For Challenge # 038

Hard counter for ? Well, sorta kinda. As long as you're also casting something else for .

I always thought they should have done more with splice.

That's a pretty good design, I agree there's good design space in splice if they remove "onto arcane".

But I think it's much too good (even if you assume you can't hardcast it for ). I'd suggest something like "Splice onto blue spell . Counter target spell." I think that would still be really useful.

Well, I wanted you to not be able to - if you cast it, you just get "draw a card", so you're paying at least and another spell to counter something.

Ah, sorry, I misread it, splicing is a cost to get "counter"? Does that mean, you don't get the card when you splice? If so, I agree that's a lot more reasonable (although probably still too good, given the number of cheap card-draw/self-replacing/card-filtering spells blue has :))

Well, that was my intention anyway. Does one thing if you splice; does something different if you cast. Like what cycle does. And yes, blue has a lot of things it can splice this onto, but heck, blue gets a lot of counterspells :)

I don't think splice works how you think it works unfortunately (at least according to the current wording of Splice). The only way I think this can work is if "counter target spell" is part of the cost, which I'm not sure is even a valid cost.

You could make it an Evermind-esque counterspell...

Yeah, I don't think splice as a cost works in any sensible way under the current rules (that's why I misread it), but if that's what you wanted, you could have rules text "If you spliced this, counter target spell. Otherwise, draw a card" and I think it would work rules-wise fine.

The trouble is you'd have to word it as "If another spell was spliced onto this spell, counter target spell" because the textbox is copied onto the other spell.

Oh, true. But I think it could be worked out somehow...

"If CARDNAME is spliced onto this spell, counter target spell."

But yeah, it doesn't really work.

Drat it. It's a fairly clear intent though; just replace the splice with the stuff I put in reminder I guess.

It's probably way too good anyway. I mean, all you got to do is look at Consuming Vortex, get an understanding for why it's costed the way it is, then understand that it was in a lot of tournament decks in the number one color in block. For , you got an ability that would normally cost . For you got to tack on an ability that would normally cost to a small number of spells, and that card was strong. If I was to go off that reasoning, the base card probably costs , and the splice ability would probably run somewhere around . By the way, that card would still be used... free counterspells are very strong.

Mmm, true, in the right deck this is "Everything I flash into play also counters your spell, I win so hard" Pretty sure blue gets a draw a card flash creature.

Upping the cost removes the whole point though; of this being a cheap hard counter. Maybe if instead of splice it's just an instant with "Cast this only while casting another blue spell"?

Well, if it cost per activation it would still be a cheap hard counter, although I suppose not that cheap by counterspell standards.

Yeah, for a one-off spell I think would be fair. I'd suggest "cast this only if you cast another spell this turn".

That would be a damn strong spell, but a lot more fair. I suspect Vintage would love you for it. :)