Mental Misstep

[MaximumCDawg]

They're running hot this go around at MTGSalvation.  Someone appears to have grabbed another leaked bunch of spoilers. Card art looks legit, so I'm thinking this might be the real deal.

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=317542

The card that most interests me in this list is:

Mental Mistep - U (Phyrexian Mana)
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 1.

The biggest impact I see is that a playset of these practically immunize you from duress effects and spell pierce (and nature's claim and steel sabotage and etc etc).  If this is real - and I'm thinking it is -  then maybe Spell Pierce has finally run its course.  Seems like both shop and tendrils can make very good use of the ability to ruin the enemy's first turn distruption.

[Yare]

Note that Mental Misstep counters Mental Misstep.

[DubDub]

This card is really good.  It's a bit better in Legacy due to their closer observance of the 'one land per turn, one mana per land' rule, and also because it doesn't say ' or less.'

[TopSecret]

I don't think Mental Misstep invalidates any of the current counterspells that see play at all.
But I do think it, like the other ones, has an interesting nitch to fill.
It counters a lot of stuff in Vintage for no mana, which is kind of big in my book.
The main problem is finding a deck for it because it's not as good at pushing things through Force of Will as a lot of cards.
I'd make a comparison to Spellsnare here for illustrative purposes,
but this card appears to be an entirely different beast altogether since it doesn't cost anything.
If it said one or less it'd be somewhat better, but as is I think it's pretty frickin good.
I mean, it counters Ancestral, Sol Ring, Voltaic Key, Vampiric Tutor. The list is actually pretty effing long and it does so for no mana.
Deserves a lot of looking at in the future, I think.

[honestabe]

I'm pretty excited for this card's life in Legacy.  It counters pretty much all removal, duress effects, elves, vials, brainstorm, ponder, rituals, top, and a good chunk of zoo's creatures.  I've been pretty unimpressed with Spell Snare in my Landstill deck, and will be testing this as a replacement ASAP

[Wagner]

I mean, it counters Ancestral, Sol Ring, Voltaic Key, Vampiric Tutor. The list is actually pretty effing long and it does so for no mana.
Deserves a lot of looking at in the future, I think.

All those cards are good targets yes, but they are also all restricted, Spell Snare could counter Oath, Drain, Sphere, Chalice, Goyf and so on that are not restricted, so you have much more choices, even if it is free.

I think it's a very decent card, weaker than Snare, that's why it got the free cc thing, but I don't see it getting much play unless more major 1 cc spell come around, or Brainstorm or Ponder is unrestricted.

People will keep playing that 1 cc Mana Leak (totally blanking here...).

[Killane]

MUD can use it to counter nature's claim and steel sabotage. That is straight retarded.

[Lemnear]

This Card is a Legacy staple vs. Nacatl, vial, lackey etc ...

The sickest shit this Card can do in vintage is negating spell Pierce and ramping storm by freely countering and Counter-countering your rituals and Co. I'll get my foil playset for Legacy but there are other cards that are Even more impressive in this set

[Shax]

This card is pretty good in Vintage. It hits..

Ancestral Recall, Brainstorm, Ponder, Dark Ritual, Preordain, Imperial Seal, Fastbond, Mystical Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Sol Ring, Duress, Thoughtseize, Spell Pierce, Noble Hierach, Voltaic Key...Mental Misstep off the the top of my head. Snagging those alone for 2 life or a blue is game changing. Worse cards have seen play in Vintage and still do. Worse is relative though. Okay Top Secret actually hit the list so I need to come up with something relevant now. I think this card is good for Chrome Mox decks! It produces blue and pitches to Misdirection and Commandeer.

EDIT: Forgot about the Nature's Claim and Steel Sabotoge. It also hits Chain of Vapor, Cabal Therapy.
This also stops Mystic Remora!!

[TheWhiteDragon]

This card hits many things, but only a few common turn 1 plays are great to stop.  Turn 1 ancestral obviously, but facing a duress/seize on the draw can ruin your hand.  This spell keeps you in the game.  Stopping ritual insanity or a welder in shops is a great turn 1 play.  Stopping a hierarch can cripple noblefish. 

All the other spells are gravy, but stopping turn 1 duress/seize can save them from pulling the ancestral or lotus that your hand hinges on.  Stopping the enablers like noble, welder, ritual keep you from falling behind early.  Everything else (protecting vs claim/sabotage, stopping last ditch imp/vamp/mysticals, protecting vs surgical extractions, etc.) is all just super-sweet icing on the three tiered cake of awesomeness.

This card is fantastic against 50% of turn 1 nuttiness/disruption.  Finding the slots to fit it is the issue.