We all love a good counterspell, especially when it disrupts a game-winning combo or finisher. The iconic original counterspell is still being played in over 40% of blue decks when there are some much better options.
If you’re in blue, chances are that you want to take some counter spells. They function as a bit of a wild card in that they fulfill many roles: as preemptive “removal”, as a tempo play, as interaction to stop winning plays, and as protection.
One of the heuristics I tend to use when building a deck with blue is to count a Counterspell as somewhere between 0.5 and 1.0 instances of a category like protection. So, yes, I still might run Heroic Intervention in green, or Teferi’s Protection in white, but if I’m playing blue, I’ll take less of that effect and have counterspells act as a multi-tool, which frees up deck slots.
IS COUNTERSPELL BAD?
Do I ever want to be casting literally counterspell? No, not really. It’s double blue, which is a huge ask in Commander, where blue decks are quite often two, three, or as many as four or five colors. Holding up two mana is a lot, and holding up two of the same color when you’ll need that colored mana to cast permanents (or maybe not even have enough to do both, thanks to having other colors of lands to run).
Besides which, there are other counters that function better for many decks, and on a case by case basis, you can decide if it’s right for you. I’m not going to consider the free spells here; Force of Negation, Force of Will, and Fierce Guardianship don’t usually cost mana to play, and are a cut above the spells we’re discussing to replace the humble Counterspell. I’m also sticking to mono blue spells, because cards like Dovin’s Veto and Ertai Resurrected require certain colors.
10 CARDS I’D RATHER PLAY THAN COUNTERSPELL
10. MUDDLE THE MIXTURE
If you’re playing a deck with a lot of moving pieces, or a deck that wants certain pieces to function, then the Transmute on Muddle the Mixture can come in clutch. Mana value of 2 can get you a whole host of gamepieces, from sacrifice outlets to equipment, removal spells to card draw, combo pieces to board wipe. It only counters instants and sorceries, so it’s more niche, but if you’re weak to a boardwipe in your strategy, then this is the main spell type you’re worried about anyways.
9. GET OUT
Get Out is a newcomer, and like the previous card, also costs double blue. It’s also more narrow than Counterspell, but it makes up for it with having pseudo-protection/recursion of EtBs available on the other mode. It can also rescue permanents you’ve had stolen from you or cast from your library, so if there’s a player notorious for those strats in your local meta game, this is a handy way to get your stuff back in addition to Homeward Path.
8. ACCESS DENIED OR SPELL SWINDLE
These ones aren’t two mana, but they are much more impactful on a game. Access Denied makes Thopters, and Spell Swindle treasures, equal to the mana value of what you counter. The best decks for these are artifacts decks that make a lot of mana that way, or UG/x decks that can ramp to five mana in no time at all.
By the time you’re finished curving out in those decks, you’ll be ahead on mana. The attractiveness of the tempo shifting power of these expensive counters skyrockets at that point, and this goes doubly if you’re doubling tokens in your build.
7. SWAN SONG OR STRIX SERENADE
Paying one mana is a lot better than paying two, except you can’t truly escape that two… it’ll come back to haunt you as a 2/2 bird with flying.
If you’re in a deck that cares about attacking, then I don’t think you should be playing these at all. In fact, if I see someone running these in a deck like Alela or a UW flyers list, I’ll seriously question their approach. If, however, you’re in a more control or combo oriented deck, and can deal with a 2/2 by weathering it or otherwise wrathing it away? Then these are right up your ally.
6. THREE STEPS AHEAD
You Find the Villains Lair is a perfectly fine modal counter that can be card selection, if you need it to. I’d rather have even more options, and play Three Steps Ahead. It can be a counter, a clone effect, or card draw… or, and get this: any combination thereof. It’s findable off of Spellseeker, too.
5. AN OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE OR STUBBORN DENIAL
A little more encompassing than the Swan Song variants at one mana, these two are Negates with a downside. An Offer You Can’t Refuse gives out two treasures, which is a lot, but not the end of the world – and a better option if you want to avoid giving them a flying blocker. Stubborn Denial feels like an auto include if your Commander meets the ferocious condition, to be honest – as does Bolt Bend.
4. TISHANA’S TIDEBINDER
More Tidebinder propaganda, I know. I only mentioned this one last week. It is incredibly slept on in Commander at the moment, though, and is up there with Green Slime as the cards I get blown out by – but respect – the most.
3. NARSET’S REVERSAL
Your spell? No, our spell. But mine resolves first, and you have to pay for it again next turn. This is a much spicier way to spend two mana than Counterspell, and at most tables, letting them resolve the spell later is fine. It’s casual. If you’re playing high power Commander, then you want the free spells anyways. Besides which, this thing can help you to enable yourself by getting your storm count up or rescuing your spell from another counter of an opponents’.
2. MANA DRAIN
A spell literally better than Counterspell (we call that strictly better, by the way), Mana Drain does what Counterspell does, but gives you a nice bit of mana, as a treat. It’s very effective at hosing big plays, or if your Commander or strategy has activated abilities.
1. ARCANE DENIAL
This is my first pick every time. Arcane Denial is easy to cast. It replaces itself. And it softens the blow and feel bad of countering a spell by giving them cards instead. This one loses you fewer friends and skirts the downside to counters in Commander – the fact they’re often card disadvantage.
END STEP
I’d rather cast all of these than Counterspell, and I’d rather play a lot of effects over it too – including redirects, which I think are better than counters a lot of the time.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.