Before Lorwyn, this was the best counterspell in
Standard. Now, it's the best general utility
counterspell in Standard. Spellstutter Sprite
only works in Faerie decks, Familiar's Ruse
isn't great in creature-light control, and Pact
of Negation is great to protect a combo, but
terrible to just stop a spell. Rune Snag is
probably where you want to look first when it
comes to counters.
Constructed- 4
Casual- 3
Limited- 2
Aethereal
Tuesday - Rune
Snag
Until recently, Mana Leak was generally
considered superior to this (Urzatron's
popularity did not help things), but then
Wizards decided not to reprint Mana Leak in
Tenth. So, now, we have to look to this and
Cancel for straightforward 2 and 3 mana
counters. This is weaker than Mana Leak because
it's easier to play around the first one
(especially if you don't get it off until later
in the game). However, after that, it gets
significantly better, and the third and fourth
ones are essentially 1U hard counters. A solid
card, but it's got some solid competition too
(Cancel and Cryptic Command).
In limited, I wouldn't bother. It requires
multiples to be effective, which is not hard in
CCC, but it's not something I would chance.
Constructed - 3
Casual - 2
Limited - 2.5
David Fanany
Player since
1995
Rune Snag
When Mana Leak replaced Counterspell in the
Eighth Edition, some blue players complained
that they were being cheated by virtue of it
being a "soft" counter. I never got it,
personally, since in the early game it counters
basically everything. Rune Snag is even better -
not only does it hard-counter early plays, but
the subsequent copies become even harder to pay
your way out of. Play four, or play none at all.
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 2/5
The Missing
Linc
-Balding
for just over 5 years
-Playing MTG for just over 10
Rune Snag
This card has and will continue to see a lot of
play. For two mana you have an early counter
that will either hold back your opponent from
using resources or counter something that could
be a problem. It only gets better as time goes
by. This will be a staple counter for a while in
the league with Mana Leak. In contructed it will
stay around.
Constructed: 4
Limited: 2
Casual: 3
PsychoAnime
#1
Magic Noob in Canada since 2002
Rune Snag
It's one of the two counterspells I can think of
on the top of my head right now in standard, and
luckily, it's decent. It's very easy to use
early game, and maintains effectiveness late
game when each copy requires a large amount of
mana. It trades for at least its same value in
terms of mana. To top it all up, it has only 1
blue mana requirement so it's easily splashable
into any deck that runs blue and just needs some
permission. Excellent card and only a common.
In limited, it's a easily splashable
counterspell, and very possible to get more than
1 copy.
Constructed: 3.5/5
Casual: 3.5/5
Limited: 4.5/5
Swordmaster13
Tuesday's
card is Rune Snag from Coldsnap. Blue currently
has an incredible array of powerful cards and
Rune Snag is one of them. Rune Snag by itself
can counter a spell for two mana, but in copies
of four, Rune Snag gets better as each one
forces your opponent to pay 2 more mana for a
spell or watch it fizzle out per copy in the
graveyard. I'd argue it's the best counterspell
we got in the current environment and a staple
for any deck that uses counter magic as a key
part of its plan.
