Welcome to the new primer for Farf's Time Walk deck!
The original primer can be found here.
Since the very first set of Magic the Gathering Time Walk effects have been one of the most powerful strategies in the game. From the earliest tournaments the ability to take an extra turn with all the accompanying steps and phases has dominated matches and decided tournaments.
Continuing that tradition, and even taking it one step further, once this Modern deck begins to combo off it's quite likely that your opponent will never get another turn again. After that your win condition is limited only by your imagination.
When time becomes endless, so to, do the possibilities!
In a format defined by Fetchlands and Shocklands and as a result saturated with two, three, and even four color decks, viable and competitive single-color decks are very rare. The original decklist for the Time Walks combo was conceived as mono blue and to this day remains a very real option.
Below is a good example of a generic Mono blue list
Time Walks is a unique combo deck in that it relies upon taking advantage of Howling Mine’s symmetrical card draw as an enabler to chain together Warp effects until you can kill your opponent with one of any variety of win conditions. In the case of this deck that will be most commonly be Part the Waterveil or Snapcaster Mage.
In general the goal of the deck is to utilize the disruption package to land a MineEffect and keep the opponent from winning before turn five. Then, it begins resolving Time Warp’s and ideally the opponent will not get another turn before you win the game.
Additionally in the list posted above it is possible to actually take infinite turns if necessary with the use of Elixir to recycle TimeWarps in combination with two or more Mine effects to continue to draw them.
As strange as the deck plays out in relation to traditional combo decks we see in Modern it is actually remarkably consistent once it begins going off.
If you are interested in the deck and want to try it out I highly recommend proxying up this list and seeing how you like it!
When constructing your Time Walks deck there are four main roles you want your cards to fill. Consistency, Combo Pieces, Win-Conditions, and Disruption. By ensuring your deck has a proper mix of these vital components you can have a powerful and consistent Time Walk combo deck.
It is worth noting that since this deck has a relatively small community that actively plays it there is no real consensus on what type of build or color splash is the "best". As a result there is plenty of room to experiment and see what works for you. However, for the purposes of this primer I will be putting an emphasis on the cards that are able to fulfill more than one roll in the deck (Such as Part the Waterveil being both a win-Condition and a combo piece) as those are usually some of our best options for inclusion.
Below and in the following sections I will give an explanation on the advantages and disadvantages of different card choices and some example decks that chose to splash one or more colors.
Disruption
Recommended: 8-12
The average turn for decks to kill without any relevant interaction from their opponent is turn four. Since this deck wants to win starting on turn five by disallowing any further interaction on behalf of the opponent, spells aimed to disrupt their game-plan enough so we survive that long are vital.
This most commonly includes Counterspells, Bounce, and Tapping the opponents permanents or not letting them untap. Click the link below for a card by card discussion of the disruption package.
Due to the nature of the combo this deck has a surprising amount of flexibility with how many of the pieces it chooses to play. A combination of Howling Mine and Time Warp effects are needed to enable the win but aside from that the number and even the individual card choices can vary greatly from deck to deck.
In the link below I will be discussing the merits of individual cards comprising those two components of the combo.
Since the deck operates as a Combo deck first and foremost it is crucial that there be cards to help you have what you need when you need it. There are a couple cards that stand above the rest in this category but there are arguments for the inclusion of many more based on personal preference.
Win conditions are rather tricky in this deck since once you have achieved unlimited turns you can win with practically anything. The trick is to have those cards be relevant before you have achieved the combo so that they are not dead in your hand.
While the possibilities truly are astounding the most popular choices have been outlined below.
Lands are the foundation of any good deck and are critically important to winning games of magic. In particular this decks needs to get up to 5 Mana in order to start comboing so insuring you have a proper amount is of the utmost importance.
In addition there is a broad number of utility lands that can be played in order to shore up some weaknesses of the deck. To find out more try the link below.
The importance of the sideboard cannot be underestimated. Approximately 60% of your games will be after sideboarding so including relevant cards to help in matchups where your deck is weak will often mark the difference between winning and losing a close game.
There are 15 slots allowed in competitive tournaments and often you will wish you could have double that. A discussion of popular and effective sideboard cards can be found below.
Magic the Gathering is a number centric game and this deck shines a spotlight on how complex the math of building a deck correctly can really get. Ensuring you have the right mix of these categories of cards will allow the deck to function but there is still little consensus on what is optimal.
Currently in progress
Let me know what you would like to have included in this and other card specific sections!
Spell Snare
A hard counter for 1 mana is amazing. The drawback of it only affecting cards with a converted mana cost of 2 might seem too narrow at first, but when you look at the most commonly played (and most powerful) cards in the format, it becomes immediately apparent that 2 is a very important number in the format. Playing two copies of Spell Snare in the seventy-five goes a long way to making sure this deck can get a foothold at the beginning of the game.
Hey Guys,
I just wanted to apologize for the extremely long time that I left the under construction banner up there on this thread. I underestimated the amount of work I would need to do to get the primer functional and combined with some drastic life changes on my end of things I ended up taking a break from almost all of my magic and online activities for some months.
I have already approved the transfer the oversight of the primer to an interested member of the forum who would like to finish the work needed to complete it and get the whole primer online.
Welcome to the new primer for Farf's Time Walk deck and the decks it has inspired!
The original primer can be found here.
If you'd like to skip ahead to the discussion, click here.
One of the most powerful cards in the history of magic has always been the formidable Time Walk. The ability to manipulate the way that turns are taken gives you a great deal of control over the game. Add to that a draw engine such as Howling Mine or Dictate of Kruphix and you develop a massive card advantage.
Where do you go from there? The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination! You could enlist the aid of the planeswalker Jace Beleren to mill away your opponent's library of spells. You could summon an army of Faeries and Mages armed with Siege Engines to tear down your enemy's defenses and bring them crashing to the ground. You could even utilize your newfound time to bring the tremendous Wrath of a Titan upon your adversary or unleash an army of Sprites and Ninjas to sabotage their plans and defeat them.
When time becomes endless, so do the possibilities!
A Brief History of Time Walk
From Then to Now
"Seems like I did the math right, at least."
~ Farf, creator of the original Time Walk deck ~
While this deck hasn't been around as long as most decks played in the format, it has taken an interesting path from there to here. Let's take a look at how this deck got to where it is today.
In 2013, an unusual deck began to appear on Magic the Gathering Online. Like an urban myth, stories spread of a deck that linked together Time Warps back-to-back to secure a win. Videos began to appear on YouTube and slowly the Modern community became aware of a deck unorthodox, not just because of its strategy, but also because this new, 4-0 daily beast didn't come from a team of high-profile professional players, but from a single player, who had developed it himself.
Inevitably, there was no containing this Modern Marvel, and it began to appear in article after article. Even Luis-Scott Vargas dedicated an entire article, Walking the Aeons, to it on the official Wizards of the Coast website!
It was only a matter of time until this deck made its way to MTG Salvation and the Magic community at large. It has since inspired a number of different decks with its efficiency, consistency, and flexibility, including a Top 8 finish at PTQ Riccione. Since then, it has seen further development as a combo deck, and been spun off into both a hard control deck which has had some tournament showings of its own, and an exciting aggro variant. It's only a matter of time until Time Walk is an Established or perhaps even Proven deck in the Modern format!
Looking at most of the lists played now, it's hard to imagine that this deck used to land its wins on the back of Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, but here it is, the original MTGO Daily-dominating machine. Going all the way back to this list, we can see the seeds of strategies employed now and, better yet, we can see threads of where this deck may yet go in the future. This is an all-in list, like most combo decks, with its sights locked on achieving its combo finish. The videos below give even farther insight into the strategy and engineering of this deck.
There are some powerhouse combos here. The copious card draw geared to benefit the deck's pilot while taking extra turns. The combination of Extraplanar Lens with Snow-Covered Island to assure one-sided advantage. The ridiculous pile of Time Warps. The endgame inevitability brought by Emrakul, who also happens to have an attached Time Warp effect. Everything here is chosen for its single-minded purpose. To lock the opponent out of the game and make their plays up to that point irrelevant.
When it became clear that the Jace, previously employed as an engine piece, could win without driving towards the Lens-requiredEmrakul finish, this version began to take shape. We begin to see an increased control presence in this version of the deck that would eventually be developed further still in combo versions, and later more aggressive versions, of the deck.
While it holds on to the Snow-Covered Islands, this deck drops the mana generation subtheme to focus on a more efficient, more-controlling game so it can assure it hits its combo. We also see a main deck that not only secures the combo, but also provides extra resilience to aggro. We also see a much tighter sideboard that is capable of squaring off against a more diverse field.
The name Farf is immediately recognized by most people who play the U version of this deck, but not everyone knows that he also created a UR version of this deck. While it's had nowhere near the impact of its mono-colored predecessor, this version could serve as a brainstorming catalyst for those contemplating splashing R in this deck. If nothing else, it's the first nod towards the doors that splashing other colors in this deck can open.
While the general preference for the Jace milling strategy is the monoblue version, there is something to be said for tapping into the control opportunities that splashing other colors allows. It is a bit surprising not to see maindeck inclusion of at least Lightning Bolt, but this has been mirrored in other R builds that have come later. Still, it's fun to see the seeds here for a direction this deck has only taken again recently.
~ Videos of The Modern Noob Playing Izzet Time Walk ~
Every version of this deck played to a combo finish until Summer of 2014.
Early that summer, two guys sat down at a table and started to reconsider how this deck worked and how they might be able to both streamline it and improve on its ability to interact with the opponent. The resulting deck proved to be fun, popular, and moderately successful. While this version didn't replace the original combo deck the way the Tempo variant has essentially replaced the original combo-based Twin decks, it did change the strategies people employ in building and playing this deck by reminding everyone that interacting with the opponent is crucial for reaching the combo and chaining damage is still a good use for those extra turns.
It's been called both aggro and tempo but, at it's heart, this is a control deck through and through that seeks to lock the opponent out of the game as much as possible until it can repeatedly hit the opponent during multiple extra turns or just lock them down and repeatedly deal damage. The beauty of this version of the deck is it doesn't need to combo off to win. It can just as easily win "fairly," though opponents never seemed to feel there was anything fair about it. While it's still a viable approach to building the deck in today's meta, most advocates of this version of the deck have since splashed other colors into their decks and are piloting an all-new generation of Time Walk.
"That's just one way to do it. There are others."
~ Chalupacabra, co-creator of the Time Attack deck & thread OP ~
The beauty of Farf'sTime Walk Engine is that it can be applied to a number of different playstyles and give different lists a powerful endgame. While almost all lists currently played fall into one of two styles, there's no limit to the ways this deck can grow and evolve. These are examples of the versions of the deck currently being played in Modern. Who knows? Maybe you'll bring a new variation of the deck to this thread!
Below is a short description of each of the currently popular versions of this deck currently played in Modern. If any of them appeal to you, click on the description, and it will take you to the section that focuses on each of these decks. This section keeps changing, so be sure to check back and see what versions are out there!
"Quote Still needed."
~ Person Quoted, something about this person ~
In a format defined by Fetchlands and Shocklands that is saturated with two, three, and even four color decks, viable, competitive single-color decks are very rare. One of the things that set apart Farf's initial decks was that they were monoblue, making them immune to one of the format's biggest threats, Blood Moon. Many players want to keep this strength of the deck intact, and prefer not to splash other colors into the deck. For those players, Taking Turns continues to be a potent choice. It's also a great starting point for players interested in playing one of pricier splash builds who want to familiarize themselves with the mechanics and strategy of the deck before moving on to one of the multicolor decks with their more expensive lands.
There's no question that Farf'sTime Walk deck is an effective powerhouse in its own right, but it's been a long time since that deck first appeared in Modern, and Magic is a rapidly evolving game. As new sets have come and gone and blocks have rotated, there have been revisions made by players who still feel that the combo approach is the best means of winning with the Time Walk Engine. These players have drawn inspiration from every new set and every new version of the deck that has come along since and have evolved the deck into its current form.
Why would someone choose to play this version of the deck instead of one of the new, shiny takes on it? The answer is actually pretty simple. It works. That's not to say that the others do not, just that this is still a legitimate way to win and some people just prefer this strategy. After looking it over and playing it a few times, it's easy to see why.
As we can see, the decklist may have changed, but the core concept of the deck has not. The goal remains to chain turns while milling the opponent. To this end, the deck focuses on cards that both help it draw into the cards it needs and give it the most effective endgame possible. As a result, there are certain cards that, while potent in the combo version of the deck, seldom see play in other variants.
Elixir of Immortality
Having a plethora of Time Warps provides a great deal of inevitability when one is seeking to chain extra turns together, but as more and more of them end up in the graveyard, how can you assure that you'll be able to draw enough? Well, one answer is to load them back into your library. Elixir not only does that, it also bumps up your life total by five. In an environment overrun with Burn, being able to raise your life total repeatedly can be the difference between surviving your opponent and being overrun.
Laboratory Maniac
Another holdover from the early days of this deck, the Maniac remains in the deck as a means for mill players to secure wins against decks that run cards like Emrakul that disrupt the whole mill strategy. Depending on meta, decklist, and playstyle, he can appear in either maindeck or sideboard. Either way, only one is necessary.
Temple Bell
At first glance, this card may look unimpressive, but it is not to be underestimated. It increase the number of cards drawn each turn and, coupled with the Maniac, it can virtually guarantee wins. While it doesn't work as well in damage-driven decks, it's hard to argue with a single copy, and occasionally more, as a means of securing the success of the combo deck.
"Splashing could catapult this deck up or just not work so pretty much every card people can examine to make a deck they support better they will."
~ Dunhilina, long time contributor on this thread ~
The deck obviously works without splashing colors, but could it benefit from some W or G? What about R or B? Maybe this could be a three or four color deck? Here are some routes that players have gone in the past by splashing other colors in this deck. Perhaps these deck ideas can lead you to some interesting creations of your own!
When Narset was announced, Thenarus and p00q both contacted me to tell me about "a new card that would be good for Time Walk" before I even had a chance to check the spoiler. When I had the opportunity to look it up, I knew that this Planeswalker represented a big step forward for the deck as both a one-sided draw engine and a combo enhancer. It meant abandoning the monocolored nature of the deck of which I was so fond, but even that opened up new possibilities. At a time when I was stumped and didn't really know how to get this deck where I wanted it, here was a new puzzle piece that gave me an opportunity to completely revise the deck from the bottom up. This has evolved incredibly since then, and has greatly developed its ability to adapt to each matchup and to apply pressure to an opponent.
It hasn't swept any competitions yet, but this thing is doing very well in small events and gets a little stronger with every revision. It seems like this thing just keeps getting better and better every week and keeps growing in strength. That may be open for debate, but one thing isn't: it's incredibly fun to play! As not only an evolution of, but also a spiritual successor of Time Attack, this deck is focused heavily on control and can win without Time Warping at all. With a wider manabase than its monoblue counterparts, it's able to utilize elements of Azorius and Esper decks as well. It still does the combo beautifully, however. It takes a unique collection of cards to make this happen.
Geist of Saint Traft
As long as Modern has been a format, the powerhouse that is Geist of Saint Traft has made regular appearances in any deck splashing both W and U, but he shines even more here than usual. This is a deck built around tapping down the opponents creatures and clearing the board to open lines of attack, and the Saint absolutely shines when repeatedly given an open board. Also, as two of six creatures in the deck are this Hexproof powerhouse, creature removal is mostly ineffective against this deck.
Engineered Explosives
The ability to sweep the board of creatures and other permanents, or to remove permanents in general is an ability not inherently available to U. This handy little artifact, with a light splash in the sideboard, grants the deck the ability to remove 0, 1, and 2-costed permanents. There's even a neat trick here where you can use the red mana Blood Moon gives you to get the counters needed to remove the problematic Enchantment from the table. It'll never stop a Siege Rhino, but it's ability to obliterate token armies and weenies is not to be undervalued.
Spell Snare
A hard counter for 1 mana is amazing. The drawback of it only affecting cards with a converted mana cost of 2 might seem too narrow at first, but when you look at the most commonly played (and most powerful) cards in the format, it becomes immediately apparent that 2 is a very important number in the format. Playing two copies of Spell Snare in the seventy-five goes a long way to making sure this deck can get a foothold at the beginning of the game.
Batterskull
This card is a monster. It's not a creature, it's equipment, so the best creature removal can do is stop it temporarily. It has Lifelink, so it can undo the impact aggro decks like Zoo and Burn made in the early game. It can be returned to hand to save it, and attached to other creatures for extra versatility. The card is outright obnoxious...and outright beautiful once the Time Warping begins.
A frequent poster on this thread, shadowgripper, has had some success with this list, including a Top 8 finish. For the most part, it's a traditional MonoU Taking Turns deck, but it adds acceleration via Simian Spirit Guide and a sideboard Blood Moon to hit decks like Junk that have nonbasic-heavy manabases.
Due to the off and on popularity of adding Rites of Flourishing to this deck, the G splash has been seen time and again both in paper events and on MTGO. It has enjoyed success in both. One of the more interesting lists in this style was offered up by Gavin Verhey in his article, "Of Eldrazi and Eternity". This particular list combines the usual green additions, Rites of Flourishing and Explore, with some more off-beat inclusions like Garruk Wildspeaker and Noxious Revival. Throw in some extra mana production, and you open the door to some truly unconventional inclusions, like Savor the Moment and Panoptic Mirror!
As far as alternate takes on this deck go, this is really one of the more interesting ways to go with this deck. It includes the oft considered, but seldom playable Panoptic Mirror. It has more than a few ways to loop Time Warp, in fact. Due to Garruk and all of the piles of ramp, it can employ Savor the Moment. I'd love to see a revised version of this deck with Nissa, Worldwaker put up some results.
"My favorite part about this thread is the birth of the 4/4/3 dictate warp engine...I can imagine it being used in a million different brews in the future."
~ gooseymog, creator of the Turtles in Time deck ~
There are number of different direction that players can go with this deck and still ultimately be playing a deck that will be immediately familiar to those who have experience with this deck. What connects all of these decks is a strong core that is played in every version of the deck, regardless of the direction its pilot has chosen to go with it. These cards have been tested repeatedly and have always proven to be the most effective and consistent means of executing the strategy this deck employs.
This will be described in detail below, but here, for reference, is the core of every current take on the Time Walk deck. Numbers represent smallest number played. Be aware that this is not the number that is necessarily recommended, just the fewest copies known to show up in lists.
What links all versions of this deck together is a four to twelve, usually seven, card package of Time Walk spells coupled with draw engines that allows the deck to string together a series of extra turns until they win. This is achieved by running a redundant number of copies of Time Warp and Walk the Aeons, while abusing the card advantage granted by draw engines like Howling Mine and Dictate of Kruphix to ensure that additional Time Warps will be drawn. The key to the puzzle, of course, is the Time Walk effects.
Time Warp
It was quickly realized that Time Walk, as originally printed, was simply too powerful to be included in a competitive game like Magic. Players and designers alike, however, loved the idea of a card that allowed extra turns and, when the Tempest block was being created, designers brought back the idea of a Sorcery that allowed its caster to take an additional turn, this time at a more appropriate converted mana cost. Time Warp was born! In the context of this deck it is our primary "take an extra turn" card and the foundation upon which the entire deck is built. Always play four of these.
Walk the Aeons
The Time Spiral block was, essentially, a love letter from Wizards to long-time players and as such brought back a number of old cards, mechanics, and ideas. In some cases, these were blended together to make exciting new cards that have since become favorites among players. Walk the Aeons is one of these, as it brings together the incredible strength and practicality of Time Warp and the potent Buyback mechanic. In the context of this deck, it serves not only as Time Warps five through seven, but the option of being able to buy it back allows us to continue a string of extra turns even if we don't draw another Time Warp or Walk the Aeons. While some lists do play four, usually only three are included. There are lists that can get away with playing none whatsoever, but doing so requires either Narset or Chandra.
Having a big pile of Time Warps is great, but they don't do much good if they're in the deck instead of the hand. To be certain to hold one every turn, it's necessary to be able to dig deep into the deck every turn. The best way to do this with the cards currently available in Modern is to abuse Permanents that put cards in our hands every turn. You need at least seven to do it properly, but you can add more if you have the room and want to make sure you can get them to the table. Just remember, drawing cards and taking extra turns does not win the game by itself, and most of these cards give cards to your opponent as well, so going overboard on these can be a lethal mistake. That said, too few and the combo stalls, so make sure you have what you need.
Serum Visions
Serum Visions is considered by many to be the best (legal) draw spell in the format. It's a solid card at 1 mana, and Scry 2 allows for a ridiculous amount of flexibility. It helps find combo pieces as quickly as possible and offers a solid play in the early game to secure the late game. While it doesn't give you cards every turn like most of the other cards here, this card shows up in almost every list for two reasons. First, it let's you see three cards deep and set up your next two draws. Second, the advantage is one-sided...you don't give your opponent anything when you play this. It may not seem like it, but you want as many copies of this in your main deck as you can fit.
Howling Mine
The original "draw a card" every turn card. Part of the original core of the deck, without this card that version of the deck could not exist. It's a card-drawing powerhouse that becomes completely nuts when this deck starts chaining turns and the advantage becomes one-sided. That said, before that point your opponent will draw cards off this as well, and giving extra cards to decks like Burn can be a lethal mistake, so it needs to be used cautiously. The converted mana cost of 2 does make this the easiest permanent draw engine to put in play while warping, so it shouldn't be overlooked. Anywhere from two to four can be employed to great effect.
Dictate of Kruphix
As said above, Time Walk and Howling Mine is a classic combo. Creating extra turns while building significant card advantage can create a game-breaking advantage. With the wealth of cards that have a Time Walk effect available in Modern, Farf saw the potential to create a deck that could exploit this advantage to create unending turns. There has always been a problem with Howling Mine, however. Your opponent gets the extra card first. Against decks like Burn, giving them extra cards can be a lethal error. Dictate of Kruphix'sFlash ability removes that liability by allowing you to make sure the card draw plays to your advantage, not your opponent's. Also, since it is an Enchantment, it is much harder to remove. Again, two to four should do the job.
Monastery Siege
Despite its incredible versatility, this is the weakest draw engine you can use. It can help you rip through your deck to get what you want while minimizing one of this deck's previous weaknesses of giving cards to your opponent. In Burn, Rock, and Junk matchups, it functions like a game one free sideboard card to hate your opponent out of their early game. That said, without strong Delve spells to back it up, the discard effect is far too punishing. Two copies could work in the main, but are probably better out of the board.
From the MTG Salvation Wiki (slightly edited for clarity):
The draw step is the third step of the beginning phase. The following events occur during this phase, in order:
The active player draws a card from their library.
Any abilities that trigger at the beginning of the draw step go on the stack.
The active player gains priority.
That means that you will draw your regular card before drawing your card from Siege. If you have any other Mine effects, you can also choose to stack those to resolve before discarding a card to Siege. You must resolve each instance of Siege individually, however, so you can only draw one card before discarding a card for each trigger that each copy of Siege has put on the stack. The good news is that you're ultimately going to come away a card ahead and digging deeper for it.
Mines can draw a lot of cards, but Planeswalkers give us the extra cards we need and help protect us or help us gain advantage. Some, like Chandra and Narset, can let you cut the Mines entirely. Better Planeswalker choices are one of the primary reasons to splash another color but, even in monoblue, we can still benefit from the advantages these powerful cards can grant us. You can play this deck without using any Planeswalkers, but the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks.
Jace Beleren
It's been a long time since baby Jace was revealed in the build up to Lorwyn. Despite being later overshadowed by the absurdity that was Jace, the Mind Sculptor, it remains a staple in a number of competitive decks in Modern today. Jace has been a part of this deck since the beginning, and is still a preferred finisher for some combo versions of this deck. This is the most widely-used Planeswalker in Taking Turns decks.
Jace, Architect of Thought
This may not be an obvious inclusion over the original Jace, but it serves an interesting double role. His -2 ability allows you to dig three cards deep for the card you need. His real strength comes from his +1 ability that keeps aggro at bay. He can often eat or prevent a lot of damage, giving you the time you need to get your plans in place. If you're able to get him to 8 Loyalty, he can even fetch and cast your first Time Warp while stealing one of the best cards out of your opponent's deck. One or two should do the job.
Narset Transcendent
When Dragons of Tarkir came out, there was a lot of hype around this card. Pre-order prices were very high, and there was a lot of doubt that it would live up to the hype. Sadly for those who shelled out for it it really hasn't but, in this deck at least, Narset is quite potent! Where monoblue versions of this deck run seven or more Mine effects, this card allows the deck to only run two copies of Narset. It also means all copies of Walk the Aeons can be cut as well. This takes a fourteen card combo engine and cuts it down to six cards. The beauty of Narset doesn't stop there. It powers up any Instant or Sorcery, producing piles of tokens, locking down permanents two turns in a row, or drawing fistfuls of cards. Narset makes great things happen.
"You don't have to completely destroy the opponent, you just have to survive the opponent."
~ JPoJohnson, creator of the original Primer ~
Being able to chain turns indefinitely is a powerful way to steal victory on Turn Five, but decks in Modern win by Turn Four, if not faster. In order to reach that fifth turn, this deck must disrupt its opponent long enough to stall the game to where it can win. Fortunately there is a suite of cards that have been shown to consistently make this possible.
While there is a pretty significant amount of variance outside of the core of the deck, these cards tend to show up in every list. Again, numbers represent lowest number played, not recommended number.
First came Exhaustion. It allowed the deck to stall the opponent a little and served, effectively, as four more Time Warps. A number of cards were then tested as both sideboard and maindeck cards, including Boomerang and Gigadrowse. These always took backseat to cantrips and redundant time walk spells, however. It wasn't until the introduction of the Time Attack deck that any kind of control/tempo package was played instead of added card draw.
The Tempo Package consists of cards that interfere with your opponent's plans, giving you enough time to get your own plans rolling. This can be used as a slight permissions bump for combo-focused lists or part of a heavy control strategy. While numbers of each card played vary, almost all Time Walk decks play these cards.
Gigadrowse
There are few things more rude that you can do than unload a pile of these on a control deck. Gigadrowse is a formidable card against control and creature-heavy decks for surviving early turns. It pairs up beautifully with Exhaustion and can wreak a lot of havoc. Unfortunately it also limits your ability to play lands that do not produce U, so be careful when planning your list. Three copies is usually enough to do the job, but some opt to play the full four.
Boomerang
While it has declined in popularity, there are still many players who are unwilling to remove Boomerang completely from this deck. The card serves a number of both control and tempo roles and significantly increases the number of lines of play available. It can be used for resource denial, Snapcaster/Clique abuse, threat removal, stopping attackers, unexpected situational issues, and simply saving your own permanents. While there are other strong spells like Echoing Truth, Into the Roil, Cyclonic Rift, and Vapor Snag that can be more powerful in some situations, none of these have Boomerang's versatility. Those who play it usually use three to four copies.
Exhaustion
One of the first cards added to the deck with an eye towards the early game, Exhaustion has proven time and again to be a powerful means of buying time in the early game and as an effective extra three to four copies of Time Warp later on. It also plays beautifully off of Gigadrowse and Snapcaster Mage. It's fantastic in the deck, but not always optimal, so make sure to use it only when it's most effective and not use it over key plays. Three or four copies of this will be enough to wear your opponent down.
By employing tempo strategies, this deck is often able to buy the time it needs to execute its endgame plan of overrunning the opponent. What if our opponent has similar designs, however? What if the opponent does not seek to win by means of early advantage and, like us, is also waiting for the late game to take over the game? What good is it to make it to point where victory is within reach only to watch the opponent grasp it instead?
While The Tempo Package seeks to disrupt the opponent, The Control Package exists to stop them. These cards lock out the opponent at crucial moments or secure plays that could otherwise be prevented.
Remand
One of the single most popular cards for a long time in the Modern format, Remand can cost your opponent a turn and draw you a card. The most common argument against it is that you don't really counter the spell because your opponent gets it back in their hands. What those who make this argument fail to realize is that Remand isn't intended for countering individual spells. It's designed to steal entire turns from your opponent and lock them out of the game for a turn while also drawing you a card. Combined with other counterspells, it can be downright mean. As many as four and as few as one have found their way into players' lists.
Cryptic Command
Widely considered one of the strongest cards in Modern and one of the best blue cards to see print since Force of Will, Cryptic Command is a powerhouse for this deck regardless of which modes are used. It opens the door for attack, counters threats, returns lands and difficult permanents to the opponent's hand, stops incoming attacks, allows repeated use of comes into play effects, and even draws a card if needed. Numbers tend to vary in lists from two to four and, while the prohibitive cost of the card is the main reason it doesn't see play in every list, few have difficulty finding value in the inclusion of Cryptic Command in their decks.
A number of creatures have come and gone over the course of the development of this deck, but there are two that have stuck around for the long haul. Why these two when so many others have gotten the axe? A number of reasons, actually. They both have Flash, so they can be held until absolutely needed and played then. They can also be played on the opponent's end step and attacked with right away. They also have strong synergies with other cards in the deck, making the entire thing more effective. Ultimately, both of these creatures enable you to steal plays from your opponents and survive until you are able to start your combo and win.
Snapcaster Mage
Tiago Chan's Invitational Card, arguably the strongest blue card in Modern, is a beautiful addition to this deck. Despite not being in all lists, Snapcaster Mage is a key card in Time Attack and, despite the lower number of Sorceries and Instants, shows up in others as well. Being able to recast Time Warp and Walk the Aeons, along with a slew of counters and bounce spells out of the graveyard opens up many lines of play. Additionally, Tiago hangs around afterwards to provide much-appreciated extra turn beats.
Vendilion Clique
Another of the most powerful blue cards in Modern, Clique combines a 3/1 Flying creature with the rarest of things: Instant-speed, targeted U discard. You don't even have to force the discard; you can simply look at your opponent's hand and, if it lacks any threats, let them keep it. You can even target yourself with Clique's ability to bury a card you don't need in your hand in the hopes of drawing something better. The ridiculous versatility of this card's effect coupled with the obnoxious creature you get to keep after make it is an amazing lead-in to an extra turn-laden endgame. This has been a long-time staple of Time Attack decks, but has recently crossed over into Taking Turns lists, bolstering them as well and making it an unquestioned centerpiece of this deck. Two tends to be best, but even a single copy is potent.
"Minamo is there as a safety. Sure, I don't use it every game, but there are situations where I have to draw another card no matter what."
~ RogueOS, former long-time contributor who is sorely missed ~
With such a unique endgame, and so many midgame options, is it any wonder that even slight tweaks to the manabase can have a huge impact on the way this deck plays?
Synergy is very important for every version of this deck, so even land drops are an important part of its overall strategy. Whether you choose to play aggressively, defensively, or somewhere in-between, your land choices can be crucial to your success.
Even basic land choices matter in this deck. If you're even considering employing Extraplanar Lens or possibly toying with cards like Mouth of Ronom or Scrying Sheets, then making the investment in a playset of Snow-Covered Islands may be a wise decision. Even if you're not, there something to be said for the style points of throwing down those Cold Snap and Ice Age lands.
Island
It comes into play untapped. It gives you U. It dodges most of the land removal played in the format. This is foundation of any blue deck, and this deck's ability to run almost entirely on these is one of its greatest strengths. This is the less expensive and less potentially exploitable choice for your basic land, but it lacks the potential exploitability and cool factor of the alternative.
Snow-Covered Island
There really isn't anything more I can say about playing these that I didn't already address above. It does make a nice homage to the deck's history and, seriously, who plays snow-covered landwalk creatures in Modern? You're going to get all of the same benefit playing these that you will playing basic islands. The only real negative against them is the price tag. Twenty-four of these will cost a lot more than twenty-four Islands.
Kamigawa Block tends to get a lot of verbal abuse from Magic players, but a number of the cards that are at the foundation of the Modern format come from this block. Kamigawa provided a number of exciting lands for this deck, two of which are primarily desirable because they:
come into play untapped,
tap for U without needing any other lands or effects to do so,
do not count as Islands, so are not effected by cards like Choke, and
have the potential for cool synergies when used with other cards.
Due to the fact that both of these cards are Legendaryand, as nonbasic lands reduce one of the core strengths of the deck, play no more than one of each.
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
The primary reason to play Minamo is to dodge Island hate. There is a secondary bonus, however. In combination with Mikokoro, you can get a double card draw and alongside Vendilion Clique you can get a sort of feeble Vigilance. Don't kid yourself though; you're playing this because you're afraid of Choke.
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
This is the more obviously useful of the two cards. Including Oboro allows cards that produce colorless mana, such as Mutavault and Tectonic Edge to be used to produce U...in a roundabout sort of way. Like Minamo, however, you're primarily playing this to dodge Island hate.
What if we don't want our lands to just be about producing U? What else can we get our mana base to do for us? If we include a few of these lands in our seventy-five, we can squeeze a little more muscle out of our deck and, hopefully, improve the consistency and potency of the deck!
Boseiju, Who Shelters All
This really doesn't see play in this deck, but could be used as a means of ensuring that any Time Warps played stick. Two life is no small price to pay for a deck that often squeaks out its victories on just a few life when facing fast, aggressive decks. No more than one should be necessary.
Ghost Quarter
The land that wipes out other lands at the cost of giving your opponent basic lands. It can also be used as a sort of mediocre filter card. While it's not very strong against monocolored decks, against decks that run three or more colors this thing can practically become a Strip Mine. If you play it, you're going to want to see multiples, so three or four is a good call.
Halimar Depths
Ah the Sage Owl land...on the plus side it taps for U and gives you a very desirable effect at no mana cost. On the other hand, it comes into play tapped, which can be lethal under the wrong circumstances. Still, if you need the effect, you're going to want to play three or four to get it.
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
This land gives the same effect as Jace's +1. Having a Temple Bell that you don't have to cast and dodges most removal is nice, but don't forget that it costs 2 mana to activate, meaning you will need three untapped lands, including this one. It does have an abusable synergy with Minamo, but that requires 6 mana, meaning seven lands once you include this one. Still, it's a heck of a lot of card draw if you just don't have what you need. This is the only Kamigawa land you should even consider running more than one of, and that's two at most. Even then, one is still probably the best number to use.
Mouth of Ronom
For those who choose to opt for Snow-Covered Islands over basic Islands, there is the option of utilizing that snow mana with cards that use it for more than just paying U costs. Mouth of Ronom is one such card, giving monoblue decks a means of dealing four colorless damage to an opponent's creature. Two of these could provide that extra bit of time and disruption combo lists need to lock their opponent's out of the game.
Scrying Sheets
One of the things this deck desperately needs is to get as much card draw as possible. Scrying Sheets can potentially draw piles of basic land off the top of the deck. That side, it costs 2 mana to do so, which is the same cost as Mikokoro; a card guaranteed to draw a card no matter what is on top of the deck. Still, for those desperate for as much card draw as they can get, or who are using cards like Serum Visions and Telling Time to set the top of their deck, this is one way to burn through your deck even more quickly. One or Two should be sufficient if you opt to go this route.
Tectonic Edge
At first glance, this looks like Ghost Quarter without the drawback, but it requires another land to use and your opponent needs to have at least four lands to trigger it, so it won't stop your opponent's Tron deck's perfect draw from unleashing a pile of misery on you. What this should be seen is, is a man land killer, a role at which it is phenomenal.
In more aggressive versions of the deck, and sometimes even in the combo deck, man lands often show up as an alternate win con. It's hard to argue with a creature that's immune to most Sorcery-speed effects, uncounterable, and carries all the protection from removal that lands are allowed in Modern. While they don't always see play in Time Walk decks, man lands are a proven value addition for most lists.
This card is versatile and efficient, but for all the things it does do, one thing it doesn't do is tap for U. Depending on what other man lands you choose to play, this could be very strong in your deck. If you're playing it, you should be playing at least three, and ideally four.
Faerie Conclave
Out of all of the man lands listed here, Conclave is the only one that taps for U. This is balanced by the massive drawback of coming into play tapped. Don't underestimate this card, however, as it can frequently be the key to victory due to its ability to become a 2/1 flyer. One to two of these in a deck can often secure wins that wouldn't be possible otherwise.
Inkmoth Nexus
Inkmoth Nexus is a difficult card to recommend or discourage in this deck. On the one hand, the fact that these have Infect means you need less turns to win with them than you would other man lands. Infect is a double-edged sword, however. Since this card has Infect, it can only be used effectively with either Blinkmoth Nexus or other Infect creatures. Running as many as eight lands that cannot produce U is bad for this deck. That said, if you're going to use this, three to four can be solid.
Mutavault
The king of Modern-playable man lands, and alongside Blinkmoth Nexus, is arguably the closest thing the format has to the original man land, Mishra's Factory. It's ability to abuse tribal strategies is brutal, and it can secure wins almost by itself against Merfolk decks. You can't really go wrong with three to four of these in your deck.
"I don't want to treat anything as sacred here."
~ Thenarus, co-creator of the Time Attack deck ~
While the core of the deck has been rigorously tested and proven, that doesn't make it perfect. It's also possible that you don't agree with the regularly-played support cards or maybe the popular versions of the deck just don't appeal to you. Here are some things that have been tried previously with this deck that, for one reason or another, just didn't stick. There are also some other possible support cards that you might want to look into should you feel that this deck just needs a little something different.
Counterspell is one of the most feared and despised cards every printed in Magic the Gathering. In the days when it was legal in Standard, people were conditioned to fear two untapped Islands. Often, just holding a card in your hand and leaving two Islands untapped could buy you turns you had no business getting. Some players really, really hate this aspect of the game and, as a result, Counterspell is no longer in print. Fortunately, a number of cards that carry on the spirit of the former U staple card are Modern legal and can be used effectively in this deck.
Spell Pierce
If our opponent knows we have Spell Pierce in our deck, a single untapped Island can begin to take on the same antagonistic properties that Counterspell used to bring if two were untapped...unless they're planning to play a creature spell, or have an extra two untapped mana. Don't get me wrong; early game this card is a powerhouse and even in the endgame it can be a flexible trump card, but it can also sit, unplayable in your hand. Look carefully at your meta before deciding if you should play this. If it works for you, two or three copies should do the trick.
Swan Song
This card has a very long history with this deck, going all the way back to the decks played by Farf, himself. In the right situations it can be an absolute monster and you can even play it on your own spells to give yourself a creature to beat your opponent to death with while taking repeated extra turns. Despite being a hard counter, it can target even less spells than Spell Pierce, however, and giving your opponent a 2/2 Flying creature is the last thing any Taking Turns deck that relies on creature damage to win wants to do. Still, a number of strong arguments can be made for including two to three of these in your seventy-five.
Mana Leak
When the classic two drop counterspell from Stronghold saw print again in Magic 2012, people went nuts. and for good reason. Mana Leak is an amazing card, on par with the original Counterspell, which Wizards had deemed to powerful to ever see print again. In the early turns of the game, it is a hard counter, while later on it can encourage your opponent to tap out and open the door for you to steal a win. It's a powerful card and a strong contender for inclusion in your seventy-five, be it two, three, or four copies.
Creatures are great. They block attacks. They deal damage. They're the backbone of the game.
Crafty creatures with cunning capabilities are even better. They can do all that blocking and attacking stuff, but they can also help us disrupt our opponents and get them on-tilt, thereby securing a win. There are no shortage of creatures in blue with these kinds of effects, but these are the ones that tend to see a lot of play in most versions of this deck. You may wish to include some or all of these in your deck, depending on your meta, your playstyle, and your budget.
Judge's Familiar
A long-time staple of Death & Taxes decks, Judge's Familiar has started showing up recently in Taking Turns decks as well. It's easy to understand why. For a single mana, you get a counterspell, a deterrent, and a 1/1 flyer. What's not to like about that? Not every deck has open slots for the little guy, however, so he isn't quite as widely-used as Snapcaster Mage and Spellskite...yet.
Kami of the Crescent Moon
Kami has a long history with this deck and has been played off an on by a number of players both as an extra Mine effect and a way to bring damage across the table or block incoming attackers. The decks that have seen competitive success have never played this card, though. Why is that? As a creature, it is ineffective, and as a Mine it's easily removed. Still, some people love the little guy. If you play him, you only need one.
Spire Golem
While I'm not sure that Spire Golem qualifies as a "Crafty Creature", it can be aggravating in a deck that runs almost entirely on Islands. This has become a popular go-to in both the toolbox aggro and combo versions of the deck and can provide an unexpected and effective source of flying damage over repeated turns. If you decide to play it, two or three can do the job.
Kamigawa Block brought a ridiculously fun mechanic, Ninjutsu to the game. It's a mechanic that never fails to amuse, fascinate, and inspire people. Combined with faeries, ninjas lead the way to a successful Legacy deck, FaeNinjaStill. There is an entire deck style dedicated to capturing the essence of this style in Modern. During the evolution of Time Walk, ninjas have bounced in and out of this deck, with varying levels of success. Could this be the complement to the Time Walk Engine that you're looking for?
Ninja of the Deep Hours
The best of the ninjas from Kamigawa Block, Ninja of the Deep Hours serves double duty here both as a means of recasting Snapcaster Mages and Spellstutter Spritesand as a potent draw engine once the Time Warping starts. Chipping away for two damage every turn while drawing cards is a combination that really can't be ignored.
Spellstutter Sprite
What's better than a counterspell or a cheap flyer? A card that is both a counterspell and a cheap flyer. With the right cards to support it, SSS can be an absolute nightmare for an opponent. Add to that the fact that you're frequently returning it to your hand with Ninja of the Deep Hours so you can counter more spells with it and the card can be hilariously unfair.
Zephyr Sprite
Zephyr Sprite pulls double duty here as a low-costed enabler for Ninja of the Deep Hours and as a means of increasing the potency of Spellstutter Sprite. Aside from those two roles, it's a 1/1 Flyer for 1 mana that's virtually guaranteed to squeeze through damage every turn...when it's not enabling more degenerate plays.
Monoblue Faerie decks were an absolute nightmare in the end days of Lorwyn Block in Standard. Since the unbanning of Bitterblossom in Modern. UB Faerie has come into its own as a force in the format. The sad side effect of this has been the apparent abandonment of other takes on the Faerie shell. In the tradition of decks that mix together different strategies effectively, such as UW Tron, there is potential to combine the Time Walk Engine with a Faerie control-aggro scheme to create a relentless control-aggro-combo monster.
Spellstutter Sprite
As powerful as it can be in the Ninja-Faerie package, with an army of Faeries to support this card is absolutely brutal here. It will frequently be more than a mere 1/1 FlyingForce Spike and enable even more degenerate plays in the late game. With these cards to support it, SSS is a force that many people won't see coming! Always play four.
Scion of Oona
Scion of Oona gets very poor word of mouth from a number of players. It's understandable. This card takes a lot of practice and study to learn to play properly. It can be a counterspell, an anthem, and enable an absolutely degenerate late game with Mistbind Clique and Sower of Temptation. It even increases the relevance of SSS in the late game. Play at least three and possibly even four if you have enough slots available.
Mistbind Clique
This card is the main reason to play the Faerie package. It's a pseudo Time Warp in the same way that a massively replicated Gigadrowse can be while also leaving you with a 4/4 Flying creature with Flash. Even the Champion drawback can become a benefit by allowing repeat use of all of the faeries' different comes into play abilities. This card is absolutely amazing and, played correctly, can effectively lock your opponent out of the game. It does all of this for a mere 4 mana. Depending on your list, anywhere from two to four can be easily justifiable inclusions.
Sower of Temptation
Just as Time Attack decks utilize Vedalken Shackles to lock down their opponents, players opting for the Faerie package can swipe their opponent's creatures with Sower of Temptation and get a 2/2 Flying Faerie to boot! In case that doesn't seem broken enough, you can reset her with Mistbind Clique if necessary. While normally this card possesses the drawback of being easily removable, Scion of Oona makes it perfectly safe to use. Two should do the job.
Merfolk was the first monocolored deck to break into Tier One status. It made the price of Mutavault skyrocket and noticeably changed the landscape in its wake. While decks like this often fall by the wayside as time progresses, Merfolk has held onto its Proven status and continued to be a powerhouse deck in Modern. While traditional fish decks rely on Æther Vial to enable their aggressive strategy, could the Time Walk Engine power the fighting fish to an even more brutal finish?
Cursecatcher
Cursecatcher plays the same role here that Judge's Familiar plays in the original Turtles in Time lists. While it doesn't have Flying, it's Merfolk creature type plays off the synergy of the deck, giving you a powerful attacker as the game progresses. Include four of these in your deck...if you have them.
Dakra Mystic
In addition to its synergy with the Merfolk theme, Dakra Mystic serves double duty as both a draw engine and a means of denying cards to your opponent. It's one of the best uses of a single U you can play, especially in this deck. If you're playing it, play three to four.
Lord of Atlantis
Without the classic Lord of Atlantis, this deck would not exist. It creates an anthem-based attack plan, making all of the creatures in the deck increasingly lethal as the game progresses. The distribution of Islandwalk, coupled with Spreading Seas, to other creatures renders the adversary incapable of blocking incoming attacks. As the foundation of the Merfolk strategy, you must always play four copies of this card in the deck.
Master of the Pearl Trident
The strictly better Lord of Atlantis is played for all the same reasons as the original card. Like the original Merfolk lord, always include four copies of this card in the deck. This, too, is your win con. Being able to play eight copies of Lord of Atlantis in a single deck is ridiculously strong and one of the things that makes Merfolk the force that it is.
Spreading Seas
While for most lists this card is a sideboard inclusion at best, here it is crucial to assuring that all of the creatures with Islandwalk are able to reach their target. It gives you a way to slow down complex multi-color manabases and gives you a card to keep your hand full in the process. There is no question that this is a four of maindeck card in Merfolk lists.
Sygg, River Cutthroat
In a deck that benefits from as much card draw as possible, and has a number of ways to assure it hits every turn, Sygg can virtually guarantee a card every turn. He also provides steady damage himself. Due to his Legendary nature, only one is necessary.
Cold-Eyed Selkie
As an Islandwalking creature in a deck that includes Spreading Seas, Selkie, when viewed as a card draw engine, is arguably a more effective Ninja of the Deep Hours. Since the number of cards it draws is tied to the damage it deals, it only gets better as the game progresses. This is a solid inclusion in this deck; no less than four should be played.
Master of Waves
Not a critical inclusion in this version of the deck but, with all of those U symbols on all those cards, this card can steal wins when it hits, especially when supported by a string of Time Warps! I wouldn't go out of my way to force a playset of copies into the deck, but if you have one or two slots available that you aren't sure what to do with, this could be a viable endgame bomb for your deck.
Dictate of Kruphix, Howling Mine, and Serum Visions are all powerful draw engines, but sometimes it takes more than that to get to the cards you need on time. The choice of cantrips or additional draw engines and how many to use varies from deck to deck. While Modern isn't a format known for strong cantrips, there are a few cards that have, at one time or another, found their way into this deck.
Telling Time
The go-to Instant-speed cantrip until Dig Through Time came along and blew it out of the water, Telling Time is still a solid pseudo-Scry draw spell that is one of the most effective choices in a deck that likes to leave its mana open when it can. Since you get to immediately draw one of the three cards and you get to choose one to draw next turn, it is often more powerful than Serum Visions. Unfortunately, because you must draw one of the three cards, must draw one the following turn, and must put one on the bottom of your library; it can sometimes leave you in a distasteful position.
Font of Mythos
The bigger Howling Mine for those that really want to ensure they get their cards, mill their opponents, or stick it to 8Rack...hard. Very few lists play this card and those that do run a single copy or, rarer still, two. Usually one or both are in the sideboard for specific matches. While not commonly played, it may be worth taking a look at, if you're interested in it. All the warnings regarding Howling Mine apply here twice over.
While most current versions of the deck lock into a six to eleven card Time Walk engine, older versions of the deck and even some current lists include extra Time Walks to ensure that they're drawn when they're needed. While most have fallen out of favor, some of these are still played from time to time.
Savor the Moment
As one might imagine, this card has come up frequently in discussions about this deck. What's not to love? It gives you an extra turn, it gives you an extra card, and it does all this for only 3 mana! Read the card again. The drawback of not getting an untap step makes this card functionally useless for all but only the fewest of decks. It isn't well-costed as a draw spell or a "play an extra land" spell and, with the loss of the untap step, that's all it is for most decks. You should only include this in your list if it plays precisely into your overall strategy.
Time Stop
Time Stop really does seem to be the ultimate control-player's Time Warp. You get to stop your opponent's spell/combo/action and end their turn, thereby starting your own. You can use it on their upkeep to skip straight to your turn. It allows you to counter uncounterable spells like Slaughter Games and even prevent your opponent from getting extra cards from your Mines and Dictates. The problem is that, no matter what you do with this card, your opponent still gets to untap. This means you're enabling your opponent to disrupt you. While there are lists where this card can fit, like so many of the other cards in this section, careful consideration must be applied before including it or this card could end up becoming the instrument of your defeat.
Temporal Mastery
Possibly the most speculated and hyped card with the Miracle mechanic prior to the release of Dark Ascension, Temporal Mastery served as Time Warps 9-12 in Farf's original Time Walk deck. While it has since fallen out of favor with most players, this is usually the first card people look at when they consider adding additional Time Warps to the deck. For those planning to play Snapcaster Mage, however, it should be taken into consideration that this card exiles itself after being cast and cannot be given Flashback by him, nor can it be shuffled back into your library by Elixir of Immortality.
Beacon of Tomorrows
For the combo versions of the deck that chain indefinitely while milling with Jace, this card looks like a dream come true. A Time Warp that completely avoids graveyard removal and shuffles itself back into the library. Sounds like a perfect fit! Besides, if Walk the Aeons having a converted mana cost of 6 and the casting cost of 7 that Temporal Master carries isn't a big deal, how difficult could it be to brew up another mana for the 8-costed Beacon of Tomorrows? Insanely difficult, as it turns out. This card should only be in consideration if your deck has the ability to generate insane amounts of mana.
Time Stretch
This card only saw play in the original Time Walk list, back in the days of Extraplanar Lens and Emrakul. In that list, where mana was overly abundant, it was relatively easy to reach the high casting cost of this card. Since then, however, its high casting cost has proven to great a barrier to include it in most lists.
Temporal Trespass
Prior to the release of Fate Reforged, players of this deck wondered if the time travel themed set would bring a new Time Warp with the powerful Delve mechanic. Hopes were both confirmed and dashed at the same time when this card was spoiled. While, hypothetically speaking, this can be played for as little as three mana; you would need to have eight cards in your graveyard that you don't care about exiling from the game in order to do so. You need to exile six cards in order for it to be cast at the same casting cost as Time Warp and five cards for it to have the same casting cost as Walk the Aeons the card that players were hoping a card like this would replace. On top of that it exiles itself on casting, so it's not good for any of the card reusing strategies different versions of this deck employ. While some people swear by a single copy, most consider this to be a card with a great name, great art, and zero practicality.
It does so many amazing things, and is really the only means U has of dealing with all permanents that are already in play. It can be a bit limited, however. It only does one thing, and only effects one target. You should start with Boomerang, but if you need a little more from your bounce spell, or maybe just a few extra ones, there are a number of other cards worth considering.
Vapor Snag
In a meta saturated with creature-driven aggro decks, Vapor Snag allows almost all of the same tricks that Boomerang allows us with our own creatures, while disrupting and damaging our opponent at the same time. While a single point of damage may not seem like much, chipping away at your opponent's life total can have a big impact in the long run. Unfortunately, this is also true of chipping away at your own life total, and you should be careful about overly relying on this card to bounce your own creatures. It's also has a narrow field of potential targets compared to some alternatives.
Cyclonic Rift
A single target Echoing Truth isn't particularly great, but when you can play it late game as a one-sided Evacuation, the value of this card becomes apparent. U Tron lists have been riding this card to victory for a long time now. If it's great for them, it'll be great for us too, right? Not necessarily. U Tron has a ridiculous amount of mana to play with, whereas we do not. At best, this card's Overload ability is win-more for us. At worst, it's unusable. That doesn't keep it from being worth considering however, just keep that fact in mind.
Echoing Truth
Possibly the single strongest alternative to Boomerang. It completely shuts down token-generating combos. It can put redundant copies of creatures and other permanents back in their owner's hands. It even splashes better than Boomerang. So what's the catch? It can't target lands. That can be the difference between a win and a loss against decks like GR Tron that run entirely on their mana base. Regardless, Echoing Truth is still a very worthy contender for slots in your seventy-five and the first card I'd consider if looking for additional bounce spells beyond the first four Boomerangs.
Eye of Nowhere
So right now you're thinking, "We get it already! You're telling us to use Boomerang, yeesh!" So if Boomerang is so good, Eye of Nowhere would be the recommended card for copies five through eight, right? Same casting, same effects...same card, right? Wrong. Boomerang is an Instant. Eye of Nowhere is a Sorcery. That difference alone makes them completely different cards. Eye of Nowhere locks down your mana on your turn. Avoid this card unless you absolutely need resource denial cards and then only after you already have the full four Boomerangs. Even then, you're probably better off running Spreading Seas, just for the card draw.
Into the Roil
One of the single most popular bounce spells to hit the game for a long time, it's inevitable that this card will be brought up in any discussion of bounce spells. While the extra card is nice, it only happens if you spend 4 mana to cast this spell. If you have that much mana, you want to cast Cryptic Command, not this. Without its Kicker cost paid, it's essentially a watered-down Echoing Truth. I would consider that card long before considering this one, but if you're desperate for more card draw, and need to change up your bounces or add more, this is one possibility.
Snapback
Force of Will tipped the game on its head when it introduced the idea of traditional blue cards that could be played when all lands were tapped. The card was instant success and remains a defining card of legacy formats. This concept has been revisited many times, with varying degrees of success. This card seeks to combine the manaless casting and permanent bounce mechanics while still remaining competitively costed. In theory, it's an interesting idea, but in practice it lacks the punch of cards like Echoing Truth and Boomerang. Still, in a deck that's seldom short on cards, the synergy of Mine effects and discarding/exiling cards in hand could be worth exploring.
Sometimes, it's possible to love everything about a deck except for the way it finishes the game. For those who love the Time Walk engine, the time-buying strategy, and everything about how this deck plays out; but just can't get behind the way the deck finishes matches, here are some other ways to claim victory over your opponent. These win conditions or wincons, as they are commonly known, are other ways to wrap the game up that have been used in the past but are not currently in favor. Perhaps they will provide you with a preferable path to victory?
Thassa, God of the Sea
For those times when Jace just can't get there on his own, an alternate means of securing a win is necessary. Currently, Thassa is the backup wincon of choice, as she can filter draws while waiting for enough Devotion to become a four-turn clock. If you're also running cards like Vendilion Clique, and have mana to burn, she can also support your other attackers. Only one is needed.
In many ways a more efficient milling machine than the original Jace, Jace, Memory Adept has enjoyed play in some combo lists as a back up in case the original deck is removed by cards like Slaughter Games and Extirpate. It's a very powerful choice and guarantees a win after only six consecutive turns, which is easily achievable with the combo list. If Thassa doesn't appeal to you, JMA is a solid alternative.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Both a Time Walk and a fearsome monstrosity once he hits the board, Emrakul was the original wincon of this deck. After chaining a series of Time Warps and putting down a few Lenses, the biggest and baddest of the Eldrazi made for an inevitable path to victory. Since Lens stopped being played in the deck, the big monster has gone with it, but it still remains as a very satisfying final blow for those looking for alternate routes to go with the deck and a second way to reload the graveyard into the library with cards like Dakra Mystic.
"I honestly bank on this deck encouraging scoops both in paper and online. No other deck offers that kind of intimidation."
~ jingleheimersmith, long-time contributor and voice of reason on the thread ~
Part of what makes this deck so intimidating is that it has an answer for just about everything, and the sideboard is a big part of that. Competitive magic decks contain seventy-five cards, not sixty, and sideboard card choices are just as important as card choices for the main deck. You will win and lose based on what you put in those fifteen slots. Here are some of the more frequently-played sideboard cards for this deck. If you're looking for additional ideas, be sure to take a look at this thread first, as, despite its age and lack of recent updates, it does a good job of addressing some of the more commonly-played decks in the format. Many of the ideas found there should be here as well.
These cards are such an important component of the sideboard of this deck that they were originally included in this primer as part of the core of the deck. If you choose not to use these, do so at your own risk as these cards are vital for covering weaknesses this deck has otherwise. I cannot stress enough how important each of these has proven to be. They are included here for good reason.
Chalice of the Void
Whenever you look at sideboards for this deck, chances are, you will find three copies of Chalice of the Void. Why is that?
Decks that are fueled primarily by efficient, inexpensive cards can be difficult for this deck. Fortunately, Chalice can stall and occasionally completely shut those decks down. With one counter, it can be a nightmare for Burn, 8Rack, and Infect. Playing it for free with no counters cripples Affinity and Living End. A second Chalice with two counters can be game over. Use carefully, as some builds of this deck are actually vulnerable to this card. If your deck can support it, always run three copies; four is unnecessary and less is too risky.
Hurkyl's Recall
As long as Modern continues to be a format, Affinity will continue to be a key part of that format. It's fast, it's brutal, and it's consistent. It doesn't rely on gimmicks to win and it has an absurd number of possible win conditions. Fortunately for U players, there is a single card that can completely hamstring the deck, Hurkyl's Recall. During combat it can negate an attack. At the end step it can eradicate a turn and destroy a few Glimmervoids. There should be two or three copies of this in the sideboard of every Time Walk deck.
Spellskite
Wait a minute, wasn't this card already listed elsewhere? Why is it appearing here as well?
Spellskite is one of the most widely-used sideboard cards in Modern. In decks with lands that produce U, he's even more valuable. Here, Skite protects players, creatures, artifacts, and often enchantments; all of which are keys to this deck's success. It can also steal Splinter Twin from a distracted Twin player or keep an attentive one off their combo. It can use the same trick against Infect and Bogle, too. It's not an auto-include in the main deck of all versions of Time Walk, but should find its way at least into the sideboard. Skite is simply too good for U to pass up and it shores up a lot of the inherent weaknesses in every version of this deck. Run at least two copies and ideally three.
Vedalken Shackles
An artifact that allows repeatable Control Magic, circumvents protection, and can hit the table as early as Turn Three is no laughing matter. This card is the great equalizer against decks like Faerie and Delver and can do a lot of damage over the course of the game. An untapped Shackles and two untapped lands is also enough to stop Twin in its tracks. At the very least, it allows you to avoid eating damage by using your opponent's creatures to block and kill off eachother. It also allows you to use your opponent's creatures to score your end-of-game Time Warp damage. It's best in the non-splash versions of the deck, but even there it can be surprisingly powerful. Two copies is enough to do the job.
The best sideboard cards are the ones that bolster the deck in as many matchups as possible while filling holes that the incredibly broad reach of the deck's primary inclusions may have against a few deck types. While the main deck should always be as versatile as possible, these sideboard additions help the deck to focus against a given opponent, making it even stronger in games two and three. A pretty good example of this is Chalice of the Void from the Sideboard All-Stars section. It almost shuts down 8Rack, but it's also very strong against Burn, Affinity, Infect, Living End, and a number of other decks.
Gigadrowse
As mentioned in the Buying Time section when discussing the Tempo Package, Gigadrowse is a formidable card against control decks. Loading the stack with Replicate copies can completely circumvent their ability to stop you with counter magic. Two copies in the sideboard should be all you need.
If you are having trouble with decks built around recursion or searching mechanics, such as Pod, Living End, UW Tron, and Griselbrand Reanimator; Grafdigger's Cage can completely shut them down for only 1 mana. Just be careful as it cuts you off from using Flashback. If your deck can accomodate it, this card can hamstring a number of decks.
Pithing Needle
If there is any card that absolutely defines the concept of a general utility card, it's Pithing Needle. It hits everything with activated abilities from Birds of Paradise to Oblivion Stone to Liliana of the Veil. There are very few decks you'll face where there isn't at least one, if not several, targets for this card. That said, it isn't necessarily always the best card for your open sideboard slots. Depending on your meta and the strategies and cards you've chosen to employ in your deck, you may need those slots for other purposes. Still, if you can afford the space, this is a great card. Two usually does the trick.
Relic of Progenitus
The go-to hoser of graveyard-based strategies, you should always consider including this in your sideboard. While Tormod's Crypt is an arguably better card for decks that abuse Snapcaster Mage, Relic's ability to tap and remove cards every turn, and more in multiples, can make it a nightmare for decks like Delver and Living End that rely on their graveyards. You're going to want to draw this early, and multiples are a good thing, so two to three is usually the right number to play.
Surgical Extraction
Wait a minute here...isn't this deck U? Why include a B card in our sideboards? Fortunately for us, the addition of Phyrexian Mana in Scars Block opened the door to playing cards that traditionally have only been available to other colors for 2 life instead of the regularly-required mana. While the most popular (legal) card that uses this mechanic is unquestionably Dismember, this card is, for us, a fantastic inclusion. Coupled with counterspells, the ability to wipe out combo pieces immediately after countering them is a powerful way to cripple our opponent's strategy. While we can't afford to spend too much life, in the right matchup, shutting down a combo can be a game winning move. Two to three copies should suffice.
Flashfreeze
If you're playing in an environment saturated with Burn, Jund, Rock, Junk, Twin, Pod, or Stompy; then Flashfreeze could be a powerful addition to your sideboard. It does have a narrow focus color-wise, but it's two surprisingly frequent colors in the format, and two-mana hard counters are a very good thing when you have the opportunity to use them. Depending on your meta and the number of flex slots in your deck, anywhere from two to four could work well for you.
Negate
Against decks that run few or no creatures, Negate is a powerhouse. As stated previously, two-mana hard counters are both amazing and rare in this format, and if you are playing in a meta where this card is viable, it's really hard to argue against including a pair of them in your sideboard. Just remember, this can not counter creature spells, so do not expect it to power you through matches against creature-heavy decks.
Redirect
How can you counter a spell without countering a spell? By sending it to new targets! Redirect might not look great right away, but its ability to counter counterspells, send burn spells back at your opponent, or force an opponent into 2-for-1 situations like making them use their Abrupt Decay to kill their own Liliana of the Veil can make this card indispensable in the right situation. With the demise of Pod bringing Junk, Rock, and Burn to prominence, finding room for two or three of these in your sideboard could be what you need.
Shadow of Doubt
A silver bullet against Scapeshift decks, Shadow of Doubt is also a solid sideboard choice for dealing with any cards that involve searching both your and your opponent's decks. From fetchlands to combo breaker cards like Slaughter Games and Extirpate, this card is a one shot answer that replaces itself. It can also be used against Pod to keep them from tutoring up combo pieces or to make your own Ghost Quarters more effective. If it suits your needs, two to three should be just right.
Spreading Seas
Modern is a format defined by a plethora of mana-fixing, primarily through the use of fetch and shock lands. Spreading Seas is a means of disrupting your opponent's mana base that replaces itself. In the right environment, this card can be used to great effect to shut down your opponent's own lands. Be careful before you rely on this too heavily, however. As long as Treasure Cruise is a ubiquitous inclusion in competitive decks, turning your adversary's lands into Islands can backfire on you. Still, there is no better way to disrupt your opponent while staying in U. Anywhere from two to four copies could work for you, dependant on what is being played in your meta.
Originally brought into sideboards as a U means of dealing with Storm, Trickbind has stuck around as an uncounterable means of locking an opponent out of abilities on their permanents that lead to combo victories or Instants and Sorceries with "unfair" abilities such as Replicate, Overload, Delve, and, of course, Storm. While it can have the functionality of a silver bullet against a wide range of decks, it's still very limited and should only be considered if it will have a huge impact on your meta or if you have extra slots in your sideboard. In all but the most extreme conditions, you should only need two in your sideboard.
Oblivion Stone
If you absolutely must have a board-wiping card in your deck, and neither Evacuation nor Cyclonic Rift work for you, you can always fall back on the old O-Stone. There are some pretty big problems with this card in this deck, however. Whether your plan is to win by milling your opponent or through creature damage, this card is going to eliminate the permanents you need to have in play in order to win. It is also very, very expensive to use and, unlike U Tron and GR Tron we don't have a massive well of mana to draw from. While I would advise against using this card here, if you absolutely need it, no more than one or two should be used.
Ætherize
Having trouble with waves of incoming attackers? Merfolk and Affinity beating you down? Ætherize could be the answer to your problem. At four mana, however, it has a bit of a hefty casting cost, and it really doesn't do anything that Cryptic Command didn't do already, so you should only use this if you absolutely need it. Two copies should suffice.
Mindbreak Trap
This card is just general enough to be included under general utility instead of silver bullets. It's primary purpose in Modern is hosing Storm, but it goes here because of its ability to "counter" uncounterable cards and the utility it can serve as a free counterspell against decks like Delver and Ascendancy. While two should do the job, an argument could be made for going as high as three in certain metas.
Bribery
This card is just plain mean. Against decks like RG Breach and GR Tron that are built around cheating large creatures into play, this can be used to steal the creatures out of their deck and use those creatures against them. Worse still, it's a Sorcery, so in decks playing Snapcaster Mage it can be used again a turn or two later to grab another large threat out of their deck. Beating someone down with their own wincon is pretty vicious, but outside of those large beastie matchups, it really doesn't have a lot of use, and with Pod effectively dead, there's no guarantee you're going to be encountering decks you can use this against. It's a great choice if you're playing in a small setting where you know that decks you can use this against will be prevalent, but going into larger, more diverse events it's not as valuable as other sideboard choices. If you choose to play it, two should be all you need.
Evacuation
So what if Ætherize looks pretty good, but you need something to hit utility creatures your opponent isn't attacking with or remove other permanents from the board? What if you want to be able to save your own creatures and other permanents from board wipes? Evacuation is one possible solution but, if not used carefully, it can set you back worse than your opponent. It also falls into the 5 mana and up end of the curve, which we need to reserve for Warps and finishers. If you do decide to include this card in your seventy-five, no more than one or two copies should be necessary.
Commandeer
Players have started turning their attention towards cards with alternate casting costs that can be played when the player is tapped out, such as Disrupting Shoal and Snapback, as a means of taking advantage of this deck's card advantage. Seen in this light, Commandeer looks like a good means of dealing with large Creatures, Planeswalkers, and uncounterable cards like Slaughter Games. It needs to be remembered, however, that this card costs seven mana to cost regularly and costs you two cards otherwise. These are heavy tradeoffs. Still, if you'd like to see if the effect is worth the cost, you could always slide a pair of these into your sideboard.
There are some decks that are such a threat in a particular meta that having a means of knocking them out is necessary for competitive success. Sometimes there is a targeted hate card that is simply too effective to resist including in your sideboard. Sometimes, if you're lucky, there are cards you can include in your sideboard that are both. Here are some possible sideboard inclusions that provide serious trouble for a specific deck or type of deck in Modern. Hurkyl's Recall from the Sideboard All-Stars section is a perfect example of this. The only deck it's very useful against is Affinity, but against that deck it is absolutely backbreaking.
Annul
If you have both BogglesandAffinity in your meta and are looking for a more flexible means of dealing with both or need some extra Affinity hate that has more widespread applications, then look no farther than Annul. You can't really go wrong with a 1-costed hard counter that hits the decks you need it to. Play two to three depending on your meta.
Dispel
Are there an aggravating number of control players where you play? Want to hit them with a taste of their own medicine? Dispel is a fantastic way to stuff counterspells for only a single mana. There are few feelings as good as shutting down your opponent's would-be game-changing Cryptic Command with your little 1-drop Dispel. Two is probably the ideal number, but in the right environment, you could be quite pleased with a third.
Steel Sabotage
Looking for even more ways to hate on Affinity? In terms of efficient, brutal hate, you really can't beat Steel Sabotage. In a single card, you get both a bounce spell and a counterspell and all for the low, low cost of 1 mana. Unlike Annul, this only targets artifacts, so make sure you need it before you dedicate sideboard slots to it. Two copies should be plenty.
Dragon's Claw
Is Burn giving you headaches? Dragon's Claw can be an aggravating countermeasure to use against Burn decks by loading you up with life every time your opponent casts a spell to damage you. That said, we have other, more proactive and psychologically impactful tools at our disposal, so this may not be the wisest choice. Still, it can do the trick. Since the effects are cumulative, anywhere from one to four can be used, meta depending.
Sun Droplet
Another hate card for use against Burn decks, and fast aggro decks in general, this card syncs up nicely with this deck's tendency to take multiple consecutive turns. It steadily restores the damage you take at one point on your upkeep or on your opponent's. Multiple copies stack, so you can actually end up ahead on life if you can get more than one in play and the game goes on long enough. Unfortunately, since you're getting two life back per turn at most, this has a hard time keeping up with the decks it's supposed to be combating and it doesn't have the widespread usefulness of cards like Chalice of the Void and Spellskite, so it doesn't bring as much to the deck as those cards do. Still, if you'd like to try it out, two or three copies should do the job.
Damping Matrix
Looking for a mid-game hard playable answer to Pod and Twin? Damping Matrix can do the job. Its ability shuts down Birthing Pod and Viscera Seer in Pod, while also disabling Splinter Twin and Kiki-Jiki in Twin. At a cost of 3 mana it doesn't come down until Turn Three at the earliest, however, and as an artifact it can be easily removed, but two copies could still serve as that extra bit of needed hate in places where Pod and Twin run wild.
Hibernation
In Modern, U players fear few cards as much as Choke. Hibernation is the mirror image equivalent. Slam one of those down on the table and you will put a serious hurt on any Stompy player. While it doesn't do much in a generalized meta that Boomerang isn't doing for you already, if you see a lot of G where you're playing, you might want to consider throwing a couple copies of Hibernation in your sideboard. Against Stompy decks and some Pod decks, it can have the same impact Hurkyl's Recall does against Affinity.
Leyline of Singularity
Want to shut down Twin or Tokens before the game even begins? A Leyline of Singularity in your opening hand can do exactly that. Outside of those matches it really doesn't do much, however, so make sure your meta demands its inclusion and you can spare the slots before you consider this card. Leylines are especially demanding of your sideboard; you need to play three to four to get the desired effect. When deciding whether or not this is a worthwhile inclusion, don't forget that Tokens has access to enchantment removal and most current Twin decks can beat you without using the combo.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Initial versions of the Time Attack deck were decimated by decks like Faeries and Delver. For several months, a single Teferi resided in the sideboard as a countermeasure to those decks. Since then, the deck has adapted, and no longer relies on the infamous prankster of the Tolarian Academy to secure matches against those decks, but if you find yourself struggling against control decks, or temp/control-aggro decks, a lone Teferi in your sideboard could be just what you need.
"This is the best primer I've ever seen. I'm absolutely stunned by the time and energy put into this. Thank you so much."
~ Infalible, one of the fresh faces that arrived when the new primer went live ~
Magic is a constantly-evolving game, and the Modern format is barely out of infancy, so it is still in a state of perpetual evolution. As the format changes, this deck must change as well. To maintain this primer as a useful resource for those who wish to learn more about this deck, it is necessary to revise it from time to time. If you are curious about what adjustments have needed to be made, check here.
Added additional decklists to the Splash section, including some new artwork. Front and center is the UW list that Dragons of Tarkir enables, but also added is the UR list that shadowgripper piloted to a Top 8 finish. Updated the entry for Monastery Siege to reflect that it is, sadly, frequently less than ideal. Also added Jace, Architect of Thought and Narset Transcendent to the Core Section.
March 3rd, 2015
Fixed some problematic formatting issues in the primer. Added links for videos for Izzet Time Walk, as well as a new section and links to videos for Takin' Turns. Also added links to different updates in the updates section, as well as just generally tidied up and straightened things up.
February 26th, 2015
Through a series of intermittent updates starting on the 21st and continuing through the week, all of the flavor art has been completed and added to the Primer and the layout of each section has been set up for the greatest ease of navigation and description of information. At this point, the sections could definitely be grammar-checked and touched up, but everything is functional and, visually at least, completed. Will try to set a regular update schedule over the coming weeks for the convenience of those following this thread. The next concrete set of updates will be pending either major breakthroughs in the deck, significant tournament results, or the next ban/unban announcement, whichever comes first. There are also some other touches I'd like to put to the Primer, but they'll have to wait until time and opportunity allow.
February 19th, 2015
Another ridiculously big set of updates! Massive revisions to layout of primer and initial sections of primer with the intent of making information easier to find and understand while providing standardized lists and card choices for new players to build from. These were decided on by comparing popular lists, as well as current trends in this deck style, and looking for consistently-appearing cards. Hopefully these adjustments will make it easier for new players to find the information they need in the primer.
In addition to all these layout changes, today's update also saw huge revisions to a number of the text entries and the addition of flavor images to much of the primer. At this point the only section that still needs images to fill in the link anchors currently held by a number of X's is the Land section. Once that's finished, the primer should be pretty much set, only needing a few minor changes to coincide with rulings, bannings, new tech, etc. The short version? The major overhauls should be coming to an end soon.
February 12th, 2015
Edited, added, and relocated flavor images to update the appearance of the primer to reflect current trends in the deck as it is being played. Since the last list that I can recommend in good conscience for Time Attack that is legal under the current ban list is the one that I played at Modern States last year, I have replaced the prior, outdated, illegal list with the list from the State Championships until I have a chance to develop and test a current list that I can recommend. Please bear in mind that this list has known flaws. I hope to have a proper list to replace it with soon. A number of cosmetic changes were made as well, especially to the Core Section and Updates Section.
February 10th, 2015
Some big overhauls in this update! Taking Turns sample list replaced with Amstad's deck list. Since this list does not include Thassa, she was moved to Alternate Win Conditions. Vendilion Clique was moved from the Time Attack section to the Core Cards section of primer due to its recent, more widespread, use. I will try to update the flavor images for both decks accordingly when time allows, but this is easily the most backlogged part of the primer, with many sections still needing images, so this is unlikely to change anytime soon. Moved Redirect from Sideboard All-Stars section back to General Utility as it just doesn't pack the same punch now that we aren't playing in a UR Delver-dominated format anymore. Links to the original primer have been repaired. Since it is no longer being discussed in this thread, Turtles in Time was removed from the primer. It has been archived so it can be added again should interest in it be rekindled. Despite the Time Attack list not really being current, there is currently no strong, tested known list in the current meta, so it is being left for now. Pending testing results over the next week, this may be updated soon. There was hope of adding a strategy section regarding both versions of the deck this week, but that has to go on the back burner until two things happen:
I have time to write a strategy guide for Time Attack.
Someone who plays Taking Turns writes and submits a strategy guide for that version of the deck.
Repaired some broken formatting and errors. Was unable to add a new section to the Buying Time section for Control Magic. Hopefully, this will be something I can include in the next update.
January 28th, 2015
Added Bribery, Commandeer, and Sun Droplet to the Sideboard section. Moved Redirect from General Utility section to Sideboard All-Stars. Added Kami of the Crescent Moon to the Crafty Creatures section. Continued work on the entire primer by adding in some of the intended images and making adjustments to maintain formatting.
January 26th, 2015
Added Snapback to the Additional Bounce Cards section. Moved creature packages from the Turtles in Time description to the Buying Time section with appropriate links under the deck list. Continued work on the Updates section of the primer by adding in some of the intended images and made adjustments to maintain formatting.
January 25th, 2015
Following the banning of Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time, those cards were removed from the primer. Additionally, a previously unneeded updates section is added to the primer to track changes made now and in the future. The description for Master of Waves in the "Merfolk Package" section was expanded to further explain his potential role in that version of the deck and to help preserve formatting when viewed at higher resolutions. Monastery Siege was added to the core cards section of the deck. Expanded the description of Monastery Siege to clarify rules interactions and how to play the card.
December 30th, 2014
This primer is completed and replaces the previous primer in Modern Deck Creation. Time Walk players begin to migrate over to the new primer and speculate on the impact that Fate Reforged will have on the deck, as well fret over the upcoming bannings and unbannings to be announced when the set is released. The new primer is positively received, much to its composer's relief.
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
Im trying mine main because sticking one usually beats jund/pod
Higure is for UWx, font is for jund
I need suggestions for the board; my meta is a lot of pod/twin/affinity/jund and a little rdw. There's some UWx control but between the mainboard and 2 higure's i think im favored. Right now the board is trying to to let you bring in more combo, control or both
Turns out heavy control UWr can just be milled if they let your mines resolve
This is actually going to be the new primer, this is just where it's been tucked away until it's ready for prime time.
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“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
as we were discussing in the other time walk board, when you play it you most likely will exile other time walk spells, making your use of elixir later on not as useful. I dont think ill see room for this card in my 75 sadly.
So is Temporal Trespass liable to see play in this deck? Its the "cheapest" time walk effect in a while but it can't be reused.
I'll add it to the primer soon. As it's just been spoiled and has yet to be tested, it's hard to say, but I doubt it as it has a prohibitively high casting cost and runs against both the Elixir and Snapcaster strategies.
I know in Time Attack it's not a question of "Is this better in here than Time Warp?" or "Is this better in here than Walk the Aeons?"
It's a question of "Is this better in here than Dig Through Time?"
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
Mhjames: mtgsalvation: I DON'T SEE HOW THIS CARD IS GOOD. I KNOW PATRICK CHAPIN USED IT AND WENT 8-0, BUT THAT WAS A SMALL TOURNAMENT. THE CARD IS TOO SLOW. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THE OPPONENT HAS A SPELL IN THE GRAVEYARD
This is the best primer I've ever seen. I'm absolutely stunned by the time and energy put into this. Thank you so much.
Thank you! It took a lot longer than expected, and it isn't quite finished (still some cosmetic touches I'd like to make, as well as some grammar mistakes that need to be fixed), but I think the final result is worth the effort.
The internal links should all be fixed now. It's all been indexed, so navigation should be pretty easy; there's no need to scroll through the whole thing to get to what you need.
Interesting...I can see you've made some strong accommodations for the current meta.
I'd recommend cutting back on the Conclaves...no more than two as the CIPT effect can be very painful for this deck. These can be replaced with Islands or other U producers that come into play untapped.
Phyrexian Mana is also problematic. At the least throw in some Darkslick Shores or Sunken Ruins so you don't always need to pay life, if not switching out to something easier on the life total like Vapor Snag or Boomerang.
I would also try flipping numbers of Remand and Mana Leak, if possible. One isn't clearly better than the other, but the effects they have on the deck are immediately noticeable.
For Time AttackCryptic Command should be an automatic four-of, but I understand if it's not in the budget/not available.
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
To be honest I've been thinking a lot about a white splash lately. There are cards in white that really help with the deck's bad matchups that go along with the theme of Time Attack.
Kataki, War's Wage - Hatebear for Affinity (over Hurkyl's Recall). The difference is in the ability to apply pressure and stax simultaneously.
Timely Reinforcements - Hate for burn and aggro that could also put pressure onto the board.
i like all the art and detail of the premier. good job
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Collaborative Pub: Ice Cold Thoughts Always On Tap Twitter- RogueSource.
Decks: "Name one! I probably got it built In one of these boxes."
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[I]Some call it dig through time, when really your digging through CRAP!
Merfolk! showing magic players what a shower is since Lorwyn!
if your including white, could you also consider using Ghostly Prison in the combo version? I have been thinking about it lately since the hardest thing for me to contend with is lots of creature dmg and other caster combos. I'm not sure if its needed in the time attack version.
if your including white, could you also consider using Ghostly Prison in the combo version? I have been thinking about it lately since the hardest thing for me to contend with is lots of creature dmg and other caster combos. I'm not sure if its needed in the time attack version.
It would definitely be a thing for Twin, Affinity, Zoo, Slivers, Hatebears, and Merfolk. So yeah, probably. But I do think it wouldn't be very good for Time Attack. Typically I'd like my splash cards, especially, to benefit the grand scheme of the deck. In this case, that would be damage.
“Modern has provided us a non-rotating format that is far more accessible than Legacy or Vintage, but still retains many of the qualities that people enjoy in those formats—such as a more stable metagame, the ability to play and tweak the same deck week after week, and simply a much more powerful card pool than Standard.”
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
GUGEdric, Spymaster of Trest - Elfball
WUBOloro, Ageless Ascetic- Doomsday!
RWUEphara, God of the Polis - Blink + Control
GBGGlissa, the Traitor - Stax & Lands
URGMaelstrom Wanderer - Goodstuff RUG
RGWMayael the Anima - Timmy
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher - The One Hit Wonder
RGWMarath, Will of the Wild - Old-school Enchantress Hate
RWRAurelia, the Warleader - Equipment Aggro
GGGReki, the History of Kamigawa - Legends + Banding
UBRSedris, the Traitor King - Creatures with
BUBPhenax, God of Deception - Mill
*Sidenote, I specifically excluded infinite combos from all these decks with the exception of Marath and the squirrel nest + Earthcraft combo.
Looking for something Aggressive in modern? Try - BR Aggro
I just wanted to apologize for the extremely long time that I left the under construction banner up there on this thread. I underestimated the amount of work I would need to do to get the primer functional and combined with some drastic life changes on my end of things I ended up taking a break from almost all of my magic and online activities for some months.
I have already approved the transfer the oversight of the primer to an interested member of the forum who would like to finish the work needed to complete it and get the whole primer online.
Thanks for your patience,
Eps.
GUGEdric, Spymaster of Trest - Elfball
WUBOloro, Ageless Ascetic- Doomsday!
RWUEphara, God of the Polis - Blink + Control
GBGGlissa, the Traitor - Stax & Lands
URGMaelstrom Wanderer - Goodstuff RUG
RGWMayael the Anima - Timmy
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher - The One Hit Wonder
RGWMarath, Will of the Wild - Old-school Enchantress Hate
RWRAurelia, the Warleader - Equipment Aggro
GGGReki, the History of Kamigawa - Legends + Banding
UBRSedris, the Traitor King - Creatures with
BUBPhenax, God of Deception - Mill
*Sidenote, I specifically excluded infinite combos from all these decks with the exception of Marath and the squirrel nest + Earthcraft combo.
Looking for something Aggressive in modern? Try - BR Aggro
The Modern Time Walk Deck
The original primer can be found here.
If you'd like to skip ahead to the discussion, click here.
One of the most powerful cards in the history of magic has always been the formidable Time Walk. The ability to manipulate the way that turns are taken gives you a great deal of control over the game. Add to that a draw engine such as Howling Mine or Dictate of Kruphix and you develop a massive card advantage.
Where do you go from there? The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination! You could enlist the aid of the planeswalker Jace Beleren to mill away your opponent's library of spells. You could summon an army of Faeries and Mages armed with Siege Engines to tear down your enemy's defenses and bring them crashing to the ground. You could even utilize your newfound time to bring the tremendous Wrath of a Titan upon your adversary or unleash an army of Sprites and Ninjas to sabotage their plans and defeat them.
When time becomes endless, so do the possibilities!
From Then to Now
"Seems like I did the math right, at least."
~ Farf, creator of the original Time Walk deck ~
Currently-Played Variations on the Original Deck
"That's just one way to do it. There are others."
~ Chalupacabra, co-creator of the Time Attack deck & thread OP ~
The Current Monoblue Deck
"Quote Still needed."
~ Person Quoted, something about this person ~
Splashing Other Colors
"Splashing could catapult this deck up or just not work so pretty much every card people can examine to make a deck they support better they will."
~ Dunhilina, long time contributor on this thread ~
The Core of the Deck
"My favorite part about this thread is the birth of the 4/4/3 dictate warp engine...I can imagine it being used in a million different brews in the future."
~ gooseymog, creator of the Turtles in Time deck ~
The Cards That Enable Victory
"You don't have to completely destroy the opponent, you just have to survive the opponent."
~ JPoJohnson, creator of the original Primer ~
Getting The Most from the Mana Base
"Minamo is there as a safety. Sure, I don't use it every game, but there are situations where I have to draw another card no matter what."
~ RogueOS, former long-time contributor who is sorely missed ~
Alternate Card Choices
"I don't want to treat anything as sacred here."
~ Thenarus, co-creator of the Time Attack deck ~
Developing Your Sideboard
"I honestly bank on this deck encouraging scoops both in paper and online. No other deck offers that kind of intimidation."
~ jingleheimersmith, long-time contributor and voice of reason on the thread ~
Updates and Changes to the Primer
"This is the best primer I've ever seen. I'm absolutely stunned by the time and energy put into this. Thank you so much."
~ Infalible, one of the fresh faces that arrived when the new primer went live ~
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
10/22/14
3 Mutavault
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
4 Judge's Familiar
2 Zephyr Sprite
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spellskite
3 Vapor Snag
4 Dictate of Kruphix
2 Howling Mine
1 Mask of Memory
4 Cryptic Command
2 Walk the Aeons
4 Time Warp
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Vapor Snag
1 Font of Mythos
2 Howling Mine
2 Redirect
2 Higure, the Still Wind
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 undecided
Im trying mine main because sticking one usually beats jund/pod
Higure is for UWx, font is for jund
I need suggestions for the board; my meta is a lot of pod/twin/affinity/jund and a little rdw. There's some UWx control but between the mainboard and 2 higure's i think im favored. Right now the board is trying to to let you bring in more combo, control or both
Turns out heavy control UWr can just be milled if they let your mines resolve
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
GWR Naya Zoo
GRBreach
WGBCo-Co
Legacy
RUBSneak And Show
I know in Time Attack it's not a question of "Is this better in here than Time Warp?" or "Is this better in here than Walk the Aeons?"
It's a question of "Is this better in here than Dig Through Time?"
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendillion Clique
Spells: 22
4 Time Warp
4 Walk the Aeons
3 Mana Leak
2 Remand
2 Spell Snare
2 Dig Through Time
2 Cryptic Command
3 Dismember
4 Dictate of Kruphix
2 Batterskull
2 Vedalken Shackles
Land: 25
4 Faerie Conclave
4 Mutavault
2 Desert
15 Island
By: ol MISAKA lo
Cockatrice: Infallible
The internal links should all be fixed now. It's all been indexed, so navigation should be pretty easy; there's no need to scroll through the whole thing to get to what you need.
That said, let's look at your list!Interesting...I can see you've made some strong accommodations for the current meta.
I'd recommend cutting back on the Conclaves...no more than two as the CIPT effect can be very painful for this deck. These can be replaced with Islands or other U producers that come into play untapped.
Phyrexian Mana is also problematic. At the least throw in some Darkslick Shores or Sunken Ruins so you don't always need to pay life, if not switching out to something easier on the life total like Vapor Snag or Boomerang.
I would also try flipping numbers of Remand and Mana Leak, if possible. One isn't clearly better than the other, but the effects they have on the deck are immediately noticeable.
For Time Attack Cryptic Command should be an automatic four-of, but I understand if it's not in the budget/not available.
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
These videos are by MTG Salvation Moderator Lantern!
Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther
To be honest I've been thinking a lot about a white splash lately. There are cards in white that really help with the deck's bad matchups that go along with the theme of Time Attack.
Kataki, War's Wage - Hatebear for Affinity (over Hurkyl's Recall). The difference is in the ability to apply pressure and stax simultaneously.
Timely Reinforcements - Hate for burn and aggro that could also put pressure onto the board.
Geist of Saint Traft - Hard to remove bomb
Path to Exile - Hard removal
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Geist of Saint Traft
Spells
3 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
4 Boomerang
4 Remand
4 Cryptic Command
3 Walk the Aeons
4 Time Warp
2 Batterskull
1 Vedalken Shackles
Enchantments
4 Dictate of Kruphix
Lands
2 Faerie Conclave
13 Island
4 Mystic Gate
4 Seachrome Coast
1 Glacial Fortress
3 Timely Reinforcements
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Aven Mindcensor
1 Hibernation
2 Surgical Extraction
Not 100% on the sideboard. May also need some number of Leyline of Sanctity
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
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Decks: "Name one! I probably got it built In one of these boxes."
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It would definitely be a thing for Twin, Affinity, Zoo, Slivers, Hatebears, and Merfolk. So yeah, probably. But I do think it wouldn't be very good for Time Attack. Typically I'd like my splash cards, especially, to benefit the grand scheme of the deck. In this case, that would be damage.
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
Edit: I'd also drop Shackles entirely and just run 4 Paths and some counter backup. That frees you up to have fun with your lands.
I'll be honest though, I'd keep the Snaps and Cliques (maybe 1 Geist and 1 Brimaz) and replace the Batterskulls with Restoration Angels.
- Sam Stoddard, “Developing Modern” (June 21, 2013) (by means of Sheridan Lardner, "Fixing Modern: Defining Format Mission (March 16, 2016))
How to Use Spoiler Tags
Starting Over: The Origins of the Mulligan Rule
Practical Approach to Slow Play
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 2: SWARM and TOOLBOX
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 3
THE Guide to Aggro, Part 4
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Introduction to Tempo
Controlling Tempo
Elements of Tempo
Roadblocks to Tempo
How Not To Build A Deck - Tempo
Learn How To Sideboard, Dammit!
Mulligan's Island
The Art of the Mulligan
The Art of the Mulligan: Eight Case Studies
Fundamentals: The Mulligan
Some Mulligan Exercises
A Mulligan Is Worth Three Cards
The Mulligan Debate
Common Sense: The Art of the Mulligan
Who's The Beatdown?
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Eldrazi Temple
2 Fetid Heath
3 Godless Shrine
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Plains
3 Shambling Vent
2 Tectonic Edge
Artifacts (4):
4 Æther Vial
4 Path to Exile
Creatures (29):
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eldrazi Displacer
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Flickerwisp
4 Serra Avenger
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Dismember
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
3 Stony Silence
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Flooded Strand
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
Creatures (16):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stormchaser Mage
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Spell Pierce
3 Twisted Image
3 Vapor Snag
Sorceries (8):
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
2 Dispel
1 Forked Bolt
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Repeal
2 Roast
1 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
1 Vapor Snag
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Copperline Gorge
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Creatures (14):
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
3 Searing Blaze
Sorceries (8):
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Deflecting Palm
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Path to Exile
2 Rending Volley
3 Skullcrack
19 Forest
3 Treetop Village
Creatures (24):
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Dryad Militant
2 Dungrove Elder
4 Experiment One
4 Leatherback Baloth
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Rancor
Instants (10):
3 Aspect of Hydra
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Dismember
2 Choke
2 Gut Shot
2 Deglamer
2 Feed the Clan
2 Oxidize
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Skylasher
1 Unravel the Æther