Essence of the Blue Mage

Nothing makes you feel more like a blue mage than the phrase, “in response.” And nothing lets you embody that phrase more than a sweet, sweet counterspell. So you’ve seen the light and understand that blue is the best color (because it is). You want to stop other players before they even have a chance to play the game. So here are 15 of the best counterspells that will help you do just that.

15. Rewind

"Let's try that again."

The first entry on the list also has the highest mana cost that you’ll actually have to pay. While four mana may seem like a lot for a counterspell (and it is), Rewind has the added benefit of untapping up to four lands upon a successful counter. This is great if you’re in a spellslinger or storm deck, or if you’re running lands that tap for more than just one mana each. While Rewind has its potential upsides, it’s simply not worth the cost if your deck doesn’t play into them.

Pros:

• Great in storm decks
• Potentially mana-positive

Cons:

• Expensive
• Slow

14. Dissipate

"Goodbye forever."

Dissipate lives up to its namesake by removing its target from the game entirely. In modern Magic, there are myriad ways to play from your graveyard. So if you find yourself encountering lots of reanimator mages, this Cancel-with-upside will help keep their nefarious schemes in check. Unfortunately, a casting cost of three mana stops this card from being truly great. To do that, it really has to cost two mana or less.

Pros:

• Exiles countered spell

Cons:

• Slightly inefficient
• Slightly slow

13. Essence Scatter

"Like dust in the wind."

Speaking of two mana, here’s our first entry on the list. Although it only hits creatures, Essence Scatter pulls its weight by working in a variety of decks. Controlling decks can shut down more aggressive opponents. On the flip side, those with very aggressive decks can use this to stop control and midrange decks from playing a big blocker later on, allowing them to close out the game. However, as this only hits creatures, it’s more of a sideboard card for best-of-threes.

Pros:

• Efficient

Cons

• Only targets creature spells

12. Mana Leak

"Whoops."

It’s hard not to love Mana Leak. A two mana counterspell that can target a spell of any kind. Similar to Essence Scatter, Mana Leak is excellent in all sorts of different decks. The issue is that, as the game goes on, its power and relevance go down significantly since it functions as more of a mana tax than a “pure” counterspell. This almost makes it a stronger option to consider for aggressive decks who want to close the game out faster, rather than slow control decks.

Pros:

• Efficient
• Flexible

Cons:

• Only good in early to mid-game

11. Negate

Anti-magic magic.

Essence Scatter’s big brother, Negate generally puts in more work by targeting noncreature spells instead. Noncreature spells tend to have bigger immediate effects than creature spells. Think spot removal, board wipes, planeswalkers, card draw, and extra turns. These kinds of spells are relevant throughout the whole game and can often end it. An auto-include in any Commander deck that runs blue, Negate will consistently surprise you with how much it can do.

Pros:

• Targets noncreature spells instead of creature spells
• Efficient

Cons:

• Only targets noncreature spells

10. Saw It Coming

"Too easy."

The beauty of Saw It Coming is in the Foretell mechanic. Foretell allows you to tuck this card away in exile for later when you actually need it. And when you cast it later, it only costs two mana! While it can cost four mana in total, the ability to pay that mana in installations really elevates the power of this card. Not to mention the mind games that come with Fortell, as the foretold card goes to exile face down.

Pros:

• Flexible
• Information mind games

Cons:

• Still costs three or four mana in total

9. Dovin’s Veto

All it takes is one veto from Dovin to shut everything down.

Nothing says “no” more than an uncounterable counterspell. For when you absolutely must stop your opponent from playing that game-ending spell. No questions asked. The only downsides here are the noncreature limitation and the requirement of including white in your deck. But if you find yourself running a list that includes Azorius colors, especially in Commander, this is an auto-include.

Pros:

• Uncounterable
• Efficient

Cons:

• Only targets noncreature spells
• Dual color

8. Remand

The manifestation of Azorius decree.

Another entry that, like Mana Leak, isn’t a “pure” counterspell. But instead of taxing mana, Remand returns the countered spell to its caster’s hand. There is the downside that your opponent can simply just cast that spell again when they have enough mana. However, depending on the spell, this might not be until their next turn, meaning you would have effectively skipped their turn for only two mana! Not to mention Remand replaces itself by drawing you a card.

Pros:

• Efficient
• Replaces itself by drawing a card (!)

Cons:

• Your opponent could cast the countered spell again

7. Syncopate

"How bad do you really want to cast that?"

Sometimes all you need to make Syncopate exceptional is just two mana. In the case that your opponent taps out to cast a big spell, Syncopate is a Dissipate that costs 33% less. Especially in one-versus-one formats, this can be a blowout if you play your cards right. And you can always pump more mana into it if need be. Don’t underestimate this card — you’d be surprised how often the right situation comes around.

Pros:

• Exiles countered spell
• Highly flexible

Cons:

• Can be expensive

6. Jwari Disruption

Even the land rose up in defiance.

Jwari Disruption is an easy one-of to include in almost any deck that runs blue, even if your deck isn’t dedicated to running counterspells. The fact that this card can be played as a counterspell or a land makes it incredibly flexible. Only the most aggressive of aggro decks will opt out of this one since the land side, Jwari Ruins, comes into play tapped.

Pros:

• Highly flexible — a counterspell that can be played as a land!
• Easy to include in any deck

Cons:

• Comes into play tapped when played as a land

5. Counterspell

The classic.

What better card to start off the top five than the very card that gives this kind of spell its namesake? Tried and true, making mages everywhere both love and loathe the color blue, Counterspell has been causing opponents scoop since Alpha. It’s hard to get more efficient or purer counter than Counterspell itself. The only downside being the two blue pips in the casting cost makes this harder to splash in multicolor decks. But the sheer power of this card can make that downside totally worth it.

Pros:

• Highly efficient
• Flexible

Cons:

• Hard to splash into decks of other colors, especially three or more

4. Mana Drain

Counterspell on steroids.

Move over, Counterspell, we hardly knew you. You’ve got absolutely nothing on Mana Drain. Someone at Wizards of the Coast decided that Counterspell had enough fun in the limelight, and it was time to crank blue to 11. Mana drain is literally just a Counterspell that adds the countered spell’s converted mana cost as colorless mana to your mana pool on your next main phase. Now you have a pure counterspell with ramp, which is honestly just disgusting.

Pros:

• Everything that’s good about counterspell but better and with no added downside

Cons:

• ???

3. Pact of Negation

"I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

The best way to counter a blue player is to save your big, splashy, game-ending play for when they’re tapped out. Oops, never mind, this counterspell targets any kind of spell and costs zero mana. With this in your arsenal, your opponents will never be able to feel at ease as long as you still have cards in hand. Just make sure you have that five mana on your next upkeep.

Pros:

• A counterspell that costs zero
• Hyper efficient

Cons:

• Actually a counterspell that costs five
• Can lose you the game

2. Force of Negation

"A valiant effort, I suppose."

Force of Negation is an interesting one. If you pay its casting cost of three, it’s actually just a worse Negate. So you want to play it on your opponent’s turn, but if you do, you also need to exile a blue card from your hand. So effectively this is a two-for-one in favor of your opponent. All that said, this is also a zero mana noncreature counterspell, so.

Pros:

• Flexible
• Hyper mana efficient

Cons:

• Resource intensive
• Alternate casting cost only usable on an opponent’s turn

1. Force of Will

"No, no, no."

At first glance, the downsides of Force of Will are comparable to those of Force of Negation. You still exile another blue card from your hand and you also have to pay one life. But Force of Will counters any spell, not just noncreature spells. And paying one life is a measly tradeoff to cast a counterspell for free on any player’s turn. Force of Will is an absolute powerhouse of a card that will have your opponents scooping both their cards and their salt off the table.

Pros:

• Like Force of Negation but stronger

Cons:

• Resource intensive

The Power of "No"

When used properly, counterspells are one of the most powerful card types in the game. You can use them to get enormous value by anticipating your opponent's moves correctly ahead of time. As with many blue cards, counterspells take a good deal of game knowledge and preparation to get the most value out of them. But once you do, your opponents will be joining the ranks of other Magic players who just can't stand the controlling power of blue magic.

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