Counterspell

Counterspell is a rare mage spell card, inducted into the Legacy set, formerly from the Classic set.

Previous availability

 * Regular Counterspell could also be obtained as a first-time reward for first time reaching Silver 10 and Gold 10 in Ranked mode from April 1, 2020 to March 25, 2021 (or as a reward of Climbing the Ranks (2/10) and (4/10) achievements).

Fixed bugs

 * For a few weeks during Patch 4.0.0.10833 (LoE patch), playing a minion or spell with Overload caused you to become Overloaded the moment the card is paid for. For example, if Counterspell counters your Lightning Bolt, you were still Overloaded.  (Normally Overload occurs in the Battlecry Phase/Spell Text Phase.)
 * Until Patch 4.0.0.10833 (LoE patch), Counterspell would trigger Tiny Knight of Evil.

Strategy
The secret can be played to prevent board clears through spells such as Flamestrike. It makes sense to play Counterspell the turn before the spell can be cast. If the opponent then tries to cast a spell that gets countered, it will still use their mana which then guarantees a weak turn. Counterspell can also be set up if you want to prevent healing spells such as Lay on Hands to finish the game faster.

Since Counterspell is a secret, it synergizes with minions such as Mad Scientist or Arcanologist, that can draw the card from your deck, or Inconspicuous Rider, which can cast it outright. Comboing the secret with minions like Kirin Tor Mage or Kabal Crystal Runner can provide you with a tempo advantage while also protecting your minions from spells.

When attempting to counter Counterspell, try casting a weak or unimportant spell first. The Coin and Spare Parts are excellent choices for this.

Lore
Counterspell is a mage spell from World of Warcraft which interrupts a target's spellcasting, locking them out of that school of magic for several seconds. Higher levels of the ability also silence the target for a few seconds. The spell also features in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game.

Trivia

 * The artwork for this card comes from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game "March of the Legion" series, for the card.
 * This is the only card that uses the Counter ability. Despite this, Counter does feature its own tooltip when inspected in the hand, which can be seen to the right.

Patch Changes

 * Moved from Classic to Legacy set.
 * Fixed a bug where Sparkjoy Cheat casting a secret from your hand would trigger an opponent’s Counterspell and still put the secret into play. It will now no longer trigger Counterspell.
 * Spells that are canceled by Counterspell will now trigger any “Whenever you cast a spell” and “After you cast a spell” effects.
 * Fixed a bug where Sparkjoy Cheat casting a secret from your hand would trigger an opponent’s Counterspell and still put the secret into play. It will now no longer trigger Counterspell.
 * Spells that are canceled by Counterspell will now trigger any “Whenever you cast a spell” and “After you cast a spell” effects.