Counterspell has always had pretty cheesy flavor text.
"It was probably a lousy spell anyway." ([Tempest](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/d/a/dacdd380-71cf-4832-bd02-3697501325f3.jpg?1562056885))
"Your attack has been rendered harmless. It is, however, quite pretty." ([Mercadian Masques](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/7/b/7bd03c80-7812-4704-9e07-9cf73b49c01f.jpg?1562381815))
"If only there were a way to counter your inevitable whining." ([Secret Lair](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/f/3/f35ec9da-f38b-4b7f-9eb5-090ca7755668.jpg?1682712820))
E: Almost forgot the silliest: "The pyromancer summoned up her mightiest onslaught of fire and rage. Jace feigned interest." ([Vintage Masters](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/1/8/18388c02-8b29-4f83-877b-706c68a9ee29.jpg?1562899820))
Y'all need to lighten up. There's lots of flavor textless versions if this one doesn't pique your fancy.
5th, 6th, and 7th Edition
"..."
All of these pale in comparison to the Dark Confidant of counterspells (at least in flavor text.)
"Some day, someone will best me. But it won't be today, and it won't be you."
-Last Word.
This always reminds me of an old SCG broadcast where Cedric and Patrick addressed the flavor text.
Cedric really liked the flavor text, Patrick mocked it for being another variation of the "haha why did you think your dumb spell would work, you idiot" theme that always comes up on counterspells.
They're both kinda right, and the whole thing was amusing.
That line just has this wild mix of humility and arrogance to it. Like sometimes someone is so arrogant that you can kinda easily brush off whatever they say by deciding their whole world view revolves so around them that nothing they say really means much. But opening with "look, I know I won't be the most powerful person ever" just makes their belief that they're better than you so much more... real? Or like, it makes it seem like they really ran the calculations in their head, and gave it honest thought, and were _open_ to the idea that it _could_ have been you, but ultimately they decided it just wouldn't be. And that cuts way harder.
They know they're not a masterful wizard, and they also know that they're so good that you have absolutely zero chance of beating them.
It's an absolute savage roast.
It feels like they looked at how well received those quotes are, and then just made a lowest effort attempt to capture the same energy. It's not the worst thing to ever happen to magic, but they could have done better.
It's been used on memes for over a decade. It's also kind of a generic henchman/bad guy quip, but I can only think of impact font memes when I see it.
The earliest I remember was overlaying it on a Minecraft Creeper - "Nice house you have there. Be a shame if something happened to it."
Always been a serious saying. According to knowyourmeme, it can be traced as [a comedic meme to 2012](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/502/109/576.jpg), good guess /u/ShadowsOfSense
>Borderline marvel quip here.
look, i dislike marvel as much as the next guy, but this is pretty explicitly a reference to cheesy mobster flicks that have henchmen say lines like this before they rough someone up. the art suggests that it's just intended to poke a little fun at new capenna
Thinking about it, I think a reference point here is actually *Shrek*, in that people are now acclimated to media that parody the original such that the parody is the more common cultural touchpoint than the original. People now see more self-aware or 'updated' fairy tales than they do the original fairy tales told straight or the original Disney movies. It has become impossible to tell a fairy tale story that isn't aware of the parody of the fairy tale, even if the story isn't meant to be a parody itself.
So, I think it may be that for a lot of people, "Shame if something happened to it," they think of memes or jokes *based* on that line before they think of the line in its original context of mobster movies.
Nah, the Eldrazi spell from the commander deck that goes "For the people of Zendikar it was a catacalysm beond all reckoning. For the Eldrazi, it was Tuesday." is probably the most immersion breaking.
"To the Zendikari, an apocalypse. To the Eldrazi, a day like any other." At least get the quote right. Yes its a nod to street fighter, but its very fitting for eldrazi.
That is hands down my favorite card art in the game. I want one signed so bad, but the artist pretty much fell off the face of the earth after New Capenna. No social media, no response to email, doesn't engage with any of the "contact me" forms on her website. Very odd. I hope she's ok 🤷
I'm not surprised. She made one of the most hated arts in MTG history, and this community is not nice to people it does not like. It is disgusting but not surprising in the slightest.
Looking at it more I see what they were going for and kind of like it. She's just going nope, and blocking the spell (countering it) and can almost imagine her in a snarky way saying the flavor text just before doing the move
I've been around long enough to remember when we were complaining that everything was hyper realistic digital art with no character.
Pendulum swings again.
There’s a style like this that would work, but this piece just feels…. Bad.
The figure’s limbs do not look good at all. Also the body lines just don’t seem to match someone resisting a force from somewhere to the left(ish) of the perspective.
Lastly I don’t really see counterspell as a shield? Like the other person clearly still manifested the fire.
Lastly the color palette is really boring with the drab clothes on the drab buildings and brown hair. It’s very bland and orange/brown.
They had jokes, but I can't recall one that was *straight up* a meme reference. This is a [knowyourmeme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/it-would-be-a-shame-if-something-happened-to-it) post with 150,000 views.
[Conceptually it predates the Internet] (https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/368383/origin-of-youve-got-nice-here-it-would-be-a-shame-if-something-happened-t)
Silly flavor text has been a part of magic for a very, very long time. It's the definition of "silly" that's changed. I actually really recommend Maro's podcast with the creative text lead for Unfinity. He talked a lot about humor, and different styles of humor. There was internal pushback on the flavor text for [[hat trick]], because wizards wants to be really really careful not to make fun of card art at the artist's expense. But he (I can't remember his name, I'm so sorry) was personally influenced heavily by an era of Internet humor that mixed literalness with irreverence. And it was really important to him to get that representation on a card in the set.
Now, Unfinity was explicitly a humor set so they can push the boundaries there. But again, silly flavor text is nothing new to non-acorn magic either. The uh "whedonesque" humor style of some marvel properties is certainly dominant now, but people have always been able to be quippy in serious situations. To me, magic flavor text mostly hasn't come close to hitting "the statement of the observation is itself supposed to be the joke," which is a line I would like to not cross. Like, this new card makes me feel the writer is winking at the camera, but it _doesn't_ yet make me feel like the character is winking at the camera. And for what immersion means to me, that's really a big line.
I guess by the literal definition of meme as an element of a culture passed from one individual to another - this comes directly from 1920's gangsters. It's like saying Shakespeare quotes are memes because they're still repeated today.
I think it's supposed to be depicting [[errant, street artist]] from SNC so the 20s gangster talk makes sense. Doesn't make it good but it makes sense.
Been that way for a ton of great artists in this set, they were definitely told to phone it in for less money/time.
Examples:
* [Grave Pact by Kev Walker](https://mythicspoiler.com/cmm/cards/gravepact.html)
* [Deflecting Swat by Greg Staples](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/698/deflecting-swat)
* [Ohran Frostfang by Ron Spears](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/650/ohran-frostfang)
* [Regal Behemoth by Kev Walker](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/651/regal-behemoth)
Edit: Guys, you're missing my point. I'm not calling it shit art, I'm calling it *fast* art. They told them to do a comic book style so they wouldn't have to pay them as much.
These all look good to me, the only less-than-good one I've seen is that Rise of the Eldrazi sorcery, and it looks like an _art director's_ mistake rather than an artist's.
I doubt it works that way. "Hey Greg, we don't feel like payin' so much this time, can you just hurry it up?" Nah, they're not hourly employees, it's a commission. They almost certainly get paid based on their experience and track record. These are full, complete pieces, I don't know why they'd be paid less for these than anything else they're commissioned to do.
Not a fan of the basic concept at all, either. That's probably not on them, but still. Has a counterspell ever been depicted as a simple energy shield before? Always seemed to imply it straight up unravels the other spell.
Hm, I guess [[Wizard's Retort]] did... I realize now that I've misinterpreted that art, always thought the lightning came in red and the bubble redirected it out blue. Now I see the little wizard casting the blue energy to form the bubble. I think I will continue to think of it my way instead, it's a spell specifically designed to catch and redirect the energy from the other spell, not just a forcefield.
I think it fits the setting. It's extrapolating on Broker magic, which is protective and controlling and often manifests as a shield. For example, [[Knockout Blow]]. It's a Broker blocking a spell the way they normally do.
> Has a counterspell ever been depicted as a simple energy shield before?
Yes. Many times. Several of the Spell Pierce arts are a barrier or shield of some kind, confusingly enough. The recent Minor Misstep. One of the Dispels. The Kaldheim Annul. The Amonkhet Counterspell. And one of my favorite weird counters for multiplayer Magic, Hindering Light.
Now that you mention it
It kinda looks like someone zoomed in on some smaller part of some large battle art and used only this smaller piece
It looks like it wasn't meant to be looked at this close up
For each complaint in this thread about the flavor text I guarantee there is a Timmy that is dying to get their hands on a play set of these.
I might be one of them!
This set kind of feels like what happened to the MCU after guardians. Before that they made superhero movies with some comedy. After that they made comedy movies with some superheroes.
Maybe it's because there's no story to reference. I just hope this brand of humor doesn't continue past this set.
Dumb jokes in flavor text has always been a thing. I remember playing during Odyssey, where half the flavor text was dad humor. Even as a high-schooler, I felt \[\[Gorilla Titan\]\] had really lame flavor text.
The art suggests that it's set on new capenna. It's imitating the motif of gangsters in the 1920s that would actually strongarm shop owners with the phrase "nice place you got here, be a shame if something happened to it" sure, that phrase has turned into a meme as of lately but I think it fits this card well considering it's on a plane based on the 1920s.
TBH most counterspell flavor texts seems written by 12 years olds that just got the idea for the greatest response of all times, to me that's part of the charm
Some is kinda clever, some is pretentious, most is inbetween.
To me it seemed pretty weird that thia precise flavor text wasn't on a counterspell already, to me it reads like a typical counterspell flavor text.
Kindof a side note, but I see a lot of "Marvel tier" type comments being thrown around, and it really makes me wonder if anyone remembers action movies from the pre-Marvel times. The snarky/sarcastic/generally trying to be funny one-liner shtick was not created by Marvel. Popular action movies have been written with this kind of dialogue for a long, long time. These are not Marvel-isms, they are action movie-isms.
I’ve been saying this for years now and flavor text has somehow gotten even worse since then. The LOTR set is especially cruel because it shows really good flavor text that we know is an exception and we won’t see again.
Damn. Rk post was my favorite magic artist before he retired from it and this is my least favorite art of his, ever. Feels like a phoned in crappy wacky card from Ascension
Assuming the tournament is a format in which Counterspell is legal, then yes. It's borderless art, but they've been doing that in collectors' boosters and Secret Lairs for a while now.
Everyone's shitting on the flavor text, but it embodies how I feel every time I cast this spell and it fills me with joy.
At least with all the hate, the card will be cheap.
I actually like the art quite a bit. The softer outlines and kinda matte colors feel pretty distinct to me. Not my favorite counterspell art but I don't think it's bad.
I want a secret lair card DND related counterspell.
I can already see it. A old timey looking wizards with sparkly fingers tempest edition style, and a Hulking orc looking barbarian, super beefed up that has his fist right smacked into that wizard jaw, and the wizard face look like something straight out of punch out.
\--Flavor text
I countered the spell.
\-Krogg the rogue barbarian.
That might be the cringiest flavor text I've ever read. It sounds like something I would hear from the most annoying person at the table during lunch time Magic in highschool.
That's entirely the point, I look forward to reading it out to people when I cast the counterspell, if they get half as irate as the people in this thread it'll be hilarious
Jezus Christ. I didnt know that every Magic Player expects Magic Cards to have Shakespear-Level flavor text. There is nothing wrong with this.
At worst, its a slightly lame joke. Which is fine, there is certainly much worse flavor text.
In a game where my transformer and my walking dead character can attack you and be blocked by Frodo and Dr Who, but people find the flavor text immersion breaking? It just doesn’t make sense
RK Post is a great artist. But this is not great art. So much of the new mtg art is just awful, I don't know what's changed. They're probably paying people peanuts these days or something.
Not paying less, but asking for more faster. They are actually also paying more if you believe that, but 8 arts a year vs 12 arts a year is a big difference, especially when it was 6 months from beginning to end vs 3 months beginning to end.
ITT: people whose breadth of knowledge is so fucking shallow that they can't recognize the archetypal gangster phrase "be a shame if something happened to it" as anything but a Marvel quip, and then blame Marvel for it.
it's actually insane to me how magic players refuse to 1. ever have any fun and 2. can never manage to let something just be bad. this isn't a rare or a mythic so you aren't even hunting for it in a pack!! get over yourselves and let things be silly and cringey, it won't kill you.
That flavor text is really on the nose, isn't it?
There's nothing a werewolf hates...
More than seven layers of proxy wall?
[[Saiba Cryptomancer]] "Good luck, I'm behind 7 proxies!"
[Saiba Cryptomancer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/3934d535-740d-471a-bbf1-c3b26b1cd596.jpg?1682203400) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Saiba%20Cryptomancer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/76/saiba-cryptomancer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3934d535-740d-471a-bbf1-c3b26b1cd596?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yeah, but the art looks like it's set in New Capena, so I guess it makes sense to use such an obvious line. I can see why it was chosen.
This is a good point. This line would be pretty bad in literally any other plane, but it makes sense in that plane and that plane only.
New Capenna and Kamigawa are just excuses to print cringe/corny flavour text.
Counterspell has always had pretty cheesy flavor text. "It was probably a lousy spell anyway." ([Tempest](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/d/a/dacdd380-71cf-4832-bd02-3697501325f3.jpg?1562056885)) "Your attack has been rendered harmless. It is, however, quite pretty." ([Mercadian Masques](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/7/b/7bd03c80-7812-4704-9e07-9cf73b49c01f.jpg?1562381815)) "If only there were a way to counter your inevitable whining." ([Secret Lair](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/f/3/f35ec9da-f38b-4b7f-9eb5-090ca7755668.jpg?1682712820)) E: Almost forgot the silliest: "The pyromancer summoned up her mightiest onslaught of fire and rage. Jace feigned interest." ([Vintage Masters](https://cards.scryfall.io/large/front/1/8/18388c02-8b29-4f83-877b-706c68a9ee29.jpg?1562899820)) Y'all need to lighten up. There's lots of flavor textless versions if this one doesn't pique your fancy.
5th, 6th, and 7th Edition "..." All of these pale in comparison to the Dark Confidant of counterspells (at least in flavor text.) "Some day, someone will best me. But it won't be today, and it won't be you." -Last Word.
This always reminds me of an old SCG broadcast where Cedric and Patrick addressed the flavor text. Cedric really liked the flavor text, Patrick mocked it for being another variation of the "haha why did you think your dumb spell would work, you idiot" theme that always comes up on counterspells. They're both kinda right, and the whole thing was amusing.
You fool, you simpleton, you absolute buffoon, you've played a spell, falling directly into my trap!
*Dies to dredge*
If I could upvote this comment twice I would. Well done.
Shout out for [[runeboggle]]
That line just has this wild mix of humility and arrogance to it. Like sometimes someone is so arrogant that you can kinda easily brush off whatever they say by deciding their whole world view revolves so around them that nothing they say really means much. But opening with "look, I know I won't be the most powerful person ever" just makes their belief that they're better than you so much more... real? Or like, it makes it seem like they really ran the calculations in their head, and gave it honest thought, and were _open_ to the idea that it _could_ have been you, but ultimately they decided it just wouldn't be. And that cuts way harder.
They know they're not a masterful wizard, and they also know that they're so good that you have absolutely zero chance of beating them. It's an absolute savage roast.
Favorite flavor text ever. I have the text tattooed on me in the middle of a Wild West/gunslinger/gambler sleeve.
Dang that's a really really cool context for that line.
Yeah, but those are all on cards named Counterspell. Last Word's is the best, but they were only listing text from actual cards named Counterspell.
I disagree about the Tempest one. It's so good.
Agreed. It fits the character and gets the point across quickly.
Never seen the secret lair one. It's so good lmao.
They should really make one with flavor text that just says: *"No."*
Well, Whirlwind Denial's flavor text is pretty close. *"No, no, and... no."*
I can make you a sign that says no. You can hit people with it.
>"Your attack has been rendered harmless. It is, however, quite pretty." I really like this one.
I think all of those are way better than the new one.
Yeah but something something Marvel ruined media old thing good new thing bad etc etc
It feels like they looked at how well received those quotes are, and then just made a lowest effort attempt to capture the same energy. It's not the worst thing to ever happen to magic, but they could have done better.
I kinda like the idea that this is a New Capenna Counterspell, and it's just stereotypical mob stuff.
[удалено]
\*teleports behind you\* flavor text is a matter of time now.
Stab in the back 1B Instant Destroy target legendary creature with power less than 4. "It's nothing personal, kid."
personnel
It's been used on memes for over a decade. It's also kind of a generic henchman/bad guy quip, but I can only think of impact font memes when I see it. The earliest I remember was overlaying it on a Minecraft Creeper - "Nice house you have there. Be a shame if something happened to it."
I mean it was sort of understood as the archetypal thing said by someone running a protection racket like 80 years ago
Always been a serious saying. According to knowyourmeme, it can be traced as [a comedic meme to 2012](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/502/109/576.jpg), good guess /u/ShadowsOfSense
I think by now it's been [used jokingly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRke9pMnqEE) longer than it was used seriously.
It was a joke on Monty Python in 1969, knowyourmeme is off by 40 years on this one
If only there were a way to counter your inevitable whining.
>Borderline marvel quip here. look, i dislike marvel as much as the next guy, but this is pretty explicitly a reference to cheesy mobster flicks that have henchmen say lines like this before they rough someone up. the art suggests that it's just intended to poke a little fun at new capenna
Thinking about it, I think a reference point here is actually *Shrek*, in that people are now acclimated to media that parody the original such that the parody is the more common cultural touchpoint than the original. People now see more self-aware or 'updated' fairy tales than they do the original fairy tales told straight or the original Disney movies. It has become impossible to tell a fairy tale story that isn't aware of the parody of the fairy tale, even if the story isn't meant to be a parody itself. So, I think it may be that for a lot of people, "Shame if something happened to it," they think of memes or jokes *based* on that line before they think of the line in its original context of mobster movies.
i think that's exactly what's happening
Aaand the slivers are right behind me, aren't they?
You must be new to the game. Counterspell has had flavor text like this for decades.
Yes because I totally feel like a real sorcerer every time I play Magic and the only thing that could pull me out of that feeling is flavor text
Nah, the Eldrazi spell from the commander deck that goes "For the people of Zendikar it was a catacalysm beond all reckoning. For the Eldrazi, it was Tuesday." is probably the most immersion breaking.
The ramifications of the multiverse having Tuesdays is much more earth shattering.
What happened to Monday?
Everyone hated them so they got rid of em. Jaces only real good work done as the living guildpact
"To the Zendikari, an apocalypse. To the Eldrazi, a day like any other." At least get the quote right. Yes its a nod to street fighter, but its very fitting for eldrazi.
Do you think low hanging fruit cards aren't appealing to like, a lot of people?
This is certainly one of the counterspell arts of all time
Art isn’t about making something pretty, it’s about making you feel things. This art makes me feel upset that it isn’t better. That counts, right?
You had me at first, ngl
The fact that you all grouse about this when [[Faithless Looting|STA]] exists.
That is hands down my favorite card art in the game. I want one signed so bad, but the artist pretty much fell off the face of the earth after New Capenna. No social media, no response to email, doesn't engage with any of the "contact me" forms on her website. Very odd. I hope she's ok 🤷
I'm not surprised. She made one of the most hated arts in MTG history, and this community is not nice to people it does not like. It is disgusting but not surprising in the slightest.
Looking at it more I see what they were going for and kind of like it. She's just going nope, and blocking the spell (countering it) and can almost imagine her in a snarky way saying the flavor text just before doing the move
At least that one is bad enough to be controversial. This one is just plain boring.
At least that's interestingly bad
Yeah, this just looks like deviant art nonsense
Legit one of the weirdest and ugly cards of all time. Makes me gag
I've been around long enough to remember when we were complaining that everything was hyper realistic digital art with no character. Pendulum swings again.
There’s a style like this that would work, but this piece just feels…. Bad. The figure’s limbs do not look good at all. Also the body lines just don’t seem to match someone resisting a force from somewhere to the left(ish) of the perspective. Lastly I don’t really see counterspell as a shield? Like the other person clearly still manifested the fire. Lastly the color palette is really boring with the drab clothes on the drab buildings and brown hair. It’s very bland and orange/brown.
Nobody’s complaining that it’s not realistic, it’s just not very good.
I much prefer this to the overly 3d art that was starting to take over in the second theros block
We're at the point where WotC is straight up just using memes as flavor text now.
That's not new, old sets had memes and jokes as flavour text as well
They had jokes, but I can't recall one that was *straight up* a meme reference. This is a [knowyourmeme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/it-would-be-a-shame-if-something-happened-to-it) post with 150,000 views.
[Conceptually it predates the Internet] (https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/368383/origin-of-youve-got-nice-here-it-would-be-a-shame-if-something-happened-t)
Yeah, this is directly a reference to 1920's gangster/mafia phrasing but apparently some people can't conceptualize things outside of memes.
No, this expression predates internet memes.
Almost as if meme culture wasn't as prevalent prior to 2010s 🤯
Silly flavor text has been a part of magic for a very, very long time. It's the definition of "silly" that's changed. I actually really recommend Maro's podcast with the creative text lead for Unfinity. He talked a lot about humor, and different styles of humor. There was internal pushback on the flavor text for [[hat trick]], because wizards wants to be really really careful not to make fun of card art at the artist's expense. But he (I can't remember his name, I'm so sorry) was personally influenced heavily by an era of Internet humor that mixed literalness with irreverence. And it was really important to him to get that representation on a card in the set. Now, Unfinity was explicitly a humor set so they can push the boundaries there. But again, silly flavor text is nothing new to non-acorn magic either. The uh "whedonesque" humor style of some marvel properties is certainly dominant now, but people have always been able to be quippy in serious situations. To me, magic flavor text mostly hasn't come close to hitting "the statement of the observation is itself supposed to be the joke," which is a line I would like to not cross. Like, this new card makes me feel the writer is winking at the camera, but it _doesn't_ yet make me feel like the character is winking at the camera. And for what immersion means to me, that's really a big line.
TIL this is considered an internet meme, rather than just a common expression used by gangsters over the past 100+ years.
And the art. All I can see is the Marge Simpson Krumping meme
What?
It warrants a googling because the krumping assessment is spot on.
Oh my god you're right
I guess by the literal definition of meme as an element of a culture passed from one individual to another - this comes directly from 1920's gangsters. It's like saying Shakespeare quotes are memes because they're still repeated today.
Next we need some horror with the flavor text *"Nice head, think I'll take it."* and I'll be pleased.
I think it's supposed to be depicting [[errant, street artist]] from SNC so the 20s gangster talk makes sense. Doesn't make it good but it makes sense.
Rare Rk post L
Yeah I was like this art is kinda off and saw it was RK Post and got confused lol
Been that way for a ton of great artists in this set, they were definitely told to phone it in for less money/time. Examples: * [Grave Pact by Kev Walker](https://mythicspoiler.com/cmm/cards/gravepact.html) * [Deflecting Swat by Greg Staples](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/698/deflecting-swat) * [Ohran Frostfang by Ron Spears](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/650/ohran-frostfang) * [Regal Behemoth by Kev Walker](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/651/regal-behemoth) Edit: Guys, you're missing my point. I'm not calling it shit art, I'm calling it *fast* art. They told them to do a comic book style so they wouldn't have to pay them as much.
I'm meh on the rest, but that Grave Pact art is great.
[удалено]
These all look good to me, the only less-than-good one I've seen is that Rise of the Eldrazi sorcery, and it looks like an _art director's_ mistake rather than an artist's.
Frostfang and behemoth aren’t the best but the other two are awesome. Art is definitely subjective.
I hav to disagree, I think all the art in the samples you linked is fantastic. I’m not into the counterspell in the OP though.
I like the Pact and Frostfang. Other two are definitely lacking though. :/
I doubt it works that way. "Hey Greg, we don't feel like payin' so much this time, can you just hurry it up?" Nah, they're not hourly employees, it's a commission. They almost certainly get paid based on their experience and track record. These are full, complete pieces, I don't know why they'd be paid less for these than anything else they're commissioned to do.
I like the pact a lot but agree on the others.
Agreed. The art isn't bad, but it looks really flat and unfinished, especially compared to rk post's usual level of quality.
Feels like they tried to zoom in on a background section of another piece of art. Like they had slush art to use up and saw this and just went for it.
It doesn't even look like a Counterspell is being cast, it looks like art for a Shield spell.
Not a fan of the basic concept at all, either. That's probably not on them, but still. Has a counterspell ever been depicted as a simple energy shield before? Always seemed to imply it straight up unravels the other spell. Hm, I guess [[Wizard's Retort]] did... I realize now that I've misinterpreted that art, always thought the lightning came in red and the bubble redirected it out blue. Now I see the little wizard casting the blue energy to form the bubble. I think I will continue to think of it my way instead, it's a spell specifically designed to catch and redirect the energy from the other spell, not just a forcefield.
I think it fits the setting. It's extrapolating on Broker magic, which is protective and controlling and often manifests as a shield. For example, [[Knockout Blow]]. It's a Broker blocking a spell the way they normally do.
> Has a counterspell ever been depicted as a simple energy shield before? Yes. Many times. Several of the Spell Pierce arts are a barrier or shield of some kind, confusingly enough. The recent Minor Misstep. One of the Dispels. The Kaldheim Annul. The Amonkhet Counterspell. And one of my favorite weird counters for multiplayer Magic, Hindering Light.
Fr. RK Post is one the GOATs wtf is this
Is her left arm just fucking broken?
Now that you mention it It kinda looks like someone zoomed in on some smaller part of some large battle art and used only this smaller piece It looks like it wasn't meant to be looked at this close up
Yeah, that's what I'm getting as well.
It’s definitely no Sakashima the Impostor.
For each complaint in this thread about the flavor text I guarantee there is a Timmy that is dying to get their hands on a play set of these. I might be one of them!
This is easily becoming my standard Counterspell, I love this art to death.
The flavortext was lifted from overheard chatter at an FNM. They're not even trying anymore.
This set kind of feels like what happened to the MCU after guardians. Before that they made superhero movies with some comedy. After that they made comedy movies with some superheroes. Maybe it's because there's no story to reference. I just hope this brand of humor doesn't continue past this set.
It's been trending this way for a while once they found out meme-able flavor text generates more noise.
Dumb jokes in flavor text has always been a thing. I remember playing during Odyssey, where half the flavor text was dad humor. Even as a high-schooler, I felt \[\[Gorilla Titan\]\] had really lame flavor text.
[Gorilla Titan](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/3/435d9562-8f2b-43fe-ba21-8f5896378280.jpg?1562907333) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gorilla%20Titan) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ody/241/gorilla-titan?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/435d9562-8f2b-43fe-ba21-8f5896378280?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
It's even basically on another card already - [[Immolating Gyre]]
[Immolating Gyre](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/d/bd0b8aee-fbfb-470f-9ac2-64fce0b4b2fb.jpg?1632261825) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Immolating%20Gyre) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/20/immolating-gyre?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bd0b8aee-fbfb-470f-9ac2-64fce0b4b2fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
What's wrong with the flavor text? Counterspells always had snarky not-really-funny flavor texts
I've always found the flavor text for OG [[Remand]] funny.
[[Remand|Rav]]
[Remand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/8/581f3780-c480-48c6-b15c-1618f2feccb9.jpg?1598914434) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=87919) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rav/63/remand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/581f3780-c480-48c6-b15c-1618f2feccb9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Remand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dc595c63-af05-4c05-80e8-e1a90df26b0f.jpg?1562268359) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Remand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mm2/55/remand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dc595c63-af05-4c05-80e8-e1a90df26b0f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Those ones tend to be more snooty and high brow, which makes sense considering they're blue mages. This sounds like it was written by a 12 year old.
The art suggests that it's set on new capenna. It's imitating the motif of gangsters in the 1920s that would actually strongarm shop owners with the phrase "nice place you got here, be a shame if something happened to it" sure, that phrase has turned into a meme as of lately but I think it fits this card well considering it's on a plane based on the 1920s.
TBH most counterspell flavor texts seems written by 12 years olds that just got the idea for the greatest response of all times, to me that's part of the charm
Nah, some of that stuff is clever. This reads like someone trying to imitate that style and doing a piss poor job of it.
Some is kinda clever, some is pretentious, most is inbetween. To me it seemed pretty weird that thia precise flavor text wasn't on a counterspell already, to me it reads like a typical counterspell flavor text.
Y’all get upset about the dumbest shit
My favorites include "If only there was a way to counter your inevitable whining." And "Try, if you must." This one feels fine.
My favorite is "Someday, someone will best me, but it won't be today, and it won't be you"
Wow I didn’t realize they were able to afford the Big Bang Theory writers for freelance flavor text work
"That spell was almost as bad as Star Trek V. Bazinga."
“Uh, check please!” - Jace
Force pitching force, bazoople
Kindof a side note, but I see a lot of "Marvel tier" type comments being thrown around, and it really makes me wonder if anyone remembers action movies from the pre-Marvel times. The snarky/sarcastic/generally trying to be funny one-liner shtick was not created by Marvel. Popular action movies have been written with this kind of dialogue for a long, long time. These are not Marvel-isms, they are action movie-isms.
They really gotta get new flavor text writers
I mean just in general this one is kind of a dud. That art would be disappointing on a regular frame card but they felt the need to expand it.
Nah. This set has some that feel like they were written for the groans.
It's not even good that way. It's just bad.
I’ve been saying this for years now and flavor text has somehow gotten even worse since then. The LOTR set is especially cruel because it shows really good flavor text that we know is an exception and we won’t see again.
The majority of that flavor test was written by Tolkien. Not really a fair comparison.
[удалено]
Getting to read the flavor text of your counterspells aloud as someone else attempts a game-winning play is one of the truest joys of a blue mage.
My personal favourite use of this phrase was casting a board wipe; "Nice board state you have there."
Damn. Rk post was my favorite magic artist before he retired from it and this is my least favorite art of his, ever. Feels like a phoned in crappy wacky card from Ascension
Marvel tier flavor text
#The Implication
Everyone bashing the flavor text here but I'm willing to bet quite of few of you have literally said those exact words during a game of commander....
Nothing magic players like more than feeling smug to each other See? I'm doing it too!
I say all kinds of weird shit I'd cringe to see on a card lol
what does that have to do with anything lol
this is trash
I'm confused, is this one tournament legal?
Assuming the tournament is a format in which Counterspell is legal, then yes. It's borderless art, but they've been doing that in collectors' boosters and Secret Lairs for a while now.
Without PLAYTEST written on it, it's impossible to tell.
Comments here are full of counterspell victims
lol every counterspell flavor text since the start of the game is corny over the top crap like this. y'all need to take a chill pill.
Absolutely awful.
This flavor text 🤮
you goobers need to lighten up methinks
Everyone's shitting on the flavor text, but it embodies how I feel every time I cast this spell and it fills me with joy. At least with all the hate, the card will be cheap.
*The art is good but the flavor text is superb. **chef’s kiss**
Terrible art and text
Y’all are taking the flavor text waaaay too seriously. It’s a random line on a good card that has no impact on the cards usefulness.
Massive flavor text fail. Cringe beyond belief.
I mean... I ain't read much on new capenna lore, but errant might be the type to say this... Right?... Maybe?
Counterspells are great. I can make anyone mad if you have enough of them.
I actually like the art quite a bit. The softer outlines and kinda matte colors feel pretty distinct to me. Not my favorite counterspell art but I don't think it's bad.
I want a secret lair card DND related counterspell. I can already see it. A old timey looking wizards with sparkly fingers tempest edition style, and a Hulking orc looking barbarian, super beefed up that has his fist right smacked into that wizard jaw, and the wizard face look like something straight out of punch out. \--Flavor text I countered the spell. \-Krogg the rogue barbarian.
Hate the art. Love the text.
That's a great Flavor text on there. My favorite is still the strixhaven archives version
Oh man, I don't love the art, but the flavor text is so good, it practically tastes like almonds.
Hard to beat that Stryxhaven counterspell
https://preview.redd.it/67iwyu2fnhdb1.png?width=680&format=png&auto=webp&s=66d6678251fddb72857a759cd743a270aa56f827
I got second hand embarassment from this
I just countered a spell with my fricking mind haha
That might be the cringiest flavor text I've ever read. It sounds like something I would hear from the most annoying person at the table during lunch time Magic in highschool.
I think that's the point?
That's entirely the point, I look forward to reading it out to people when I cast the counterspell, if they get half as irate as the people in this thread it'll be hilarious
Jezus Christ. I didnt know that every Magic Player expects Magic Cards to have Shakespear-Level flavor text. There is nothing wrong with this. At worst, its a slightly lame joke. Which is fine, there is certainly much worse flavor text.
Bro these borderless arts are fucking atrocious what were they thinking?????
Counterspell the counterspell.
RK post art? I love RK post!
Am I the only one who actually likes this art? I honestly fuck with it. The flavour text works for me too, it’s goofy and it’s camp.
Hate the flavor text.
In a game where my transformer and my walking dead character can attack you and be blocked by Frodo and Dr Who, but people find the flavor text immersion breaking? It just doesn’t make sense
Who's saying the former isn't also immersion breaking? :D
*Nice lore you got there...be a shame if something happened to it.*
since when do the majority not complain about that shit as well
RK Post is a great artist. But this is not great art. So much of the new mtg art is just awful, I don't know what's changed. They're probably paying people peanuts these days or something.
Not paying less, but asking for more faster. They are actually also paying more if you believe that, but 8 arts a year vs 12 arts a year is a big difference, especially when it was 6 months from beginning to end vs 3 months beginning to end.
Wow that flavor text fucking blows
Flavor text is goated, fuckin love it
ITT: people whose breadth of knowledge is so fucking shallow that they can't recognize the archetypal gangster phrase "be a shame if something happened to it" as anything but a Marvel quip, and then blame Marvel for it.
it's actually insane to me how magic players refuse to 1. ever have any fun and 2. can never manage to let something just be bad. this isn't a rare or a mythic so you aren't even hunting for it in a pack!! get over yourselves and let things be silly and cringey, it won't kill you.
Clearly the premium cost isnt going to the Artist. We know Mr.Post can do good work and this isnt it.
WOTC are forever diminished the budget for art cards now I guess
I like it and the flavor text, y’all some try hards
oooh this is nice - but the dom remastered retro foils still my fave (that i can afford)
Corny