Can a counter spell counter itself?
Asked by FangedRamen 10 years ago
Can a counter spell counter itself?
If I played a counter spell, lets say Counterspell , could I use its ability to counter itself?
I ask the question because my friend tried to use Arcane Denial to counter itself and draw 3 cards and I thought it was strange.
Servo_Token says... #2
You need to select targets before the spell is officially on the stack, and you can only counter things on the stack.
At least this is my understanding of the rules. You'll probably get a better answer in the MTG Q&A section, linked up top, where you're supposed to ask questions like this.
August 21, 2014 10:39 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... Accepted answer #3
"114.4. A spell or ability on the stack is an illegal target for itself."
August 21, 2014 10:39 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
Rules questions should be asked in the Q&A, which is linked in the header. I can't move this thread to the Q&A, so I'm moving it to BE.
@ThatBlueMage: That's not correct. The first step in casting a spell is announcing the spell and moving it from wherever it is (typically the hand) onto the stack. the real reason a spell cannot target itself is 114.4, which vampirelazarus cited.
TehCoopeh says... #1
They can't target themselves, and even if they could, what you friend tried to do wouldn't work, because his spell would be countered so there would be no draw effect created.
August 21, 2014 10:38 p.m.