A staple card within any
counter-based deck in
Magic: The Gathering, Force of
Will is becoming more rare over the years. The reason for this is its
single run print, along with its powerful ability capable of stopping a
first turn drop.
Basic Specs:
Cost: 3UU
Oracle Text: You may lose 1 life and remove a blue card in your
hand from the game instead of paying Force of Will's casting cost.
Counter target spell.
Edition: Alliances
Flavor Text: None
Artist: Terese Nielsen
Rarity: Uncommon1 (Rare)
Though a more specialized card than Counterspell, Force of Will finds
its way into most blue control decks because of its ability to stop
spells very early on in the game, as well as keep your opponent
guessing when you are tapped out.
Currently this card ebays for roughly $20 USD depending on the
quantity of cards bought at a time. Generally $10 or so drops off the
cost when buying an entire playset. As such, this card is beginning
to enter the ridiculously priced range that other cards
such as the power 9 and the dual lands reside in.
Part of the "free" cycle in Alliances, Force of Will came out
alongside of Bounty of the Hunt, Pyrokenisis, Contaigion and
Scars of the Veteran. It is commonly considered the best of the
cycle, with Pyrokinesis coming in second.
Strategy Using: The art of the bluff becomes handy with this
card if and only if your opponent knows you are using them in your
deck. For this reason it is one of the only cards that it is
recommended to show your opponent that you have. This is only a
needed strategy once in a match, as afterwards you opponent will be
well aware that you are in possession of the card.
In order to proficiently bluff with Force of Will, you must have more
than one card in your hand, as well as more than 1 life point
remaining. This holds because of the requirements of the card. Just as
it is useless to make your opponent believe you are carrying a
counterspell with absolutely no mana, it is useless to lead them to
believe that you are carrying a Force of Will with no means to cast it.
Furthermore, while bluffing keep in mind that visual cues are key.
Consider every spell they play before you allow them to play it. Make
them ask "mother may I" before each spell. Play with their minds, and
just when they're getting confortable, thats when you drop it on
them.
Otherwise, the standard counter strategy holds true:
Counter the important things. Let through the things that you can
afford. Never counter search cards, counter what they
find, etc.
Strategy Against: Sadly, there is no overriding strategy against
Force of Will, though a few ways to make your opponent squirm while
using it. First, count cards. Keep in mind that without more than one
card in their hand, Force of Will is useless; furthermore, if that
additional card is not blue, it is useless. Use this to your advantage,
taking note of the probability they are holding an additional blue card
(which becomes lower and lower for each additional color they are
playing.)
If you have your own means of countering Force of Will, it is often
worth countering simply for moral victory. An opponent will feel
utterly spent after dropping a life and an additional card to be met
with no results.
Finally, the most effective thing to do is just keep casting spells.
Force of will will drain a hand very effectively, so if your opponent
is tapped out, cast more than one spell in your turn. More than one
Force of Will is painful to cast (losing four cards and two life to
stop two spells is a steep price to pay.)
Collecting Tip: Keep in mind that the price of Force of Will
(much like the dual lands) is rising steeply, especially compared to
other cards of value. In the past year, the cost of the
average Force of Will has gone up roughly $10 USD a card. The tip is if
you see one claim it, as in another year you may be paying out the nose
for the card.