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Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Archenemy | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Oldschool 93/94 | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Pauper Duel Commander | Legal |
| Pauper EDH | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Equinox
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land
Enchanted land has "Tap: Counter target spell if it would destroy a land you control."
dingusdingo on How is Red Elemental Blast …
3 years ago
Mark Rosewater joined Magic in 1996, from Alliances forward. This means that there are a lot of counter spells in non-blue colors that predate him joining.
Red
Green
Black
White
There are also a handful of countering abilities in non-blue from pre-Rosewater sets
Richard Garfield had intended colors besides blue to have access to counter spells. Garfield also built the game to have a greater focus on interactions between colors, with hosers such as Tsunami and Acid Rain being another example, or the frequent Protection from X Color cards that are rampant in the early sets. Maro has moved away from viewing the colors as interactions and relationships between colors and towards trying to define the colors in relation to themselves (a la color pie). Whether or not you agree with Garfield's vision for the game or Rosewater's, we can't ignore that Red Elemental Blast predates Rosewater even working for Wizards. Red Elemental Blast also predates Maro's theory of the color pie, which must be applied retroactively to REB.
We also have numerous examples of non-blue counter spells in sets even after Maro started designing cards or even becoming a lead set designer. I think that while counter spells and interacting with spells/abilities on the stack is primarily a blue ability, other colors need to have access to this powerful and necessary tool. While I agree that blue should be the market share, we need closer to 85-90% of counter spells printed as blue, instead of the current ~98%
MagicMarc on Back to the Future Sight
3 years ago
He says in the article that the "Tribal" keyword is not being pursued by them anymore. So very unlikely that they follow up with more tribal non-creature cards.
I must say I was not a fan of the garrison card when it was originally printed. I liked the flavor of it but the garrison is just an enchant on a land that is now an artifact. They already have plenty of land enchants and the garrison really does not do anything new or different enough to keep making more of them. It became part of a space that doesnt need it or benefit from it.
There is only 1 or 2 archetypes that are built around a specific land so adding indestructible to a land when most metas dont include land destruction anyways seems too niche to give up a deck slot for it. And any deck that truly wants land protected can run Equinox or Terra Eternal or something similar which are much stronger than the garrison.
It is sad what he said about tutors though. Personally, stompy decks are not my thing and losing tutors just makes it that much harder to be competitive with anything that isnt just ramp-stompy.
Tzefick on Pattern Recognition #136 - Counters
4 years ago
I think counter magic is perfectly fine as a concept. It's a way to deal with issues, before they actually become an issue and it examplifies one of blue's main weaknesses: Difficulty in dealing with the board. I used to hate counterspells when I got into Magic again (during Lorwyn, damn Faeries), as they simply seem like a disability to play the game; "I want to play something." - "You may not". I have since accepted their place in the game and their importance.
The reason I still do dislike counter magic is because it exists to provide a strength to cover a weakness. A weakness that since then has been partially filled out by strong answers to the board over the course of Magic's history. One of the main offenders is Cyclonic Rift , especially present in Commander and other multiplayer formats that are significantly slower than Duel Magic (1 on 1). Other offenders are cards that really should be enchantments, but opted for a more nefarious although simpler route: Curse of the Swine and Reality Shift , and their predecessors; Pongify and Rapid Hybridization .
As said by Berry in the article; Blue has the ability to change something from one thing to another. We have also seen various types of such polymorphing done in enchantment form; Darksteel Mutation , Lignify , Frogify . All of this makes perfect sense in what blue is capable of doing.
However doing a change irreversibly like the Curse of the Swine or Reality Shift, is giving hard answers to a color whose weakness is hard answers - at least on the board. Yeah, you replace them with a creature, but a much weaker creature and if a token, one you can permanently remove by having it change zone.
Another issue with counter magic is the tempo shift. The opponent casts a 5 mana spell, you cast a 2-3 mana counter spell. Suddenly there's a disparity of 2-3 mana in the counterspeller's favor. It is mainly equalized because the blue player must have ready mana, resulting in that player not developing their own board state. However that can again be offset by utilizing instant speed spells or abilities that either advance board state or card draw for the blue player.
If the blue player didn't have these chances to apply disparity in mana spent and benefit, the color would struggle to have meaningful strengths, I know that. However the issue is in finding the fine line between how much mana disparity is acceptable. The cat is out of the bag on this one, as there have already been printed numerous versions of unconditional counterspells that have set a precedent for what blue counterspells are allowed to do and how cheaply.
If you compare a counterspell to a destroy spell, the main difference is obviously zone of application and also timing of application. One proactive, one reactive (well actually both are reactive, but you probably know why I have to make a distinction). Reactive spells provide a lot more flexibility in when you're required to use them. Their main problem is that sometimes reactive spells are too late to cause the same mana disparity that a counterspell does. As soon as that permanent hits the battlefield, an ability may come into effect, be it triggered, static or active. A reactive spell cannot avoid that.
Also take into account that blue can deal with any spell in existence, with the possible exception of spells with Split Second, specifically designed to be uninteractive - and still they can be interacted with . If there's a spell that is uncounterable, you can get creative with Venser, Shaper Savant , Time Stop , Mindbreak Trap , Ashiok's Erasure , there's load of ways to get around "uncounterable". Blue is also the color that will straight up see a threat on the board and simply take it for themselves, with Control Magic , Gather Specimens , Blatant Thievery , Expropriate . Effectively a removal, card draw and threat all in one.
No other color can boast the same catch all mechanic. White comes close for something in the same ballpark, but it is still just a bleak imitation - as countermagic goes. And evidently look at that price tag.
In the earlier days of Magic, blue was not the only user of countermagic. I feel like you could provide other colors with more conditional types of countermagic, to better even it out. And not just anti countermagic like Guttural Response . Blue would still be the best, but not the sole user. - White is a color that protects itself, so something like Hindering Light is the most likely avenue to take White Countermagic, anything that touches my stuff - go away. Think Equinox in terms of templating but not necessarily that specific. Giving their spells on the stack protection from a color or supertype or plain "old" Hexproof. - Green already has an affinity to provide hexproof to their stuff, Heroic Intervention and Veil of Summer , so expanding on that seems reasonable. - Red could go the Fork / Shunt route but is unlikely to get countermagic that straight up nullifies other types of spells than spells with targets. - Black is kinda difficult. The usual is just to tack an alternative payment of life, cards or permanents on an otherwise Blue card. Black already have an indirect proactive answer through selective discard, like Duress . The issue is these are all sorcery speed, so if an opponent suddenly starts drawing a lot of cards, it can be difficult for black to be proactive in time. So perhaps just providing Duress at instant speed through a condition would be acceptable. Something like "Instant Duress may be cast as an instant if an opponent has drawn two or more cards this turn." / "Instant Duress may be cast as an instant if the target opponent has 5 or more cards in hand". Any kind of variation on that.
Of course some would talk about color pie bleeding/breaking, but ain't that already happening by giving blue hard removal (by proxy) and large scale soft board removal? I know some of these issues are mainly aimed at multiplayer formats, but we cannot ignore that Magic has grown to be something else than only Duel Magic (1 on 1). Blue's counter magic is here to stay, but is it too much to ask that the other colors can get even slightly in on the action if not directly, then indirectly by interacting more with the stack?
Green has one of the best palettes available to them for a slightly slower format; mana ramp, card draw, large threats, ability to scale well, protective measures, explosive finishers and a hell lot of combo potential and pieces.
I think Green is only beaten slightly by Black in terms of Commander due to tutors in a singleton format. And because Black can cheat mana costs or pays differently, has access to card draw and good finishers, along many more combo pieces.
Blue is one of the only colors that reliably can stop combo or finishers dead in their tracks. Reversibly, they are the color best suited to keep those combos or finishers uninterrupted. They have the best access to card advantage and resource manipulation. And extra turns.
There's a reason that many cEDH decks are mainly some variation of Sultai colors (Green, black and blue) with maybe one added color or full WUBRG. I think this picture would be more diverse, if more colors became able to interact better. The ability to interact is one of the core foundations and strengths of Magic. Counter magic is a pillar of this interaction, more colors should find a way to do it or something similar.
Kogarashi on Can Equinox counter Gorilla Shaman?
4 years ago
As for the second question, in the case of a spell that would destroy multiple lands, Equinox would counter the whole spell. If you have Equinox enchanting your Seat of the Synod and someone casts Armageddon or Shatterstorm , you can use Equinox to counter that spell as it would destroy one of your lands.
However, if your land is animated (or Dryad Arbor ) and someone casts a spell dealing damage to that land-creature (such as Shock ), Equinox would not counter it because the spell is not directly destroying the land, it's dealing damage which would cause indirect destruction (state-based actions destroying it instead of the spell itself).
The Oracle text for Equinox 's counter ability reads as follows: Enchanted land has “{T}: Counter target spell if it would destroy a land you control.”
Rhadamanthus on Can Equinox counter Gorilla Shaman?
4 years ago
Use double square brackets around a card's name to create a pop-up. It's the easiest way to make sure everyone understands what's going on with your question: Equinox , Gorilla Shaman
No, that won't work. Cards just do what they say, no more and no less. Equinox can only be used to counter spells. It can't counter Gorilla Shaman 's activated ability or any other activated/triggered ability that would destroy one or more of your lands.
WhattheDeck on
The Sea is Woke - Noyan Dar Control
5 years ago
Great deck! I love that you've included Equinox , that's one of my favorite cards :)
I might throw Reality Shift into your sideboard or possibly mainboard. I like to run 2-3 targeted exile removal to take out pesky hatebears that sometimes avoid counters. Plus the possibility to 2 for 1 with an opponent's top deck noncreature card is an added bonus.
You're running 9 boardwipes—I might take out one or two of these (probably Planar Cleansing ) to bring down your overall cmc. You could put in another cantrip or two to increase your deck consistency. I might add Remand or Quicken or Opt or Peer Through Depths
Definitely love everything about this :)
FancyTuesday on Order of Resolution.
5 years ago
I'd say it's safe to use your own answer as the answer to this question then, though this question sticks in my craw a bit and I've done some digging that someone in the future may find enlightening.
I can find no case where an ability that copies a spell is contingent on a condition that can only be satisfied after the spell has resolved. By the time the trigger is produced there is no spell to point to and say "that spell," the source is now a card and that language would require (in my assessment) a new rule that enables abilities with that wording to look back.
I can however find a case for abilities to look forward in time. Equinox. This card suggests to me that it's possible to assess conditions based on what would happen if a spell resolved. From there I would say it's perfectly sound to say "If a spell you cast would deal damage..."
But in the end that is just my two cents. I qualified as a Level 1 and have judged a couple FNMs through the mentorship program, but my mentor and I had too many schedule conflicts and he wasn't able to see me through the program completely. It doesn't help that hypothetical rules are quite the kettle of fish.
