Counterpoint

Counterpoint card image

Counterpoint: Instant, Murders at Karlov Manor Commander. Counter target spell. MTG card printings, market prices, rulings, and format legality on Mana Grove.

Mana cost
{3}{U}{B}
Mana value
5
Type
Instant
Colour identity
Blue and black (UB)
Rarity
Rare
Set
Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC)
Released
2024-02-09
Collector number
41
Artist
Brian Valeza
Commander rank
9,833 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)

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About Counterpoint

Counterpoint is a Magic: The Gathering card, a rare blue and black instant from Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC), a Commander product released in February 2024. It is collector number 41 in that set, with art by Brian Valeza. It costs {3}{U}{B} (three generic, one blue and one black mana) to cast, for a mana value of 5. Its colour identity is blue and black. It is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander and Oathbreaker. Murders at Karlov Manor Commander is its only printing so far. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.47 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-11).

Card text

Counter target spell. You may cast a creature, instant, sorcery, or planeswalker spell from your graveyard with mana value less than or equal to that spell's mana value without paying its mana cost.

"Nice theory, but I'm going to have to poke some holes in it."

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.47 (as of 2026-11-11).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Counterpoint by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal

Other printings of Counterpoint

The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

PrintingRarityYear
Murders at Karlov Manor Commander (MKC) #351Rare2024

Official rulings

Six official rulings apply to Counterpoint, newest first.

  • Alternatively, if the target spell is still a legal target but can’t be countered, Counterpoint will still resolve and allow you to cast a spell from your graveyard with mana value less than or equal to the target spell’s mana value.
  • If a spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
  • If the target spell has {X} in its mana cost, use the value chosen for X when determining that spell’s mana value.
  • If the target spell is an illegal target as Counterpoint tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen.
  • If you cast a spell “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
  • You cast the card from your graveyard as Counterpoint resolves. You can’t wait to cast it later in the turn. Timing restrictions based on the card’s types are ignored.

Similar cards

Other instant cards with a blue and black colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.

In these precons

Counterpoint is in the decklist of these preconstructed Commander decks.

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