What is the point where a card becomes so good that its counter is more widely played than the card itself?

[zepheris]

The question may be a bit confusing, and rightly so, which is why, here's an extreme example:

 

The one who was chased

spell

Your opponent can reveal a mechanicalchaser from his hand or deck to negate the activation of this card. You win the duel. 

 

This card is an extreme in this situation, as it's clearly and obviously a good card, nobody plays mechanicalchaser. If you have this card, you just won.

 

However, because of the existance of this card, everybody will start playing mechanicalchaser, thus making this card useless. It's a card that's so good that any and all decks would play it, but it becomes dead by virtue of the opponent having MC. Thus, because everybody plays MC, this card becomes a simple dead draw, and people stop playing it, yet it stays relevant enough that MC is a staple.

 

That's an extreme example, but in this scenario, many more people (Everyone) plays MC, but only a small amount of them play this card, despite the fact that MC is being played only because this card exists.

 

Naturally, the point I'm looking for is lower than this. The question is, where? How strong does a card have to be such that the counter to that card is played more than the card itself?

 

Taking this template, what would have to replace *EFFECT* with, such that more people play mechanicalchaser than this card.

 

The one who was chased

spell

Your opponent can reveal a mechanicalchaser from his hand or deck to negate the activation of this card. *EFFECT*

 

Naturally, I mean an overpowered effect, not something like "Discard your entire hand.", which would technically answer the above question, because absolutely nobody would play a card like that, while MC is being played by someone, somewhere, as a rescue rabbit target, and a moderate beater.

 

Also, assuming this card is unlimited, so no matter how OP it gets, it's never hit on the banlist, because it's so easy to counter.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Djinn releaser of rituals. It was easy enough to out if you had the right techs, but if you didn't, you lose.

 

Not every deck ran Djinn.

 

Every deck short of qli ran Djinn outs.

[zepheris]

Djinn releaser of rituals. It was easy enough to out if you had the right techs, but if you didn't, you lose.

 

Not every deck ran Djinn.

 

Every deck short of qli ran Djinn outs.

Makes sense. I was actually thinking of towers when making the original post, but the towers counters did have uses outside countering towers, so I didn't actually put that. Releaser is possibly the best real life card answer to this. I remember playing that one ice barrier guy. It wasn't very good, but it did the job.