MTG Thunder Junction Three-Drop Deletes Counterspells!

It’s no surprise that power creep has played a real role in shaping Constructed formats in recent years. So many cards generate a great deal of value when they enter the battlefield at an efficient rate. It’s truly astonishing the sheer number of three-drops even in Standard that can completely take over the game if not answered immediately. Cards like Raffine, Scheming Seer Raffine, Scheming Seer Flying, ward {1}
Whenever you attack, target attacking creature connives X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. (Draw X cards, then discard X cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each nonland card discarded this way.) put a ton of pressure on the opponent to have removal.

Some three-drops, like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with "Whenever this token attacks, create a Treasure token."
II — You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control. and Wedding Announcement Wedding Announcement At the beginning of your end step, put an invitation counter on this enchantment. If you attacked with two or more creatures this turn, draw a card. Otherwise, create a 1/1 white Human creature token. Then if this enchantment has three or more invitation counters on it, transform it. , are very tough to interact with profitably once they resolve. Fable was so strong that it ultimately got banned in Standard. In this day and age, Creatures generally need to be incredibly efficient or have solid enters-the-battlefield effects to see consistent play, especially in non-rotating formats.

With that in mind, there are some Outlaws of Thunder Junction spoilers that definitely meet the mark. We already covered one card that fits the “incredibly efficient” mold. Today, we are going to focus on a three-drop with a very relevant triggered ability. While it is certainly narrower than cards like Fable, it should have immediate implications for Standard, and may even see some play elsewhere.

An Aggressive Slant

The card in question that rightfully is receiving a lot of hype is Aven Interrupter Aven Interrupter Flash
Flying
When this creature enters, exile target spell. It becomes plotted. (Its owner may cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost.)
Spells your opponents cast from graveyards or from exile cost {2} more to cast. . For three mana, you get a nice piece of disruption stapled to a 2/2 Flier. This card is a bit reminiscent of both Elite Spellbinder Elite Spellbinder Flying
When this creature enters, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast. and Spell Queller Spell Queller Flash
Flying
When this creature enters, exile target spell with mana value 4 or less.
When this creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card's owner may cast that card without paying its mana cost. . It specifically interacts with spells on the stack, but in this case, the opponent that cast the spell has to exile it and cast it on a future turn.

The downside, of course, is that because the spell is Plotted, the opponent can cast it on a future turn without paying its mana cost. If Aven Interrupter is still in play, they will need to pay two mana to cast it, not zero, though this isn’t a huge price to pay.

So, what makes Aven Interrupter so strong? Well, there are a number of ways to abuse it. First, let’s cover the simplest route: being aggressive.

In Standard, board wipes and flashy bombs play a huge role for many decks. For instance, Domain ramp decks rely on setting up their mana in the early turns, then using cards like Sunfall Sunfall Exile all creatures. Incubate X, where X is the number of creatures exiled this way. (Create an Incubator token with X +1/+1 counters on it and "{2}: Transform this token." It transforms into a 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.) to catch back up. From there, bombs such as Atraxa, Grand Unifier Atraxa, Grand Unifier Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
When Atraxa enters, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each card type, you may put a card of that type from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.) can end the game in short order.

For hyperaggressive strategies like Boros Convoke, your best course of action is to come out of the gates early and race. Outside of Urabrask’s Forge Urabrask’s Forge At the beginning of combat on your turn, put an oil counter on this artifact, then create an X/1 red Phyrexian Horror creature token with trample and haste, where X is the number of oil counters on this artifact. Sacrifice that token at the beginning of the next end step. , you have little recourse against a resolved Sunfall. Aven Interrupter changes this whole dynamic. Obviously, the opponent can recast Sunfall the next turn, but this is irrelevant if they don’t get another turn.

It’s very reasonable to build out a big board of Creatures, hold up three mana once they have Sunfall mana at the ready, and use Aven Interrupter as a tempo play. You can even find Interrupter off of Knight-Errant of Eos Knight-Errant of Eos Convoke
When this creature enters, look at the top six cards of your library. You may reveal up to two creature cards with mana value X or less from among them, where X is the number of creatures that convoked this creature. Put the revealed cards into your hand, then shuffle. if you use three or more Creatures to Convoke it. Not to mention, unlike traditional forms of counter magic, Interrupter gets around Cavern of Souls Cavern of Souls As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type, and that spell can't be countered. . As such, even an uncounterable Archangel of Wrath Archangel of Wrath Kicker {B} and/or {R} (You may pay an additional {B} and/or {R} as you cast this spell.)
Flying, lifelink
When this creature enters, if it was kicked, it deals 2 damage to any target.
When this creature enters, if it was kicked twice, it deals 2 damage to any target. might not save your opponent.

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Unique Interactions

Getting to use Aven Interrupter as a pseudo- Time Walk Time Walk Take an extra turn after this one. in specific matchups is likely good enough to make sure the card sees play in Standard Convoke decks. However, there are a decent number of powerful interactions that should help raise its stock.

First, when a spell becomes Plotted, it can only be cast at Sorcery speed. As such, if you nab a piece of counter magic with this, the card will likely remain exiled for the rest of the game.

Additionally, there are a number of potent cards that you can target that do little to nothing when actually cast with no mana input. For instance, spells with X in their mana cost, such as Worldsoul’s Rage Worldsoul’s Rage Worldsoul's Rage deals X damage to any target. Put up to X land cards from your hand and/or graveyard onto the battlefield tapped. , are excellent cards to disrupt. Similarly, if you exile Memory Deluge Memory Deluge Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast this spell. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Flashback {5}{U}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) , when the opponent goes to cast it without paying its mana cost on a future turn, they won’t get to look at any cards – as long as the bird has already died, that is.

Lastly, if your opponent makes a copy of a spell (with Reenact the Crime Reenact the Crime Exile target nonland card in a graveyard that was put there from anywhere this turn. Copy it. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost. for example), you can exile it and the opponent won’t be able to recast it. All of these interactions are important to keep in mind, and we’ve only scratched the surface so far.

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Maximizing the Final Clause

Beyond Aven Interrupter’s ability to delay a spell on the stack, its final ability is nothing to scoff at. Obviously, it makes Plotted cards cost two more to cast. For some strategies, though, casting cards from graveyards or from exile is essential. Take Quintorius combo in Pioneer, for example. As long as Aven Interrupter remains in play, every card your opponent Discovers into costs two more to cast, making it pretty much impossible to execute a combo with Spark Double Spark Double You may have this creature enter as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker, and it isn't legendary. and the like.

In a similar vein, Aven Interrupter is very strong against Bring to Light Bring to Light Converge — Search your library for a creature, instant, or sorcery card with mana value less than or equal to the number of colors of mana spent to cast this spell, exile that card, then shuffle. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. . Against Lotus Field Lotus Field Hexproof
This land enters tapped.
When this land enters, sacrifice two lands.
{T}: Add three mana of any one color. combo, it can mess with Lier, Disciple of the Drowned Lier, Disciple of the Drowned Spells can't be countered.
Each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard has flashback. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost. . There are a decent number of decks where the final clause on Aven Interrupter can be surprisingly powerful.

You can also use Aven Interrupter in conjunction with cards like Invasion of Gobakhan Invasion of Gobakhan (As a Siege enters, choose an opponent to protect it. You and others can attack it. When it's defeated, exile it, then cast it transformed.)
When this Siege enters, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast. or Elite Spellbinder Elite Spellbinder Flying
When this creature enters, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast. to make it even harder for the opponent to cast exiled spells in a reasonable time frame. As you can tell, Aven Interrupter has a lot more utility that it may seem at first glance, and we’re excited to see all that it can do when Outlaws of Thunder Junction releases.

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