Ahh, countermagic. They’re the favorite spell type of any player that names “blue” as their preferred color in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Magic: The Gathering, and they’re the bane of existence for any player that🌼 enjoys the other four colors in the color wheel. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as having mana open and simply waiting for your opponent to play a massive threat – only for you to wipe it away with a well-timed co💝unterspell.

Counterspells have been a part of MTG since the game debuted all the way back in 1993 and hundreds have been printed over Magic’s 30-year history, but some of the best of all time are actualꦆly of the “common” rarity. Let’s explore the finest common counterspells in MTG history.

Some of these counterspells have seen their rarities upgraded or downgraded depending on the prin🌊tings, so we’ll be using the Pauper rules for this list: If any of these spells were ever printed at the common rarity, they are allowed to be included.

12 Syncopate

Take Away Their Toys

Exiling spells after they’ve been countered is a trait that’s been around since the first printing of in the Mirage set all the way back in 1996. That ability is not quite as frequent o♏n common counterspells, however. Thereꩵ are a few common options on which this trigger appears, but the best by far is Syncopate.

Originally printed in the Odyssey set in 2001, Syncopate has seen several reprintings, including most recently i🦩n Innistrad: Crimson Vow. The ability to counter any spell and then exile it for only two mana (depending on your foe’s board state) is quite strong, and once the game goes longer and you have more mana available, this counter gets better and better.

11 𝄹 Disdainful Stroke 🐭

No Big Spell For You

A commander classic. First debuting in the Khans of Tarkir set in⛦ 2014, Disdainful Stroke tr🌞ades up beautifully for any control deck looking to stay ahead of the (mana) curve.

Recently reprinted (shockingly as an uncommon) in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Wilds of Eldraine, this one will always find a place in the 99 for blue commandeꦡr decks, as it holds great utility in countering any spell with mana value 4 or greater (often a foe’s commander).

10 🥃 Memory Lapse

Deny Them Their Next Draw, Too

This is a strange counterspell that’s fallen out of favor. First printed way back in 1995 in the dreadful Homelands expansion, Memory Lapse counters a spell straight up for the low, low price o🐼f one colorless mana and one blue mܫana, but the trade-off is that that spell goes directly on top of your foe’s deck to be drawn the next turn… unless of course you have a sneaky milling source on your side of the battlefield.

Without an officialᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ printing at common since 2♓016’s Eternal Masters set, it seems that Wizards has moved on from Memory Lapse – though it did feature in Strixhaven’s Mystical Archive bonus sheet in 2021.

9 Mana Tith🎀e🅺

Just One Mana Is All You Need

was one of the final cuts from this list, but it just didn’t quite reach the power level of so🌄me of these cards. So how then did Mana Tithe make it? Essentially a reprinted version of Force Spike in white (thanks to the wacky Planar Chaos set), the change in color helps it stand out as a highly surprising force.

One doesn’t really expect a counterspell from the color w🍰hite (only five instant-speed counterspells exist in the color), and Mana Tithe can really swing a game in commander or even in Historic on MTG Arena when you’re playing an unsuspecting combo player with one white mana open. If they can’t pay the Tithe, they’re going to surely writhe.

8 𒁃 Arcane🐠 Denial

At Least They Can Draw Some Cards

Another impressively strong counterspell for one colorless mana and one ♊blue mana, this one does have quite the drawback: your foe gets to draw a staggering two cards during their next upkeep. Still though, you get to draw one yourself during your upkeep, so you’re ꦏnot getting three-for-one’d at least.

Still though, sometimes you want your foe to have less cards in their library and sometimes you want them to have cards cluttering up their hand so you can simply counter them or remove them later. What was once a crippling🧜 drawback is now not so ꧑harsh and players have taken notice, as this card is quite a hot ticket on the secondary market ($2.70 median price for the cheapest version).

7 Spell Pierce ไ🐼

Cheap And Cheerful

The final one-mana blue counterspell on this list (but not the final one-mana counterspell, however) is impressively strong and has been a staple in a wide range of formats including standard, 🍷pioneer, pauper and even commander.

The ability to counter a noncreature spell in the early game when your foe will pretty much always be fully tapped out can be game-swinging. This card also provides impressive utility in a coꦬunterspell war.

6 Mana Leak

It's Like Two Spell Pierce, But Better

Another counterspell that has seemingly fallen out 🐎of favor – perhaps due to its impressively high rate. A strictly better version of or (at least at face value for the latter) certainly seems strong, and this card was a control deck staple as soon as it was printed way back in 1998 for the Stronghold expansion.

Perhaps Wizards wants to curtail control decks (as they’re certainly not the most thrilling to play with or against), but it’s high t𓃲ime that Mana Leak gets a reprint outside of a “Masters” set; it was last printed in Doub🍬le Masters 2022.

5 Spellstutter Sprite ♓

Counter The Spell, Get A Creature

A pauper format juggernaut, this is the only creature spell on this list &n❀dash; and with good reason. Spellstu𝓰tter Sprite is a bedrock permanent in pauper as it can two-for-one your foe’s Lightning Bolt, Thoughtsieze, Ponder, Consider, Brainstorm or any other extremely powerful one-mana spell by itself.

The fact that it scales with the number of Faerie creatures you have in play is only gravy on what is already one of the best creatures in pauper of all time. As such, pla෴ying a Faerie deck (either casually or compe💫titively) can be a blast thanks to this little sprite.

4 Pyroblast And Red Ele🥂mental Blast

For When You Really, Really Hate

A red spell? This high on a “best counterspells” list? While certainly shocking (), Pyroblast and Red Elemental🌱 Blast (which have the exact same effect, just different names) definitely deserve their position here as they are both powerful counterspells in a variety of formats.

Beyond that, these cards are modal and can also destroy blue permanents for only one mana! These are truly 🥀powerful spells, and it’s no wonder that despite numerous reprintings, these still command a hefty price tag on the secondary market.

3 Foil

Free Counterspells Are Always Good

This card only qualifies for th🎃is list because it was downshifted to common in Double Masters 2022, but its power level is absolutely deserving of a top-three spot. Being able to flat-out counter any spell your opponent throws your way for free is always eminently powerful.

In fact, some of the best counterspells of all time are free to cast, such as Force of Will, Pact of Negation and Force of Negation, among others. Losing two cards from your hand is certainly a d🔜rawback, but the ability to outright counter a spell for free cannot be denied.