I don't get the hype. Early game a 2/2 bird is probably better than whatever they're casting. Late game you don't need the reduced cost.
Taudisban
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ron Swan Song!
LordOfTheFlies87
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
This is being underestimated, for sure. It will be feared.
NuckChorris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can you use this card to counter itself? And would you get the token? Because if the spell itself is countered, then it is countered, but the token happens on resolution of the spell being countered, so what is up with that? There is no way you can get the token though because a 2/2 with flyisng and flash is way OP.
infernox10
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Player 1: "I cast Purphoros, God of the Forge! He's going to help me wreck your face! Player 2: "Nah, you can't have him, how 'bout a bird?"
Player 1: "I cast Primal Surge! My whole deck is permanents, so I get to-" Player 2: "Bird?"
So if you counter one of the Changeling instants or sorceries with this thing, would you call it a Shapeshifter Swan Song?
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Actually, Trygon, I think all of the gods are off to seduce her.
RAV0004
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
"Sorry about your spell, have some bird."
Ogonomany
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
I'm interested to see how much play this card gets. I like playing Pyromancer Ascension in Modern and I think this card would be really good out of the sideboard. It's a hard counter for one mana to protect your combo, the 2/2 flyer isn't going to matter (usually) and it deals with a lot of disruption (it still misses cards like Chalice of the Void, but no card does everything).
Also, I don't think anyone has pointed out how AMAZINGLY AWESOME that art is.
Ragamander
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This card is fantastic...in the right circumstances. As a combo defender, it's far more reliable than Spell Pierce and far more flexible than Dispel, although it requires more open mana than Pact of Negation or Force of Will. (The 2/2 is irrelevant for obvious reasons.) As a control card, it will probably soon be followed up with a sweeper, so the 2/2 flier is mostly irrelevant. As a tempo card, however, it might have some trouble, especially since the 2/2 trades with Insectile Aberration. Granted, bounce spells perma-kill the token, but that's not how you want to use your cards. As a general counterspell, it's cheaper than Negate but clearly less flexible.
Anyone who has played with Beast Within, Pongify, or Rapid Hybridization sort of knows what they're getting themselves into with Swan Song. The difference between those cards and this one is that those other cards performed functions that are atypical for their colors (i.e. creature-kill). Swan Song fits neatly within Blue's slice of the color pie.
SyntheticDreamer
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
"Well done, Link! Erebos is once again imprisoned! Look, all of Theros is returning to harmony, the birds are singing! Isn't it beautiful?"
absreim
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Interestingly, I can see this card being sided into combo decks (to protect the combo) as well as sided in against combo decks (because preventing a combo from going infinite is worth a 2 for 1).
cardraptor6
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
So between this, Dovescape, and Aven Mimeomancer, that's a least 3 cards based around turning stuff into birds.
....time to start constructing a REALLY fun casual deck
SeriouslyFacetious
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@TwistedSoul - That was my first thought too... oh the nineties...
DrPogo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
My first "off-label" thought was a flashed in 2/2 blocker if I was creature or flyer screwed. No one mentioned that, but I guess I'm not surprised. I side boarded two for my blue/black Faeries, busted them out in game two, two land open with a flying 18/19 token pumped coming at me off a combo: had two lands open, cast Visions of Beyond, countered it with Swan Song and blocked the flyer that then vanished due to the combo-pump wearing off and went on to win the game. Needless to say, I dig this card in a big bad way.
Sothasil
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I think this is an amazing hard counter.
It is really made for mid to late game when a 2/2 flier is a joke compared to the bomb you just diffused. For one mana nonetheless, leaving you enough extra mana open for a psychic strike/cancel, card draw at end of turn, whatever. This is blue, you're supposed to have your hand stocked and being able to cast more spells is always advantageous.
In modern/legacy this is amazing too as it hard counters the most powerful spells in 9 out of 10 decks, again for 1 mana.
This card will see play.
Kragash
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I cast Ornithopter... and COUNTER IT... also, I counter Swan Song with another Swan Song. I now I beats you with two 2/2 flyers.
SirLibraryEater
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I'm not sure if I like this card more because of the effect or because the name is an anagram of SWAG, SONN
Hakkology
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Imagine the awesome moment, when you negate a lightning bolt by singing a swan song.
Hell yeah.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"The most enlightened mages create beauty from violence, and then beauty starts violently pecking their face off."
-Medomai the Ageless, full quote
SkyknightXi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Lord of Phyrexia: According to Hellenic myth, Leda was one of many, MANY mortal women to draw Zeus's eyes. Thing is, he often had to be Mr. Sneak about it, because Hera tended to get livid about his cheating. In Leda's case, Zeus disguised himself as a swan to be able to seduce her without Hera getting too many tells. Leda even laid a couple of eggs as a result of their assignation--with one of them containing her children by her MORTAL husband Tyndareus! Zeus's egg hatched out Polydeukes and Helene, while Tyndareus's egg hatched out Kastor and Klytemnestra.
Heliod seems to be a pastiche of Zeus and Apollon (never mind that Apollon was ALSO an incredible womanizer. Just not on par with Zeus; that would be nearly impossible, even though Apollon never married).
MostlyLost
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Whenever you're about to cast this, you need to pull out the swan token, flick it onto their side of the table, and tell them you're responding by flipping them the bird.
Hadady
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Combo players might use this (one or more of them) in response to an enchantment, instant or sorcery they have just cast themselves, giving themselves a 2/2 flyer for U (pretty sweet).
I've used this to counter Gods more than once. My opponent is never happy to have been given a 2/2 Bird instead of their God. Such a great card.
alohafromspace
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card sounds awesome! I'm wondering though... if you had 2 in your hand and used 1 to counter an opponent's spell, and then another swan song to counter the original swan song, would that mean you have not only countered their spell but also given yourself a 2/2 flyer? If so then I am gona love this! Any thoughts anyone?
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card if your deck isn't overly interactive. As an example, just tried them out in a casual UW auras deck (similar to GW auras, but utilizing Invisible Stalker and True-Name Nemesis alongside Slippery Bogle as the hexproof creatures), and it totally saved my bacon early on when my opponent tried to Vindicate one of my lands on turn 3 after going first - with my only attacking option being the True-Name in my hand. The 2/2 bird was irrelevant, as I knew within 2 turns I'd have a monstrous unblockable lifelinker. Really though, it's primarily in there for things like Edicts and sweepers, which are some of the only ways to stop the hexproofers. Being able to counter one of my weaknesses for 1 mana is just gravy.
@AlohaFromSpace - if you used the second Swan Song to counter your first Swan Song, you'll end up with a 2/2 bird, but you won't have any spells countering your opponent's spell. A 2/2 bird at the cost of 2 cards and 2 mana is a very bad deal. :-P
TheVizier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
U: Counter target enchantment, instant, or sorcery spell, then give your opponent the bird.
Drewskithelegend
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a 4-of in my UG Prophet of Kruphix standard deck. It is truly an awesome counter for anything that I can't get with Syncopate or Retraction Helix. I thought it would only see play in modern and whatnot, but I see some serious potential. 4/5. Would be 5/5 if it could get artifacts and/or planeswalkers as well.
@Hadady except for the fact that supreme verdict would kill your bird once it comes out ;)
JimmyNoobPlayer
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@RAV0004: "Sorry I burned down your spell. Here's some bird."
I frequently encounter cards like Swan Song that force me to better understand the rules of the game. Here are some things I learned:
A spell or ability on the stack is always an illegal target for itself. (But that's not extremely relevant, since you'd need the Swan Song to resolve to get the token.) Yes, this is even true when the targets are changed by Redirect.
Uncounterable spells can still be targeted by counters, and the counter will still resolve, it just won't counter anything. I guess uncounterability is like indestructible for spells, not hexproof.
Comments (46)
Also, yes at Trygon_Predator. That was slick.
Player 2: "Nah, you can't have him, how 'bout a bird?"
Player 1: "I cast Primal Surge! My whole deck is permanents, so I get to-"
Player 2: "Bird?"
Player 1: "Jace, the Mind Sculptor! You can't make that a bird!"
Player 2: "Crap, you're right. Beast Within. Have a beast, on me."
Also, I don't think anyone has pointed out how AMAZINGLY AWESOME that art is.
As a combo defender, it's far more reliable than Spell Pierce and far more flexible than Dispel, although it requires more open mana than Pact of Negation or Force of Will. (The 2/2 is irrelevant for obvious reasons.)
As a control card, it will probably soon be followed up with a sweeper, so the 2/2 flier is mostly irrelevant.
As a tempo card, however, it might have some trouble, especially since the 2/2 trades with Insectile Aberration. Granted, bounce spells perma-kill the token, but that's not how you want to use your cards.
As a general counterspell, it's cheaper than Negate but clearly less flexible.
Or, of course, you could play it with Tainted Aether or Aether Flash.
Anyone who has played with Beast Within, Pongify, or Rapid Hybridization sort of knows what they're getting themselves into with Swan Song. The difference between those cards and this one is that those other cards performed functions that are atypical for their colors (i.e. creature-kill). Swan Song fits neatly within Blue's slice of the color pie.
....time to start constructing a REALLY fun casual deck
It is really made for mid to late game when a 2/2 flier is a joke compared to the bomb you just diffused. For one mana nonetheless, leaving you enough extra mana open for a psychic strike/cancel, card draw at end of turn, whatever. This is blue, you're supposed to have your hand stocked and being able to cast more spells is always advantageous.
In modern/legacy this is amazing too as it hard counters the most powerful spells in 9 out of 10 decks, again for 1 mana.
This card will see play.
Hell yeah.
-Medomai the Ageless, full quote
Heliod seems to be a pastiche of Zeus and Apollon (never mind that Apollon was ALSO an incredible womanizer. Just not on par with Zeus; that would be nearly impossible, even though Apollon never married).
Candidates in Standard (as of this moment) include Savage Summoning, Abrupt Decay, Counterflux, Slaughter Games and Supreme Verdict.
In all these cases, the Swan Song does not counter the target spell, but the bird appears anyway, under control of the spell-caster.
@AlohaFromSpace - if you used the second Swan Song to counter your first Swan Song, you'll end up with a 2/2 bird, but you won't have any spells countering your opponent's spell. A 2/2 bird at the cost of 2 cards and 2 mana is a very bad deal. :-P
@Hadady except for the fact that supreme verdict would kill your bird once it comes out ;)
I frequently encounter cards like Swan Song that force me to better understand the rules of the game. Here are some things I learned:
A spell or ability on the stack is always an illegal target for itself. (But that's not extremely relevant, since you'd need the Swan Song to resolve to get the token.) Yes, this is even true when the targets are changed by Redirect.
Uncounterable spells can still be targeted by counters, and the counter will still resolve, it just won't counter anything. I guess uncounterability is like indestructible for spells, not hexproof.
Tournament staple => 5/5
Also, I don't get Trygon_predators joke! can someone explain it to me please?
EDIT: I am slightly worried about how a duck can take down a trained soldier.
In short, it flips them the bird.