Might work in a wizard deck, but the cost to counter something is a bit hefty. Might work more as a deterrent though.
LeoKula
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(3 votes)
4 is a lot, but this guy is legendary anyway.
Fictionarious
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Ertai and an Energy Field are are just so perfectly suited to one another. Just make sure you bulk his ass up with some protection, either in-hand or in-play, and you can take your time whittling your opponent down with cheap flyers, shadows, and unblockables.
Lord_Ascapelion
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
This is pretty nice in multiplayer. The threat of being able to counter any spell will really keep the heat off you. That is, of course, unless you're bothering the other players enough to the point where they'd team up to kill the guy. That, and Slice and Dice.
In multiplayer, expect this to focus all hate on you. Very powerful card, will make people very angry at you, blue being as vicious as black.
Sleazebag
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy with Aura of Domination / Crab Umbra /Freed from the Real with Training Grounds would make for make for fun lockdown situations in my EDH deck.. I really want him for my Niv-Mizzet deck!
It would be *awesome* to have both of them out with Training Grounds in EDH. Use TE to bounce something hated back into their hand, then use Ertai to counter it.
Then again, an Isochron Scepter could also cast either Boomerang or Counterspell for 2, without any combos needed (other than the Imprint), and a total CMC of UU less.
I guess it never hurts to have a back-up plan.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
The most reliable way to shut down any split second spell. Because, y'know, it's a mana ability that counters spells.
Juicebox360
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Mudbutt_on:
Soon, with Dark Ascension, Curse of Exhaustion to screw only your opponent over.
Kirbster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
"Bitches don't know 'bout my portal."
Goatllama
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(9 votes)
In story and in card form, Ertai is a dick.
Cthulhu_Shin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Objection!!!!!!!!!!
TheInfinitePet
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Finally got around to reading the Rath cycle books, and to my delight, Ertai is just as hilarious as his flavor text in various cards led me to believe.
5/5 for being a smart ass, and also for being a pretty good legend. Plenty of combo material.
Zoah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like the way my friend put it: "Black is for people who think their evil. Blue is for people who actually know how it's done." Arcane Laboratory plays nicely with him. What makes that even better is that Ninjitsu on cards like Mistblade Shinobi don't count as playing a spell. Nor does using cycle effects... Hmm... Off to the deck builder.
pedrodyl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
New flavor text: "Now you're thinking with Portals!" -Barrin, to Ertai
Smoke_Stack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome card. the ability to counter something repeatedly for 4 is huge. My friend plays a copy ofErtai, the corrupted and while the reduced mana cost is nice, his lack of token or other things to sac left him eating his side of the board to counter something mundane on my side. I'd much rather play this ertai, mid game with a little bit of mana to spare.
atemu1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is one of the few characters I actually feel a twinge of pity about and yet still think is a dick (Actually, the only one). He and Belbe fell in love, he almost became a evincar, then Belbe tries to actually send her Father (who she was stolen from, killed, turned into a phyrexian, and had no memory of ever being an elf) but he kills her with poison. Ertai becomes corrupted (becoming Ertai the Corrupted) and he served Crovax.
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like how the Oracle ruling doesn't bother to mention the other card it's talking about.
Ligerman30
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
@Gilder_Bairn This is the opposite of what I would call a fun card. >_>
BegleOne
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ertai's flippant arrogance aptly captures the power of counterspells in this game.
Comments (29)
It would be *awesome* to have both of them out with Training Grounds in EDH.
Use TE to bounce something hated back into their hand,
then use Ertai to counter it.
Then again, an Isochron Scepter could also cast either Boomerang or Counterspell for 2,
without any combos needed (other than the Imprint), and a total CMC of UU less.
I guess it never hurts to have a back-up plan.
Soon, with Dark Ascension, Curse of Exhaustion to screw only your opponent over.
5/5 for being a smart ass, and also for being a pretty good legend. Plenty of combo material.
"Black is for people who think their evil. Blue is for people who actually know how it's done."
Arcane Laboratory plays nicely with him. What makes that even better is that Ninjitsu on cards like Mistblade Shinobi don't count as playing a spell. Nor does using cycle effects... Hmm... Off to the deck builder.
"Now you're thinking with Portals!"
-Barrin, to Ertai