Can you play Defy with no target to buff Ravenbloom Student (trigger its 'when you play a spell' effect)?

Ruling: No, you cannot play Defy without a valid target. Spells require a target to be played.

Nuances:

• According to RAW (rules as written), counterspells can technically target themselves because the spell goes on the chain before targets are declared, making itself a valid target
• However, if a counterspell targets itself and gets countered/fizzles, it does not count as played and would not trigger play effects like Ravenbloom Student
• The designer indicated they will likely change the rules to prevent counterspells from targeting themselves in the future
• You could play 2 Defies (first targeting itself, second targeting the first) to actually "play" one spell and trigger Ravenbloom Student, though this is inefficient