It is probably simplest to use Hero cards in other formats by treating them all as 0/1 colorless creatures with a converted mana costs of 0
If all of the targets become illegal, the spell won't resolve
Its consistent, powerful, and flexible
The number in the case of Earthbend, signifies how mana +1+1 counters will be put on a chosen land, which also becomes a creature with haste
If you do, draw X cards, then you may put a permanent card with mana value X or less from your hand onto the battlefield, where X is the sacrificed creature's mana value
Going back a ways for this colorless draw card, it's land from the Cephalid Coliseum Odyssey expansion of Magic: The Gathering