Balancing quanta cost

[silux]

In my opinion

Any card has 3 main kind of cost to be played:

• Randomness(or to have the card in hand)
• Card cost(every card you play costs you a card)
• Quanta cost(if you don't have enough quanta you can't play it)

Randomness cost is how many copies of a card you can have in hand(default is 6)(pillars can have max 60 copies).

Because I can't read Zanzarino's mind, I tried to write down what a card can do at the same cost.

What a card can do without paying quantum(unupped environment)
Spark: 3 damage, trigger death
Photon: 1damage per turn, 1life
Nova: add 1 quantum per element
Pillar: add 1 chosen quantum at end turn(60 copies max)

What quantum cost can do without paying cards
2time: see opponents hand
1time 1light: prevent any creature damage for 1 turn
Cost of the ability: Use that ability if that creature or permanent which has that ability is in play.

Any comment is appreciated(included: 'Stop posting crap!')

[OldTrees]

First Topic by Phantom Fox (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,10994.0.html)
Card costs derived from unupped creatures in game

Second Topic by OldTrees (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,16655.0.html)
Card costs derived from unupped and upgraded creatures in game
A direct continuation/expansion of thread 1
Elemental Weapons added
Also has other information on card design

Third Topic by ZBlader (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,18577.0.html)
Used the previous two threads as a baseline but added his own opinions.
Currently still competing with thread 2.
Also has entries on other details of card design

Costs:
1) Casting Cost (Cost to play from your hand.)
2) Activation Cost (Cost to use an ability.)
3) Upkeep Cost (Cost to prevent destruction. See Flood.)

Types of currency:
Elemental Quanta (The standard currency. Translate all other costs into this for easier comparison.)
Random Quanta (Less valuable than Elemental Quanta. The exchange rate is debated between R+1=E through 3R=E.)
Draws (Very common currency. Most cards cost 1 draw the only exception being precognition.)
HP damage (Nova used to cost 10hp and create 2quanta per element. HP costs are hard to judge and are very effect dependant.)
HP drain? (Was suggested recently in the Bloodwork series. Similar difficulty in balancing as HP damage.)
Sacrifice (Cremation and Animate Weapon are the only current examples.)
Deck Slot (Each card cost 1 Deck Slot. However some cards pack more value in each card. Modular spells cost fewer Deck slots for the same versatility.)