do you still pay for countered spell

[tshirty]

do I still have to pay for spell which was countered?

[Arix]

Yes. Matter of fact, you pay for it before your opponent even gets a chance to counter it.

[tshirty]

so would i get my mana back if he chooses to counter it

[Kenji]

What? No. If that were the case, Arix would've told you so.

Once you've paid mana to cast a spell, that mana's gone, and you're not getting it back. The fact that your spell was countered doesn't change the fact that your mana was spent.