Counterspell (Original Art)

Counterspell is not just one of Magic’s most recognizable cards, it’s a defining card of blue magic. First printed in Alpha (1993), it has been the foundation of blue control decks since Magic’s very beginning. Counterspell is the ultimate answer, since it can prevent something from ever happening. It rewards patience, and bluffing, since good players will make you afraid of it even when they don’t have it. Counterspell was the control player’s cornerstone in early Magic (1993-1996). It was found in archetypes like “The Deck”, the first true control deck in Magic’s history, made famous by Brian Weissman. That deck relied on cards like Counterspell, Disenchant, and Swords to Plowshares to create the first-ever “draw-go” playstyle. In Legacy decks, it used to be one of blue’s core tools, seen in various UWx Control decks like Miracles and Azorius Control. Miracles, the iconic blue-white legacy control deck using cards like Counterspell, Counterbalance, Sensei’s Divining Top and Terminus dominated events for many years- winning multiple Grand Prix and Eternal Weekend Legacy Championships. When Counterspell entered Modern in 2021 (Modern Horizons 2), it instantly reshaped the metagame since Modern Control decks (e.g. UWx and UBx Control) finally had an unconditional two-mana counter for the first time. Counterspell is not on the Reserved List, it has been reprinted many times.