1. Ancestral Recall wins because damn, son
2. Counterspell wins because Lim-Dul's Vault probably shouldn't have made the bracket
3. Fact or Fiction wins because it's so much more powerful (I think it was mis-seeded)
4. Terminate wins because I love it so much and it's great
5. Force of Will wins because it always wins
6. Dark Ritual wins because of its long and storied history of power plays
7. Capsize wins because it's one of the true ultimate control cards
8. Orim's Chant wins because even though it does what it does it somehow didn't make a million people quit the game

1) Ancestral Recall > Volcanic Fallout
2) Counterspell > whatever that card was i didn't feel like reading it
3) Swords to Plowshares > Fact or Fiction
40 Lightning Bolt > Terminate
5) Force of Will over Giant Growth
6) Dark Ritual > Diabolic Edict
7) Berserk > Capsize
8) Path to Exile > Orim's Chant

1. Ancestral Recall
2. Counterspell
3. Swords to Plowshares
4. Lightning Bolt - THE best burn spell
5. Giant Growth - because I hate Force of Will!
6. Diabolic Edict
7. Capsize
8. Orim's Chant

1. Ancestral Recall
2. Counterspell
3. Swords to Plowshares
4. Terminate
5. Force of Will
6. Dark Ritual
7. Berserk
8. Path to Exile

my votes are how cartwheelnurd voted. (speed is of the essence here for me so voting in an instant)

• Ancestral Recall
• Counterspell
• Swords to Plowshares
• Lightning Bolt
• Force of Will
• Dark Ritual
• Capsize
• Path to Exile

Is there a reason that cards like Mana Drain or Brainstorm didn't make the bracket?

1. Volcanic Fallout b/c of those little red symbols in the upper right corner plus it is getting no love so far.
2. Lim-Dul's Vault - i was tempted to vote counterspell b/c i hate super wordy cards but might as well start the counterspell hate train early.
3. Swords to Plowshares cuz it kills things
4. Lightning Bolt best burn ever printed... unfair Terminate has to go up against it resulting in an unfairly early kick out of terminate... bad pairings... booo who did you give this too for these again?
5. Giant Growth printed in almost ever single core set until recently and doesn't force you to play other blue cards like that other bs card.
6. Dark Ritual ramping like that seems like cheating
7. these are both terrible... bring back the Terminate instead of either of those.... or Lightning Bolt if for some strange reason terminate beats it out... if i had to choose between these... Berserk but i do so only in protest.
8. Path to Exile this was easy.

1. Ancestral Recall, even though it should have been disqualified from the beginning
2. Counterspell, as a matter of principal, though honestly Lim-Dul's Vault is better
3. Fact or Fiction because it is blue
4. Lightning Bolt, it's just so iconic
5. Force of Will, and its counterpart Storm Crow
6. Dark Ritual
7. Capsize, though it is a hard choice, they are both really good
8. Orim's Chant is disgustingly awesome. Is a wincon with Isochron Scepter, or protects any combo in existence like a pro, or is just white counterspell.

Mana Drain is silly. There's broken, and then there's silly.

Brainstorm would be on the list, but that would be too many blue instants even for me.

1) Ancestral Recall
2) Counterspell... Because Counterspell
3) Swords to Plowshares
4) Lightning Bolt, so glad I wasn't playing when this was out.
5) Force of Will....
6) Diabolic Edict, gotta love removal!
7) Berserk, because Capsize is just a crap Cyclonic Rift.8) Orim's Chant

1. Ancestral Recall... 1 drop 3 draw or 3 force draw? Awesome
2. Counterspell no explanation needed
3. Swords to Plowshares awesome 1 drop removal
4. Lightning Bolt. It is probably the best burn spell out there.
5. Force of Will no explanation needed here
6. Dark Ritual A classic. Awesome and very versatile spell.
7. Capsize. Like an Into the Roil but with a buyback.
8. Orim's Chant.... basically forcing an opponent to skip a turn for 2 mana.

1. Ancestral Recall - The card draw is strong with this one.
2. Counterspell - Simple and elegant.
3. Swords to Plowshares - Life is a small cost for board control.
4. Terminate - I'll gladly pay an extra mana to make sure my spell kills 'em dead.
5. Giant Growth - I don't like guaranteed two-for-ones.
6. Diabolic Edict - Sure it gives choice, but it ensures an early death.
7. Capsize - Mana trampolines are the greatest.
8. Orim's Chant - Mono-white Time Walk would be better if my opponent didn't Explore, but I'll take what I can get.

1 Ancestral Recall
2 Counterspell
3 swords
4 bolt
5 fow
6 edict
7 Capsize
8 chant

1. Ancestral Recall Because this card is nuts
2. Lim-Dul's Vault Because it's mega useful
3. Swords to Plowshares because removal for 1 mana is nuts
4. Lightning Bolt Because it's the best burn spell. Period.
5. Force of Will Because being able to counter while tapped out is amazing
6. Dark Ritual Because turn one shenanigans
7. Capsize Because complete control
8. Orim's Chant Because shutting your opponent down is hilarious

• Ancestral Recall
• Counterspell
• EOTFOFYL (if you don't know what that means, hang your head in shame)
• Lightning Bolt
• Force of Will
• Dark Ritual
• Berserk
• Orim's Chant

1. Ancestral Recall There's a reason is called a Power Nine.
2. This was a rough one, Lim-Dul's Vault is an amazing
3. Swords to Plowshares is probably the best white removal ever.
4. Lightning Bolt wins for being the best burn... Sad, because Terminate is the best kill.
5. Giant Growth wins. Force of Will is great for emergencies, but not a staple to me.
6. Dark Ritual is amazing power.
7. Capsize + Memory Crystal = Complete Mana/Board Strangle. Evil by itself, too.
8. Orim's Chant. Who doesn't want a 2 mana instant Time Warp?

1 Ancestral Recall 2 Swords to Plowshares 3 Fact or Fiction4 Terminate5 Force of Will 6 Dark Ritual7 Berserk (i love that card so much) 8 Orim's Chant

1. Ancestral Recall, because power nine.
2. Lim-Dul's Vault, seems strong and I'm rotten at countering.
3. Swords to Plowshares, one mana exile.
4. Terminate, I have to go with efficiency over versatility here.
5. Giant Growth, because I use combat tricks so much more effectively than counterspells.
6. Dark Ritual, breaks many decks wide open.
7. Berserk, because flavor.
8. Path to Exile, efficiency and versatility in one, though Orim's Chant is scary with Isochron Scepter.

1. Ancestral Recall, no contest
2. Counterspell, no contest
3. Swords to Plowshares, more uses than Fact or Fiction
4. Lightning Bolt. Iconic damage-based removal. Plus nothing rocks more than winning by aiming 3 of these at your opponent's face
5. Giant Growth because screw Force of Will
6. Dark Ritual, way more versatile than Diabolic Edict. Combo enabler
7. Capsize, with infinite mana your opponent will ragequit
8. Path to Exile. Toughest matchup, PtE wins on art XD

1. Ancestral Recall I was happy casting FoF...
2. Counterspell Hurr-Durr, pay two and destroy you.
3. Swords to Plowshares FoF is SOOOOO great, but Swords is better. What Stoneforge again?
4. Lightning Bolt Aww. Terminate is my favorite destroy target creature spell. I have a playset of the MPR ones too.
5. Force of Will --Storm Crow was replaced with Snapcaster Mage.
6. Diabolic Edict -- Consistency over combo for me
7. Capsize If you ever play this spell with infinite mana, you will love this card. Berserk is horribly good also. SCREW YOU INFECT. :D
8. Path to Exile. Orim's isn't used as much. Also, I'm a modern player. :P

1. Ancestral Recall, theres a reason its banned in so many formats
2. Counterspell, seriously? not even close
3. Swords to Plowshares. Its arguably the best targeted removal ever printed. Though this was probably the closest match up4.Lightning Bolt. One of the most iconic spells ever printed in MTG? Of course it wins
4. Force of Will. Its the glue that holds Legacy and Vintage together, but I do love me some Giant Growth
5. Dark Ritual, its just enables so many different things
6. Capsize. Probably the best bounce spell ever printed.
7. Path to Exile. I'd only take Orim's over Path is I had it imprinted on scepter

1. Ancestral Recall - best instant ever.
2. Counterspell - i've always been a fan of the vault, but doesn't have the authority of counterspell.
3. Swords to Plowshares - best creature removal ever(toss up with Path To Exile depending on deck build). Usually look for a swords or counterspell when I use Fact or Fiction anyways.
4. Lightning Bolt - both are probably going to kill a creature, but only 1 can kill an opponent.
5. Force of Will - my inside joke is that i run 4 in every deck so I can at least counter 1 spell in every game.
   
6. Dark Ritual - you should smile every time you start the game with a dark ritual in your hand.
7. Capsize - while berserk is incredibly mean, capsize can stop that creature, land lock somebody, or bounce that troublesome enchantment/artifact.
8. Path to Exile - path is extremely powerful and gives a run to any card. If we're using isochron scepter, then the nod has to go to the 2 mana lockdown card that is orim's chant.

1. Ancestral Recall
   
2. Counterspell
   
3. Fact or Fiction
   
4. Lightning Bolt
   
5. Force of Will
   
6. Dark Ritual
   
7. Capsize
   
8. Path to Exile
   

Hehe, KrazyCaley. You put Mana Drain in silly, but not Ancestral Recall?

Yes. My completely arbitrary sense of Magic fairness decrees it to be so.

I feel bad here a bit, because there are some clear, overbearing powerhouses in this group. Makes the lower seeds look pitiful.

For example, my first pick is obviously the one-drop 5cc spell from way back. How can you beat that? Imagine if someone told you that somewhere buried in Alpha was a one-drop Serra Angel? Anywhooo..
1) Ancestral Recall
2) Counterspell
3) Swords to Plowshares
13) Terminate - I don't really feel like Bolt knocks it out of the park here. Rough matchup, these two.
12) Giant Growth - Not because hate on Force of Will, but because I feel like combat tricks are better than spell tricks sometimes, even if you can counter a spell for 0 mana.
6) Dark Ritual - I feel like unless your Diabolic Edict is turn two, it isn't going to kill what you want it to kill. Does take care of some indestructible monsters though.
10) Berserk - Given my stance on combat tricks, you'd think I'd like the one that is repeatable and throws away a combatant for a turn or more. But this is more splashable and can actively win you a game.
8) Path to Exile - I don't even think this is close. Path is the superior spell in all cases except where you play Isochron Scepter.

1) Ancestral Recall

2) Counterspell

3) Swords to Plowshares

4) Lightning Bolt

5) Force of Will

6) Dark Ritual

7) Berserk

8) Path to Exile

I am a card advantage whore,I play standard and EDH, these facts may or may not influence my choices

1) Ancestral Recall
2) Lim-Dul's Vault (Counterspell is not standard legal, and who plays counters in EDH?)
3) Fact or Fiction
4) Terminate
5) Force of Will (this was a tough on for me, not a fan of Giant Growth effects in standard, and who plays counters in EDH? guess the pick is the $90 card)
6) Diabolic Edict
7) Capsize (my mono blue edh deck is "wait for capsize and win")
8) Orim's Chant

Ancestral Recall. Because DANG.

Lim-Dul's Vault. I like it. Counterspell is just kinda boring.

Fact or Fiction, for the trololos.

Lightning Bolt. It's a classic.

Force of Will. Honestly, I never really see this one, but it seems a lot more useful than GG.

Dark Ritual. SO MANY MANA.

Capsize. Because bouncing is fun.

Orim's Chant. That's just hilarious.

• Ancestral Recall - Draw 3 is better than Sweep @ 2.
• Lim-Dul's Vault - Counterspell is nice, but formats where the vault is legal have access to Force of Will. It also sets up combo decks nicely. Also, Counterspell looses value because it's costed the same as Mana Drain.
• Fact or Fiction - FoF is a good card always; Swords is dead against most control decks and combo decks.
• Lightning Bolt - This spell can kill my opponent
• Force of Will - Not even a Contest. I think that pitting Force against Brainstorm would have been much harder.
• Diabolic Edict - More useful than Dark Ritual because it doesn't forecast a combo and certainly does not get negative value when your spell is countered (the one you cast after ramping with Dark Ritual). This is the toughest call and I would actually rate it a tie.
• Capsize - Infinite Mana and this card ends a game instantly. If you don't have infinite mana, you can still lock a game down for 6 mana. If you ever hit 12 (which Capsize helps you do), the game is probably very over.
• Orim's Chant - Prevents my opponent from doing anything and can be put on Isochron Scepter for the ultimate hinderance. Path also accelerates my opponent by a land.

• Ancestral Recall
  
• Counterspell
  
• Swords to Plowshares
  
• Lightning Bolt
  
• Force of Will
  
• Dark Ritual
  
• Capsize
  
• Orim's Chant

Ancestral Recall

Counterspell

Fact or Fiction

Terminate

Force of Will

Diabolic Edict

Berserk

Path to Exile

1. Ancestral Recall
2. Counterspell
3. Fact or Fiction
4. Lightning Bolt
5. Force of Will
6. Dark Ritual
7. Capsize
8. Orim's Chant

1) Ancestral Recall

2) Counterspell

3) Fact or Fiction

4) Terminate

5) Force of Will

6) Dark Ritual

7) Capsize

8) Path to Exile

1. Ancestral Recall is power 9 for a reason.
2. Lim-Dul's Vault is so gooood.
3. Swords to Plowshares is an amazing card, all the time. Fact or Fiction is good some of the time.
4. Lightning Bolt is the best red instant ever printed.
5. Force of Will is card disadvantage, but it's still better than most counters.
6. Dark Ritual is immense.
7. Capsize is amazing.
8. Path to Exile is great.

(1) Volcanic Fallout. Ancestral Recall is a power nine, so that biases me against it. Also I'm pro-Modern Cards.

(2) Counterspell. It's a classic for a reason.

(3) Swords to Plowshares because one drop removal OP.

(4) Terminate. I know what I just said about one drop removal, and I do think Lightning bolt is better. But Terminate has just always been one of my favorite cards.

(5) Force of Will is just too good in every format it's playable in.

(6) Dark Ritual is RAMPRAMPRAMPRAMPRAMP.

(7) Berserk is just too hilarious.

(8) Path to Exile. One drop removal is so good. Orim's Chant is probably better, seeing as it's basically a WW Time Walk, but I'm a fan of Modern Cards.

Ancestral Recall

Counterspell

Swords to Plowshares

Lightning Bolt

Giant Growth

Dark RitualBerserkPath to Exile

Ancestral Recall

Counterspell

Swords to Plowshares

Lightning Bolt

Giant Growth

Dark Ritual

BerserkPath to Exile

1. Recall - I do love me some Volcanic Fallout, but, c'mon...it's Recall, man.
   
2. Counterspell
   
3. Swords
   
4. Terminate
   
5. Force of Will (Growth is awesome, but just like #1...it's Force.
   
6. Dark Rit (Edicts are awesome, but Rit is the backbone of too much stuff.)
   
7. Capsize
   
8. Path (Orim's Chant is for jerks who like to hit puppies with a stick)

Someday, I want to build a deck with just 60 Force of Wills. When the judge comes over to DQ me for having decklist problems, I'll just Force of Will the judge and continue on to win the tournament.

1 - Ancestral Recall

2 - Counterspell

3 - Swords to Plowshares

4 - Lightning Bolt

5 - Force of WIll

6 - Dark Ritual

10 - Beserk

8 - Path to Exile

Ancestral Recall

Counterspell

Fact or Fiction

Lightning Bolt

Giant Growth

Dark Ritual

Capsize

Path to Exile