Dramatic Magic, Formulaic creation, and Foci

People often say that a good magic system needs to have a cost, but what really is a cost? And is it true? Well that depends on your definition,which varies far more than reasonable. But perhaps another interesting question to ask would be wether or not your cost is too dramatic, as I've seen a trend of making magic dramatic to raise the stakes seem almost mandatory to some. So join me as we take a look at these two questions and the implications on the community due to even having to ask them.