Minor Misstep
Modern forum
Posted on Feb. 19, 2023, 3:36 p.m. by Icbrgr
I am wondering what you all think about Minor Misstep?
At first I just thought this was just Mental Misstep without the phyrexian mana cost... but then I noticed that it counters spells costing or less... granted that's not paying life for cost/cant be included in literally any deck...but the flexibility to counter 0-1 mana value spells seems really strong. Almost to the point where if your in why wouldn't you run a few copies?... it can hit Chalice of the Void/Crashing Footfalls... Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer/Aether Vial/Sigarda's Aid....lots of stuff.
Am I over glorifying this card?
I agree... I can certainly see justification/meta calls as to why other options like Spell Snare/Ceremonious Rejection/Stubborn Denial would be preferred.
But dang this seem like a neat tool to consider now.
February 19, 2023 4:28 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #4
It doesn't hit a chalice (at least not one where X=/=0). When on the stack X is counted as the declared number for determining mana value.
February 19, 2023 4:40 p.m.
Your right Gidgetimer! Kinda lame how it has a cmc/mv of everywhere else except the stack lol
Chalice with one charge counter on it has a cmc/mv of on the stack... interesting.
I assume the same is applied for Prismatic Ending and Engineered Explosives too?
February 19, 2023 4:58 p.m. Edited.
wallisface says... #6
The big comparison here is Spell Pierce - and the one notable difference is that Spell Pierce can stop your opponent casting Wrenn and Six when you’re on the draw. This is a pretty important distinction, and W&6 can completely carry a game by itself if left uncontested.
I think Minor Misstep still has a place, and it’s certainly stronger than Spell Pierce late game. I’m just really skeptical of its broader use just due to it feeling significantly weaker than Spell Pierce in those early-game turns which matter most.
February 19, 2023 5:41 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #7
MV for Prismatic Ending and Engineered Explosives is MV as it appears on the field, which is 0.
February 19, 2023 7:47 p.m.
@Gidgetimer Im sorry im just a little confused... for Chalice of the Void its MV is when in the deck/hand/battlfield/grave... but when you pay to cast it while it is on the stack it is recognized as a MV of so Minor Misstep would not be able to counter it in this case.
Is that correct?.... if so why would Engineered Explosives or Prismatic Ending be any different?.... Would Leyline Binding be treated as a MV spell if full Domain is active?
@wallisface that's actually a really good point in regards to answering something like W&6 when your on the draw... maybe your onto something with it being stronger in the late game than Spell Pierce and its more of a "keep your edge/grip/control" kinda card like to stave off a Fatal Push/Path to Exile/Lightning Bolt for a deck that is using somthing like Dragon's Rage Channeler/Delver of Secrets  Flip and something like Stubborn Denial doesn't quite fit?
February 19, 2023 10:18 p.m. Edited.
X is 0 everywhere except on the stack. Also, reducing what you are paying for a spell doesn't decrease it's CMC, comes up with Trinisphere sometimes in the opposite direction, so I am familiar with that one.
I also use https://chat.magicjudges.org/mtgrules/ for any rules questions, almost always someone there.
February 19, 2023 10:39 p.m.
Thanks nbarry223... I checked out the link you posted and the info I got was "While a spell with Variable Colorless in its mana cost is on the stack, use the value of X that was chosen when it was cast to determine its mana value." Normally, this means that a spell with Variable Colorless in its mana cost will have a mana value greater than 1 and if so then you cannot counter with Minor Misstep.
so for Typical applications chalice of the void with 1 charge counter on it can not be hit by Minor Misstep because 1&1=2 (not just the value of X but it adds them together)...paying 0 for prismatic ending can hit by Minor mistep because the MV would be 1 and paying 0-1 for engineered explosives can be hit with Minor Misstep because the MV would be 0-1.
I didnt get a response about leyline binding... but im assuming because 5 isnt a variable it will still just be a MV of 6 regardless of domain.
February 19, 2023 11:37 p.m.
wallisface says... #11
Yeah Gidgetimer, you're incorrect here. The MV of a spell with X in its value takes the value of X into account when they're on the stack, so the MV of Prismatic Ending, Engineered Explosives, and Chalice of the Void will always take the X into account while on the stack - and so often Minor Misstep will not be able to target them (just to add further, Prismatic Ending can NEVER have MV 0 because it has a required white-pip in its casting cost).
Icbrgr I think the problem is that the card is competing early-game with Spell Pierce, and then late game with Counterspell and Archmage's Charm... there's just such a narrow application for the spell that it feels iffy to be running mainboard. Saying that, I do think it could see some play in limited number mainboard (1-2 copies at most), and possibly some sideboard play also. I just feel there are too many other solid control cards that Minor Misstep might not have too narrow an application to be the optimal choice in almost all decks.
One thing that could be interesting is pairing Minor Misstep with Spell Snare. While neither are optimal in terms of countermagic, they might allow for some aggressive tempo-based control where mana is tight (i'm thinking the Monastery Mentor decks that a lot of people have been toying with since seeing AspiringSpike brewing in that vein, though something like Sultai-Shadow might also be interested in this approach).
February 19, 2023 11:38 p.m.
wallisface says... #12
In regards to the Leyline Binding talk, yes the MV is always 6. The MV will only ever change for cards that have X in the cost, and only ever while those spells are on the stack.
February 19, 2023 11:39 p.m.
Yeah, the extremely narrow range of what Minor Misstep can counter and the extremely limited timeframes that it is useful (it does nothing to stop Ragavan if you're on the draw, for instance) mean that it only has niche applications. One other painful factor is that unless you're using it against a cascade deck, it will never trade up on mana, unlike Spell Pierce and Spell Snare.
With how format warping Mental Misstep is, I'm fine with Minor Misstep not being dominant.
February 20, 2023 12:28 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #14
wallisface, Icbrgr: Sorry, I misunderstood the question. The question I answered was "can Prismatic Ending and Engineered Explosives blow up a chalice" not "can Minor Misstep counter Prismatic Ending or Engineered Explosives"
February 20, 2023 2:51 a.m.
@SpammyV cascade is one of the "decks to beat" at my LGS and I think that's honestly what got me so pumped for Minor Misstep to begin with... but knowing that stupid deck they will just Violent Outburst on my end step with Force of Negation in hand anyway (I really really hate that deck lol)
@Gidgetimer no worries at all honestly just thanks a bunch for helping me look into/understand how the ruling works.
@wallisface I think I'm leaning that way too in thinking that if this kinda countermagic has a main deck "home" then I'd say that some sort of tempo build... and have always been a sucker for Monastery Mentor/Young Pyromancer builds.
nbarry223 says... #2
in a control shell, it is worth it because it is going to be relevant sometime (as 1 or 2 copies) but for most other decks, there is other options. That's my opinion anyway.
February 19, 2023 4:12 p.m.