There's only a few - Nezzy, Carny, and Veto that I can think of off the top of my head (and most belong to blue already), but there honestly should be a whole deck type based around uncounterable cards. Creatures, costed for it (like 4 mana for a 2/3 uncounterable maybe), removal spells, PW removal spells. Since Green already has it's toe in, I could see it being a green type. Something to at least wrench the oppressiveness of blue besides having to play tier 1 aggro. A more reliable way to remove a Teferi or handle mono-blue which seems to have an endless supply of cheap counters. Whenever I look at winning tournament decks (like here: https://aetherhub.com/Meta/TierOne/Standard/159), with the exception of mono-red aggro, all the decks include blue because blue can counter and shut down almost anything else. I like playing control myself, but it does get a bit oppressive and would love to see some ways to balance it out and let other colors have the ability to be competitive. I think an uncounterable series of spells could help. It would let you work green into decks to make more midrange playstyles available - g/w, g/b, g/r.
A quick gatherer search reveals, that there are about 50 of those cards in Modern alone, more than half of them nonblue. A large portion of that is green. And many of those cards have seen extensive Standard tournament play in their days. So it's not like that ability is lacking cards.
Control is not oppressing because of counterspells, those are usually a 1-for-1 trade, much like spot removal. What makes control work is card advantage, the ability to draw into more counterspells and stuff, and trade one card for many with mass removal.
As an avid control player, currently control is good. Like Rezzan said, it based not just on counter spells but the ability to keep your hand full. A control deck that runs out of fuel is easy pickings. I can't count how many times I've either not drawn the right card because of either missing land drops or not having a way to replenish my hand. There are several ways to remove a walker, especially now that WAR is out.
Also, the meta game changes quite a bit, especially in Standard. It shift towards other colors being stronger for a little while then back to blue, with different deck types rising and falling as well.
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Standard - Some kind of control
Modern - UB Mill (casual)
EDH - Meren's Grave Shenanigans
A quick gatherer search reveals, that there are about 50 of those cards in Modern alone, more than half of them nonblue. A large portion of that is green. And many of those cards have seen extensive Standard tournament play in their days. So it's not like that ability is lacking cards.
Control is not oppressing because of counterspells, those are usually a 1-for-1 trade, much like spot removal. What makes control work is card advantage, the ability to draw into more counterspells and stuff, and trade one card for many with mass removal.
I dont play modern, so I guess I'm talking only Standard. And yes, I agree card draw is a big control power advantage. I still think the amount of counters is a huge advantage too (there's, what, 30 different counters available in standard right now?) and I'd like to see ways to mitigate control without stripping it of power. I play control and find control games fun, but there is a point where it feels like versus control, if you begin the game on the wrong footing with your opening hand there's no way to come back and that's not really great. I'd like to see a way to stop blue from being able to dominate a game once it has a good manabase out and can keep draw and counters in hand at all time. I was thinking draw ability cards should all resolve at sorcery speed, but I think adding more uncounterable options into other colors might make blue decks have to find ways to deal with threats on the board, instead of just ways to prevent them.
I don't see, how the amount of different counterspells in the format is relevant. Even a heavily counterspell based control deck can only run so many, 2 to 3 full sets, 8-12 cards, they can hardly fit more, and they hardly have to. So even if there were only three different reasonably costeffective counterspells, you'd still have the very real possibility of those decks showing up.
Just countering everything is not really viable anyway. The player has to evaluate if the spell is an actual threat. Wasting a counterspell and the mana to cast it on a nonessential spell will leave the player unable to stop a real threat later. Even instant draw spells open a window for the opponent to get something icky through. And in the early to midgame, one has to decide wether countering a spell or drawing more cards is the better course of action. Playing counterspell decks correctly as well as playing against counterspells are arts that are hard to master.
Now I personally don't like facing counter heavy decks myself. But I can accept them as part of the game, and rather than blame the game for an imbalance that only feels huge when on the receiving end, I try to adjust and find already existing solutions. Sometimes, that solution is just to play a bit differently. Counterspells have always existed in the game, they are a part of it, and have not broken it in two and a half decades. In fact, they've already become weaker. The baseline for a hard counter used to be UU, now it's 1UU. That one mana makes a big difference.
All the new planeswalkers and the amount of counterspells made me quit magic I'm so tired of it all it just gets boring having to deal with planeswalkers and not being able to even use the spells I have like why even bother playing if I cant use the spell I cast it's just stale right now no fun at all.
I feel that cards that can't be countered is something that they should be careful with how they use. I feel that it's similar to any other mechanic, seems less impactful if we see it a lot.
Have you considered playing decks that outpace the counter-heavy decks? There's a pretty quick but strong mono-green deck in Standard right now that can land a T2 5/4, which is pretty difficult for any deck to deal with. Carnage Tyrant can't be countered or hit by spot removal, and Rhythm of the Wild can also be landed on T2 in an RG build similar to the one I described above. You could also run Domri, Anarch of Bolas in said deck, which gives you 2 uncounterable effects with which to cast your creatures, both of which can be landed on T2. If you run them both as 4-ofs, you get some decent ramp and utility, and you have a 65% chance of drawing one of those cards in your opening hand. You won't always draw them, but I'd say 65% is good odds, and if you're running a fair number of mana dorks, you have definitely reasonable odds of being able to pull off the T2 drop. If you're on the play, well, there are exactly 3 counterspells in Standard that cost only 2 mana (one of which requires UW) that can hit non-creatures. While that puts them slightly in favor of having something to stop your nonsense, what are the odds that they're running all 3 cards as 4-ofs? (I guess there's also Lavinia, but eh.) Ultimately, you would have to build the deck and do testing to figure out what's best for your meta, but...just my $0.02.
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A quick gatherer search reveals, that there are about 50 of those cards in Modern alone, more than half of them nonblue. A large portion of that is green. And many of those cards have seen extensive Standard tournament play in their days. So it's not like that ability is lacking cards.
Canonically, it's supposed to be more green and red because those colors hate blue. I call that "subtle hosing", in that it hoses a core game mechanic (such as counterspells) associated with one particular color (blue).
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Making something uncounterable is only worthwhile if there is a deck running counterspells. Counters aren't in every standard environment but they are in a lot.
I personally thought no they're good for the game. Right now blue is also the only color that can really deal with the new gods. Counters or gaining control of them is all you can really do. I don't mind that card design because there are worthwhile safety valves (counters) in standard right now keeping them in check. Without them the card design really can't safely exist because standard would devolve into battlecruiser magic of whoever slams their unbeatable dude first.
I also enjoy tempo decks like merfolk or UG elves. Counters are an essential part of that decks identity but it runs a much lower rate.
As for standard and green, vivien' arkbow, new domri and rhythm are what you're looking for.
Its either totally irrelevant in lots of matches or it matters.
So the cards that get it are usually pushed to have a purpose , fight a matchup in which counterspells actually matter (the usual big blue creature that is the mirror breaker).
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For any other deck counterspells alone should never be an issue, as they are very inefficient to counter everything.
Control is not oppressing because of counterspells, those are usually a 1-for-1 trade, much like spot removal. What makes control work is card advantage, the ability to draw into more counterspells and stuff, and trade one card for many with mass removal.
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Also, the meta game changes quite a bit, especially in Standard. It shift towards other colors being stronger for a little while then back to blue, with different deck types rising and falling as well.
Standard - Some kind of control
Modern - UB Mill (casual)
EDH - Meren's Grave Shenanigans
I dont play modern, so I guess I'm talking only Standard. And yes, I agree card draw is a big control power advantage. I still think the amount of counters is a huge advantage too (there's, what, 30 different counters available in standard right now?) and I'd like to see ways to mitigate control without stripping it of power. I play control and find control games fun, but there is a point where it feels like versus control, if you begin the game on the wrong footing with your opening hand there's no way to come back and that's not really great. I'd like to see a way to stop blue from being able to dominate a game once it has a good manabase out and can keep draw and counters in hand at all time. I was thinking draw ability cards should all resolve at sorcery speed, but I think adding more uncounterable options into other colors might make blue decks have to find ways to deal with threats on the board, instead of just ways to prevent them.
Just countering everything is not really viable anyway. The player has to evaluate if the spell is an actual threat. Wasting a counterspell and the mana to cast it on a nonessential spell will leave the player unable to stop a real threat later. Even instant draw spells open a window for the opponent to get something icky through. And in the early to midgame, one has to decide wether countering a spell or drawing more cards is the better course of action. Playing counterspell decks correctly as well as playing against counterspells are arts that are hard to master.
Now I personally don't like facing counter heavy decks myself. But I can accept them as part of the game, and rather than blame the game for an imbalance that only feels huge when on the receiving end, I try to adjust and find already existing solutions. Sometimes, that solution is just to play a bit differently. Counterspells have always existed in the game, they are a part of it, and have not broken it in two and a half decades. In fact, they've already become weaker. The baseline for a hard counter used to be UU, now it's 1UU. That one mana makes a big difference.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
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2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
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2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
Canonically, it's supposed to be more green and red because those colors hate blue. I call that "subtle hosing", in that it hoses a core game mechanic (such as counterspells) associated with one particular color (blue).
On phasing:
I personally thought no they're good for the game. Right now blue is also the only color that can really deal with the new gods. Counters or gaining control of them is all you can really do. I don't mind that card design because there are worthwhile safety valves (counters) in standard right now keeping them in check. Without them the card design really can't safely exist because standard would devolve into battlecruiser magic of whoever slams their unbeatable dude first.
I also enjoy tempo decks like merfolk or UG elves. Counters are an essential part of that decks identity but it runs a much lower rate.
As for standard and green, vivien' arkbow, new domri and rhythm are what you're looking for.
Its either totally irrelevant in lots of matches or it matters.
So the cards that get it are usually pushed to have a purpose , fight a matchup in which counterspells actually matter (the usual big blue creature that is the mirror breaker).
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For any other deck counterspells alone should never be an issue, as they are very inefficient to counter everything.
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