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counter-magic = counter target spell, ala cancel
counter-magic is firmly 99% blue. Should counter-magic be expanded as secondary to other colors? If so what colors and what flavor?
On one hand, I support white getting Mana Tithe, Lapse of Certainty, and Icebind. On the other hand, white has a pretty big slice of the pie already.
I would support black getting limited quasi-counters second, perhaps in the form of Dash Hopes and Invitation to Darkness.
That is, if I support expanding counters to other colors at all.
Funny story about Dash Hopes: friend of mine tried running it in his Phage the Untouchable commander deck as a way to get her into the graveyard. I'm not quite sure how he thought the card worked, but it was a lot of fun paying five life to let him die to his own commander.
IMHO, the word 'counter' while intuitive is also messy because there are also 'counters' which are entirely different despite being so similar.
Also, if we look at the history of 'counter-spells' in popular culture, we can trace it back to DnD and the works of fantasy that inspired it, and in those works a 'counter spell' was just that: a spell which specifically undid, negated, or cancelled the effects of another spell. By that logic Doom Blade is very much a counter-spell - it counters your enemy's summons. Demystify is very much a counter-spell - it counters your enemy's enchantments. Unsummon is a counter-spell!
IMO, the phrase 'counter target X' should be entirely replaced with blue doing other forms of card manipulation. Putting spells back in their owners hand, sapping the mana out of their mana pool, putting spells back in their owners libraries, blanking cards or replacing card text entirely.
"Destroy target spell"
Too confusing for new players though. The spell/Permanent distinction is, frankly, horrible already.
@Vitenka: I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. I imagine something like this:
> NuMagic
> Instant
> Change the text on target instant or sorcery spell to say, "Target opponent draws a card."
Or something like:
> ManaSap
> Instant
> Target spell loses all text and has "Tap two target uptapped lands you control."
I'm saying you could replace Counterspell with "Destroy target spell". Which works, does the same thing, and makes sense without needing specific terminology. But would be horrible because new players would expect it to work on "Spells in play" i.e. permanents.
Just linking to an old discussion on some ideas I put forward: Here.
Also I'll put forward (for the Nth time) the wording "Cancel target spell." for Cancel.
@SecretInfiltrator: I had considered that wording, and I like it, but I was unsure about the reception. I thought blue manipulating the spell in other ways (like I listed above) would go over better. Ha!
Oh, those are indeed cool things blue could do.
But sometimes you just want the brute-force "No." option.