Can Cancel Cards cancel Creature spells?
Asked by JediMasterCaleb 8 years ago
I am a complete and utter noob, I admit it, but I was playing Magic with my little brother and he tried to use the card Cancel on one of my creature cards. Is that legal?
nobu_the_bard says... Accepted answer #2
It needs to be a creature that is in the process of being cast. It can counter any spell on the stack. Cards are only called a "spell" when they are on the stack. Once the creature resolves, it is no longer a spell, and Cancel can no longer target it.
So, this works, but only if your brother did it when you tried to cast the creature... not if he waited until you were attacking with it, for example.
Your opponent will generally always have an opportunity to respond to any spell you cast, and countering them is one possible response.
November 16, 2016 7:36 p.m.
Also, lands are not spells, so he wouldn't be able to Cancel a land. This is even included on reminder text for things like Ancient Den. But everything that isn't a land is cast as a spell. Essence Scatter wouldn't be very useful if you couldn't counter creatures.
acbooster says... #1
Yes it is. Cancel can target any spell on the stack. Some cards like Negate or Essence Scatter have restrictions on what they can target, however.
November 16, 2016 6:26 p.m.