This is a subtly clever card. If you think about
it for a while, you realize that the spell
you're trying to counter is contributing to the
storm count, which means that target's
controller will have to pay at least 2. if you
think about it a little longer, you realize that
Flusterstorm would be good in a battle of
counterspells. It only costs one mana itself,
and if you need to force a spell through a
counterwall, then your original spell and your
opponent's counterspell mean that your opponent
will have to pay at least 3 to Flusterstorm--
and won't be able to simply reply with another
counterspell of his own, since each copy of
Flusterstorm is a different spell on the stack.
And since Flusterstorm can only target instants
and sorceries, counter wars seem like its best
application.
But if you think a little longer, you'll realize
that where Flusterstorm REALLY shines is against
storm decks. Storm cards have traditionally been
difficult to answer due to their duplicity-- one
counterspell can't get all the copies. But
Flusterstorm is a counterspell with Storm, so no
matter how many copies your opponent can make of
Tendrils of Agony or Grapeshot, your
Flusterstorm will always have enough copies that
you can aim one at each of your opponent's
copies. And since Storm decks are usually about
One Big Turn, and typically tap out to cast
their Storm card after all other resources have
been spent, then it's quite likely that your
opponent won't have even one mana to pay, and
thus won't be able to resolve a single copy of
his trump spell. If he's really overextended,
via Pyromancer's Swath for example, then
Flusterstorm could wreck his entire game,
drawing a concession and a string of profanities
on the spot.
Flusterstorm's targeting restrictions make it a
bit too limited for ubiquity, but as a sideboard
option against Storm decks or counter-heavy
decks, I think it'll be a real crippler.
We're looking at a few cards from the Commander
decks this week. Just as some Legacy cards are
playable in Commander, some Commander cards are
playable in Legacy, and Flusterstorm is one of
them. The ability to clear a stack for just one
mana - and the fear of that ability - is going
to change the way a lot of decks play:
counterspell decks have a new weapon and a new
enemy, and storm players are going to live even
more on the edge than usual. Not that it's just
filler in its intended setting either; it lets
you veto a counterspell war between a second and
third player that may not be going to your
advantage (or that's just taking too long for
your liking!). The only question is, since some
local game stores only have one copy of each of
the Commander decks, how will you get four?
Welcome back readers and this week we are diving
into Commander Cards and today is one that may
see play in eternal formats. In standard and
extended this card isn’t legal so moving on. In
legacy this card can help stop storm decks and
may play a niche role in the format as a counter
to storm based decks aside from Mindbreak Trap.
In limited this card is also not legal but
wouldn’t be that impressive on its own a
moderate counter. In casual and multiplayer this
card once again is not good outside of hosing
degenerate combo decks and while those appear
often in multiplayer and casual games this is
more of a niche card. Overall this card may see
some play in legacy and fringe play elsewhere
not a bad card by any means.
Today's card of the day is Flusterstorm which
is a one mana Blue instant from the new
Commander decks that counters a target instant
or sorcery spell unless its controller pays an
additional mana and has the Storm effect.
As the new Commander cards are only legal in
Vintage and Legacy where nearly every spell in
the history of Magic is available, there should
be more readily available options for most decks
that better fit the countermagic role.
This is not a bad card, but Blue has no shortage
of choices and should have Disrupt, Force Spike,
or Spell Pierce instead if they wanted a similar
play. Overall this is a card that is
unlikely to see much use outside of sidedecks to
counter Storm or in some kind of Red/Blue build
to use Storm.
In Limited, which in this case would be
Commander itself, this is a known threat and
opponents may be bluffed into keeping a mana
untapped needlessly or can be countered when
they don't. In either case it is a
psychological play for that game and more
importantly future games when they play against
that same deck. Aside from that it is a
fairly weak rare and does not counter creatures
which hinders the usefulness somewhat in the
format.
Welcome to an
awesome week of previews here at Pojo.com. Today
we are taking a look at Flusterstorm from
Commander! Flusterstorm is an instant that costs
one blue mana. Flusterstorm counters target
instant or sorcery unless it’s controller pays
one generic mana, and it has storm.
The most important thing about this spell is the storm. Even
if only one spell ways played before it, and
that is obviously what you’d be trying to
counter, you’d get two copies of Flusterstorm,
meaning that they can both target the spell,
forcing a pay two scenario.
While I am not sure that Flusterstorm should have been
rare, I can see the potential to why, especially
for multiplayer. Once a large stack of spells is
laid out, your one mana could counter them all.
It is also great for making people think twice
about how they spend their X mana spells,
wouldn’t want to waste all their mana for
nothing.
Definitely a fun card that suit’s the Commander play
very nicely.
Limited: n/a (4/5 if it were)
Casual: 5/5
Multiplayer: 5/5
Constructed: n/a (4/5 if it were)
