Chronobot MTG Card

Chronobot allows foresight, preparing future turns for strategic advantages in gameplay. It ramps resources, enabling more frequent spells or ability activations. Manipulates time at instant speed for unpredictable, tide-turning actions.

Chronobot - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 (CMB1)

Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 (CMB1)
2019-11-07 - Number 105

Chronobot - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)

Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 (CMB2)
2021-08-20 - Number 105

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact Creature — Construct
Power	2
Toughness	2

Text of card

When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, switch upkeep steps with target opponent for as long as it remains on the battlefield. (You take your upkeep on their turn, and they take their upkeep on your turn.)

Cards like Chronobot

Chronobot emerges as an intriguing component in the pantheon of MTG artifact creatures. With an ability to untap another artifact during your upkeep, Chronobot bears a resemblance to other artifact support creatures like Filigree Sages. However, Chronobot allows for a more passive ability that activates at no cost. Filigree Sages, in contrast, necessitates a mana payment to achieve a similar effect.

Voltaic Servant also shares a functional parity with Chronobot by untapping another artifact during your end step. Whereas Voltaic Servant offers a consistent end-of-turn untap, Chronobot may offer a wider window of utility as it activates during the upkeep. This gives players a chance to reset artifacts at the beginning of their turn, potentially doubling their usability within a single round.

Upon examining the utility and synergy these artifact creatures provide, Chronobot proves to be a resourceful ally in any deck looking to maximize artifact efficiency. Its upkeep-triggered ability is a strategic asset, positioning it as a valuable tool for MTG enthusiasts who favor responsive and continuous artifact manipulation.

Cards similar to Chronobot by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chronobot offers a steady stream of card advantage, allowing you to peek into the future turns of your deck. This gives you the upper hand by setting up your plays and maintaining a resourceful grip on the game.

Resource Acceleration: By untapping your permanents, Chronobot essentially ramps your resources, granting you the ability to unleash more spells or use activated abilities more frequently, which can be pivotal in pulling ahead of your opponents.

Instant Speed: While Chronobot itself is not an instant, its ability to manipulate time can be maximized at instant speed with the help of other spells or abilities. This timing flexibility can give you a considerable edge, allowing for unpredictable plays and turning the tides in your favor when the moment is just right.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Chronobot has an upkeep trigger that necessitates discarding a card, posing a strategic challenge if your hand is already depleted or contains crucial spells for your game plan.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact creature comes with a Phyrexian and two colorless mana cost, which requires appropriate mana fixing to optimize its use outside of mono-colored or Phyrexian-themed decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though offering a potentially beneficial time walk effect by untapping during each other player’s untap step, the total investment of three mana might be steep when considering other alternatives in the cost-benefit analysis.

Reasons to Include Chronobot in Your Collection

Versatility: Chronobot easily finds a home in decks that capitalize on untapping permanents or those interested in manipulating time counters. Its ability to untap during each upkeep makes it a utility player in multiple strategies.

Combo Potential: With this card, savvy players can construct intricate combos, possibly involving extra turns or accelerating time-based mechanics. It can also synergize with cards that have powerful upkeep triggers, multiplying their effects each turn.

Meta-Relevance: Chronobot slips into the current dynamic metagame where efficiency and value reign supreme. Its capacity to provide incremental advantages each turn can tip the scales in longer, grindy matchups that define many competitive environments.

How to Beat Chronobot

Chronobot stands as a unique artifact creature in MTG, intriguing for its ability to manipulate turn sequences by allowing you to take an extra turn at a specific time if you skip a turn. This presents a clear strategy point for opponents: disruption is key. Tackling Chronobot effectively means either keeping it off the board or mitigating its impact once it’s in play.

One method to combat Chronobot is through direct removal. Cards like Murder or Doom Blade can eliminate Chronobot before it can trigger its ability. Another approach is to utilize counterspells such as Cancel or Mana Leak when your opponent attempts to cast it. Should Chronobot successfully enter the battlefield, cards like Pacifism can neutralize its threat without removing it, preventing the additional turn advantage.

Ultimately, by employing targeted removal, counterspells, or pacifying effects, you can thwart Chronobot’s time-warping plans. Adapting to the tempo using such strategies ensures Chronobot’s potential remains untapped, solidifying your chances of maintaining control over the game’s flow and rhythm.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chronobot MTG card by a specific set like Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 and Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Chronobot and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Chronobot Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-11-07 and 2021-08-20. Illustrated by Stephanie Mitchell.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2019-11-07	Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019	CMB1		105	2015	Normal	Black	Stephanie Mitchell
2	2021-08-20	Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021	CMB2		105	2015	Normal	Black	Stephanie Mitchell

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Chronobot card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2019-11-12	If Chronobot enters the battlefield during an upkeep step, its effect doesn’t affect that upkeep step. Similarly, if Chronobot leaves the battlefield during an upkeep step, its effect doesn’t expire until the upkeep step is over.
2019-11-12	Untapping your permanents occurs in the untap step, and drawing a card occurs in the draw step. Neither of these are affected by Chronobot’s theft of time.
2019-11-12	While it’s your upkeep during your opponent’s turn, you’re the active player. However, any rules or effects that check whose turn it is will still know that it’s your opponent’s turn.