@ScissorsLizard: The "not fun" argument is pretty weak. You could apply it to every card - of course it's not fun for the other guy if you Doom Blade their Baneslayer Angel, of course it's not fun for him if you Lightning Bolt their Ball Lightning, of course it's not fun for him if you Path to Exile their Lord of the Pit. But it's fun for you.
Likewise, of course it's not fun for you when any of those three cards gets past your defenses and rapes your face. But it's fun for him. Magic, like any turn-based game, is a back and forth matter.
So why does Counterspell get canned, anyway? You'll note that all the other three removal cards mentioned have more flexible mana costs for similarly powerful effects, and yet they stick around. Counterspell isn't getting canned for being "unfun" or "unfair", it's being canned as a) a crapp... (see all)
Posted By:
Azazyel
(5/10/2010 3:08:39 PM)
Instead of bringing Blue down to the level of the other colours, why not bring them up to that of blue?
Anyways, Counterspell can't really stop anything for 2 mana. If your opponent plays a Nantuko Monastery and is poised to beat you to death with it, there's dick-all Counterspell can do about that.
Posted By:
Kirbster
(7/11/2010 9:41:03 PM)
It is strange, If you play a creature and it gets bolted, it's like "oh well", but if it gets countered, you cannot help but have a bitter feeling that your opponent is just an idiot who is only playing to ruin your fun. I think it's a good thing they didn't reprint this, as it has given birth to many different counter spells costing 2 CMC but with some drawback or extra requirement, making blue deck building more interesting.
I have a question though: Are planeswalker abilities regarded as spells that can be countered? Could you counter Chandra's ulti with this?
Posted By:
Sironos
(6/19/2010 10:06:01 AM)
Ahh, I remember playing a permission deck, During Invasion and Odessy Blocks. I had 12 counters in my deck... 4 Counterspell 4 Absorb 4 Undermine
All costing 3 or less. I ended up taking white out of that deck and played black blue green. It was a killer deck, but you know even with my regular crew of buds I would still get my ass kicked every freaking day with that deck. Why? I had 8 hard counters, a further 3, soft counters, According to some of you I should have been able to kill every deck in the game ever.
No all it takes for the skilled player to bait out those counters, is a terror or some such pointed at some creature I had just played. I allways had mana for at least one counter. if I wanted a creature to stick, I would counter something to protect it.
It is not overpowered it is just the current crop of players don't want to think about how to out wit the opponents.
Posted By:
Nikon360
(7/15/2010 6:57:48 PM)
People afraid of counterspells and blaming them for let game being not funny. This is looking silly to me and i'll try to explain a little, why :
Playing an aggro deck or a creature-heavy deck always looks for lucky draws and having good creatures,such as with high P/T and strong abilities for low mana cost. If you put your creatures at the right time and can protect them from early destroy, this type of decks could win mostly. Of course, luck is important here. And summoning a big creature and beat your opponent with it is so fulfilling. Everyone has a little "Timmy" inside. I must say that majority of players are playing such kind of decks.
On the other hand, counterspells (in control decks) don't care for lucky draw, mostly have lower mana cost than countered cards and counterspells need to be used by witted and accustomed players. Playing against counterspell heavy deck and winning against could be pretty easy, if this blue players counters everything mindlessly. Just put a lit... (see all)
Posted By:
Frozenwings
(5/19/2011 5:09:23 AM)
I love the art and flavor for this version. Too bad they don't think this is reprint worthy. They can give red it's lightning bolt back, green gets a completely broken snake for Godly mana acceleration, Everyone in standard runs mono black vampires, while white gets a long awaited replacement for wrath of god, yet blue has to settle for Cancel. Blue ,we all miss you.
Posted By:
AgesofThunder
(11/3/2009 8:49:14 PM)
Counterspell is the best counter out there dont care what anyone says... Its straightforward and to the point... Just say no.
Posted By:
Kamah1
(4/30/2009 7:36:50 PM)
Jace, the Mind Sculptor's been the best card in Standard for over a year. Cryptic Command is the best card in Extended. Hey everybody, look how hard we're nerfing blue!
You've got 2-mana counter-alls in Mana Leak, Deprive, and sometimes Stoic Rebuttal. Counter noncreatures with Negate and Spell Pierce. Oh what, soft counters don't count? How can you claim that Magic is being dumbed down when you have to be smarter about how you choose and use your own blue spells?
Maybe it's time some of us stopped clinging to draw-go and actually learned how to play this game.
Posted By:
Minus_Prime
(3/27/2011 12:22:52 PM)
Poster boy for Blue. Screw Cancel.
Posted By:
Eggroll
(8/4/2009 1:46:33 PM)
question? If I commandeered a counterspell, could I change the target of the counterspell to itself?
@ Reliqium: Thanks, good idea.
This card is not broken or overpowered, because it's an instant that gets used once then goes to the graveyard, and you can only have 4 of any particular card in a deck.
That said, there are ways to break it. Isochron Scepter, for example.
Blue counter-decks are only mindless and unfair when they find some way of turning counterspell into a reusable permanent. Even then, nobody's got any right to complain. Green can get infinite squirrels, red can do infinite direct damage, black can maximum-hand-size discard thraximundars and exhume them on turn three, and white can exile creatures permanently at the drop of one mana with swords to plowshares. Play like you're serious or go home, but regardless, counterspell deserves whatever reprints wizards can possibly give it.... (see all)
Posted By:
Fictionarious
(1/7/2010 7:03:48 PM)