Pointed Discussion

strictly better than cancel?

They really just need to make Cancel cost .

Your not fooling me Cancel...

Oh wait...

FINALLY! out goes cancel and Dissipate gets a reprint!! *orgasm*

See this dog?

There's no dog there!

GET OUTTA HERE INFERNO TITAN *slaps into exile* MWAHAHAHA

@Lyoncet
strictly better doesn't mean better in all cases, or else not even Lightning Bolt would've been strictly better than Shock (think Redirect). I hope we all agree that rare corner cases don't count when it comes to something being strictly better than another.

Agree with Gabriel422! You can't claim a corner-case for counter a "strictly better" discussion...

Nice reprint, Im very happy with this! I think they should reprinted this even in the Ravnica block, for counter those annoying dredge decks...!

4/5

Its only strictly better than Cancel if you don't run stuff like Surgical Extraction or other graveyard control cards

Good reprint, and I'm surprised they haven't done it already. Though not always better than Cancel, it is always better than Faerie Trickery, I believe. Unless you have a way to find a use for an instant with the faerie creature type.

@IvoRosa21

"strictly better than cancel?"

Nope.

That said, this is still a vastly better card. I certainly won't be running Cancel for the next two years now. *grabs a sharpie and writes "Kindling" over the name of all his old Cancels*

@Gabriel422
"strictly better doesn't mean better in all cases, or else not even Lightning Bolt would've been strictly better than Shock (think Redirect). I hope we all agree that rare corner cases don't count when it comes to something being strictly better than another."

Of course it doesn't mean "better in all cases," but that's a straw-man argument you're making. Taking Sorin Markov and Mindslaver into account, nothing would ever be strictly better than anything if that were the definition. What it does mean, though, is that there's a strict numerical superiority and no numerical inferiority. That means that if Yawgmoth's Will were reprinted for just {B}, it would be strictly better - even though it dies to Mental Misstep now. You can't take every card interaction into consideration, of course, but to be "strictly better" there has to be numerical superiority, in that something costs less, does the same thing but extra, does the same thing to a greater degree, etc.

That means Goblin Chieftain isn't strictly better than Goblin King, even though he's much stronger, because they do two different things. One gives mountainwalk while the other gives haste, which is comparable to "goes to graveyard" vs. "exile." That's certainly not relegated to "rare corner cases" given how important a card's state is. It also means that Radiant's Judgment is strictly better than Smite the Monstrous, because they do the same things, but one does it cheaper and has an extra ability. Same goes for the example you used; Lightning Bolt is strictly better than Shock because it has strict numerical superiority without any numerical inferiority, even though other cards can interact with them to turn the advantage against you.

Strictly better? Depends on if you think card state is important. I of the opinion that being in a graveyard and being exiled are sufficiently different (and advantageous to you at different times) to say you can't just say "strictly better," just like you can't say with Goblin King vs. Goblin Chieftain.

Anyways, *semantics rant off.*

I'll see your flashback tactics and raise you a card that counters both iterations of the spell.

Also a delicious target in the mid-game for Snapcaster Mage.

I honestly thought I would never see this card reprinted. Wow, thank you, WotC for tossing a bone to the counter players out there AND by finding a way to make this card's exile mechanics of interest given the graveyard theme of the set. Well done!

"Strictly better than x IF y"
"than x IF"
"IF"
That word guarantees it's not strictly better.

With all of the control-deck treats that Innistrad brought with it, is there even room for regular beatdown (barring infect) left in standard? UW control seemed strong enough to me before Innistrad - and now they get stuff like Saint Traft, this and Nevermore?

Sorry for my ranting, but am I the only one who isn't exactly hyped about getting all of your stuff countered, bounced or blocked by an army of 3/3 first-strikers?

Dissapate a Cancel.

I'd like to see this in the Core Set.

Here's the thing 'counter target' is something that is just going to be blue.

'counter target spell' is something that has to cost double blue. they will never make 2U: counterspell.
they don't want the color pie to have ready access to the bluest ability in all of magic being splashed anywhere you want it.

we've seen a ton of different countering designs over the years, and I think that 1UU and UU and 2U are all wrong for 'counter target spell'. I dont think that should exist on a card. 'counter target spell, AND do this' or 'counter target spell, UNLESS that' or 'counter target spell- reduce cost to UU IF' are all things you can put on cards and give appropriate costs to.

But I think, maybe, that just plain 'Counter target spell' might have to stop trying to exist. There doesn't seem to be a fitting cost for it. Idea: make a Wizard creature that has Original Counterspell as an activated tap ability, with something or other else that balances it.

UU, T: Counter target spell....that I am fine with.

I like this card better than mana leak, personally. The problem with mana leak is that after like turn 5, it's almost a dead draw. They just pay the mana for it and move on. Yes it "taps them out," but they'll usually only have one or two cards then anyway. Also, if you're playing against control, this will make many more games come out in your favor because it's a hard counter.

well this was a pleasant surprise.

Eat your heart out, Cancel!

DarthParallax, I can see your point, but ": Counter target spell" would be way overpowered-- Your opponent would never be able to get anything through after that. I could maybe see it if the cost also included discarding a card, or preferably discarding two cards. Or possibly with a really steep life cost (at least 4 or 5 life).

Well-placed in a set that cares so much about what's in the graveyard.

Goodbye Army of the Damned. And no, I won't see you again this game.

I've been pleading with Wizards to reprint this for years & years. About time!

It's not strictly better than Cancel - in a UB control deck, you might want a creature you counter to go to the graveyard so you cans teal it with Rise from the Grave and suchlike. That said it IS better MOST of the time...

Cancel has been Deficated...oh my, where was I sending you off to...I mean Dissipate, of course, aye, that's the word I was looking for, from now on, all the men shell fear, this ringing word and its frozen, bat-face dog standing by the sidewalk. It's Chucky! It's Frosty! Blue's Counter Mage play shell prosper.

Wow, this is the timeliest reprint I've seen in a long time. In a set with some reasonable graveyard recursion, not to mention the current magic environment in general, this is going to be a staple to every blue player out there. The card was awesome back then and it's awesome now.

When Wizards decided to get rid of Counterspell I knew they'd have to replace it with something that cost 1UU. I'd hoped it would be this card, but instead they made Cancel. It seems as though they've changed their mind, at least for now.

@GrimjawxRULES:

Think your way around it.

@DarthParallax

Those creatures already exist.
Stronghold Machinist
Stronghold Biologist
Ertai, Wizard Adept

And probably many more :)

@DarthParallax

I agree with you up until your last line. The Timmy in me shuddered with fear. Ertai, Wizard Adept is the only creature with a decent counter ability and even then it costed double the norm.

A counter that exiles while its at it?

sign me up!

If I had one of these, I'd run it over Stoic Rebuttal in my EDH, however Stoic often gets the job done admirably.

Hey Smelt isnt strictly better then Shatter if your opponent is holding Mental Misstep!!

Just like Dissipate isn't strictly better then Cancel if your holding Rise from the Grave!

With the above logic, nothing would be "strictly better" because of some obscene situation or unique deck plan. What people mean is "mostly better", but who the hell cares?

@Shane: No, what people mean is "strictly better". Quite confusingly, in context, "strictly better" means that one card is as good as or better than another in every possible aspect, without any regard for any other cards. Dissipate is strictly better than Cancel because Dissipate exiles the countered card. Never mind that Misthollow Griffin can be cast from exile but not from a graveyard. When we compare two cards directly, as is the case with "strictly better", we ignore all of the other 13,000+ cards in the game and how they would interact with the cards we're comparing.

tl;dr: "Strictly better" ignores all other cards.

Wizards, oh Wizards, please give me a counter,
at least one that I'm willing to play.

I want to cast it for two, costing only one blue,
but a second, I'm willing to pay.

Please, my dear Wizards, I just want a counter-
one that's in Standard, I mean;

I want it to stop any spell, be it Beast, Bounce or both;
Open blue mana? You'd best stay away.

It need not be hard (though I'd rather it be),
as long as it isn't Negate.

One that costs two (not three and not five)
so I need not run Dissipate.

And for my next trick...

Seriously though, pretty decent considering all the graveyard recursion available in Innistrad.

To those saying this is 'strictly better' than Cancel, Misthollow Griffin would like a word with you.