What is Time Travel in MTG and how does it work?

With the recent release of Universes Beyond BBC Doctor Who set in Magic: The Gathering, players have been introduced to a brand new mechanic: Time Travel. The Tenth Doctor and his Timey-Wimey deck are arguably the most powerful and most popular of all four preconstructed Commander decks. Hence, players should expect to see the Time Travel ability quite a bit in the upcoming weeks and months.

The Izzet-colored Timey-Wimey deck is one out of four preconstructed Commander decks released during this set and it heavily focuses on the concept of time manipulation. Speaking of manipulating time, let’s slow down and get the basics out of the way first. What is Suspend, what is Vanishing, and how do Time Counters work?

What are Time Counters in MTG?

Time Counters in MTG are inherently different from other types of counters in Magic. They specifically represent the passage of time and are used in conjunction with the Suspend mechanic.

Most other counters are used to track things like power and toughness on creatures, loyalty counters on planeswalkers, or charge counters on artifacts. Each type of counter serves a distinct purpose within the game. Up until very recently, time counters were hard to manipulate. That all changed with the new Time Travel mechanic.

Cards with Suspend in MTG

• Mana Cost: –
• Type: Sorcery
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Ability: Suspend 3 – 1GG. Starting with you, each player may put an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land card from their hand onto the battlefield. Repeat this process until no one puts a card onto the battlefield.

Suspend allows the player to move the card into exile with time counters instead of playing it directly. While in exile, the card loses one time counter at the beginning of a player’s upkeep, which is at the beginning of his or her turn. When the last time counter is removed, the spell resolves.

Some of the most popular Suspend cards include Ancestral Vision, Crashing Footfalls, Hypergenesis, and Living End. The one thing they all have in common is they do not have a Converted Mana Cost at the top right corner of the card.

Therefore, the Suspend cost is not presented as an alternative cost but as the only way to cast the spell. Famously, Cascade strategies take advantage of these cards by casting them for free with the Cascade mechanic.

Cards with Vanishing in MTG

• Mana Cost: 3W
• Type: Enchantment
• Rarity: Rare
• Ability: Vanishing 3 (This enchantment enters the battlefield with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.) When Crack in Time enters the battlefield and at the beginning of your precombat main phase, exile target creature an opponent controls until Crack in Time leaves the battlefield.

Cards with Vanishing are different from cards with Suspend. They too have time counters on them, but instead of exiling the card and waiting for it to be cast, these cards are played normally like any other MTG card.

Like Suspend cards, the player removes one time counter from the card at the beginning of their upkeep. When the last Time Counter is removed the player is sadly forced to sacrifice the permanent.

Time Travel in MTG

• Mana Cost: 2UU
• Type: Sorcery
• Rarity: Rare
• Ability: Time Travel (For each suspended card you own and each permanent you control with a time counter on it, you may add or remove a time counter.) Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)

For the first time in MTG history, there is now a mechanic that expressly plays around with time counters. Time Travel allows the player to choose whether to add or remove time counters from the permanents they control or suspended cards they own in exile. This is an extremely powerful ability for both Vanishing and Suspend cards.

For the most part, Vanishing cards are creatures and enchantments considered too good for such a small investment. Vanishing helps to keep them in check by forcing the player to sacrifice them when the time comes. Not anymore; with Time Travel you can continue adding time counters to your permanents, thus keeping them on the battlefield indefinitely.

Time Travel works like a charm on cards with Suspend. Players can now remove Time Counters to cast their spells much sooner. Cards such as Ancestral Vision, Mox Tantalite, Profane Tutor, Delay, and many more become much more attractive to play if they lose one or more time counters. If a player is able to use the Time Travel mechanic efficiently more than once, it could greatly change the game to their benefit.

Each new Universes Beyond set has brought with it new and exciting mechanics to spice things up for MTG players. BBC Doctor Who is no exception, and the Time Travel mechanic will certainly speed things up in Commander games.