If you want to spend a lot of mana on a hard counter, why not just spend it on a free one instead?
lorendorky
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This is atrocious. I would rather cast a Kiss of the Amesha than this. The art makes me think of that on Plagiarize.
Goatllama
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
"JUDGE TIME OVER. Judge rules: guilty! F*** the jury."
Lotsofpoopy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(7 votes)
This is a pretty solid counter and pros like me were probably confused about the flavor until we thought about it. The judge is giving you life because he is deciding in your favor.
This costs five, absorb costs three. That's why this is crap, and absorb is good. There is a huge difference between five and three mana for a counterspell. Heck, for one more mana you can get a spelljack.
Tsuichoi
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
Magic has to print bad cards to make the good ones well... Look good. Its a shame they choose this one- a gold counterspell for the Azorius, with awesome Vedalken art would have been nice to see with some more power but oh well, this is one of those cards you just have to appreciate for the art and flavor, and thats just fine with me :)
Ferlord
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
A friend was arguing that this was better than Cancel.
"Well, you gain 5 life, and can be played in a White deck!" he said.
I presented Absorb, and said, "I'd like permission to present evidence", and then in a fake judge voice, holding the card, "Permission Granted". "Thank you, judge. May the jury see exhibit A: Absorb. A decent counter spell, but one that is not played very often. This just goes to show that even though a spell can gain you life, having two colours and costing more than Counterspell is not popular."
I suppose my whole skit didn't work, because he's still playing it.
Weirdly, he thinks Judge's Familiar is awful. "But they can stop the effect if they just pay an extra ." It's a good thing he's willing to trade them for this.
thexmanlight
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Whoever designed this one seems to have a inflated opinion of lifegain...
rmcmurtry
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well this has only a Single Blue in the casting cost so I am not sure why its being compared to Rewind and Cancel. Not a bomb card but for a White deck with a light splash of blue I can see this is a nice little play.
Paladin85
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5 mana is kinda nuts for a counterspell that already has a cheaper alternative CMC wise
So for 3 colourless instead of W from Absorb, you are paying 2 colourless for 2 life?
Terrible, maybe something like 2WB and 6 life would make it ok to play
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At first I thought this would be highly rated... Until I noticed the comments, and that this costs TWO more, not one more, than Absorb, and how significant CMC really is.
I think this card would have been Epic to see at {W}{W}{U}{U}. 4 CMC, it gains you more life than Absorb, it should cost more, Wizards is now printing most hard counters to cost at least UU (as in, at least 2-weight blue, PLUS whatever colorless or other mana), and {1}{W}{U}{U} is seemingly not where Wizards wants the power level of counterspells sitting at this time.
I think this card might only just barely not be very oppressive at {W}{U}{U}, but it would be a near miss, and Wizards just doesn't take that kind of risks with Counterspells because the gameplay consequences really are too unfun when Counters are too strong.
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There's another version of this besides Absorb that also costs less mana. For shame Wizards...
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If it was 10 life, I might be interested... But no, no thanks. I honestly would rather run Cancel.
They shoulda made this parallel essence backlash, "Counter target creature spell and gain life equal to its toughness" or something like that. For 2UW.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really underwhelming, and honestly, how many "Counter spell, gain life" spells do we need? Absorb, Overrule, Offering to Asha, etc. Why not "Counter target spell and exile it" for . Yes, that is basically Dissipate, but exile is much more in white and Azorious's flavor than crappy life gain.
OpenSeasonNoobs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
People who didn't play Invasion draft don't realize that Absorb in draft pretty much forced you to stay in two colors or "was a five drop" in 3 colors. This isn't a first pick in draft, but it is a hard counter for any spell and gives you life. Situational, sure, but there are a fair amount of situations where this is a great blowout/bomb.
Say you end up against the Rakdos fast deck. Since this card doesn't require you play two colors like Absorb, let's say you splashed green. So you curve Call of the Conclave into Azorius Keyrune and leave your mana open. At worst, you've got 2 blockers, at best, you counter their 4 or 5 drop and gain life.
This card sets you up to play an extra 2 bombs in draft that you can't normally play because the format is just barely too fast to play bombs ala Rise of the Eldrazi. The trick to midrange formats is to push just fast enough that the midrange decks can't recover, or put the midrange decks off long enough that you end up with more bombs than they have.
Volvor
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
To me this is simply a waste of an uncommon slot for this set
Radagast
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Feels like one of those cards from early in the game, when lifegain was a Big Deal and had to be frighteningly overpriced. That fact that it is direct-line inferior in nearly ever case to Absorb, a spell which itself is good but not game-breaking, is rather sad.
At least have it grant 7 life or something. Sure, it would still not be played, but at least the higher cost would make some sense.
Bulhakas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ Ferlord
Your idiotic friend reminds me of my idiotic self when I started learning the game, ages ago. "What, you have to sacrifice Black Lotus for the mana? What a piece of shit!"
Sky8Palefur
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
They should reprint Absorb instead. Half the time you just want to use a Mana Leak intant means you want low cost not stupid high for a spell you may not even have to cast, and what if they counter this spell they won with getting rid of 5 mana and countering your counter. 0/5 for the fact Absorb would have made more sense to reprint for white/blue.
1.5/5 I guess there logic was as followed. The established hard counter costs . They are troubled by printing any hard-counter without heavy blue color weight. They increased the cmc by 1 for gaining life, and 1 more for having low blue color weight. They also designated this to be a weaker card of the set.
GalectrodeIsMyWaifu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This having split-second would be so flavorful and at least give this something; his ruling isn't really final when you can counter it for ~half the mana. It still wouldn't be amazing, but it would at least do something interesting.
u60cf28
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You know what would make this card nice? Fall of the Gavel cannot be countered by spells or abilities
I mean, that would make it worthy of its 5 cmc and extra color-restrictions (White).
It also fits in with the flavor I mean, it says in the flavor text "My ruling is final"
If it is final, then the opponent shouldn't be able to file an appel ( use a counterspell)
Then again, maybe that would be too much like Counterflux
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The fact that this card's power level leaves a lot to be desired just makes it all the more hilarious and hammy when you use it on some bomb or other.
Comments (30)
"Well, you gain 5 life, and can be played in a White deck!" he said.
I presented Absorb, and said, "I'd like permission to present evidence", and then in a fake judge voice, holding the card, "Permission Granted".
"Thank you, judge. May the jury see exhibit A: Absorb. A decent counter spell, but one that is not played very often. This just goes to show that even though a spell can gain you life, having two colours and costing more than Counterspell is not popular."
I suppose my whole skit didn't work, because he's still playing it.
Weirdly, he thinks Judge's Familiar is awful. "But they can stop the effect if they just pay an extra
It's a good thing he's willing to trade them for this.
So for 3 colourless instead of W from Absorb, you are paying 2 colourless for 2 life?
Terrible, maybe something like 2WB and 6 life would make it ok to play
Until I noticed the comments, and that this costs TWO more, not one more, than Absorb, and how significant CMC really is.
I think this card would have been Epic to see at {W}{W}{U}{U}. 4 CMC, it gains you more life than Absorb, it should cost more, Wizards is now printing most hard counters to cost at least UU (as in, at least 2-weight blue, PLUS whatever colorless or other mana), and {1}{W}{U}{U} is seemingly not where Wizards wants the power level of counterspells sitting at this time.
I think this card might only just barely not be very oppressive at {W}{U}{U}, but it would be a near miss, and Wizards just doesn't take that kind of risks with Counterspells because the gameplay consequences really are too unfun when Counters are too strong.
Say you end up against the Rakdos fast deck. Since this card doesn't require you play two colors like Absorb, let's say you splashed green. So you curve Call of the Conclave into Azorius Keyrune and leave your mana open. At worst, you've got 2 blockers, at best, you counter their 4 or 5 drop and gain life.
This card sets you up to play an extra 2 bombs in draft that you can't normally play because the format is just barely too fast to play bombs ala Rise of the Eldrazi. The trick to midrange formats is to push just fast enough that the midrange decks can't recover, or put the midrange decks off long enough that you end up with more bombs than they have.
At least have it grant 7 life or something. Sure, it would still not be played, but at least the higher cost would make some sense.
Your idiotic friend reminds me of my idiotic self when I started learning the game, ages ago. "What, you have to sacrifice Black Lotus for the mana? What a piece of shit!"
I guess there logic was as followed.
The established hard counter costs
They are troubled by printing any hard-counter without heavy blue color weight.
They increased the cmc by 1 for gaining life, and 1 more for having low blue color weight.
They also designated this to be a weaker card of the set.
Fall of the Gavel cannot be countered by spells or abilities
I mean, that would make it worthy of its 5 cmc and extra color-restrictions (White).
It also fits in with the flavor I mean, it says in the flavor text "My ruling is final"
If it is final, then the opponent shouldn't be able to file an appel ( use a counterspell)
Then again, maybe that would be too much like Counterflux