Nexus of Winds

[DubDub]

Initial wording:

Nexus of Winds
Land
 : Add   to your mana pool.  This mana does not empty from your mana pool at the end of steps and phases in the normal way.  (It still leaves your mana pool if used in casting a spell or activating an ability.)

An extra mana in future turns with the opportunity cost of the   you could have now.  This seems like decent acceleration for unpowered formats without being unfair.  Note that the ability for the mana to stay in your pool is tied to the mana added, not to the land, so you don't lose the mana if the land is destroyed (or, that was my intent).

Current wording:

Nexus of Winds
Land
Nexus of Winds enters the battlefield tapped.
 : Add   to your mana pool.  This mana does not empty from your mana pool at the end of steps and phases in the normal way.  (It still leaves your mana pool if used in casting a spell or activating an ability.)

[Wagner]

I think this is pretty good and pretty balanced actually. It's like the stock lands from Coldsnap, but without the mana requirement of the colors.

Though I do think it's a little too strong as it is, allowing you for easy 3 mana on turn 2. Maybe CiPT would fix this.

I do like the idea, but really, I think just adding counters on it would be more elegant, yet less original and powerful.

Basically, just a Kyren Toy as a land with no cost or activation.

[DubDub]

I suppose for the Legacy context this enables turn two Show and Tells out of a hand with only two lands and no other accelerant.  That's pretty strong.  ETBT seems like a wise addition.

[Delha]

Speaking of stocklands and Kyren Toy, is there any reason this land isn't using a similar mechanic? Seems like cleaner way of getting the same end result, plus you now have interaction with all the spells/abilities that add or remove counters, and add a measure of risk to saving up.

T2 Show and Tell is already pretty easy, isn't it? Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors provide double colorless without having to be your first drop. I do think that ETBT is necessary to balance this (and honestly might still be too strong), but I'm more worried about Standard than Legacy. This card is pretty much the single most efficient mana battery ever printed. I don't think that matters so much to formats with lots of strong acceleration already, but when you've got a smaller cardpool available, I could see it becoming an issue.

Side note: This rocks hard for Shops. Was that intended?

[DubDub]

Speaking of stocklands and Kyren Toy, is there any reason this land isn't using a similar mechanic? Seems like cleaner way of getting the same end result, plus you now have interaction with all the spells/abilities that add or remove counters, and add a measure of risk to saving up.

I had intended there to be a benefit to using the mana ability even if you get Wastelanded.  The Toy template doesn't allow for that.

T2 Show and Tell is already pretty easy, isn't it? Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors provide double colorless without having to be your first drop. I do think that ETBT is necessary to balance this (and honestly might still be too strong), but I'm more worried about Standard than Legacy. This card is pretty much the single most efficient mana battery ever printed. I don't think that matters so much to formats with lots of strong acceleration already, but when you've got a smaller cardpool available, I could see it becoming an issue.

Good point.  Still, better to have only 8 ways to get turn two  just from lands than 12.  I don't usually think of the Standard context because I don't play Standard.  I'm generally trying to hit the sweet spot of 'Vintage playable', which at times means 'too good for Standard'.

Side note: This rocks hard for Shops. Was that intended?

Actually I was thinking of this as a way to break out of Stax locks.  Play this (when it ETB Untapped), activate it under Trinisphere.  It dies to Wasteland.  Repeat.  Play Island (or a dual, etc.) and have  available to break out.  Unfortunately most of the things that are good against Stax are good in Shops.  With ETBT this land does less for escaping a lock than a Spirit Guide would in most cases.  Too bad.