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For Mindbreak trap, it is basically a counter-spell that counters any number of spells on the stack and removes them from the game. Very handy if you ask me.

here is it's specific rules:

Mindbreak Trap's alternative cost condition checks whether an opponent cast three or more spells this turn, not whether those spells have resolved.

If a spell is exiled, it's removed from the stack and thus will not resolve. The spell isn't countered; it just no longer exists. This works on spells that can't be countered, such as Thrun, the Last Troll.

THIS CARD ONLY STOPS SPELLS. A permanent that resolved is not a spell. Something is ONLY a spell when it's on the STACK. That means this card only works when your opponent just cast a spell and a bunch of things in response to it (such as Storm copies, Cascaded cards, multiple instants, etc.). You can't stop two creatures (unless one has Flash and was played in response to the other), two sorceries, or any other situation in which the spells involved must be cast after the one before resolved.

Examples:

RIGHT: Your opponent plays a Bloodbraid Elf, and cascades into Blightning. You cast Mindbreak Trap in response, which exiles both those spells from the stack.
> Why? Cascade allows the player to cast the Cascaded card on top of the spell with Cascade. Since they're both on the stack when you respond with Mindbreak Trap, it works as intended.

RIGHT: Your opponent starts comboing, and plays a Brain Freeze with the Storm count at 10, which means 10 copies of Brain Freeze go on the stack in response to the original. You cast Mindbreak Trap in response (probably for free, too!), which exiles the original Brain Freeze and all the Storm-created copies from the stack.
> Why? Storm, like Cascade, puts the copies on the stack on top of the original spell. It works for the same reason as Cascade.

RIGHT: You opponent casts something, you counter it, and your opponent counters that. You cast Mindbreak Trap, which exiles the original spell, your counter, and your opponent's counter from the stack.
> Why? Since the counters are instants that are played in response to each other, when you play Mindbreak Trap, all those spells are still on the stack, and it works as intended.

WRONG: Your opponent casts a Llanowar Elves and an Elvish Archdruid. You cast Mindbreak Trap in response, but this will only exile the Elvish Archdruid.
> Why? No matter how your opponent declairs it, a non-Flash creature (or any other Permanent, or a Sorcery) can only be cast on an empty stack, which means the Llanowar Elves resolves (and is no longer a spell) before the Archdruid is cast. Since Mindbreak Trap only exiles SPELLS on the STACK, only the currently-resolving permanent will be affected. This WRONG example should cover about 99.9% of the situations that are causing confusion with this card.

[QUOTE=jiggs]If a spell is exiled, it's removed from the stack and thus will not resolve. The spell isn't countered; it just no longer exists. This works on spells that can't be countered, such as Thrun, the Last Troll.[/QUOTE]

And the card itself is exiled as well. Mindbreak trap is one of the strongest counters out there. For removing spells or countering uncounterable spells it's almost like a cheap time stop (whithout the benefits of actually stopping the turn).

In some occasions like mentioned above it can be cast for free or remove multiple spells at once which is nice against storm. But basically look at it as an expensive counterspell that exiles the card being cast.

Thanks, that was very clarifying.