Possible solution to the 'Legendary Sorcery/Instant' idea

[Norm4eva]

Okay okay, forget the whole thing.  Lock this and delete it somewhere far, far away.

[Ric_Flair]

What about this:

CARDNAME
Legendary Instant
U

Do something incredible.

When this is cast, search your library for all other cards named -this-.  Remove them from the game.  

When this resolves remove it from the game instead of placing it in your graveyard.

[Ephraim]

Hasn't this idea been discussed before? Didn't we conclude that because it was possible to search for something and not find it, even if it were there, that this was a bad idea? I'm pretty sure that letting an opponent search was also decided to be a bad idea. In other words, Ric_Flair, your idea is encumbered by the rules to such a degree that it simply isn't going to work as intended.

Norm4eva, your idea just doesn't work. At least the way it is written now, it also prevents your opponent from playing a copy of the spell later, which returns the luck factor to "legendary" spells. It also results in the broken situation where you can run four copies of something incredible, not caring that you'll only get to resolve one of them. In this way, Ric_Flair's suggestion is actually more broken, since it results in a broken effect and an automatic thinning of the deck by three cards.

On a side note, I find it interesting that the prototype for this legendary spell costs . Looks like a subconscious preference to me.

[Laurie Cheers]

The current rules for Legendary don't work for instants, and it's not a very interesting mechanic for them anyway.
Surely the obvious solution is something more like Enchant World...

Cardname
Instant - Unique
Choose one - Do something incredible; or counter target unique spell.

There could be lots of Unique spells, all capable of countering each other.

[Jacob Orlove]

I'd rather have those be Instant - Event, instead of Instant - Unique. And they can counter all other events on the stack as part of their resolution.

[Norm4eva]

Okay,so it's not a simple idea, but I hardly find it uninteresting.  The idea that casting a spell of such effect would take so much out of a planeswalker that to even try again in the same session proves impossible seems plenty interesting to me.
@Eph: I see your point..  What if it were changed to say 'all copies of -this-  you own...' In this way your opponent can still use their own copy of the spell.  As for my using U as an example... it's just an example.   I'm truly not looking to give Blue anything like Ancestral the Sequel.  There's five colors, I picked one. =P

Fine then, how's this for a starting point?

Strength of the Ages
Instant
G

Target creature gets +5/+5 until end of turn.

When -this- resolves, it comes into play as a permanent that can't leave play.  All copies of -this- you own lose all text and have '2, discard -this-: Draw a card.'

[Shadow-Walker]

If it cant leave play how does that interact with sacrifice effects like lich?

[Godder]

How about this?

CARDNAME
Legendary Enchantment
Cost

When this is comes into play, choose an opponent who may search your hand, library and graveyard for all other cards named CARDNAME. Remove them from the game.

If CARDNAME would be put into a graveyard from play, remove it from the game instead.

Sacrifice CARDNAME: Do something incredible.

[Laurie Cheers]

Strength of the Ages
G
Enchantment
When Strength of the Ages comes into play, if you don't control any other permanents named Strength of the Ages, target creature gets +5/+5 until end of turn.
Strength of the Ages is indestructible, can't be sacrificed, and can't be the target of spells or abilities.

[Jacob Orlove]

That is absurdly inelegant. Can we all just agree that there is no good way to implement this idea?

[stolen]

The whole point of legendary permanents is that only one exists.  You can only have one Nicol Bolas, because only one exists.  Likewise, only one Sword of Kaldra was ever made, so having two creatures holding them would be absurd.

Spells are just not like that.  When a spell is specially made by a character of legend (i.e. Teferi's Response) it can be cast by anyone thereafter.  There is still only one Teferi, so only one person can have Teferi himself helping him or her (assuming Teferi was a card), but the spell he created can be used by anyone as many times as that person wants to.

Really this whole thing just looks like an excuse to make absurdly powerful, cheap spells, and making their own rules text put them on a "restricted" list.  Forget the idea and use powerful, high-cost sorceries instead.  Those are the epic, powerful spells, and they actually fit in.

An idea that popped into my head while I was writing this: could you not just put text on the card that says, "A deck may only have one card named CARDNAME"?  (See Relentless Rats.)*  Didn't WOTC print a rat or something I still think the concept is stupid, but that would solve all your problems.

*I totally want to build a deck now that consists only of Relentless Rats and black mana.  EDIT:  Wow, those things are disgustingly expensive.  Never mind, then.