Countersquall
Instant
Counter target noncreature spell. Its controller loses 2 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.65
- EDHREC rank
- #3381
Countersquall counters any non-creature spell and drains the opponent for 2 — that life loss is the whole point, not a footnote. For Sygg, River Cutthroat decks that need opponents at 3 or less life, Countersquall does double duty: it stops a threat and nudges the damage threshold closer.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Sygg, River Cutthroat
Sygg, River Cutthroat draws cards whenever any opponent loses 3 or more life in a turn, and Countersquall's 2-damage drain stacks with combat to hit that trigger reliably — 40% of Sygg lists run it for exactly this reason.
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator sits in a Dimir-or-wider pirate shell where holding up interaction on opponents' turns is standard practice, and Countersquall earns its slot as a two-mana answer that punishes the spell and the player.
Sivitri, Dragon Master
Sivitri, Dragon Master runs a controlling Dimir game plan that wants to protect a single dominant threat, making Countersquall a clean fit — cheap, unconditional on non-creatures, and the life drain accelerates the clock.
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager decks lean into the Grixis identity with discard and attrition, and Countersquall slots naturally into the permission suite while reinforcing the life-drain pressure the archetype often builds toward.
Jon Irenicus, Shattered One
Jon Irenicus, Shattered One plays a hand-disruption game in Dimir, and Countersquall backs up that strategy by stopping reactive spells opponents might use to reclaim value from the donated creatures.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Countersquall occupies a specific niche: Dimir and Grixis decks that want cheap, unconditional countermagic with upside, particularly those that care about life loss as a game mechanic. Legacy and Vintage have access to far more efficient countermagic, so Countersquall doesn't see competitive play there — it simply can't compete with free spells in those formats. Modern is the most interesting non-Commander case; the drain is real in a 20-life format, but the format's speed and the dominance of Counterspell and its ilk keep Countersquall out of serious lists. Countersquall is not legal in Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, so Commander and Oathbreaker are its primary homes, where the life-loss rider is more meaningful and two-mana counterspells with no targeting restrictions are genuinely useful.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.65 bulk tier
At $0.65, Countersquall is bulk — an easy inclusion that won't stress any budget. It's unlikely to spike given the card's narrow color requirement and the competitive formats' preference for harder countermagic, so what you see is what you get.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Sygg, River Cutthroat
- Francisco, Fowl Marauder // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Sivitri, Dragon Master
- Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
- Jon Irenicus, Shattered One
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.