It Takes Two to Tango

Greetings fellow Cardsmiths!

For this challenge, your task is to show me your best 2 Mana Counterspells .

Entry Criteria
1) No joke cards
2) Must be a blue instant with a converted mana cost of 2. It can have other colors and / or card types in addition to being a blue instant.
3) No spells with X in their cost.
4) Must have the text “Counter ______ spell” . It can counter subsets of spells as well (for example, “Counter target noncreature spell”) or counter multiple spells.
5) Old and new entries allowed.
6) 3 entry maximum.
7) Must be in color pie according to https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2017-2017-06-05
8) 10) Must be balanced for standard and limited play.

Here are three examples of well-designed 2 mana counterspells from recent years:

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Here are three examples of my own design.

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Cards will be graded according to the following holistic scale (Out of 100):

Templating: 10
The card should formatted like a real magic card, using the correct phrasing, grammar, and punctuation.

Flavor: 10
The card name, flavor text, color, and mechanical identity should align with each other and make sense for a counterspell.

Counterspell Quality: 30
The card should be an example of a well-designed counterspell. It should demonstrate some novel characteristic. The card text should play well and be playable without being broken.

Power Level in Standard: 20
The card should NOT be broken/overpowered in the standard format. The 6 examples I provided above are at the correct power level. The card should be costed appropriately for the effect.

Power Level in Limited: 20
The card should have an appropriate rarity for limited play. It should not be oppressive in draft/sealed (like the Scarab God, Pack Rat, Umezawa’s Jitte). It should also be appropriately costed for Limited.

Play Pattern / Gameplay: 10
The card should create a healthy play pattern. It should not create repetitive play patterns. It should be fun to play and create meaningful decisions.

I will not make the score breakdown for the entries public (only the final score for the winners), but you can private message me after the challenge ends for your overall score and some feedback on your card if you desire.

The top 5 scoring entries will be rewarded as follows:

1st: 5 favorites of your choice
2nd: 4 favorites of your choice
3rd: 3 favorites of your choice
4th: 2 favorites of your choice
5th: 1 favorite of your choice

I will also award 1 favorite each for the following three categories:
1) Best Control Counterspell
2) Most Elegant Design
3) Best Flavor Text

This contest will close at 4:00PM EST on Wednesday, September 5th.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them to this thread.
Happy Smithing!!!
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