Flare of DenialFlare of Denial | Art by Jason A. Engle

Welcome, blue mages and control specialists. It's time to highlight some of blue's most sensational cards. I'm not referring to blue staples like Cyclonic RiftCyclonic Rift, Rhystic StudyRhystic Study, or Mystical TutorMystical Tutor. Instead, I want to discuss the best free blue spells. Excitingly, blue offers many opportunities to cast spells for zero mana.

You may be thinking, "What blue zero-mana spells exist in Magic: The Gathering?" Pact of NegationPact of Negation probably comes to mind. However, you must pay on your next upkeep after casting it, or you'll lose the game. While no other blue spells exist (yet) with a casting cost of , many do have an alternative method to cast for no mana.

Long-time players may recall ThwartThwart from 1999's Mercadian Masques (MMQ). In this modern era of MTG, a four-mana counterspell is unplayable. But you can cast it without paying mana by returning three Islands to your hand. Is returning three Islands a better deal than paying four mana? In all likelihood, no, although you can counter a spell with ThwartThwart without mana available.

Thankfully, ThwartThwart is at the bottom of blue's free spell tier list. In addition, many of blue's zero-mana alternative spells are excellent in Commander. Let's delve further into the best free spells for the 99 of your blue Commander decks.

8. SubmergeSubmerge

To SubmergeSubmerge or not to Submerge, that is the question. Putting a creature on top of an opponent's library for no mana is outstanding. Unfortunately, you must jump through a small hoop to do so. Controlling an Island is achievable, but there's no guarantee that an opponent will play a Forest during a game.

Playing Submerge likely makes the most sense in more competitive Commander Brackets. Notably, five of the top ten most-played Commanders on EDHREC identify with green. The percentage slightly improves when looking at the top 20 (and 30) most-played Commanders. Casting Submerge for free to disrupt an infinite combo or set an opponent back a turn is useful. Furthermore, there could be moments when bouncing Glarb, Calamity's AugurGlarb, Calamity's Augur or Kenrith, the Returned KingKenrith, the Returned King is a matter of life or death. Deciding to add Submerge to the 99 may be a meta call, but it's not a card to ignore completely.

7. CommandeerCommandeer

Hear me out: CommandeerCommandeer is playable. Yes, Commandeer's mana cost is ridiculous, and its free spell cost is discouraging. However, the upside of Commandeer is limited only by the strength of your opponents' noncreature spells.

Stealing Game Changers and finishers is a fine way to maximize Commandeer. Your opponent will be upset when their Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe, The One RingThe One Ring, or Narset, Parter of VeilsNarset, Parter of Veils falls under your control. Turning a loss into a win can happen instantly by taking control of an ExsanguinateExsanguinate or Torment of HailfireTorment of Hailfire.

How do you consistently steal one of the abovementioned cards for free with Commandeer? Card draw and cost reduction. Mono-blue decks can easily draw cards. Jin-GitaxiasJin-Gitaxias, Kami of the Crescent MoonKami of the Crescent Moon, and Minn, Wily IllusionistMinn, Wily Illusionist are able to fuel Commandeer's needs. Interestingly, Eluge, the Shoreless SeaEluge, the Shoreless Sea can reduce the casting cost of Commandeer and let you slot in card-drawing spells. Another cost-reducing commander option to pair with Commandeer is Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer. You could add Commandeer to decks identifying with two or more colors. However, you should include enough blue cards or mana production to cast Commander at a discount.

6. Flare of DenialFlare of Denial

It's hard to deny Flare of DenialFlare of Denial's Commander appeal. At a minimum, Flare of Denial is a copy of CancelCancel. If you happen to control a nontoken blue creature, Flare of Denial gets upgraded to a free counterspell.

Since Flare of DenialFlare of Denial's free casting cost requires sacrificing a nontoken blue creature, it performs poorly in some deck builds. You wouldn't want to run Flare of DenialFlare of Denial in decks lacking creature cards or heavily reliant on creature tokens.

Alternatively, you can improve Flare of Denial's potency by slotting it into kindred decks. Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Azami, Lady of ScrollsAzami, Lady of Scrolls, and Talion, the Kindly LordTalion, the Kindly Lord are fine choices to lead Ninja, Wizard, and Faerie-themed decks, respectively. A few other themed decks to consider adding a copy of Flare of DenialFlare of Denial include Bird, Merfolk, and Birthing Pod.

5. MisdirectionMisdirection

While I'd like to discuss the Misdirection mission in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, we're here to analyze MisdirectionMisdirection. Though Misdirection's five-mana cost is high, it's still a fantastic blue free spell. Amazingly, you can redirect a spell's target with Misdirection for no mana by exiling a blue card.

You may be wondering why changing the target of a spell with a single target is relevant. Well, protecting yourself from a Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth or Damnable PactDamnable Pact is a good use. Another great reason to run Misdirection is to save your commander from removal. Decks led by Stella Lee, Wild CardStella Lee, Wild Card, Niv-Mizzet, ParunNiv-Mizzet, Parun, or Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow want their commander to stay on the battlefield. It's heartbreaking to see Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow ninjutsu into play, only to have it eliminated by Path to ExilePath to Exile. Fortunately, Misdirection can prevent that from happening. You can also use Misdirection to redirect destructive spells targeting an artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker.

4. Pact of NegationPact of Negation

Were you hoping to see Pact of NegationPact of Negation appear again? If so, your wish has come true! Possibly losing the game on your next turn doesn't keep players from running Pact of Negation. Countering any spell for free with no strings attached (for a turn) is incredible.

Pact of Negation's high-stakes drawback tends to push its usage to more competitive Commander Brackets. There will be situations in cEDH games where you must counter an opponent's card or lose on the spot. Additionally, Pact of Negation can be your path to victory when your game-winning spell gets targeted by an opponent's Mana DrainMana Drain. Just ensure you can win on the turn you cast Pact of Negation if you're short on mana to pay at your next upkeep.

3. Force of NegationForce of Negation

Pact of NegationPact of Negation isn't the only impressive free blue spell with Negation in its name. Force of NegationForce of Negation rocked MTG upon its release in Modern Horizons (MH1). At face value, countering and exiling a noncreature spell for is playable. Even better, you may cast Force of Negation for zero mana when exiling a blue card during another player's turn. Is going down two blue cards to counter one noncreature spell for no mana worthwhile? I believe so! Moreover, it's unsurprising that Force of NegationForce of Negation is an all-star in multiple MTG formats, including Commander.

Excitingly, Force of Negation is not on the Game Changer list. As such, you can easily add a copy in blue decks across several Commander Brackets. Spellslinger decks led by commanders like Niv-Mizzet, ParunNiv-Mizzet, Parun and Stella Lee, Wild CardStella Lee, Wild Card synergize exceptionally well with Force of Negation. You may be bold enough to slot Force of Negation in a three-color deck commanded by Tivit, Seller of SecretsTivit, Seller of Secrets or Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer. While Force of Negation is less potent than the next two counterspells, it can compete at the cEDH level.

2. Force of WillForce of Will

Originally from Alliances (ALL), Force of WillForce of Will has stood the test of time. It's one of the best blue counterspells in MTG after over 28 years. There is little motive to pay Force of Will's casting cost when you can pay one life and exile a blue card to cast it for zero mana. Have you ever seen a player cast Force of Will for ?

You probably don't need me to gush about the greatness of Force of Will. Cards get designated as Game Changers for a reason! But even though Force of Will is an incredible blue card, it's second to one other free counterspell.

1. Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship

It's hard to top Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship. With over 500,000 deck inclusions on EDHREC, Fierce Guardianship reigns supreme among blue's free spells. In addition, its versatility goes beyond protecting your commander from removal. It can stop an opponent's game-ending noncreature spell, interrupt infinite combos, prevent board wipes, and counter Game Changers.

Optimized and cEDH blue decks welcome Game Changers like Fierce Guardianship with open arms. Fierce Guardianship slides in the 99 of Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer, Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain, and other competitive commanders. As long as you plan to cast your commander, ignoring the temptation of running Fierce Guardianship is hard.

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