Psychic Rebuttal MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Spell mastery
Released	2015-07-17
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Origins
Set code	ORI
Number	67
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Todd Lockwood

Key Takeaways

Psychic Rebuttal offers card advantage by countering opponents’ spells, maintaining resource dominance.
Instant speed enhances flexibility, whilst the discard requirement presents a tactical cost.
Meta relevance keeps Psychic Rebuttal a valuable addition to decks facing targeted spells.

Text of card

Counter target instant or sorcery spell that targets you. Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, you may copy the spell countered this way. You may choose new targets for the copy.

"I know what you're thinking," Jace whispered in the mage's mind. "It's not going to work."

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Psychic Rebuttal shines by potentially countering an opponent’s spell, effectively negating their action while keeping your hand equipped for future plays. This control tool is a staple in strategies aiming to outpace the opponent in resources.

Resource Acceleration: While Psychic Rebuttal doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its strategic countering can indirectly lead to resource advantage by disrupting opponents’ tempo, allowing you to maximize your own turns.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Psychic Rebuttal is pivotal for interactive gameplay, providing flexibility to respond to threats on the fly. This reactive capability ensures you have a say in the ebb and flow of the match without having to commit resources upfront.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Psychic Rebuttal comes with the stipulation that another blue card must be pitched from your hand. In the heat of the game, when your hand is your arsenal, having to dispose of a potentially game-changing card can feel like a hefty price to pay.

Specific Mana Cost: Looking at Psychic Rebuttal, its casting cost demands not just generic mana but a particular slice from your mana pie – blue. This requirement may not always gel well with a multi-colored deck where mana flexibility can make or break your strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing two blue mana might not seem much at first glance, but in a game where tempo is king and mana efficiency shapes victories, there are instances when you’ll find other counter spells or forms of card advantage that could serve your deck’s theme and pacing better for less.

Reasons to Include Psychic Rebuttal in Your Collection

Versatility: Psychic Rebuttal offers a unique flexibility for decks that focus on spell-slinging or that aim to protect key strategies. It can counter target instant or sorcery spell that targets you, which makes it a particularly handy card against certain types of control or burn decks.

Combo Potential: In addition to its primary function, Psychic Rebuttal can be a surprise element in combos that benefit from spell copying or recursion effects. It can potentially turn the tide by not just negating an opponent’s action but also using their intended spell against them with its Spell Mastery.

Meta-Relevance: Given how prevalent instant and sorcery spells are in many competitive formats, having this card in your collection ensures you are prepared for matchups where targeted spells are common. Its ability to protect against key strategic moves from opponents keeps it relevant in various meta scenarios.

How to beat

Psychic Rebuttal offers a compelling dynamic within the sphere of counter spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its key feature is its ability to shield you from spells or abilities an opponent targets at you. This can be a game-changer, opposing direct damage spells or detrimental enchantments directed your way. However, to navigate around Psychic Rebuttal, savvy players might change tactics, using spells that evenly impact both players, leaving no specific target and therefore bypassing the card’s protective capabilities.

Another method to overpower Psychic Rebuttal is to simply apply overwhelming pressure with multiple threats. Since it is not a traditional counter spell that stops the spell entirely, but rather counters targeted spells only, presenting a variety of non-targeting threats can nullify its usability. Cards that deal damage to all opponents or affect each creature on the board are ideal tools to overstep Psychic Rebuttal’s restrictive defense mechanism. Finally, consider the strategic timing of your crucial spells, baiting out the rebuttal early, and clearing the path for your significant plays later in the game.

Ultimately, understanding the boundaries of Psychic Rebuttal’s effects allows for planned engagement, ensuring that when it surfaces on the play, it doesn’t deter the trajectory of your game plan. It’s a dance of strategic planning and perfect timing, critical for defeating players who wield this reactive tool.

Cards like Psychic Rebuttal

Psychic Rebuttal stands out in the Magic: The Gathering arsenal as a solid contender among counter spells. Comparable cards like Negate come to mind, offering a similar effect by countering noncreature spells. However, Psychic Rebuttal adds a layer of versatility with its hexproof ability, protecting a player from a spell with the same targetting parameters for the turn.

Another parallel could be drawn with Disdainful Stroke, which allows players to counter spells with a converted mana cost of four or greater at the same cost of two mana. While Disdainful Stroke is more restrictive in terms of targets, it’s an excellent choice against decks with high-cost spells. On the other hand, Psychic Rebuttal offers board-wide temporary hexproof, potentially turning the tide during crucial moments of a match.

Evaluating these cards within their respective contexts, Psychic Rebuttal provides both a reactive and a proactive defense mechanism. By combining a versatile counter spell with temporary hexproof, it offers MTG players a unique tool to safeguard their strategies while keeping opponents at bay.

Cards similar to Psychic Rebuttal by color, type and mana cost

Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions

Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions

Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Psychic Rebuttal MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Psychic Rebuttal and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Psychic Rebuttal has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Psychic Rebuttal card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2015-06-22	Check to see if there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard as the spell resolves to determine whether the spell mastery ability applies. The spell itself won’t count because it’s still on the stack as you make this check.
2015-06-22	If Psychic Rebuttal creates a copy of the spell, you control the copy. That copy is created on the stack, so it’s not “cast.” Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won’t trigger. The copy will then resolve like a normal spell, after players get a chance to cast spells and activate abilities.
2015-06-22	If the copied spell has an X whose value was determined as it was cast, the copy has the same value of X.
2015-06-22	If the copied spell is modal (that is, it says “Choose one –” or the like), the copy will have the same mode. You can’t choose a different one.
2015-06-22	If the copy says that it affects “you,” it affects the controller of the copy, not the controller of the original spell. Similarly, if the copy says that it affects an “opponent,” it affects an opponent of the copy’s controller, not an opponent of the original spell’s controller.
2015-06-22	If the spell mastery ability applies, you’ll create a copy of the instant or sorcery spell only if Psychic Rebuttal counters that spell. If that spell can’t be countered by spells or abilities, you won’t get a copy.
2015-06-22	The copy will have the same targets as the spell it’s copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can’t choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
2015-06-22	The target instant or sorcery spell can have other targets as long as one of them is you.
2015-06-22	You can’t choose to pay any additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too. For example, if a player sacrifices a 3/3 creature to cast Fling, and you copy it, the copy of Fling will also deal 3 damage to its target.