides, what would you build with it in Vintage?  5 color Sliver Survival?  In Legacy it powers out Rhox War Monk...oh noes.  It verges on useless in Standard and Extended.

[policehq]

I feel pretty sure that a turn 3 kill requiring only three cards (only one of them a specific card - this land) would see play in extended. That's specifically where it would be the most warped. Vintage and Legacy aren't as highly considered when making printings.

Wizards would never print a land that taps for five colored mana, especially with only minimal drawbacks. The power level would have to be taken into consideration with every future printing while it is legal in relevant formats.

EDIT: Apparently the link didn't work. It's an advanced search of cards that contain one of each colored mana in their casting cost. Currently the extended legal options are:
Child of Alara
Fusion Elemental
Horde of Notions
Maelstrom Archangel
Reaper King

None of these are pleasant to see on turn one after the opponent only played one land. The rest of the deck can be used to find the land and disrupt the opponent for two turns while two fatties that basically cost one mana beat down.

[Joblin Velder]

I would run 4 of those and Conflux all day long.

[TheWhiteDragon]

I'd run 4 of those tap for 1 of each color lands....I'd play the bringers and chain the black bringer into the other bringers.  I'd even run sliver queen.  Not the most broken cards, but a 5/5 with a crazy ability consistently on turn 1 is pretty damn good.

[AmbivalentDuck]

In other words, it's good card in combination with bad cards.

[policehq]

In other words, it's good card in combination with bad cards.

Just like Oath of Druids, Tinker, Bazaar of Baghdad...

[AmbivalentDuck]

In other words, it's good card in combination with bad cards.

Just like Oath of Druids, Tinker, Bazaar of Baghdad...

3+ color is a much narrower restriction than creature or artifact.  5 color is so narrow that you're effectively restricted to playing 7/7 aggro.

As seen by Dredge's performance in other formats, the presence of Bazaar is hardly necessary for the other cards to be called "good."

[TheWhiteDragon]

They are bad cards because their cost makes them unplayable.  I don't think a 5/5 trample that has draw 2, or vamp tutor, or make a 3/3 is that bad AT ALL if it cost 1 to cast.  Making a land that allows these to be played turn 1 would be BUSTED.  How sweet is a consistent turn 1 bringer of blue/black dawn?  Turn 1 conflux? Turn 1 Maelstrom archangel, Horde of nations, cromat....on turn 1???  Mix this with FoWs since basically your deck pitches to it and 4 crop rotations?  It'd be a turn 1 monster every game.  That'd be insane.

[policehq]

Ok back to discussion of reasonable cards. It's absolutely stupid to make a land that produces five mana. End.

The Legendary rule is more elegant, but how can abuse with something like Meloku be avoided? What's the wording required for that?

One of the things to consider when designing a land that cheats the 1 land/1 turn rule is how nerfed Gemstone Caverns is. That's your guideline for how much drawback it requires for Wizards to consider it as fair.

[DubDub]

Ok back to discussion of reasonable cards. It's absolutely stupid to make a land that produces five mana. End.

The Legendary rule is more elegant, but how can abuse with something like Meloku be avoided? What's the wording required for that?

One of the things to consider when designing a land that cheats the 1 land/1 turn rule is how nerfed Gemstone Caverns is. That's your guideline for how much drawback it requires for Wizards to consider it as fair.

Legendary is a nice touch.

To avoid Meloku abuse, how about:
"If ~ would leave the battlefield, exile it instead."

First post has an interim update.

[Phoenix888]

Two more cents:

Fastbound Tower
Legendary Land
Fasbound Tower comes into play tapped.
Playing Fastbound Tower does not count as your regular land drop for the turn.
: Add  to your mana pool.

[Daenyth]

Perhaps "When ~ comes into play, you may play an additional land this turn unless another card named ~ was played this turn"?