Card Guides
Best Counterspells in Commander
Counterspell for the unconditional answer, Fierce Guardianship for the free one. Blue's staples for stopping a spell before it resolves.
What makes a counterspell good
- Unconditional versus narrow. A card that counters anything is more flexible than one restricted to noncreature spells, but the narrow ones are usually cheaper.
- What it costs beyond mana: a card back to your opponent, a card to you, or nothing at all.
- Free counterspells that key off having a commander are a real category of their own in this format.
The classics
Cheap, and either unconditional or narrow enough to be worth the discount.
Counterspells that give value back
Stop a spell while replacing yourself or taking advantage of a favorable cost. The tradeoffs still matter in a multiplayer game.
Arcane Denial ↗
Counters any spell for two mana at 1U, replaces itself on your next upkeep, and gives the countered spell's controller two cards. That gift can lower the political cost of stopping their spell.
Fierce Guardianship ↗
Free if you control a commander, and counters any noncreature spell. One of the best rate trades in the format when the condition is met.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best counterspell in Commander?
Counterspell itself: two mana, no restrictions, counters anything. Fierce Guardianship is the highest-impact when its condition is met, since it's free as long as you control a commander.
Are counterspells worth running in Commander?
In a deck built to use them, yes: they stop a problem before it resolves rather than cleaning it up after, which is stronger against a combo than removal is. They're a weaker fit for a deck with no mana to hold up, since they need you to be reactive rather than developing your own board.
Why are some counterspells restricted to noncreature spells?
It's a tradeoff for a lower cost or a bonus effect. Fierce Guardianship and Swan Song both give up hitting creatures in exchange for being free or unusually cheap, which is a fine trade in a deck that has other ways to deal with creatures.
Do counterspells count as removal?
They're both interaction, but they solve different problems. Removal answers something already on the battlefield; a counterspell stops it from ever getting there, which is the only way to answer some triggered abilities and static effects a spell would otherwise create.
See how often your counterspells actually mattered.
TurnZero HQ's game recaps show what got countered and what it stopped, so you can tell which slots are earning their place.
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