The 9 Best Red Counterspells in Magic Ranked

Last updated on September 18, 2023

Red Elemental Blast | Illustration by Izzy

Hello, planeswalkers! Get ready for cards that defy the mind! Red counterspells? What is the world coming to when red decks can counter their opponents’ spells? It’s not quite what it seems, but let's dive in and see what red has to offer.

The red counterspells mostly counter blue strategies and sometimes have weird side effects. So, can these counters actually help a red deck? They most likely won’t make it into the hyper-efficient aggro decks, but that isn’t the only strategy in red.

Ready? Let’s jump in!

What Are Red Counterspells in MTG?

Pyroblast | Illustration by Lake Hurwitz

Red counterspells are spells that can only be paid with red mana and have some sort of ability to counter spells your opponents cast.

#9. Goblin Artisans

Goblin Artisans can be a way to get extra draw effects from playing artifact spells. It could also counter your artifact spells, leaving you high and dry. I’ve never been a huge fan of the coin flip effects, especially if the upside doesn’t greatly outweigh the downside like this card.

#8. Burnout

Burnout is the kind of instant that can change the overall advantages in one move. It’s unfortunately only a specific kind of move. You can counter a blue instant and gain a draw effect and not much else. This is another card for the sideboard.

#7. Planar Chaos

Let’s gamble! Planar Chaos can limit a game to pure chance. It can also only last one turn; it all depends on the flip of a coin. The hope is that Planar Chaos can counter a few of your opponents’ spells and your aggressive red advantage allows you to strike hard.

#6. Guttural Response

Guttural Response is technically a multicolored spell, but it can be paid for with 1 red mana. This is a nice addition to sideboards of red, green, or Gruul decks that are just sick of getting their spells countered by blue control decks.

#5. Artifact Blast

Red is full of artifact hate and Artifact Blast can be added to this list. For the cheap cost of 1 red mana, you can counter any artifact spell. It’s too specific of a card to be included in most main decks, but what an advantage to cheaply counter a card like Walking Ballista.

#4. Red Elemental Blast + Pyroblast

Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast are your cheap options for blue hate. For 1 mana, you can remove or counter nasty blue threats and also multicolored cards that contain blue. As with many cards on this list, these cards are wonderful in your sideboard so you can roster them when you need to.

#3. Mages’ Contest

Some of these counterspells are just gambles, but why not have a bidding war instead? Mages' Contest pits you and your opponent in a bidding war where the price is life. If you have the life advantage, you can see how important a certain card is to an opponent.

#2. Molten Influence

Molten Influence may be one of the most versatile counterspells on this list, but there’s a downside. If you’re being beaten down, sometimes a well-timed counterspell can save you. With this card, unfortunately, an opponent might gladly pay 4 life to have their bomb cards.

#1. Tibalt’s Trickery

You know there’s some power to a card when it is banned in three formats. Tibalt's Trickery is banned in Historic, Modern, and Explorer because of its speed, ability, and lack of rebuttals. You can load your deck with huge and powerful cards, and counter one of your own cheap spells to cheat them onto the battlefield.

Extra: Glorious End

I won’t include Glorious End in the rankings since it doesn’t directly counter a spell, but it can have the same outcome. At instant speed, you can end an opponent’s turn. This means all their spells on the stack don’t resolve and are placed in the graveyard. You can stop a major play your opponent has, but you’ll only get one more turn to win. Choose when to use Glorious End wisely.

Wrap Up

Tibalt's Trickery | Illustration by Anna Podedworna

Well, there you have it. These red counterspells aren’t going to be lighting up any competitions soon, but with more knowledge comes more power. They can all have some value as sideboard pieces or as fun gimmicks for friendly play.

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