Magic is one of my favorite things about a fantasy setting. You are not bound to the laws we know of and you can rewrite basic physics and reality to whatever you want. Also, building the world around it is extremely fun.
I like ping-pongs between harder and softer magic systems, but my favorite hard-leaning magic system has to be bending from Avatar. There are four elements, most people who can bend get one, and they can really stretch them out.
As for softer magic systems, I enjoy when it helps to make the world function. So far, I kind of enjoy the Owl House. Sure there are glyphs that harden it, but there are some branches like healing and construction that make it seem more like these magic covens are divided like labor guilds, rather than strictly element.
I have a real soft spot for when games translate the idea of "magic is complex and you can fuck it up" into actual mechanics. Magicka gives you 8 keys to combine elements, 4 keys to pick a target/spell shape, no mana or cooldown limitations, and zero friendly fire protection.
Even if you know what you're doing you can still fatfinger a key and accidentally heal enemies, brain yourself with a rock, yeet your party because someone wandered into someone else's water mines. Gamble on a thunderstorm and explode your buddy, then electrocute yourself trying to fix your mistake because Revive is electric magic, you rain-drenched dumbass.
Death and resurrection is cheap, you're a party of bumbling wizards constantly tripping over each others' dicks, and the whole world is extremely goofy and absurd to match that inherent comedy.
God I loved the chaos of Magicka but I never managed to finish a playthrough
I fully understand I've got a specific brainworm to have dumped over 100 hours into it :wizard:
On a separate note I forgot to mention that enemies also have no friendly fire protection, so it's common to see goblins get turned into pasta sauce by their own grenades or a troll's club