Can you swerve a counterspell?
You can swerve virtually every counterspell, even Last Word, by using specific spells or abilities that allow you to change the target of the counterspell or counter it with another spell. This means that with the right strategy and combination of spells, you can effectively swerve a counterspell and prevent it from affecting your original spell.
Understanding Counterspells and Swerving
To delve deeper into the world of counterspells and how to swerve them, it’s essential to understand how counterspells work and the rules governing them. A counterspell is a type of spell that can interrupt and negate another spell, preventing it from taking effect. However, there are ways to swerve or counter a counterspell, which can be crucial in gaining the upper hand in a magical duel or a game of Magic: The Gathering.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you redirect a counterspell to itself?
No, a counterspell cannot be redirected to target itself based on rule 114.5, which states that a spell or ability on the stack is an illegal target for itself.
2. Can you commandeer a counterspell?
You can’t use Commandeer to make a counterspell counter itself, but you can use it to change the target of that counterspell to Commandeer, and then have Commandeer resolve before the counterspell has a chance to, effectively leaving the counterspell without a target.
3. How do you stop a counterspell?
You can stop a counterspell by counterspelling it, or by being out of range of the counterspell (60ft or 120ft with a sorcerer’s distant spell), or by denying the enemy a reaction through effects such as Stun or Slow.
4. Can you reverberate a counterspell?
In cases where you’re casting a permanent and your opponent tries to counter it, you can use Reverberate to counter your opponent’s counterspell.
5. Can you misdirect a counterspell to itself?
Yes, Misdirection only targets the spell whose target you’re trying to change (Counterspell in this case); it doesn’t target the thing you’re trying to change the target to, which means you can indirectly counter the counterspell.
6. What happens if you cascade into a counterspell?
If you cascade into a discard spell when your opponent has no cards in hand, or if you cascade into a counterspell at an inopportune time, no harm is done; the card simply goes on the bottom of your library with the rest of the spells you exiled with cascade.
7. Can you redirect a counterspell in Magic?
You can’t redirect a counterspell onto itself, but you can redirect the counterspell onto the redirect to indirectly counter the counterspell.
8. How do you stop counterspell in D&D?
If one party member casts a spell and an enemy uses counterspell, then another party member can use their counterspell to stop it, or the original spellcaster can use their own counterspell on their turn.
9. What is the counterspell rule?
The counterspell rule states that you attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell; if the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect, and if it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, you make an ability check using your spellcasting ability.
10. Can deflecting swat redirect a counterspell to itself?
No, Deflecting Swat cannot redirect a counterspell to itself, but you can use Deflecting Swat’s ability to redirect the counterspell to target Deflecting Swat, effectively wasting the counterspell.
11. Can you Bolt Bend a counterspell?
In general, when Bolt Bend resolves with a legal target, if the targeted spell is one that itself can target any “spell”, you can change that spell’s target to Bolt Bend, which will still be on the stack.
12. Can deflecting swat target a counterspell to itself?
No, Deflecting Swat cannot make a counterspell target itself, but you can make a counterspell target Deflecting Swat to waste the counterspell.
13. Can you cast a counterspell and target itself?
No, a spell on the stack is not a legal target for itself, meaning you cannot cast a counterspell and target itself.
14. Can you twin counterspell?
Yes, you can Twin Counterspell when you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self; you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level to target a second creature in range with the same spell.
15. How do you protect against counterspell MTG?
To protect against counterspell in MTG, play uncounterable threats such as Thrun, Breaker of Silence or Thranax Rex, which are often resilient to removal spells and can win the game against counterspell-heavy decks.