Really not as a good as counterspell, but theres a reason: Counterspell was too good to be true. 2 mana to shut down almost any spell? You should use this if you A. Want to save money or B. If you need more than 4 all purpose counterspells.

  -- By someone from behind you on June 23, 2011

This card is a travesty. This is not a good common. It should be recycled immediately upon opening so that its fibers can be put to some use more suited for it...like toilet paper. Or, if you want to do something about the decided shafting of blue, you can keep everyone you open, and collect them from your friends, until you have enough to fill a good sized box, and you can ship it back to Wizards (Mailing Address: Wizards of the Coast LLC; PO Box 707; Renton, WA 98057) and tell them we're fed up with it.

  -- By Myz from CA, USA on October 04, 2009

The problem with this is that most standard decks are multicolor, and have lands which come into play tapped, and this requires three mana to cast, 2 of which are blue, so it is slower than most of the other counter cards out there. In fact I might like negate and the new remove soul better because they only cost 2 mana, at one blue, and are thus more splashable in todays environment. But still it is solid because it is a counterspell.

  -- By Jozsef from NJ on August 16, 2009

im not giving it five for obvious reasons (counterspell!) but for the set its a game winner, i'd put it in any tourney/draft deck.

  -- By DJ Maze from Cortez, CO on June 21, 2009

cool its a new counter spell..... I can live in peace again

  -- By Brian Rees from somewhere over the rainbow on October 05, 2008

Wizards decided a while ago that counterspell was too good, which is why it hasn't been in the core sets for awhile, and why they made so many new variations of it in the expansion blocks. This is just the fixed version of counterspell, and probably the one that will be reprinted in all of the future core sets.

  -- By Ben from PA on April 30, 2008

It's the poor man's Counterspell, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Solid card.

  -- By Will from Springfield, MA USA on December 04, 2007

Good contribution from Time Spiral to the Core Sets, it ain't Counterspell but its gets the job done...

  -- By Andrew from Missouri on October 16, 2007

Any spell that stops every other spell dead in its tracks is good. Not Counterspell, but that was probably too good to be true. I liked Dissipate better (removes countered spell from game) better, and thought it was costed about right. Hopefully Dissipate will come back in 10th.

  -- By bluemage from savannah on February 05, 2007

decent counter spell there r much better opnes tho, but this is good for standard i guess

  -- By Justin from Toledo, OH USA on January 26, 2007