Top Magic The Gathering Counterspells You Should Use

In Magic, only a few items are associated with the color blue: Countering spells are more difficult in The Gathering than in other games. Counters are instants that completely cancel a spell’s effects, stopping them from resolving. They are most often found in blue’s slice of the color pie. Counters are usually extremely adaptable solutions that may be used to deal with issues even before they arise.

So, in celebration of all the control players out there, as well as anybody who enjoys denying their opponents spells, we’ll take a look at the most powerful counter-spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Pyroblast

It’s definitely a strange spot to start this list with a red card. Pyroblast, on the other hand, is an odd card. It’s generally seen on a sideboard. On the other hand, this red counterspell will work wonderfully if you know one guy who usually plays blue.

Pyroblast is a powerful card against blue decks since it provides both a removal spell and a counterspell. For a single mana! Such effectiveness earns it a place among the Top Best MTG Counterspell Cards.

Force of Negation

Unlike most of Magic’s greatest counterspells, Force of Negation is a brand-new addition to the game. This card, which first appeared in Modern Horizons, has found extensive use in blue decks in Modern and serves as a backup in Legacy against more established choices. Both of these numbers tell a lot about Force of Negation–being a Legacy-playable counterspell, on top of being the 14th most played card in Modern, is a huge thing.

One of the finest free spells ever printed is Force of Negation. Its “if it’s not your turn” clause almost demands that it be employed as a defensive, reactive counterspell to interrupt the opponent, rather than a free counterspell to keep your own broken combination from going off. Force of Negation, while being a relative newbie, has already established itself as a multi-format mainstay and will continue to be one of the finest options for blue mages of all types in the future.

Negate

Commander works with strong noncreature spells like tutors and mana rocks, and Negate is one of the most cost-effective ways to respond to them. Negate is also great in a counterspell war if you want to make sure your opponent can’t carry out their strategy.

It can’t deal with creatures, which may be a problem, but it hits so many other strong noncreature cards that it’s a fantastic choice. It’s also mana-friendly, costing just one Blue mana in its casting cost. It’s one of the few cards that will always be printed in the Standard format, making it accessible to everyone.

Desertion

While most spells merely go to the graveyard when they are countered, Desertion is a spell that adds insult to injury, as the card’s flavor text suggests.

If the countered spell is a creature or artifact, instead of being sent to its controller’s graveyard, it is placed under the control of Desertion’s owner. This spell allows players to not only deprive opponents of their spells, as is the case with counterspells but also to obtain any and all advantages the spell would have offered.

Remand

To counter any spell and draw a card, you’ll need two mana. It appears to be too wonderful to be true. The spell isn’t really countered; instead, it’s placed in the owner’s hand. However, Remand is still highly useful if you need to counter a costly spell or one that must be resolved at a specific moment.

For example, say you pay six mana to block a card like supercharged Cyclonic Rift. They might not be able to replay it in the same turn even if they obtain it back. You drew a card, and Remand delivered a significant tempo swing.

On the other hand, if you counter a card like Rampant Growth on round two, the next turn will be worse when your opponent plays it again.

Cryptic Command

Cryptic Command is one of the most famous blue cards ever printed, and it’s a favorite of many of the world’s top players. It’s also one of the most flexible, useful, and entertaining counterspells ever created. Regardless of the circumstance, one of the six potential modal combinations will undoubtedly help you progress your strategy, whether you’re up, even, or behind. Its high mana cost is no laughing matter, but its rewards provide more than make up for it.

While the default mode is “counter-draw,” tapping your opponent’s squad to purchase another turn or bouncing any troublesome permanent offers any blue deck a significant advantage. There are even more advanced applications for the card, such as flashing it back with Snapcaster to counter or tap, then bouncing your Snapcaster to repeat the process. If you’ve never cast Cryptic Command, you’re missing out. It’s versatile, entertaining, and incredibly sweet.

Swan Song

Swan Song, maybe one of the finest one-mana counterspells printed for Commander, provides strong disruption because of the format’s abundance of potent spells. You’ll be low on mana, so having inexpensive disruptive alternatives is essential, especially because Swan Song may target enchantments, instants, and sorceries.

Given that you start Commander games with 40 life, giving the opponent a 2/2 Swan Token is a decent offer. Small monsters seldom kill enough players to become significant. Swan Song is widely available, and it has had several editions, making it a cost-effective yet effective alternative.

Dovin’s Veto

Dovin’s Veto may be the best card to have in your deck if you’re going up against opponents that use a lot of counter-magic.

Dovin’s Veto is an Azorius instant with the same converted mana cost as Counterspell. It may counter any non-creature spell and cannot be countered. This is an excellent card for players to employ in mirror matches against control decks, and it is especially suggested for those who have a lot of control players in their Commander groups.

Mana Drain

Mana Drain is a fantastic counterspell, and inadvertent ramp all rolled into one, and it’s banned in Legacy for a reason. It does require two Blue mana to cast, which may be difficult in multicolored Commander decks, but the payoff is extremely great. Even still, the early turns may be tense with Mana Crypt and Sol Ring.

Given how strong Mana Drain is in both Vintage and powered Cubes, it commands a premium price. Counterspell, an inexpensive choice that was reprinted in Commander Legends, is an affordable option if you’re searching for a budget alternative.

Render Silent

Render Silent, another Azorius counterspell is a strong counterspell that pays itself forward as soon as it is cast.

Render Silent counters any targeted spell and stops the controller of that spell from casting any additional cards for the remainder of that turn. This is a fantastic way to slow down a player and interfere with their tempo, and it’s especially good against combo decks that try to string together many spells in a single round.

Disallow

Disallow is a mono-blue counterspell with even more versatility than the overwhelming majority of counterspells in Magic, which can only target certain types of spells or, at best, any targeted spell.

Disallow is an instant with the ability to counter target spell, activated ability, or triggered ability for three mana. This is incredibly versatile and helpful, as many strategies aim to leverage activated and triggered abilities to create powerful synergy amongst their cards. Disallow is one of the few spells available to players that may throw such synergy into disarray.

Rewind

When it comes to counterspells, Rewind is one of the most powerful spells available.

Rewind can counter a target spell, but it costs four mana, which is twice as much as the initial counterspell. Regardless, Rewind’s second ability more than compensates. Rewind’s controller can untap any four lands after it is cast. This implies that a player can untap the mana required to cast the spell by using rewind, thus making it free. Rewind may even generate mana for its controller when used in conjunction with lands like Ancient Tomb.

Force of Will

If you’re familiar with Magic: the Gathering, you already knew this would be the first item on the list when you started reading.

No counterspell in Magic’s history has ever been able to match the legendary Force of Will’s power. While five mana to counter target spell may look overpriced at first, Force of Will’s additional ability puts it leagues ahead of all other counterspells in the game.

Instead of paying the mana cost, the controller of Force of Will can spend one life and exile a blue card from their hand. This implies that, like Rewind, Force of Will is effectively a free spell to cast. Force of Will, unlike Rewind, which takes at least four mana to cast, maybe cast on an opponent’s first turn, even if they haven’t played a single land.