This is a great card, but I feel like half of you are greatly exaggerating how good it is. Treetop Village is not much worse, and 2 mana to regenerate is not an insignificant cost.
And I don't think leaving up 5 mana per turn to stop one attacker if its toughness is less than 4 is really strong. It seems like a fantastic way to fall behind.
Of all the times I've cast old Kozilek, a huge number of them have been with only one or two cards in hand. If you've got more than that in hand at ten mana, it's because you're already drawing lots of cards. Draw to seven is probably much better in practice than a draw for on a card this expensive.
613.3a Layer 7a: Effects from characteristic-defining abilities that define power and/or toughness are applied. See rule 604.3.
613.3b Layer 7b: Effects that set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value are applied. Effects that refer to the base power and/or toughness of a creature apply in this layer.
613.3c Layer 7c: Effects that modify power and/or toughness (but don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value) are applied.
613.3d Layer 7d: Power and/or toughness changes from counters are applied. See rule 121, “Counters.”
If it applies in layer 7b, it should probably say "Creatures you control with base power and toughness 1/1 have base power and toughness 2/3", which is wonky and not so Pendelhaveny.
If it applies in layer 7c, it can say "+1/+2", but it can't really depend on power and toughness.
It might be simpler if it said "at the beginning of your upkeep, 1/1 creatures you control get +1/+2 until end of turn" or something less permanent.
Either way, the card might possibly be too good to print at that cost, since it works so well with things like Delver of Secrets and Lingering Souls.
I think it's worth remembering that filter lands and pain lands will work very will with cards like this, as they tap for colorless while also fixing your mana. If you're willing to run those kinds of lands, I can see this being a worthwhile pick. But I wouldn't even consider it if I have to rely only only on things like Mutavault mana rocks.
Mana Sap 1UU
Instant
Counter target spell. At the beginning of your next main phase, add 1 to your mana pool.
And something fun:
Index of the Void 1
Legendary Artifact
Pay 5 life, 5, T, exile ~: Exile target spell or permanent.
Generally, I find planeswalkers really boring to design, but I really want another Sulfuric Vortex.
Volusto the Abominable 1BR
Planeswalker -- Volusto
+2: Each player loses 2 life.
-0: Target creature gains +2/+0 and haste until end of turn.
-7: Each opponent discards his or her hand.
Starting Loyalty: 3
Pendelhbird 2W
Creature -- bird
Flying
Other 1/1 creatures you control get +1/+2. 3W, T: Put a 1/1 white bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/3
Blackcaster Mage 1B
Creature -- Human Wizard
Intimidate
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose target creature card in your graveyard. Until end of turn, you may cast that card from your graveyard.
2/1
You don't have to put counters on those things before they become creatures. You can activate your mutavault, then put +1/+1 counters on it. The ability to do it in the opposite order is an entirely marginal advantage.
Yea, I also strongly disagree about breaking the color pie. We all know that artifacts can do most, if not have access into each of the colors' abilities and such. The caveat is that they tend to be expensive effects.
Hence why I said "a bit." I just don't see how spending 1WUBG should give you access to 4x Shock.
Things like Ingest and Infect are really parasitic, but they are at least functional mechanics that interact with other things. If <> requires wastes, then this Kozilek will see almost zero play outside of its format. That's not the kind of characteristic you want to attach to a flagship card.
It's unwanted because it doesn't show you why you'd want to do it, not because it doesn't make sense under the rules of the game. Earthen Arms makes it clear that you can turn lands into creatures, as the card has the ability to do that right on it. It's there because it's necessary for how the card works, and WotC probably spent a reasonable amount of effort trying to find a way to avoid it.
Tablet of Oaths has the problem in that it can't animate any non-creature permanents, and that you could just as easily animate them before putting counters on them. So why would you put counters on a non-creature permanent? You'd have to have some effect that makes permanents into 0/0 creatures, otherwise it doesn't do anything except offer a marginal or needless option.
I'm not sure they would want to print something that allowed you to dump +1/+1 counters on arbitrary permanents. It seems like a confusing design. Other than that, it seems like a strong card for 5-colors, though it breaks the color pie a bit. And there are plenty of good options for expensive artifacts for 5-color decks, and most of them don't see any play.
Master Burglar 1UR
Creature -- Human Rogue
Whenever ~ deals damage to a player, draw a card.
Discard a card: ~ gets +1/+0 and can't be blocked until end of turn.
2/2
Mana Wok 3
Artifact T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add 3 to your mana pool. Spend this mana only on activated abilities of permanents you control or costs that contain X.
It's possible that they designed this to be a wide-reaching, general change, but are using the block to present it because it fits the flavor, and because, if it flops, they can just leave it in the block as a temporary mechanic. On the other hand, if it's successful, it would still be functional enough to become a permanent feature.
It seems to me that making introducing a permanent change in this way is win-win, while making it a block-specific mechanic that can't function outside the block is would be questionable, if not for the fact that Wastes is not a card you'll want to play in most blocks. It would have to be printed in basic land slots or not at all. (Though I suppose neither of those are a major problem. I just can't imagine what message would be sent by opening one of these in a Khans pack, for instance.)
There's also the fact that Zendikar is a lands block, and thus can handle some insular land mechanics, but I just don't see that satisfying very many people.
And I don't think leaving up 5 mana per turn to stop one attacker if its toughness is less than 4 is really strong. It seems like a fantastic way to fall behind.
If it applies in layer 7b, it should probably say "Creatures you control with base power and toughness 1/1 have base power and toughness 2/3", which is wonky and not so Pendelhaveny.
If it applies in layer 7c, it can say "+1/+2", but it can't really depend on power and toughness.
It might be simpler if it said "at the beginning of your upkeep, 1/1 creatures you control get +1/+2 until end of turn" or something less permanent.
Either way, the card might possibly be too good to print at that cost, since it works so well with things like Delver of Secrets and Lingering Souls.
Mana Sap 1UU
Instant
Counter target spell. At the beginning of your next main phase, add 1 to your mana pool.
And something fun:
Index of the Void 1
Legendary Artifact
Pay 5 life, 5, T, exile ~: Exile target spell or permanent.
Generally, I find planeswalkers really boring to design, but I really want another Sulfuric Vortex.
Volusto the Abominable 1BR
Planeswalker -- Volusto
+2: Each player loses 2 life.
-0: Target creature gains +2/+0 and haste until end of turn.
-7: Each opponent discards his or her hand.
Starting Loyalty: 3
Creature -- bird
Flying
Other 1/1 creatures you control get +1/+2.
3W, T: Put a 1/1 white bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/3
Creature -- Human Wizard
Intimidate
When ~ enters the battlefield, choose target creature card in your graveyard. Until end of turn, you may cast that card from your graveyard.
2/1
Hence why I said "a bit." I just don't see how spending 1WUBG should give you access to 4x Shock.
Tablet of Oaths has the problem in that it can't animate any non-creature permanents, and that you could just as easily animate them before putting counters on them. So why would you put counters on a non-creature permanent? You'd have to have some effect that makes permanents into 0/0 creatures, otherwise it doesn't do anything except offer a marginal or needless option.
Master Burglar 1UR
Creature -- Human Rogue
Whenever ~ deals damage to a player, draw a card.
Discard a card: ~ gets +1/+0 and can't be blocked until end of turn.
2/2
Artifact
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T: Add 3 to your mana pool. Spend this mana only on activated abilities of permanents you control or costs that contain X.
It seems to me that making introducing a permanent change in this way is win-win, while making it a block-specific mechanic that can't function outside the block is would be questionable, if not for the fact that Wastes is not a card you'll want to play in most blocks. It would have to be printed in basic land slots or not at all. (Though I suppose neither of those are a major problem. I just can't imagine what message would be sent by opening one of these in a Khans pack, for instance.)
There's also the fact that Zendikar is a lands block, and thus can handle some insular land mechanics, but I just don't see that satisfying very many people.