Pointed Discussion

Blue seams really strong in this format. Counterspell at common?!?

Also notice how it was uncommon in ME2

Timetwister pales in comparison to the true power of this card.

I'm being serious.

Timetwister's the only one of the Power Nine that has the potential to benefit your opponent more than it benefits you.

What of Counterspell? It owns whatever plan your opponent was planning. It's ubiquitously excellent.

I believe Counterspell, not Timetwister, should be recognized as the true ninth member of the Power Nine.

Counterspell ftw.

@AmericanVigor; not likely, since no matter how good counterspell is, mana drain will just always look better.
And Timetwister draws you 7 cards, theres nothing wrong with that in the deck you put it in. It may be the sleeper card on the P9 but it belongs there.

LOL this is rated higher than Mana Drain

@ AmericanVigor:

Some stuff just can't be countered.

*** classic, everytime someone plays cancel I laugh at them, I tell them cancel only exists so that you can have moar counterspells in your deck, your not supposed to put them in unless you already have 4 of these.

I absolutely love the implications this card has from a flavor perspective. "So apparently God judged the world and decided it was in need of purification. His only problem? He didn't ask me first! Bwahahahaha!"


@supershawn
"*** classic, everytime someone plays cancel I laugh at them, I tell them cancel only exists so that you can have moar counterspells in your deck, your not supposed to put them in unless you already have 4 of these."

Cancel exists because a 2 CMC universal hard counter was deemed to be too good and is meant played in formats where Counterspell isn't legal. If you're playing Cancel as counterspells 5-8, you need to brush up on your counters. Not only is there Force of Will, but there's also Dissipate, which is only not strictly better if your strategy revolves around your opponent having cards go to their graveyard (not exile zone) or if you're planning on running graveyard recursion by countering your own spells (in which case, you should be running Arcane Denial anyways). Then there's Cryptic Command, Mana Leak, Rewind, Daze, Deprive... the list goes on.

So yeah, you're right. Counterspell is better than Cancel. Despite that being right, it doesn't really look like you know what you're talking about, and it'd be a shame if my fellow blue mages were led astray.

I know it seems strange, but I think that Scent of Brine is actually better.

You're probably running mono-blue anyway, so 4 of these and 4 of those, with a few cancels thrown in and you will win the game.

Sucks. Counterspell kills it.

Only a matter of time, Wizards. I *know* that the arms race will force you to reprint this card. We saw how you guys caved on Lightning Bolt. We see this one coming a MILE away. I give it 2013 TOPS before we see this again. ;-)

When they reprint this, they really need to give it some good art. The only decent art I've ever seen on counterspell is the Jace vs Chandra art.

They'll reprint it.
What with Doom Blade, Lightning Bolt and Journey to Nowhere running amock, it's about time blue got a break.

White has practically knocked blue off its perch as the control color, black has as much creature elimination as ever, red has Lightning Bolt again and green makes running enchantments difficult with stuff like Back to Nature. But somehow the unconditional two-drop Counterspell is too powerful now.

"Counterspell"
Counter Target Spell.

Can't say it much better than that.

Why is this card in the Modern format filter? It isn't Modern legal, and I'm sick of seeing people on ***atriace and MWS playing with it because they're dumb.

I really like counterspell. It's well worth it's value, and quite good in any non-standard deck (for obvious reasons)

I still don't think it can counter Storm Crow

They should bring this back. They brought back Lightning Bolt after all.

"No."

Nope.avi

The very essence and soul of blue, not much more I can say about this card.

they can reprint this...if they also reprint rancor :)

C'mon Wizards- it's time to give up and just reprint this.
It's not like it's freaking Mana Drain.

You already caved with Lightning Bolt;
Is Counterspell really that much worse from a power perspective?

You've also had no issue with creating new creatures which completely outclass creatures that were already considered very powerful (see: Baneslayer Angel).

Don't get me wrong- bringing back Dissipate is a step in the right direction
re: undoing the mistake that was Cancel,
but it will never be truly forgiven until you bring this back.

@Feralsymphony: "When they reprint this, they really need to give it some good art. The only decent art I've ever seen on counterspell is the Jace vs Chandra art."

The 7th Edition art is pretty great, and I'd love to see it without the white boarder.

Counterspell, also known as Deploy Derp.

I include one copy in any blue deck I run in Legacy, 'cause nobody expects it and it's hilarious. Sometimes it's a dead spell in my hand, sure, but I can't tell you how many times it blew people's minds -- they're so used to seeing janky alternative casting cost counterspells, a good ol' boy DERP takes them by complete surprise.

"I crack my Lotus Petals, and cast Ad Nauseam..." DERP!

"I Delve these cards from my graveyard to cast Tombstalker..." DERP!

"I activate Shelldock Isle to cast Emrakul..." DERP! "...uh, Emrakul's uncounterable." HERP DERP!

(If you're gonna lose to 15/15 annihilation, you might as well do so in style. And yes, saying DERP! is mandatory.)

Needs reprinted into Standard. Control isn't doing that well with the exception of UB, and even that is losing favor now that people are SBing workarounds for it.

Part of me really, really wants to make a deck that does nothing but counter someone else's spells. This, Cancel, Rewind, Foil, Hesitation... just basically make someone get to the point where they want to strangle me.

Salient:

My god. you're right. we shall call this guy DERP for now and forever!

ALL HAIL DERP, the lord of DERPY!

Nope.

Is it just me... or is a 2 cost, unconditional counterspell.... just slightly... messed up?

I mean it pretty much... for 2 mana... stops any difficult or interesting thing a player was doing... with out even trying.

Let me just demolish all of the arguments for this being unbalanced, "too good", "not fun", or any other way of saying that this classic isn't worthy of being reprinted in every core set henceforth.

My friend is fond of the "it's not fun" argument. Well, me having my Sword of the Paruns disenchanted at a critical combat moment isn't "fun" for me, but it sure is fun for you given that you've been staring at that disenchant for the last 3 turns and have finally goaded me into making it matter. There is obviously a win-some lose-some element to the game of magic, where, just like chess, losing isn't very fun. Now, unless your opponent is REALLY wiping the floor with you, you can usually forget about momentary setbacks, or disruptions in tempo, or card disadvantage, and still have fun by putting up a good fight.

So the relevant question is, is counterspell one of those cards that either
A. Wipes the floor with you so hard and fast that it practically wins games by itself (example, umezawa's jitte
B. Takes away your ability to put up a good fight (example, balance, isochron scepter with practically any card on it)

The clear answer is no. It is, absent of any other shenanigans, 1 for 1 card trade, just like disenchant.

Then there are those that argue that this is too "general". That that balanced way of doing this is by splitting it up into negate and essence scatter. Well, for one, counterspell here is double-blue, drastically reducing it's splash-ability, and hence it's usability in any deck that isn't mono-blue. More importantly, a "general" counter is already facing the huge drawback that it is just that: a counter. It requires timing. You cannot top-deck a counterspell and have it retroactively counter a rampaging baloths that hit the field three turns earlier, in the same way that mono-black can top-deck a doom blade and have it deal with the threat then and there. Doom blade in black only hits creatures, and disenchant in white only hits artifacts or enchantments, so doesn't that mean counterspell in blue is overpowered for being able to hit ANYTHING? The answer is, of course not, because that is in fact completely misleading and inaccurate. Counter-spell can hit spells, but can do nothing about permanents already in play, or activated or triggered abilities of them or cards in your hand. A card is only ever a spell for a very short period of time, after all. Blue is the color of effects that are more generally useful against anything, but weaker as a result. For example, the whole idea of bouncing things, ala boomerang. Can hit any type of permanent, but it only buys you one or two turns time before your opponent can replay the offending permanent and hurt us with it again. Counterspell, in this same manner, aligns with the nature of the color. Useful against almost everything, but with an implicitly large drawback compared to what other colors can do.

So, what? Is this really just too cheap for what it does, that we must have to put up with these cancels and dissipates? It's not that they aren't usable, it's that they are just not necessary, not WARRANTED, in comparison to this elegant precedent right here (especially what with all the power-creep we've been seeing lately). Elegance counts for a lot, Wizards, and they don't come much more elegant than counterspell.

obvious ripoff of Cancel

I honestly think this is the best art for Counterspell. Sure, the Jace/Chandra duel deck edition is flashier and has wicked flavor text, but this one is more hilarious. The necromancer (see the skull necklace?) in the art is clearly disappointed that his summon Drudge Skeletons spell has summoned harmless confetti and fireworks instead.

this cards a lot better then cancel.

I like the core cycle, its more balanced. With this on the loose, Essence Scatter and Negate would have to cost to compete. Who would want that?

@blink182zombies
And then everyone went and rated Mana Drain higher

When you cast this spell, you absolutely must call out "OBJECTION!"

The guy's basically giving you the Multiverse variation of the bird.

Apparently Colin Farrell can counter spells.

The cost of this spell is two blue balls. Seems appropriate.

Question here: What happens if you use redirect on counterspell to have it target redirect? What happens then?

Loses to Counterspell 0/5

Sadly, this card is amazing but sees almost no play anywhere.

Standard: Not legal.

Modern: Not legal.

Legacy: Outdone by Force of Will, Stifle and Daze. Sees maybe play as a 1 or 2 of in obscure decks.

Vintage: Not a chance.

EDH: You'd rather be casting bigger things like Cryptic Command or Counterlash .

Casual: Counters rarely see play in casual. Usually considered too mean.

Should be reprinted for standard.

also
kills doom blade

My favorite counterspell artwork. xD

@atemu1234
Question here: What happens if you use redirect on counterspell to have it target redirect? What happens then?

The Redirect resolves and leaves the stack, the counter fizzles because it has no legal target.
Yes, you can stop the counter countering your spell this way.

this needs to be reprinted for flavour

@atemu1234

YOu can't Redirect a spell to Redirect. The reason is that you choose new targets for the spell after Redirect resolves (and is therefore no longer on the stack).

@Lyoncet

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Logical Fallacies & Unsupported Claims
3. Egomaniacal Undertones
4. Nonsensical Referrals
5. Conclusion

1. Lyoncet, I'm sure that at some point in your inane life, you decided to start up a game of Magic: The Gathering. At some point afterwards, be it days, months, or maybe years, you stumbled upon the Gatherer database and decided to give commenting on cards a whirl. Sure, it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but little did young Lyoncet know that the one comment he created on Counterspell (1) would be, in nearly three years' time, ripped to pieces and ferociously rebuked by a team of Oscar-winning writers. This forthcoming analysis should serve as guidance to all those who mistakenly took Lyoncet's words to heart and make, hopefully, all of us reconsider Lyoncet's sanity.

2. In his failed rebuttal of User supershawn's correct posting (2), User Lyoncet makes an atrocious plethora of logical mistakes. First off, he claims that, "Cancel exists because a 2 CMC universal hard counter was deemed too good and is meant played in formats where Counterspell isn't legal." (1) However, he provides no evidence to support this outrageously incorrect claim, instead he uses his 'superiority' to logically outwrestle supershawn's (2). In fact, this sort of psychological intimidation is an indication of deep psychological issues (outlined in section 3).

3. Starting from his first sentence, it is made clear that Lyoncet's comment has deeply egotistical undertones. As Dr. Jones of Wisconsin University attributes, "his attempts at enforcing his logical 'superiority' upon his unsuspecting victim can be deemed as nothing else but incipient megalomania." (3) This is evident by his repeated mentions of his so-believed 'superiority'. As Dr. Jones mentions in the interview (3), his introduction demonstrates his inappropriate views towards God and religion. In fact, by countering the will of God with a 57mm * 82mm piece of cardboard, he views himself as a deity of sorts. Futhermore, he fancies himself as an expert on the field of MTG. However, by proving how incorrect he truly is, we can see that not only is this dangerous to his friends and "fellow blue mages" (2), but "he's a danger to us all" (3).

4. Next, let's take a look at some of the cards Lyoncet referred to in his comment. He said that Force of Will and Dissipate would be a more apt substitution than Cancel in a deck "meant (to be) played in formats where Counterspell isn't legal" (1). First of all, Dissipate? Sure, the card's effects may be slightly better in certain circumstances, but how could you even get a Dissipate? It only appears in two expansions! Cancel, being more ubiquitous, appears in ten expansions, making its obtainment around seven times more likely. He also cites Force of Will. That thing isn't even modern-legal! Something's definitely wrong here. Just another sign of burgeoning egomania (section 2, (3)). Lyoncet also lists Arcane Denial, Cryptic Command, Mana Leak, and more as alternatives, and they would all be rebutted flat, if only the character limit wasn't closing in fast.

5. In conclusion, on examining the above post by Lyoncet, after carefully working my way through the haze of logical fallacies (section 2), abuse of references (section 4), and potential crimes against humanity (section 3), I have demonstrated that, beneath it all, the work betrays the author's staggering ignorance of the actual workings of MTG. While the author's wildly swerving train of thought did at one point flirt with coherence, this brief encounter was more likely a chance event than a result of even rudimentary lucidity.

-Swag_Crow
P.S. Don't forget to check out my new hit TV show, Crowin' in the Wind, on CROW Network!
P.S.S. Sorry this isn't all autocarded.

Citations:

(1): Lyoncet's rebuttal of supershawn's comment (2). Posted at 3/13/2011 4:23:00 PM and too abhorrent to post here.

(2): "*** classic, everytime someone plays cancel I laugh at them, I tell them cancel only exists so that you can have moar counterspells in your deck, your not supposed to put them in unless you already have 4 of these. - supershawn"

(3): "Interview with Dr. Professor Jones PhD, Wisconsin University:
Swag_Crow: Let's cut to the chase. Given User Lyoncet's comment, what would you say about his psychological status?
Dr. Jones: Wow. His claims about repressing the will of God truly are shocking. In my career, I have never seen degeneration to such a degree.
Swag_Crow: So you believe he has deep egomaniacal issues?
Dr. Jones: Yes. It's very troubling. In fact, his attempts at enforcing his logical 'superiority' upon an unsuspecting victim can be seen as nothing but incipient megalomania. Watch out for that guy - he's a danger to us all."

Are we still seriously at the point where a hard counter for two mana can't exist? I don't think I would mind seeing someone drop a Counterspell in Modern instead of a Mana Leak, honestly. As an avid Junk player, BRING COUNTERSPELL BACK!

the lighting bolt of blue in its very nature its a blue card

Pffft. Worthless. Strictly worse than Mana Drain.
(In all seriousness, it is worth noting that this is the highest rated card that is strictly worse than another card.)

@Swag_Crow



*slowclap*

I hate you counterspell because I never play you and play against you

Wow, @Swag_Crow. Reading your comment regarding @Lyoncet was just so much fun. I would like to thank you for posting it.