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<blockquote data-quote="Esker" data-source="post: 7631970" data-attributes="member: 6966824">The auto-upcast helps if and only if the spell you're countering is 4th or 5th level, otherwise it's inefficient; though if you don't get a way of identifying the spell before countering it, then the other casters have to guess what slot level to use anyway. This is one of those things that depends on the DM; there are suggested rules for ID-ing spells in XGtE, but I don't know how many people use them. The bigger part of the argument against warlock being the primary counterspeller for me is that they are set up to spread their spells evenly throughout the day, which to me means about one spell per encounter for most of their career. Counterspell is one of those spells where most encounters you don't need it, but when you do need it, you might need it a bunch of rounds in a row. Regular-slot casters have the ability to use their spells unevenly if the situation demands it, whereas warlocks can't.At 5th and 6th level the warlock has the advantage, since regular casters only have 2 or 3 3rd level slots anyway. But by tier 3, they get seven or eight slots between 3rd and 5th level, and so blowing 4 of those in a single mage encounter is not unreasonable.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Esker, post: 7631970, member: 6966824"] The auto-upcast helps if and only if the spell you're countering is 4th or 5th level, otherwise it's inefficient; though if you don't get a way of identifying the spell before countering it, then the other casters have to guess what slot level to use anyway. This is one of those things that depends on the DM; there are suggested rules for ID-ing spells in XGtE, but I don't know how many people use them. The bigger part of the argument against warlock being the primary counterspeller for me is that they are set up to spread their spells evenly throughout the day, which to me means about one spell per encounter for most of their career. Counterspell is one of those spells where most encounters you don't need it, but when you do need it, you might need it a bunch of rounds in a row. Regular-slot casters have the ability to use their spells unevenly if the situation demands it, whereas warlocks can't. At 5th and 6th level the warlock has the advantage, since regular casters only have 2 or 3 3rd level slots anyway. But by tier 3, they get seven or eight slots between 3rd and 5th level, and so blowing 4 of those in a single mage encounter is not unreasonable. [/QUOTE]

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