They've pretty much stated that UU for a straight counterspell is too strong, so it's not happening. Good to see Cancel back, gives some nice choice in the three slot area. Arc Lightning is fun too.
Considering we just got a card that is strictly better than Cancel in the last block, and have had similar better-than-Cancels very frequently, no, it is not a good card to have back. It offers pretty much no choice whatsoever, and hasn't been played since Time Spiral standard in a deck that ran over twenty counterspells in the main. It is not a good card and should not continue to be printed. I don't even really like it in limited formats, because it isn't proactive enough for its cost.
Considering we just got a card that is strictly better than Cancel in the last block, and have had similar better-than-Cancels very frequently, no, it is not a good card to have back. It offers pretty much no choice whatsoever, and hasn't been played since Time Spiral standard in a deck that ran over twenty counterspells in the main. It is not a good card and should not continue to be printed. I don't even really like it in limited formats, because it isn't proactive enough for its cost.
Yeah, only the slowest of blue decks really want to run it, and even then it mostly sits in the sideboard and comes in against expensive bombs that you can't deal with in any other way. Even then you're not happy about it.
It's also irrelevant for Standard because Cancel is already legal there by virtue of its inclusion in the M15 intro decks. So I guess it's for Tarkir Block Constructed?
They've pretty much stated that UU for a straight counterspell is too strong, so it's not happening. Good to see Cancel back, gives some nice choice in the three slot area. Arc Lightning is fun too.
Considering we just got a card that is strictly better than Cancel in the last block, and have had similar better-than-Cancels very frequently, no, it is not a good card to have back. It offers pretty much no choice whatsoever, and hasn't been played since Time Spiral standard in a deck that ran over twenty counterspells in the main. It is not a good card and should not continue to be printed. I don't even really like it in limited formats, because it isn't proactive enough for its cost.
They also keep printing stuff like Glory Seeker variants and Divine Verdict. Those don't see any standard play either. I don't know why people get all bent out of shape about Cancel.
I was expecting some good removal like Smother, Victim or GFtT.
I guess Pharika's Cure will be the only replacement for Ultimate Price and Hero's Downfall will become even more necessary and expensive..
I prefer Arc Lightning to Flames of the Firebrand, just because it was once good in Constructed whereas due to being legal in different environments, Flames never has been.
These are all Limited role players and at best fringe Standard cards (most will never get there at all).
It would be a downgrade from Remand and a sidegrade from the little-played Mana Leak.
If it were legal, Counterspell would see some Modern play, probably only in Scapeshift as Remand number 5, 6 and 7.
I beg to differ. Remand wouldn't see as much play if Counterspell were legal,except if the deck is running three colors where UU might be a concern. The spell is gone from the caster's hand unlike remand where it buys you a turn. Counterpell is used in U/W Miracles in Legacy in some lists but I have never seen remand.
Counterspell would be played so much more than Remand. It's a hard counter with no questions. With remand I get to recast my spell and you get... something. Remand would support a full set of Counterspell, which would shift the meta to blue. We don't need another blue based format.
Counterspell could be reprinted for a brief stay in Standard. Much live Lighting Bolt, it's at a very high power spectrum, but not one that is unfeasible for Standard. It is not, however, the baseline for what an unconditional counter spell should be, which is Cancel. Cancel + upside (Dissipate and company) represent the typical upper limit of how strong an unconditional counter should be, and often these improvements see Standard play.
Cancel is an acceptable common reprint, over and over again. It fulfills a simple function for Limited. No need to hate on it unnecessarily. Not every card needs to be great in Standard, and Cancel has seen play when no better cards are available.
Seek the Horizons is an excellent fit for the set. Green wedges get another leg up.
Most of the others fulfill necessary roles in Limited, making them acceptable and unexciting.
When Jeering Instigator was spoiled, many people commented that it is ok to be rare because creature stealing is bad in limited. But now they are printing Act of Treason at common, so that can't be the reason.
I'm normally not one to complain about rarities, but this one strikes me as a bit out of place. Could it be that it could have been an uncommon, but that uncommon was too crowded?
When Jeering Instigator was spoiled, many people commented that it is ok to be rare because creature stealing is bad in limited. But now they are printing Act of Treason at common, so that can't be the reason.
I'm normally not one to complain about rarities, but this one strikes me as a bit out of place. Could it be that it could have been an uncommon, but that uncommon was too crowded?
Highly likely. Consider how many other goodstuff commons and uncommons KTK has brought to us. They looked at it and probably said Jeering Instigator could be placed to rare as we have too many uncommons and not enough rares. Though I wish they made it a 2/1 for R or 3 + R for the Morph cost to have threaten on it.
Counterspell would be played so much more than Remand. It's a hard counter with no questions. With remand I get to recast my spell and you get... something. Remand would support a full set of Counterspell, which would shift the meta to blue. We don't need another blue based format.
Remand is good because of the draw. In modern, Mana Leak is almost always going to be better than counterspell because the early turns are the ones that matter and it's a lot easier to cast, and even that doesn't see much play because aggro is too fast for counters to keep up regardless.
A counterspell reprint would do pretty much nothing to modern by itself.
Yeah cancel is really bad, they could have made another 'better cancel' like Dissolve or Dissipate at least, with one of the clan mechanics like raid (hard to attck and counter the same turn so big effect) or ferocious, or a delve enabler doing a simily scry putting the card in the graveyard instead of the bottom of the library (too similar with dissolve?), or just a reversed Disdainful Stroke with 2 or less (or 3 or less but probably too strong if so).
Counterspell would be played so much more than Remand. It's a hard counter with no questions. With remand I get to recast my spell and you get... something. Remand would support a full set of Counterspell, which would shift the meta to blue. We don't need another blue based format.
Remand is good because of the draw. In modern, Mana Leak is almost always going to be better than counterspell because the early turns are the ones that matter and it's a lot easier to cast, and even that doesn't see much play because aggro is too fast for counters to keep up regardless.
A counterspell reprint would do pretty much nothing to modern by itself.
I'm out of my element when it comes to eternal formats but I have a really hard time believing that most decks would prefer Remand over Counterspell. Yes, Remand draws you a card, but Counterspell removes the threat entirely and gives you just as much tempo/card advantage - none. The UU cost criticism is fair, but hardly, in my opinion. I think control decks would be going much harder on blue if Counterspell made its modern debut. In otherwords, I don't think Counterspell would be Remand/Mana Leak #5-8, I think Remand/Mana Leak would be Counterspell #5-8.
In any case, I see no reason why Counterspell ought to have be printed in KTK.
Counterspell was played less than Memory Lapse, Mana Leak, or Remand in old extended before it rotated, which had the fetch/shock mana bases, too. (It just didn't have enemy fetches because of not existing yet) Really, theorycrafting doesn't refute actual tournament data. In order for it to warp Modern, there would have to be a really good reason Innistrad, Rav 2, Theros, and the different banned list would cause Counterspell to magically flip the tables on them and I really don't think Masques, Invasion, Odyssey, or Onslaught has all that much that would do it considering it didn't back then. I mean FOF would certainly see play (Brainstorm would be banned), but I highly doubt blue suddenly becomes an insane force.
We have Dissolve AND Dissipate in Standard, Cancel is ONE among ONE HUNDRED AND ONE commons and is a decent (yes, really) Limited card. Point your whining somewhere else, folks.
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Considering we just got a card that is strictly better than Cancel in the last block, and have had similar better-than-Cancels very frequently, no, it is not a good card to have back. It offers pretty much no choice whatsoever, and hasn't been played since Time Spiral standard in a deck that ran over twenty counterspells in the main. It is not a good card and should not continue to be printed. I don't even really like it in limited formats, because it isn't proactive enough for its cost.
Yeah, only the slowest of blue decks really want to run it, and even then it mostly sits in the sideboard and comes in against expensive bombs that you can't deal with in any other way. Even then you're not happy about it.
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They also keep printing stuff like Glory Seeker variants and Divine Verdict. Those don't see any standard play either. I don't know why people get all bent out of shape about Cancel.
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I guess Pharika's Cure will be the only replacement for Ultimate Price and Hero's Downfall will become even more necessary and expensive..
These are all Limited role players and at best fringe Standard cards (most will never get there at all).
It would be a downgrade from Remand and a sidegrade from the little-played Mana Leak.
If it were legal, Counterspell would see some Modern play, probably only in Scapeshift as Remand number 5, 6 and 7.
I beg to differ. Remand wouldn't see as much play if Counterspell were legal,except if the deck is running three colors where UU might be a concern. The spell is gone from the caster's hand unlike remand where it buys you a turn. Counterpell is used in U/W Miracles in Legacy in some lists but I have never seen remand.
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Cancel is an acceptable common reprint, over and over again. It fulfills a simple function for Limited. No need to hate on it unnecessarily. Not every card needs to be great in Standard, and Cancel has seen play when no better cards are available.
Seek the Horizons is an excellent fit for the set. Green wedges get another leg up.
Most of the others fulfill necessary roles in Limited, making them acceptable and unexciting.
When Jeering Instigator was spoiled, many people commented that it is ok to be rare because creature stealing is bad in limited. But now they are printing Act of Treason at common, so that can't be the reason.
I'm normally not one to complain about rarities, but this one strikes me as a bit out of place. Could it be that it could have been an uncommon, but that uncommon was too crowded?
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Highly likely. Consider how many other goodstuff commons and uncommons KTK has brought to us. They looked at it and probably said Jeering Instigator could be placed to rare as we have too many uncommons and not enough rares. Though I wish they made it a 2/1 for R or 3 + R for the Morph cost to have threaten on it.
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Remand is good because of the draw. In modern, Mana Leak is almost always going to be better than counterspell because the early turns are the ones that matter and it's a lot easier to cast, and even that doesn't see much play because aggro is too fast for counters to keep up regardless.
A counterspell reprint would do pretty much nothing to modern by itself.
Well, there's Stubborn Denial.
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I'm out of my element when it comes to eternal formats but I have a really hard time believing that most decks would prefer Remand over Counterspell. Yes, Remand draws you a card, but Counterspell removes the threat entirely and gives you just as much tempo/card advantage - none. The UU cost criticism is fair, but hardly, in my opinion. I think control decks would be going much harder on blue if Counterspell made its modern debut. In otherwords, I don't think Counterspell would be Remand/Mana Leak #5-8, I think Remand/Mana Leak would be Counterspell #5-8.
In any case, I see no reason why Counterspell ought to have be printed in KTK.
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