It's almost entirely anti-removal tech. Even though i understand that everything that screws their removal for cheap is good... it still feels underwhelming. I'd prefer Confound or Hindering Light to this. But hey, it beats removal, other nasty tricks for only and is strictly better than intervene, so it can't be less than 3/5
Tokosan
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(9 votes)
good card if your crappy deck hinges on one fragile artifact
This card is awesome! If it said targets you OR a permanent you control it would be so good! Still cool though.
Gelzo
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I can see this giving the finger to land destruction. Not that anyone runs land destruction now.
DacenOctavio
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ Gelzo:
Then why is Tectonic Edge so good? Because other people are running Celestial Colonnade. So yeah, people are kind of running land destruction.
DarkTowerEX
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@infernox10: i t has to say "enters the battlefield" effect. Enchantments target first as you cast it so it is still a spell.
Nighthawk42
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Probably 80% of the non-permanents you want to counter target permanents you control so this is useful most games. At its best protecting fragile permanents that the opponent needs to kill. Not quite as flexible as Spell Pierce and Negate but more reliable than one and cheaper to cast than the other.
@infernox10: Yes, it counters enchantments as well as instants and sorceries.
Very fun (although not quite tournament competitive) for keeping my Kiln Fiends and Surrakar Spellblades alive while they use Distortion Strike to go in unblocked, fill my hand with cards and quickly kill the opponent.
mflanaga
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I would love to counter an Into the Core with this. Oh Shelly, your bright colors tantalize my eyeballs.
This is a nice little counter if a specific permanent is key to your strategy. It's a must-have in Kiln Fiend decks.
@infernox10: It's been answered already, but to clarify auras like Pacifism target while they exist as spells on the stack. That means you can counter them with Turn Aside. You can't counter Journey to Nowhere, because it isn't a spell that targets (it's an enchantment with an ability that targets).
BegleOne
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
They took away counterspell, but gave blue this toy. I like that, they're trying to get blue to be more reactive than proactive with counters. In other words they said "Play permanents you stupid blue players! Play permanents already!"
Of course Papa Jace was already the most dominant blue permanent ever and he really didn't need further protection.
It's great in limited, though. I always have a fuzzy feeling with these guys in my hand and a blue open.
Also, if someone is countering one of your permanent spells... is that "targeting a permanent you control" and you can then Turn Aside their counterspell?
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cast this to protect your Knowledge Pool : win at meta Magic.
(You read this and think, meh, but go read what Knowledge Pool specifically does and consider how hard it would be to successfully target the right spell at the right time. Not as simple as a first glance implies!)
JFM2796
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I never knew about this dainty little counterspell. I need to get some of these.
morugatu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is definitely a good card for any deck that doesn't have lots of abilities that make your permanents hexproof or have shroud.
And so everyone is clear, if a spell you cast is countered it is NOT a permanent yet, its still just a spell being cast.
Anyway, this card is nice in my illusion tribal as it just makes it even harder to remove my creatures from play. Its definitely NOT a substitute for a true counter spell though. Its more like an anti-removal spell.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
you probably don't WANT to know about my experiments at the Knowledge Pool random vedalken chick xD Thanks for giving me time to complete My Crushing Masterstroke.
BrianPaone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(6 votes)
People say Mental Misstep was made for Steel Sabotage. Impatient people who don't know how to play Blue, anyway. Patient Blue players know better.
@BrianPaone: Pretty sure DOJ doesn't target. Just sayin'.
Kryptnyt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
No one has said anything, but this art screams "leftover from alara." Mirrodin is a plane of metal, but I don't remember anything about etherium! If you look closely, this vedalken woman is almost completely metallic, something Mirrans typically can't say, and she has those hollow limbs. Her countering magic seems to be etherium too, but they could say it was water from the quicksilver sea, I guess. @BrianPaone Not a single one of your instances is a legal target for this spell. Day of Judgement, Slagstorm, and Armageddon are all spells that don't require targets. You're definitely going to want to take some time to learn how Magic cards work before you decide to label yourself as "patient."
MechaKraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the spell you use when your opponent won't stop casting Oblivion Rings or Dismembers on your creatures.
It is very well costed for what it does, instant speed, and most people don't expect it because Mana Leak is the more popular counter, even though the opponent can pay 3 to cancel it, which they usually do in the late game. 5 stars for being an incredible, essential utility card in blue aggro/combo decks.
Neo1715
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Kryptnyt Maybe it was leftover art, but Mirrodin is supposed to be something of a zoo anyways, since it is an artificial plane and everything living on it was brought in or made by Karn.
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Supernator13: No if you play a card, it acts as a spell (not a permanent) till it enters the battlefield. Then it becomes a permanent. So you can't Turn Aside a counter.
@Brianpaone: Read the rules of magic a few times.
Blackworm_Bloodworm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It makes much more sense to have this card in blue as opposed to white, not just because it's a counterspell, but primarily because there was no point in using Rebuff the Wicked when protection spells like Emerge Unscathed, Faith's Shield and Brave the Elements do the same thing and more with additional flexibility in use.
MageofVoid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@MechaKraken: I know you were just using common examples, but it's important to note that Turn Aside does _not_ actually stop Oblivion Ring, because Oblivion Ring does not target as a spell. It only targets as a permanent, and that's as a triggered ability, with the trigger being as soon as it enters the battlefield. So if you had something like Voidslime, you could counter either the spell, or the activated ability after it enters the battlefield, if for some reason you still wanted the enchantment to enter the battlefield.
Comments (28)
yeah im lookin at you infinite myr guys
Then why is Tectonic Edge so good? Because other people are running Celestial Colonnade. So yeah, people are kind of running land destruction.
@infernox10: Yes, it counters enchantments as well as instants and sorceries.
Very fun (although not quite tournament competitive) for keeping my Kiln Fiends and Surrakar Spellblades alive while they use Distortion Strike to go in unblocked, fill my hand with cards and quickly kill the opponent.
@infernox10: It's been answered already, but to clarify auras like Pacifism target while they exist as spells on the stack. That means you can counter them with Turn Aside. You can't counter Journey to Nowhere, because it isn't a spell that targets (it's an enchantment with an ability that targets).
Of course Papa Jace was already the most dominant blue permanent ever and he really didn't need further protection.
It's great in limited, though. I always have a fuzzy feeling with these guys in my hand and a blue open.
Also, if someone is countering one of your permanent spells... is that "targeting a permanent you control" and you can then Turn Aside their counterspell?
(You read this and think, meh, but go read what Knowledge Pool specifically does and consider how hard it would be to successfully target the right spell at the right time. Not as simple as a first glance implies!)
And so everyone is clear, if a spell you cast is countered it is NOT a permanent yet, its still just a spell being cast.
Anyway, this card is nice in my illusion tribal as it just makes it even harder to remove my creatures from play. Its definitely NOT a substitute for a true counter spell though. Its more like an anti-removal spell.
Day of Judgment? That's cute. Turn Aside.
Slagstorm targeting creatures? Simply adorable. Turn Aside.
Armageddon? Not even for the Mayans. Turn Aside.
Anything that targets so much as a single permanent of any type that I control and I don't like the spell?
Yep. You guessed it. Turn Aside.
5/5
@BrianPaone
Not a single one of your instances is a legal target for this spell. Day of Judgement, Slagstorm, and Armageddon are all spells that don't require targets. You're definitely going to want to take some time to learn how Magic cards work before you decide to label yourself as "patient."
It is very well costed for what it does, instant speed, and most people don't expect it because Mana Leak is the more popular counter, even though the opponent can pay 3 to cancel it, which they usually do in the late game. 5 stars for being an incredible, essential utility card in blue aggro/combo decks.
Maybe it was leftover art, but Mirrodin is supposed to be something of a zoo anyways, since it is an artificial plane and everything living on it was brought in or made by Karn.
@Brianpaone: Read the rules of magic a few times.
I know you were just using common examples, but it's important to note that Turn Aside does _not_ actually stop Oblivion Ring, because Oblivion Ring does not target as a spell. It only targets as a permanent, and that's as a triggered ability, with the trigger being as soon as it enters the battlefield. So if you had something like Voidslime, you could counter either the spell, or the activated ability after it enters the battlefield, if for some reason you still wanted the enchantment to enter the battlefield.