I've found that you usually are only countering spells that target you or a creature you control. It's a good counter for a colour (White) that rarely gets counter-spells.
Do note, however, that it is not 1/10th as effective in EDH: half of all spells in EDH target everything :S
Posted By:
Ferlord
(2/14/2012 7:56:57 PM)
Counters any targeted removal spell, and Cantrips. WU EDH auto-include.
Posted By:
General_Naga
(7/7/2012 6:11:27 PM)
Doom Blade dies to this. After all, it provides card advantage, keeps one of your central creatures alive, and it's easy mana for a WU deck to keep open.
If you have the mana, you can drop something like Righteous Authority on your creature, wait for the inevitable removal spell, then use this to gain even more card advantage. Use it on a Kor Spiritdancer if you really like to draw cards.
Posted By:
Thornhillforge
(4/12/2013 7:56:44 AM)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since the rullings on this cards says that you can counter a card that has multiple targets, as long one of those are you or at least one permanent you control, you could easily counter things like Akroma's Vengeance for only two mana!
That would be almost 3 for 1: your opponent will problably be tapped out, you will counter a spell that would turn the tables against you and this spell replaces itself with a card draw.
5 out of 5 for me! Main at least 3 of these, if you are going Aggro-Control Azorious style. :)
Posted By:
Daeodolon
(4/16/2013 7:43:00 PM)
@Daeodolon: Akroma's Vengeance does not target, so this cannot possibly counter it.
Posted By:
GeneralShroom
(5/9/2013 1:56:23 AM)
What more can you want from a COMMON? Although it can't stop creatures or mass removal, this should be a sideboard card for every WU Modern deck. Utterly destroys red burn and black discard (Ha - defeated twice Blightning!).
Posted By:
breenm
(6/3/2013 8:57:38 AM)
Posted By: SeiberTross (8/5/2011 2:52:54 PM)
"I've added this to my esper sideboard, it really performs amazingly. Remember you can "counter" anything. If its an illegal target (like a creature) it won't actually counter it, but the draw card will still resolve. So with that it gets mainboarded a lot for second games if I'm just looking for some excess draw. "
@ SeiberTross: WRONG!
https://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic/rules
Read rule 608.2b: If there are no legal targets, the entire spell is countered. In this case, you will NOT draw a card...
I'd love to see you try that in a real tournament and explain that to a DCI judge...
Still.. This is one of the best counterspells in magic. Hard counter for 2 and draws a card... Better than remand when they cast removal or a spell that targets you.. Which almost ever deck does...
Posted By:
Zylo-
(9/1/2013 8:56:34 PM)
*taps White*
"Kame..."
*taps Blue*
"Hame..."
*drops this card on the Stack*
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
Posted By:
PurpGuy
(10/9/2013 12:19:55 PM)
Ironically printed in the same set as Oblivion Ring, which is targeted removal that gets around this, since OR's ability targets your permanent—not the enchantment itself while it is on the stack.
Since a lot of decks will only include Oblivion Ring or Journey to Nowhere for removal, reapersaurus's point needs to be strongly qualified.
As for Shelter, sure, it can be good, but it's a dead card against a lot of different deck types (including non-blocking creature decks without spell-based removal, RDW, discard, etc.). Not all decks go after your creatures, but you can be sure that all decks go after you. Hindering Light will still be dead against certain strategies (it can't be used for cycling, but it's countered without a legal target), but not nearly as many.
Posted By:
james2c19v
(1/10/2014 12:34:01 PM)