Mono white and Azorius have been lagging at the bottom of popularity for a while now and especially in recent years as these colors have struggled to find a socially acceptable identity in the format, and other colors lean even heavier into their strengths of card and/or mana advantage or quick aggro. (My friends Gruhl deck can do 40 combat damage on turn 3 with largely budget friendly cards).
While there are certainly some great white cards Esper Sentinel Smothering Tithe and many other format staples, rarely do you see a mono white deck, and even rarer do you see it win. The same goes for Azorius as it continues to be a fairly underdog color combo.
I can only assume wizards is reluctant to print powerful cards in these colors due to the unpopularity of control and stax in the format as these are some of the colors primary strengths.
White is a great companion color, but falls behind inherently due to its own restrictions in what it's allowed to do as well as the focus on the unpopular theme of control that it has had historically.
I think a big reason you see so few mono white decks is the lack of exciting commanders. There is also a ceiling for power level. Sram, Senior Edificer is about as powerful as we get in terms of card advantage, while Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite Avacyn, Angel of Hope and God-Eternal Oketra are the ceiling as far as board presence go.
As the format gets faster and faster and efficient card draw and ramp become ever more prevalent, even in the command zone I believe the need for tax, stax, and control is greater than ever for a healthy format. The question is how do we normalize these archetypes and strategies in a way that isn't too oppressive?
I think the word "can't" is pretty much a no-go, as is mass land destruction or major mana restriction.
The following card is an attempt in this direction. It plays into the control aspect of the colors without outright using the words "can't" which I think is the most contentious aspect of that archetype.
I also really like the idea of gaining advantage from my opponents actions on their turns while keeping them in check.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade is fairly similar but as I said before this is kind of stax/control that isn't fun to play against and so draws hate from the rest of the table.Eyhra, Wings of the Fallen
Flying, vigilance, flash
At the beginning of each end step, you may return target card from your graveyard to your hand with mana value equal to or less than the number of cards drawn by target opponent this turn greater than one. Any player may pay 2 to counter this ability.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell with mana value greater than the number of lands you control, you may untap a land you control. That land produces an additional or until the end of your next turn.
2/5