Counterspells are an important part of every Commander player's arsenal, but too many people rely on them too heavily. It isn't hard to understand why, either. New players, and players new to multiplayer Magic, "know" that counterspells are the most reliable way to control a match. The new player reads the card and sees that it allows them to counter a spell! That one spell can stop any spell their opponent plays! Or maybe just one type of spell the opponent plays, but it just stops it cold! The player new to multiplayer has seen plenty of games where either they or their opponent simply countered every threat, then eventually played their own threat and took down the game.

Multiplayer games make counterspells so much worse for a couple of reasons. The first is card advantage. In one on one games, you draw a card and your opponent draws a card. The even draw allows you to counter whatever they are playing. In multiplayer games, you are being outdrawn three to one by your opponents. If you hope to counter their threats, you need to draw into a lot of counters and draw far more cards. Eventually, your opponents are going to start getting their cards onto the battlefield when you run out of cards. And that also tends to be the time when they can finally afford their bigger, nastier spells!

Mana also makes counterspells worse in multiplayer games. Your opponents have much more of it than you do. You may find a way to draw all the counters you need, but you won't likely have the mana you need to counter all the threats.

My real issue with counterspells, though, is that you are the one doing all the work! When an opponent plays a nasty creature, your counterspell solves the problem, but how do you know it was your problem? Perhaps our friend was going to attack me and not you. Not only did you save me from taking damage, you also saved me from having to use my Swords to Plowshares on that creature. When our friend plays another creature and you don't have a way to stop it, you don't think I'm going to use my Swords to Plowshares to exile it for you, do you?

You can try to get around it by asking where it is going to go, but that is a limiting factor in itself. You want to wait and let others solve your problems for you, and a counterspell demands you respond to the spell right away. We all know the importance of drawing cards, but some of us forget that the reason drawing cards is important is to have answers and ways to win the game. Using up your resources countering spells that may not hurt you flies in the face of card draw.

Now, in spite of everything that I've said, there are times when you need a counterspell. When Josh insists on playing Expropriate, not having the counterspell pretty much means the game is over. Some spells just set you so far back, that not responding to them is dire. Given that, I thought I would go through some of options I like to use that try to address some of the issues I've just discussed.

Counter-Dudes

Personally, I prefer Draining Whelk. I know that keeping six mana up for a counterspell is very difficult, but Draining Whelk rarely disappoints. Most of the spells I'm looking to counter are game changers. Those spells tend to cost at least four or more mana. This just means I'm getting to counter their spell and put at least a 5/5 creature with flying on the battlefield. I did manage to counter an Eldrazi when I had Doubling Season in play! Admittedly a once in a lifetime play, but I did get to live the dream!

A more effective way to avoid the card disadvantage is to simply have a creature that allows you to counter a spell! Ertai, the Corrupted is an old school option that lets you counter a spell once per round. This one is really only effective if you have plenty of creatures to spare. Add in the three-color cost to play it and the number of decks it would work in is pretty limited. Brine Shaman is another option and it is only two colors. However, it also requires a sacrifice that non-Zombie decks probably aren't willing to pay too many times.

Ertai, Wizard Adept eliminates the card disadvantage issue. Once it is on the battlefield, you can counter target spell every round of the game without it costing you card after card. I've used Ertai with some success, but he tends to need a little more help than you initially think. A 1/1 body without hexproof leaves Ertai more than a little vulnerable. This isn't usually an issue, since most of us are already packing ways to protect our commanders, so using the Greaves for Ertai can help solve problems.

The real issue with Ertai is the cost to counter a spell. Keeping up four mana is a tall order, so you are really looking at decks that can use a ton of mana at the end of an opponent's turn to be really effective. The other issue with Ertai is the unfortunate tap requirement. This means that you only get one shot. If your opponents sucker you into countering a spell early, everyone gets free reign to play out their big spells.

Counter, with Benefits

The other two I want to mention are Spelljack and Desertion. Both of them give you control of the card you have countered. They work differently and with different types of cards, but that is the gist of it. Desertion has been a staple card for me for a long time. You aren't just countering their Titan or Eldrazi, or (insert your favorite artifact here), you are playing it against them. You aren't just copying it, you are taking their toys and using those toys against them. I got a chance to cast Desertion against a Prophet of Kruphix when it was still legal. I was the one untapping on everyone's untap step and using that mana again and again. Desertion and Spelljack just drain someone's will to live while you cackle with glee.

The obvious problem with these counterspells is the cost. You can't be expected to hold five and six mana open turn after turn, waiting for a chance to counter something. This is why you play these cards differently. You aren't looking to stop your opponents with the counter, you are looking to advance your game. Once you draw a Spelljack, you should use it within two turns or you are only burying yourself by leaving so much mana open. Even when you have a place to sink the mana if you don't use it, don't wait long.

Counter - On Demand

Deathgrip is the first one. For two mana you get to shut down the Green players. If you play it early enough you can limit how much ramp that Green player actually gets. If it comes later, you are shutting down big creatures and spells that feed all your creatures. There are plenty who look at Deathgrip and see a card that is too narrow, but I would guess that every game you play has at least one Green player, and plenty have two. The real trick with Deathgrip is to be sure you save a couple of mana to counter the Naturalize or other Green card that can destroy Deathgrip.

Lifeforce is the next one. There isn't much to say about this one, other than it is a little more niche, since there will be fewer players running Black than Green. However, Black has fewer ways to deal with an enchantment, so Lifeforce can stick around longer.

Finally, we hit Douse. I know, you are going after one of the weaker colors in Magic, but remember that Blue has plenty of ways to change the text from Red to another color. This means that Douse regularly counters whatever the most problematic color is in that game. I've used Douse to great effect against Blue players, absolutely shutting them down. The best part is that most players will not cast anything if they think it is going to get countered, so most times, if you have only two mana available, you are still able to stop everything you find threatening!

I hope everyone understands that counterspells should not be the cure all in your deck, but once you understand the card advantage risks and are doing what you can to limit them, counterspells have a place in your arsenal.

Bruce

@manaburned