(An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse | Art by Dallas Williams)

Blue Players, We Need To Talk

Welcome back to Commander Unoptimizied. When it comes to the color pie, most folks curse the name of blue players the most.

Black is “disappearing” any perceived threat like some sort of mafioso while green is crashing the mana economy harder than Wall Street.

White is banishing your cards to the shadow realm as red rolls a die to decide whether you get to see turn three or not.

But blue players hold a special place in the hearts of the Magic community. A place of darkness and hatred.

Which is a shame, since blue has some fantastic cards, synergies, and strategies that get ignored. And I say this as a green player, so that’s how you know it’s bad. Please note, this article isn't about how playing blue makes you a bad person, but merely a social look at how most blue players are supposed to play versus other ways they can play.

Why The Blue Hate?

Counters, Man

It isn’t as if the vitriol towards counters is unwarranted. Whether they’re blocking your commander from being cast or preventing Grim TutorGrim Tutor from starting your engine, a well-timed counter ruins your game.

Or, at least, that’s what most players feel. The accuracy of this is to be determined, given how reactive counters are. Afterall, you’re not going to “win” many games but only countering cards.

But you sure can stop others from winning!

In any case, counters’ whole function in the game is to prevent other players from enacting their plans. And in casual Commander, that often means stopping everyone’s “cool thing.”

So instead of continuing the momentum of the game or ticking down the clock, all most counters accomplish is stalling.

To utilize counters effectively, blue players are unable to utilize them in a fun way. The entire table will thank the blue player for countering Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act or laugh when you shut down a last-ditch FarewellFarewell.

But there’s no reason to, at least when you know your opponent has a Bracket 3 deck and is sitting on their Game Changers.

Mechanically, you’re incentivized to only counter your opponents’ best cards. Which just so happen to be the cards most people sit down at the table hoping to play the most.

How To Fix It

The simple answer is to remove counters from a deck. Blue has tons of options outside of countering, from card draw to returning permanents to their owner’s hand to scrying.

Not to mention its synergies with other colors, from Dimir Ninjutsu to Izzet elemental spam.

That being said, any color can “not” counter spells. So while the immediate answer to counters being too hostile towards casual gaming is to just not use them, that just removes a part of blue’s identity. As frustrating as counters can be, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place at the table.

Thus, it’s a matter of countering responsibly.

What To Counter

There are many targets to counter, but some feel more insulting to the one getting countered than others.

Or, in another sense, certain cards are less likely to frustrate your friends when they get shut down than others.

“I Win” Cards

Game-winning conditions such as Approach of the Second SunApproach of the Second Sun generally are fair game to counter.

Who would blame you? Afterall, most players sit down to win a game of Commander, so preventing yourself from losing might get a groan but ultimately cause no harm.

And fun fact, Approach of the Second Sun being countered on its first casting doesn’t preclude the second casting from winning the game.

Further, you only win the game when Approach of the Second Sun’s second casting is resolved. So if you’re going to counter it, counter that second casting.

Unless you’re trying to exile it with something like Force of NegationForce of Negation, which might just end your friendship.

Certain things just have a certain way about them...

Other Counters

One of the funniest things you can do is to counter a counter. Force of NegationForce of Negation their NegateNegate. And then they might well counter you back!

This is the sort of interaction that can be incredibly tense, awesome, or hilarious depending on how your group treats your games.

And so most of the time, folks will be so wrapped up in the moment that there’s no complaints about all the countering going on.

And you can always jump into the countering of other players’ interactions, adding to the chaos or drama however you see fit.

...of coming together in pairs.

Engine Pieces

This is where things get nebulous.

If you know a few infinite combos, countering Blood ArtistBlood Artist or Phyrexian UnlifePhyrexian Unlife could act as preventative measures for future game-enders. Afterall, you know what the opponent has in-store, so why let them get it out?

But that’s also looping back to the core issue with countering.

Just because someone plays Drivnod, Carnage DominusDrivnod, Carnage Dominus doesn’t mean they’re going to chain that into an infinite combo.

They might, and that’s certainly something to watch out for. But plenty of players just want to burn you the old fashioned way without a tutor or exploit.

So while it’s certainly competitively advisable to counter Niv-Mizzet, the FiremindNiv-Mizzet, the Firemind and put an end to his CuriosityCuriosity, there’s nothing to say that’s what the player was doing. They could have just wanted burn and card draw with cool dragon art.

It’s oftentimes best to wait to counter a player’s final combo piece, rather than the tutor setting it up in the first place.

Not from competitive perspective, but from the perspective of having fun. Let your friends or pod members play their decks, even if you stop them from winning.

When To Counter

It’s not as if everything else is off-limits from countering. Anything feasible can be countered, even without coming off as a stereotypical Blue player trying to ruin the pod’s fun. But oftentimes, this determination is subjective.

You’re About To Lose

Countering cards that are going to cause you to lose the game is valid, even if they aren’t explicitly “play this and win” cards. Hidetsugu's Second RiteHidetsugu's Second Rite when you’re at ten life.

TriskaidekaphobiaTriskaidekaphobia if you’re around thirteen. Even something like Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth will often fall into this.

If you’re in a position where you’re going to lose the game and someone plays something to capitalize off of that, counter it! If they get upset, they’re getting upset over you playing the game. So no need to worry.

Countering a Shock can be worth it if you’re at one life.

There’s No Other Way

There are also times when you simply don’t have another answer to a card. Or you just don’t want to deal with them, for whatever reason.

Certainly, you could Lightning BoltLightning Bolt or Cut DownCut Down if you’re multicolored.

But monoblue doesn’t have much permanent removal outside of counters and stuns. While it might be frustrating to have your cool creature countered, it’s just as frustrating to have it neutered with PacifismPacifism or exiled with Borrowed TimeBorrowed Time.

Sometimes, removal is the only response to a threat you can wield effectively.

Negative Leverage

The most interesting use-case of counters is as a negotiation tactic. So long as you’re comfortable running an extortion racket on your friends, that is.

As mentioned in my previous article discussing Group Hugs, negotiations involve leverage. I primarily discussed positive leverage—giving something good as your part of the bargain.

Here, however, is a prime example of negative leverage—promising to NOT doing something bad.

The ability to say “I WON’T counterspell your Commander if you…” is a powerful tool. And depending on how focused on mechanics your group is, potentially the MOST powerful tool you have available.

Based on your pod’s culture, negotiation might be more important than statlines. Or, your word could mean nothing.

Moreso than even the subjectivity of how much of a threat certain spells are, the political weight of a counter is something to establish with your pod before the game begins.

The Bottom Line

Countering isn’t a bad mechanic nor are blue players bad people for using it. It’s frustrating when your Commander can’t hit the battlefield. Shutting down an integral part of your engine feels like a smack in the face.

But at the end of the day, that’s what playing Commander is for. To see these challenges, struggle through them, and work with the other players to overcome them.

If they counter your Storm of SarumanStorm of Saruman, that means someone else could play Nicol Bolas, God-PharaohNicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh. Just because Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe got countered doesn’t mean Rhystic StudyRhystic Study will.

Though if you feel your resident blue player is targeting you, just talk to them. Ask them, out of game, if they realize how much they’re impacting the fun you’re having. Because that’s what everyone at the table wants, to have fun.

As heartless as Blue players might seem, they'll tone it down if you ask.

Sikora

Sikora's a writer, game developer, and game master for TTRPGs with a love of storytelling. Generic as that might be for someone writing articles about Magic: the Gathering, they make sure to put their passion behind their words and can talk ad nauseum. Truly, letting them write articles was a mistake.