“Counter target spell.”

It seems easy enough, but so often, it is misplayed. It takes practice to know what or when to counter. Sometimes the best action to take is none. In this article, I will briefly cover the art of Counter Magic

Since the beginning of Magic time, the Counterspell family has been a favorite and also feared group of cards. They have been a main staple of any Magic Era that can be thought of. Mainly because the ability to just end a spell before it starts is just too powerful to over look. There are, however, a few things you need to consider before loading up your deck with counter magic and pulling the trigger and shooting the duck from the sky.

What type of deck am I playing?

Am I playing a pure control deck? Am I playing a utility deck? Am I playing a submissive deck? You have to understand what your deck wants to do. By drawing an X casting cost blue spell that counters a spell, does not mean that the next available target should be countered. An average player will toss a target spell out for you to shoot down, and follow that spell up with that Choke that you really wish was not resolving. By knowing your decks personality and aggressiveness, you will know what spells are a threat to you.

What is a threat to me?

Armageddon is a threat to you, Wrath of God is not. Stupor is a threat to you; a seven point fireball when you’re at ten hit points left is not a threat. I define a threat as a card being cast that I can not deal with once it resolves. Anything that affects your mana base is a threat. Any thing that affects your hand is a threat. Anything that would reduce your life to 0 is a threat. Akroma being cast when you have sufficient life and blockers to help you get to a Wrath of God is not a threat. If your deck is running 12-15 countering spells, how many are you likely to see in a game? Maybe 5-8 would be my guess. This means you must pick your spots. Remember, these spells are your silver bullets, use them wisely.

Know that you are better equipped than your opponent

You are playing blue for a reason. It has good quality creatures, can take care of any situation presented, plays well with other colors, and has the most game breakers and abuse-able cards. Since you know this, you also know that you have more answers than they have threats, thus not every threat needs countered. Trust your deck to provide you with an answer, and it will do so in the near future.

If your opponent is not playing blue, he is intimidated by it.

You have the advantage the second you play an island. He will be scared, and play more cautiously, thinking that you may hold a counter or two. It’s your job to make him think that every card you are holding is a countering spell. How do you do that? By smartly playing the few that actually are.

Strategy:

Your opponent has two cards in hand and he casts one, Exalted Angel. You have four cards in hand, Counterspell, Air Elemental, Air Elemental, and Island. You could counter the angel, knowing it will kill your Elementals and gain him life, or you could be smart. You know that he is holding one card, and he would not just cast an Angel to be countered if he did not have a back-up plan. He has something in his hand he wants to resolve, that’s why he cast something that is a sure fire counter target, especially since you have ample mana available and a fist full of cards. Let the creature come into play. You can always block and stall with yours. Your opponent will most likely walk right into your trap, joyfully thinking you’re completely out of counters. He taps down his final lands and casts his Boil. Now you counter.

After being hit with a situational backfire like that, he has no clue as to what you’re really holding in your hand. From here out, he will doubt think his confidence and thought process.

You are half way to victory.

Really read the cards.

What do the cards really say? Counterspell – put your opponent’s card in the graveyard, screw you. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but you need to know what your cards really do. Your opponent is casting an artifact that is planning on having a long term effect on the board such as an Icy Manipulator. Do not be foolish and counter it if you’re holding a Disenchant. What does Disenchant say in this instance? At the end of your opponent’s turn, after he cast that there Icy, destroy it. Yikes! He cast a Hypnotic Specter! I should counter it! NO! Use your brain and your instant creature removal instead at the end of his turn. Save that bullet for a real threat. Remember, counter magic is not just blue. Wrath of God is probably the best counter magic ever created. I think of a counter as something I have to do to remove a possible threat. You cast a discard spell, I cast Counterspell. You cast Sengir Vampire, I cast Diabolic Edict. You cast four small green creatures, I cast Wrath of God.

Use your land wisely.

Yes, an island is great because it provides that nutritious blue mana required for shutting your opponent down, but do you remember ever having your spells countered by an island? No, but if I am holding three cards, and have two untapped islands in play, are they going to cast freely? No they are not, because they suspect that you’re holding a counter in hand. Thus, if they did not cast a spell this turn due to fear of your islands in hand, then it has effectively Memory Lapsed the potential spell that was not cast (I know the spells was not returned to their library).

Your face is a mirror.

By looking at your face, an average player can tell if you are holding a counter or two. They can tell what you’re thinking. So don’t do it. Pretend to think, but don’t do it. Count your cards, straiten your lands, count your opponents graveyard, check the card count of his hand, or whatever, just don’t think between plays. React to what is presented to you at any given minute, and trust your deck to provide you the needed draws. By studying your own hand, you are telling your opponent too much information. If need be, set your hand down if your not casting a spell. You know what’s in there, you don’t need to look. If you have a counter in hand, good; if not, then good too. Let him assume whether you do or don’t, but don’t you tell him.

You are playing the controlling deck.

You are in control. Not only are you in control of the game, but everything surrounding the game. You keep track of the score. You keep track of time. You read the cards. You ask your opponent how many cards he is holding. You ask him to spread his lands so you can see how much he has available. You control the physical pace of the game. Do not allow anyone to rush you. By doing this, you assert your controlling presence on to your opponent, and he will be frustrated, he will make mistakes, he will think you’re a better player than you are, and in the end, he will fear that you are holding a counter… even if your not. You are in control.

Just win baby!

Finally, never ever, ever, ever, ever give up. NEVER. Make him attack for the final hit points. Make him remove all his hand and graveyard to the Psychatog; then YOU count it. Always play the match all the way through. As you know, when someone else is done playing, they wander around watching other games. Assert your authority on them during this round by making certain you never let up. If you can attack for 15, but only need 7, hit him for 15. If you can win without casting the three creatures in your hand, then don’t do it. Let the spectator wonder why you didn’t and then when he plays you, he has no idea what he is up against.

Control. Dominance. Victory. Authority. Counter Magic

~Chris Newton~

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