<p>There are 8 <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=%28o%3A%22rather+than+pay+%7E%27s+mana+cost%22+or+o%3A%22you+may+cast+this+spell+without+paying+its+mana+cost%22%29+o%3Acounter+c%3Au&amp;unique=cards&amp;as=grid&amp;order=name" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blue counterspells that can be cast for alternate costs</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Admiral%27s%20Order">Admiral&#39;s Order</a> (The alternate cost still costs {U})</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Daze">Daze</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Disrupting%20Shoal">Disrupting Shoal</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fierce%20Guardianship">Fierce Guardianship</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Foil">Foil</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Force%20of%20Negation">Force of Negation</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Force%20of%20Will">Force of Will</a></li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thwart">Thwart</a></li>
</ul>
<p>I found these with the following search on <a href="https://scryfall.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Scryfall</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(o:&quot;rather than pay ~'s mana cost&quot; or o:&quot;you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost&quot;) o:counter c:u</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This searches for spells with alternative costs (first clause) with &quot;counter&quot; in the text (second clause) that are blue (third clause).</p>
<p>In addition, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mental%20Misstep">Mental Misstep</a> only costs {UP}, so you can pay life instead of mana.</p>
<p>If you also want to count spells with mana that needs to be paid later, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Pact%20of%20Negation">Pact of Negation</a> has a mana cost of {0}, but it also says</p>
<blockquote>
<p>At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Besides that, there are <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Atarget+o%3Aspell+-o%3Acounter+o%3A%22rather+than+pay+%7E%27s+mana+cost%22+c%3Au" rel="nofollow noreferrer">3 spells</a> that can be used to <em>effectively</em> counter a spell that can be cast without paying any mana:</p>
<ul>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Commandeer">Commandeer</a> lets you take control of a spell and change its targets. You can choose a target that is (more) beneficial to you, or, if the other spell is a counterspell, you can redirect it to target Commandeer so that it is countered for having an illegal target after Commandeer leaves the stack.</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mindbreak%20Trap">Mindbreak Trap</a> lets you exile any number of spells, but you can only cast it for free if your opponent has cast at least 3 spells this turn.</li>
<li><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Misdirection">Misdirection</a> also lets you choose new targets for a spell. Of course, it is only useful for dealing with targeted spells, and you can use it to deal with counterspells the same way you can use Commandeer.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:48:06.680Z
[Fierce Guardianship](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=484882) can be added to the list if you're playing Commander.
Philip Kendall
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:51:57.350Z
I added that. I missed it because it uses a different alternate cost wording.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:52:53.553Z
Yeah, wasn't sure where you wanted to add it because your description below the list is now slightly incorrect. Also maybe Pact of Negation as mentioned in comments? (Oh, you updated that as well!)
Philip Kendall
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-15T22:56:29.927Z
Depending on how you read it, the description is still right. The whole parenthesized expression searches for spells with alternative costs, it just now includes two different wordings for them. Pact of Negation was there the whole time. The only change I made today was to expand the list at the beginning.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-05-19T01:25:14.600Z
2022-09-15T22:51:16.483Z
2022-09-15T22:51:16.483Z
murgatroid99
<p>I looked around on the internet for a list of blue counterspells in Magic: the Gathering that can be played for no mana. (Alternative costs or a mana cost <em>later</em> is fine.) Does anyone have a list or know where to find a list?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-19T01:25:53.883Z
No mana _ever,_ or just no mana _right now?_ That would affect whether things like [Pact of Negation](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=370354) appear on the list.
doppelgreener
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-19T01:28:21.720Z
Ones that can be played for no mana right now.
BolasStone
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-20T02:47:05.060Z
Does it have to be a spell?  counterbalance is an enchantment that costs zero mana (once it's on the battlefield) to counter spells.  There are several other permanents that can be used to counter spells.
John
<magic-the-gathering>
List of blue counterspells that can be played for free?
BolasStone
# List of blue counterspells that can be played for free?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-19)

I looked around on the internet for a list of blue counterspells in Magic: the Gathering that can be played for no mana. (Alternative costs or a mana cost *later* is fine.) Does anyone have a list or know where to find a list?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: No mana _ever,_ or just no mana _right now?_ That would affect whether things like [Pact of Negation](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=370354) appear on the list.  
> **username_0**: Ones that can be played for no mana right now.  
> **username_2**: Does it have to be a spell?  counterbalance is an enchantment that costs zero mana (once it's on the battlefield) to counter spells.  There are several other permanents that can be used to counter spells.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-19. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

There are 8 [Blue counterspells that can be cast for alternate costs](https://scryfall.com/search?q=%28o%3A%22rather+than+pay+%7E%27s+mana+cost%22+or+o%3A%22you+may+cast+this+spell+without+paying+its+mana+cost%22%29+o%3Acounter+c%3Au&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name):

* [Admiral's Order](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Admiral%27s%20Order) (The alternate cost still costs {U})
* [Daze](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Daze)
* [Disrupting Shoal](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Disrupting%20Shoal)
* [Fierce Guardianship](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fierce%20Guardianship)
* [Foil](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Foil)
* [Force of Negation](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Force%20of%20Negation)
* [Force of Will](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Force%20of%20Will)
* [Thwart](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thwart)

I found these with the following search on [Scryfall](https://scryfall.com/):

> (o:"rather than pay ~'s mana cost" or o:"you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost") o:counter c:u

This searches for spells with alternative costs (first clause) with "counter" in the text (second clause) that are blue (third clause).

In addition, [Mental Misstep](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mental%20Misstep) only costs {UP}, so you can pay life instead of mana.

If you also want to count spells with mana that needs to be paid later, [Pact of Negation](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Pact%20of%20Negation) has a mana cost of {0}, but it also says

> At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game.

Besides that, there are [3 spells](https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Atarget+o%3Aspell+-o%3Acounter+o%3A%22rather+than+pay+%7E%27s+mana+cost%22+c%3Au) that can be used to *effectively* counter a spell that can be cast without paying any mana:

* [Commandeer](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Commandeer) lets you take control of a spell and change its targets. You can choose a target that is (more) beneficial to you, or, if the other spell is a counterspell, you can redirect it to target Commandeer so that it is countered for having an illegal target after Commandeer leaves the stack.
* [Mindbreak Trap](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mindbreak%20Trap) lets you exile any number of spells, but you can only cast it for free if your opponent has cast at least 3 spells this turn.
* [Misdirection](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Misdirection) also lets you choose new targets for a spell. Of course, it is only useful for dealing with targeted spells, and you can use it to deal with counterspells the same way you can use Commandeer.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: [Fierce Guardianship](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=484882) can be added to the list if you're playing Commander.  
> **username_3**: I added that. I missed it because it uses a different alternate cost wording.  
> **username_4**: Yeah, wasn't sure where you wanted to add it because your description below the list is now slightly incorrect. Also maybe Pact of Negation as mentioned in comments? (Oh, you updated that as well!)  
> **username_3**: Depending on how you read it, the description is still right. The whole parenthesized expression searches for spells with alternative costs, it just now includes two different wordings for them. Pact of Negation was there the whole time. The only change I made today was to expand the list at the beginning.  

---

