If you aren't going to have a land drop next turn and you bounce the land you tapped to play this it's actually a functional counterspell. With land drop in this set this is icing on the cake. you can easily turn this drawback into an advantage.
True_Smog
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(7 votes)
It's still not a Counterspell, but It's a step in the right direction. Still waiting for Counterspell, though.
chrishocker
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Sure, it's not that great on turn two, but keeping two mana open is way more doable than keeping three mana open.
AngelxLegna
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
I like it.
HairlessThoctar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I know this isn't as bad as some people think it is, but I still think it's pretty bad. Even including Halimar Depths shenanigans.
As someone who needs his land drops, I don't much see the use of this...It's better late-game, but if you're playing blue your late game is defined by what you've countered up to this point, so why run this when you should be running counters that are more consistent to your fragile mana base?
Kataklyzmik
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Combine with Stasis, Fastbond, grazing gladeheart. Really, just nice for GU lockdown/landfall.
EvilCleavage
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
This is great!! With landfall, this can be amazing! put a few of these and a couple other counterspells that don't bounce land for earlier in the game. I love it, it's almost nostalgic because of the
TheGodOfWar91
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
A lot better than most people think.
ThadeGelna
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(8 votes)
Used it today in the pre-release. Turn 4 on, this card was insanely powerful. How good do you feel when your opponent spends 8+ (thanks Eldrazi) and you say "no" for 2? Pretty good my friends, pretty good. They'll never make Counterspell again, but this is a great card for the Blue Mage...
spectermonger
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
counterspell for landfall
agalloch
★★★☆☆ (4.0/5.0)(13 votes)
Not "strictly" better than Cancel nor "strictly" worse than Counterspell. There are situations when this is worse than Cancel, and there are situations where it is better than Counterspell. Those situations won't pop up too often, so I will say it is better than Cancel but worse than Counterspell, just not "strictly".
This is better played on later turns when you can afford the land bounce. The land bounce will hurt you early on, but on later turns, this is better than Cancel since you only have to keep two mana free. Also, this is highly playable in situations where you can abuse landfall.
4/5
SleetFox
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
This is usually strictly worse than Counterspell, but it has its advantages. Bouncing a land can be beneficial when using landfall, and it also works well with Halimar Depths, which is even in color! Besides, decks running counterspells are by nature much more likely to make it into the late game than most decks. One land at that point is not really a big deal, especially since you can play it again later.
But more importantly is how it compares to "new" counterspells. Well, name a recent universal hard counter for two mana that's better than this. I thought so. When running this over Cancel, you get an additional land you can tap during your turn if you want to be on guard for key spells. When running this over the situational counters, you have more space in your deck and fewer chances of having the wrong counterspell.
I love this card, and while it's no Counterspell, we need to get over that mindset. Counterspell is dead. Cancel is the new standard. Playable but not excessively desirable. This is better than Cancel; this is good. Should we criticize all draw spells for not being Ancestral Recall? Actually, I have heard blue mages do just that, but rational ones know better. Divination is the standard, just like Cancel is now.
If I don't get 4 of these from booster packs, I sure as heck will drop the extra quarter to get them next time I buy cards online. Hooray for great utility commons!
coyotemoon722
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
G/U deck, here I come!!
True_Mumin
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(10 votes)
Pretty good. You're almost there, Wizards! Keep it up!
izzet_guild_mage
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
It costs two, but it's no second turn counter. Anywho, I like.
ArchangelTsuya
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I run this is my G/U landfall deck, it's fantastic, especially with walking atlas and oracle of mul daya
Cheza
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(4 votes)
The drawback is reasonable. Still I don't like counterspells without any constraints. This feels not right for the blue power of mind. Feels more like a "fire & forget" sort of spell.
cloneffect
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is fun stuff. Not a run-four-of card, because early game it isn't great unless you have some way to play multiple lands per turn, but something that could and should find a couple of slots in most decks running plenty of blue. The "drawback", BTW, has the potential to become absolutely evil in any deck looking to abuse the landfall mechanic.
"Cast your massive eldrazi? Ooh, I counter that, and even better, next turn my 3 hedron crabs are going to mercilessly mill you again..." - and so forth. Good synergy with tideforce elemental, angel of emeria, that landfall baloth (rampaging?), etc. Teams well with halimar depths. Congrats to WOTC: no, this is not counterspell, but it's a fun card that forces blue mages to THINK, which, given the nature of blue, is exactly what they should be doing anyway. I'd like to see Mana leak return - to slow the game down as much as anything else - but as far as the rest of the modern counterspells go, this is very, very decent indeed. 4/5.
yesnomu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It means I have to keep fewer lands open to scare my opponents with, and often that's all that matters. Much like a nuclear weapon (or deathtouch blocker), the threat is enough to be a great deterrent. Thanks for the extra mana, Wizards.
Razmataz24
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This can be a surprisingly good counter but the drawback will force this card to a max of 2 per deck or a SB card. I have mainboarded 4 in my UW control and I found that drawing it early instead of a different counter hurt me me quite a bit. Missing a land drop per say can be doom for control.
However for GB Polymorph this card is nothting short of amazing. Counter a counter for 2 return a garden or depths and most likely still have land advantage if your poly couldn't get through.
Overall late game when you have your mana set this rocks but early paying 3 for cancel is better.
2.5/5 cause its draw can hurt. I would rather take damage and counter than lose a land on the board.
Vinifera7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It would have been nice in Zendikar or Worldwake where it would actually benefit from Landfall interactions.
I'm dying for the day someone plays a Spreading Seas on my other land in a U/Whatever deck, then I cancel their next spell and destroy the enchantment with this guy. :D :D
5/5 in the current set because of Landfall. Huge synergy with a number of strong blue creatures including Roil Elemental and Windrider Eel.
Sorin__Markov
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ok in mono blue, this card is amazing. Its no counterspell, this is true, but in blue control, returning a land to your hand really doesnt matter, and can sometimes, be very uselful. Its really a great card. 5/5
CaptainRendezvous
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At first, I, like probably the majority of standard-playing blue mages out there, saw this card and thought: Okay, it's alright. Definitely not a Counterspell, but it might be a little useful. So wrong. I put three in my UW control (along with four negates), had one and a playset of Flashfreeze sideboarded. By the end of the night, I was almost always wanting the fourth Deprive maindecked, even over some of the flashfreezes against red and green decks. Of course, I was also running Regress, letting me bounce anything that I needed to, until the land back to hand was not a problem. Just don't underestimate this card. I know it looks "meh," but it really does work well in Standard. 4.0/5.0 for Eldrazi standard.
BiOhyBr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@agalloch The only scinerio I can think of where this is better than counterspell is when someone has used a contaminated ground on one of your lands. Play this, counter whatever it is you are countering, and effectivly destroy their enchantment.
Eved
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Remember that you can return one of the lands you tapped to pay it's casting cost.
As has already been said, great with landfall abilities. I'm looking at you Roil Elemental.
MagicHobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card so many lands to bounce back Halimat Depths and Sejiri Refuge age my favorites, add in prot fron enchant lands?, golden. Late game this feels better than Counterspell.
When you realize that counterspell isn't getting reprinted this card suddenly begins to look better and better. In a world where the most versatile counter was cancel, then arose deprive and mana leak...
And plus there are plenty of decent counters like countersquall and hinder light.
not strictly better than Cancel, but certainly infinitely so
Salohkin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
I think this card is servery under rated. Anyone who hasn't tried the Halimar Depths trick just can't get it. You get to fish for your next counter spell or your Sphinx of Magosi. I played against a mono-U counter deck that had four of these and four Halimar Depths and it was far more powerful than expecting. I think in the right deck this is more powerful than counterspell, but only in the right deck.
sarroth
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Counterspell isn't ever going to get reprinted in a set that would be Standard legal. Sure, you'll see it in duel decks, but never anything else. Get used to seeing functional reprints like this. At least with recent ones like this, Unified Will and Scars of Mirrodin's upcoming Stoic Rebuttal we know that Wizards is getting better at making functional reprints for all kinds of players. Solid 3/5. Glad to see this thing made.
Narim
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card has incredible potential in any landfall deck... hell, if you're not running landfall fully, just your Hedron Crab and Halimar Depth will love this card so much. Not that you counter some spell, you can scry 3 (well, not exactly, but...) and mill your opponent for 3... how it's not good?
The only disadvantage is that it will slow you a little in an early game... but that what you have Mana Leak for. I absolutelly love this, best hard counterspell after original Counterspell
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Becomes much better when you realize that Wizards isn't gonna reprint Counterspell, making this cheaper than the competition.
Great counter in the mid to late game, when you won't really care about the land going back to your hand. Early on, though, it can slow your tempo. Still, 2 blue to counter anything (with no option for your opponent to get out of it, save a counter of their own) is as good as blue counters get. 4/5
JackBauer24
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Maybe the closest to counterspell we will ever see... Not as specific as stoic rebuttal P.s.: Cancel stinks ;)
Return Glimmerpost to your hand in a Cloudpost/Glimmerpost deck. Gain a bunch of life for putting it back out.
sly92
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
great middle - late game counter 5/5
tcollins
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
As close as we'll get to counterspell for a while.. although most control deck would prefer to see counterspell back in standard, this can trigger landfall and can be used to bounce a land with a beneficial effect back to your hand (such as Halimar Depths)
divine_exodus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm thinking of adding this to a landfall deck i'm making. Thoughts?
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
nice in aggro to counter sweepers and such. Unfortunately monoblue aggro is harder than it sounds to play in standard.
JFM2796
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I run three in my Mono Blue Control. Mana Leak works early game, but late game this is what you want. Bounce Halimar Depths when you can spare the land or, if they cast something during your turn and you haven't played a land, use this and return an Island that you tapped for mana and then just play the land again. In that rare scenario, it is better than Counterspell. One of the few good cards out of Rise of the Eldrazi. 4.5*
DacenOctavio
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Deprive {U}{U}
Counter target spell, then choose one -- Exile all cards from target player's graveyard, or you gain 1 life, or you gain 2 life, or look at the top 3 cards of your library then put them back in any order, or put a 0/1 green Plant creature token onto the battlefield, or target player loses 1 life, or target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn, or target creature can't block this turn, or target creature gains flying until end of turn, or target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn, or target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn, or Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle deals 3 damage to target creature or player, or you may pay {2}; if you do, draw a card.
Shiny_Umbreon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't know what this card is doing in ROE. It sets you back in a format that wants you to ramp. Plus, it makes a ton more sense in Zendikar or Worldwake with landfall around. It would have been nice to pull the Halimar Depths trick in Limited, too.
gman92
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Landfall. Oh, and also waiting until you have no land in your hand (which can happen fairly often in Blue, I'd say) and then casting it for what is essentially free.
LordOfTheFlies87
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Lovely. Reprint please.
adrian.malacoda
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This was probably not in Zendikar/Worldwake precisely because it synergizes too well with landfall and lands with ETB effects.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Its a counterspell that gets stronger as the game progresses. And if you run Halimar Depths, you can soften the drawback up a bit.
Comments (55)
Still waiting for Counterspell, though.
Even including Halimar Depths shenanigans.
I'd rather take my chances with Negate, Essence Scatter, or Flashfreeze.
This is better played on later turns when you can afford the land bounce. The land bounce will hurt you early on, but on later turns, this is better than Cancel since you only have to keep two mana free. Also, this is highly playable in situations where you can abuse landfall.
4/5
But more importantly is how it compares to "new" counterspells. Well, name a recent universal hard counter for two mana that's better than this. I thought so. When running this over Cancel, you get an additional land you can tap during your turn if you want to be on guard for key spells. When running this over the situational counters, you have more space in your deck and fewer chances of having the wrong counterspell.
I love this card, and while it's no Counterspell, we need to get over that mindset. Counterspell is dead. Cancel is the new standard. Playable but not excessively desirable. This is better than Cancel; this is good. Should we criticize all draw spells for not being Ancestral Recall? Actually, I have heard blue mages do just that, but rational ones know better. Divination is the standard, just like Cancel is now.
If I don't get 4 of these from booster packs, I sure as heck will drop the extra quarter to get them next time I buy cards online. Hooray for great utility commons!
"Cast your massive eldrazi? Ooh, I counter that, and even better, next turn my 3 hedron crabs are going to mercilessly mill you again..." - and so forth. Good synergy with tideforce elemental, angel of emeria, that landfall baloth (rampaging?), etc. Teams well with halimar depths. Congrats to WOTC: no, this is not counterspell, but it's a fun card that forces blue mages to THINK, which, given the nature of blue, is exactly what they should be doing anyway. I'd like to see Mana leak return - to slow the game down as much as anything else - but as far as the rest of the modern counterspells go, this is very, very decent indeed. 4/5.
However for GB Polymorph this card is nothting short of amazing. Counter a counter for 2 return a garden or depths and most likely still have land advantage if your poly couldn't get through.
Overall late game when you have your mana set this rocks but early paying 3 for cancel is better.
2.5/5 cause its draw can hurt. I would rather take damage and counter than lose a land on the board.
5/5 in the current set because of Landfall. Huge synergy with a number of strong blue creatures including Roil Elemental and Windrider Eel.
Just don't underestimate this card. I know it looks "meh," but it really does work well in Standard.
4.0/5.0 for Eldrazi standard.
The only scinerio I can think of where this is better than counterspell is when someone has used a contaminated ground on one of your lands. Play this, counter whatever it is you are countering, and effectivly destroy their enchantment.
As has already been said, great with landfall abilities. I'm looking at you Roil Elemental.
And plus there are plenty of decent counters like countersquall and hinder light.
The only disadvantage is that it will slow you a little in an early game... but that what you have Mana Leak for. I absolutelly love this, best hard counterspell after original Counterspell
P.s.: Cancel stinks ;)
Counter target spell, then choose one -- Exile all cards from target player's graveyard, or you gain 1 life, or you gain 2 life, or look at the top 3 cards of your library then put them back in any order, or put a 0/1 green Plant creature token onto the battlefield, or target player loses 1 life, or target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn, or target creature can't block this turn, or target creature gains flying until end of turn, or target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn, or target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn, or Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle deals 3 damage to target creature or player, or you may pay {2}; if you do, draw a card.
Oh, and also waiting until you have no land in your hand (which can happen fairly often in Blue, I'd say) and then casting it for what is essentially free.