Chronostorm

[jeek]

Chronostorm
Instant
U
As an additional cost to play ~this~, remove X cards in your hand from the game.
Remove X target creatures from the game. They each gain "Suspend" and X+1 Time counters.

Chronostorm
Instant
U
As an additional cost to play ~this~, remove X cards in your hand from the game.
Remove X target creatures from the game. They each gain "Suspend" and X+1 Time counters.

I'm looking at this as a sort of blue equivalent of Firestorm.

[Anusien]

Interesting, although I'm worried about it making Wrath of God too one-sided.

[netherspirit]

What about if you remove like 2 times X cards from the top of your library from the game? Or let your opponent draw X cards? Otherwise this seems too overpowered as it is.

[jeek]

Interesting, although I'm worried about it making Wrath of God too one-sided.

What if it removed all creatures instead of X creatures? It could also be a sorcery at that point.

[netherspirit]

Blue doesn't often play as many creatures as other colours though, so it would still be a bit too strong IMO.

[Anusien]

Actually, isn't this a very white ability?

[Shmn]

Ruleswise I don't think having creatures gain Suspend would work as it would require them to be in their owners' hands:

Rather than play this card from your hand, pay ~mana~ and remove it from the game with ~number~ time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When you remove the last, play it without paying its mana cost.

Here's an attempt to reword the card to work within the rules, and minor changes to balance:

Parallax Vortex

Instant
As an additional cost to play Parallax Vortex, discard X cards.
Remove X target creatures with power no greater than X + 1 from the game and put X Time Counters on each of them. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a Time Counter from each creature removed this way. When you can't, each player returns to play all cards he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Vortex.

There probably isn't room for a flavour text, I'm afraid. Also, notice that it doesn't say up to X, so it's not that good for single creatures (same as Firestorm). I added the power limitation as an imitation of Firestorm which can't deal with bigger creatures without larger investment either and for balance in general.

[Norm4eva]

This is in the wrong color.  RFG creatures is incredibly White.

[parallax]

If you want to make a blue Firestorm, why not make it bounce?

The best thing about Firestorm is that is was such a simple card. Discard X cards. Deal X damage to X creatures. Very elegant.

[jeek]

Here's an attempt to reword the card to work within the rules, and minor changes to balance:

Part of the reason I considered a sorcery version balanced is that your opponent would get their creatures back first *and* with haste. White RFGs creatures permanent, Blue tends to handle things temporarily while it searches for a better solution.

Chronostorm
2UU
Sorcery
As an additional cost to play Chronostorm, discard X cards.
Remove all creatures from the game and put X+1 time counters on each of them. At the beginning of each player's upkeep, remove a time counter from each card they own that has been removed this way, then return to play all cards removed this way that do not have any time counters. These creatures have haste.

Can that be trimmed down at all?

[Godder]

Chronostorm
<Cost>
Enchantment
As an additional cost to play ~this~, discard X cards.
Fading X (This comes into play with X Fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a Fade counter from it. If you can't sacrifice it.)
When ~this~ comes into play, remove X target creatures from the game if ~this~ is in play.
When ~this~ leaves play, each player returns to play all cards he or she owns removed from the game with ~this~.

That looks to be roughly what you're aiming for. Of course, now we're going into variable Parallax Waves, which is getting away from the original concept. What was wrong with just returning creatures to their owners' hands?

[jeek]

Chronostorm
<Cost>
Enchantment
As an additional cost to play ~this~, discard X cards.
Fading X (This comes into play with X Fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a Fade counter from it. If you can't sacrifice it.)
When ~this~ comes into play, remove X target creatures from the game if ~this~ is in play.
When ~this~ leaves play, each player returns to play all cards he or she owns removed from the game with ~this~.

That looks to be roughly what you're aiming for. Of course, now we're going into variable Parallax Waves, which is getting away from the original concept. What was wrong with just returning creatures to their owners' hands?

Blue mass bounce seems to be pretty powerful, I was hoping to balance it out by letting the creatures come back into play for free and having your opponents' creatures come back into play first w/haste. How about this angle?

Chronostorm

Enchantment
As an additional cost to play this, discard X cards.
Fading X
When ~this~ comes into play, all creatures phase out.
While ~this~ is in play, permanents don't phase in.

[Matt]

So you remade Parallax Wave in blue?

[jeek]

So you remade Parallax Wave in blue?

Yeah, it's starting to look like that.

Alright, so back to the original Firestorm idea.. but white. Looking to Aurification for the precedent.

Chronostorm
W
Enchantment
Flash
As an additional cost to play ~this~, discard X cards.
When ~this~ comes into play, put X gold counters on each creature in play.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, remove a gold counter from each creature they control.
Creatures with gold counters may not attack, block, or use activated abilities.