My first attempt at making a White common with a casting cost of 6 or greater that is not a creature went horribly awry. This is not a common, nor is it white, probably. Still, I like it, so I figured I'd post it for the heck of it. Maybe, when we make our expansion, we can put some enchantment creatures in other colors, to represent the exploring the colors are starting to do?

Wow. Yeah, it's pretty rare for there to be a white common with CMC 6 or greater, let alone a noncreature one. I can't remember any white noncreature commons of CMC>=6 in since the modern card face came out. Even outside white there'll be very few: Absorb Vis has an alternate early-game use case. It doesn't seem like a criterion that particularly needs meeting.

Actually, the number is 0, before or after the modern card frame. It's the reason why I've been stretching to make one. Even when white has had the option to create some high cc sorcery, like in Absorb Vis basic landwalking cycle, it chose to make the 5cc instant bomb Gleam of Resistance.

It is odd... like there's some sort of unwritten rule about it. But wizards could easily print something like Urza's Armor and cost it as a common, and reality probably wouldn't break down. Or maybe a 6cc sorcery that said "Gain 9 life". or make three 2/2 Knights. Really, there's plenty of options. I know white is supposed to be the color with cheap threats, but having nothing to do in the late game isn't particularly fun.

I don't think it's a case of having nothing to do in the late game. I think it's more that (a) it's better to make the card have some use earlier in the game too, and (b) if you do choose to go the high-CMC route, such cards don't need to be very plentiful, hence don't need to be common.

For examples of (a), consider Shade of Trokair, Bold Defense, or Apex Hawks. These are all commons that can use 7+ mana (in two cases can use arbitrary amounts of mana) in the late game. But they can be cast on turn 3-4 as well if you need to. That just seems better design to me than making a 9-cost sorcery with no early-game use at common.

The kicker and shade examples do make good contrasts, and it's true, they do make good design choices. Personally, I still like the occasional, goofy, underwhelming, over-costed common. One of the more annoying parts about playing Magic with a collection of commons is the inability to 'punch through' with something big. In many blocks, that huge fireball style effect just doesn't pop up, except in Green, and mostly on creatures.

This makes sense from the point of Magic as a teaching tool. When new players approach the game, they often focus on the most powerful spells, because they have no understanding of effecient mana cost. As they collect more cards, and presumably, get better at the game, they have access to cards with a higher casting cost, but can better appreciate the types of decks that can handle those cards.

Unfortunately, though, this model doesn't take into consideration players who open a lot of packs and play with the cards they open, reduces depth in limited and fights against the new player's instinct to play with the cards he would imagine to be the most fun. It's a balancing act, I know, and making cards like Resounding Silence does a good job of keeping that balance in check. But, on a rare occasion, I like the idea of putting my thumb on the wrong side of the scale, to freshen the game and watch the environment ripple.

This ability seems more like it would be seen among the Aer.