Delay MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Delay grants a tactical edge by suspending opponent spells, allowing for board and hand development.
  2. Instant speed flexibility permits players to react on the opponent’s turn, maximizing strategic options.
  3. Usage requires a careful balance, considering the card discard cost and blue mana specificity.

Text of card

Counter target spell. If the spell is countered this way, remove it from the game with three time counters on it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. If it doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend. (At the beginning of its owner's upkeep, remove a counter from that card. When the last is removed, the player plays it without paying its mana cost. If it's a creature, it has haste.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Delay enables a strategic postponement of an opponent’s threat, effectively denying them access to a key component of their strategy. This can contribute to a card advantage as you stifle their plans while continuing to develop your board and hand.

Resource Acceleration: By delaying the casting of an opponent’s spell, you can also potentially accelerate your resources. You essentially gain extra turns to draw into answers or advance your board state without the immediate pressure of the opponent’s delayed spell.

Instant Speed: Delay’s instant speed utility offers the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s actions on their turn. This opens up the opportunity to react with precision and make decisions based on the current state of the game, all while keeping your mana open for the most critical moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Using Delay requires you to pitch another card from your hand, a non-negotiable tradeoff that can deplete your options, especially when your hand is running thin.

Specific Mana Cost: Delay comes with a blue mana dependency, narrowing its integration to decks that can produce blue mana, leaving out mono-color strategies not in blue or colorless decks that might benefit from temporal disruption.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Though Delay’s mana cost isn’t exorbitant, it toes the line with three mana, which can be significant in early game tempo. In the heat of the early rounds, spending that mana can mean missing out on deploying other strategic pieces or responding to immediate threats.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Delay is a flexible card that can be slotted into various control decks. Its ability to temporarily remove threats gives players the time they need to establish their board and execute their game plan.

Combo Potential: Paired with cards that manipulate time counters or take advantage of casting spells from exile, Delay can become a part of intricate combos that hinder your opponent’s strategy while setting up your own.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta heavy with combo or high-impact spells, Delay’s power to put a stop to critical plays without permanently dealing with the threat makes it a tactical addition to any collection.


How to beat

The card Delay presents a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering due to its ability to temporarily suspend a spell. Versus Delay, the key is to play less pivotal spells initially to bait out the Delay. Understanding Delay’s limitations is crucial. It can only target spells on the stack, meaning once your spell is on the battlefield, it’s safe from Delay’s effects. Thus, sequencing your spells strategically can mitigate the setback Delay poses.

Another effective method is to employ instant-speed spells during your opponent’s turn to pressure them into using Delay prematurely. This way, you maintain the momentum by still casting your important spells during your turn. Tactics as simple as keeping mana open for spells that can be cast in response to Delay help to bypass the constraints it introduces.

Ultimately, to outmaneuver Delay, one must anticipate it, play around it, and apply consistent pressure, forcing the opponent to make tough decisions about when to use their Delay, which can disrupt their game plan as much as yours.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves more than understanding individual cards; it’s about crafting a dynamic strategy that adapts to each match. With its ability to postpone threats and disrupt opponent plays, Delay has proven its worth in control decks. Looking to create a ripple in the tempo of the game or find the perfect moment to turn the tides? Integrating Delay into your arsenal offers that tactical edge. Embrace the finesse of timing and elevate your deck’s capabilities. Discover the depths of Delay and other strategic gems to enhance your gameplay with us. Join BurnMana for insights that could redefine your MTG experience.


Cards like Delay

Delay is an intriguing tactical spell that adds a unique twist to the suite of control cards in Magic: The Gathering. It bears some resemblance to classic counterspells like Counterspell itself, which outright cancels a spell for two blue mana. Delay sets itself apart by suspending the targeted spell, essentially putting it on hold for three turns rather than eliminating it immediately.

When comparing Delay to other suspension spells like Ertai’s Meddling, it’s clear that Delay offers a more straightforward approach with a fixed time period before the spell can unfold. Ertai’s Meddling, while flexible in how it delays a spell, requires more mana to be effective for longer periods. Another peer is Remand, which doesn’t suspend spells but returns them to the owner’s hand while drawing a card, providing a different form of tempo control.

Assessing the strategic depth these variations offer, Delay is a powerful choice in situations where timing disruptions can align strategically with your game plan, potentially outperforming counterparts in decks designed to leverage the delay.

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Ertai's Meddling - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Ertai's Meddling - Tempest (TMP)
Remand - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)

Cards similar to Delay by color, type and mana cost

Counterspell - MTG Card versions
Hurkyl's Recall - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - MTG Card versions
Lat-Nam's Legacy - MTG Card versions
Flash - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Rebound - MTG Card versions
Memory Lapse - MTG Card versions
Hoodwink - MTG Card versions
Tidal Bore - MTG Card versions
Accumulated Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Impulse - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Thassa's Intervention - MTG Card versions
Metamorphose - MTG Card versions
Echoing Truth - MTG Card versions
Early Frost - MTG Card versions
Mana Leak - MTG Card versions
Remand - MTG Card versions
Vision Skeins - MTG Card versions
Counterspell - Commander Masters (CMM)
Hurkyl's Recall - Antiquities (ATQ)
Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)
Lat-Nam's Legacy - Alliances (ALL)
Flash - Mirage (MIR)
Boomerang - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Rebound - Stronghold (STH)
Memory Lapse - Strixhaven Mystical Archive (STA)
Hoodwink - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Tidal Bore - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Accumulated Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Impulse - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Cyclonic Rift - Commander Masters (CMM)
Thassa's Intervention - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Metamorphose - Scourge (SCG)
Echoing Truth - Modern Masters (MMA)
Early Frost - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Mana Leak - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Remand - Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska (DDM)
Vision Skeins - Commander 2013 (C13)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Delay MTG card by a specific set like Future Sight and Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils, 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 Delay and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Delay Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2007-05-04 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-05-04Future SightFUT 352003normalblackRon Spears
22020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 212003normalblackRon Spears
32020-09-26The ListPLST FUT-352003normalblackRon Spears
42021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 612015normalblackSvetlin Velinov

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Delay has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-03-19 If the target spell is face down, it’ll be exiled face up. It can’t be cast face down when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2021-03-19 If the target spell was cast with flashback, Delay’s effect will exile it, not the flashback effect. The card will get time counters and gain suspend (if it didn’t already have suspend).
2021-03-19 When the last time counter is removed from the exiled card, it’s cast as a completely new spell. Modes and targets are chosen again. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, they must be paid again. If they can’t be, the spell can’t be cast and stays exiled.
2021-06-18 As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don’t want to target. Timing permissions based on the card’s type are ignored.
2021-06-18 Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
2021-06-18 Exiling a card with suspend isn’t casting that card. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to.
2021-06-18 If an effect refers to a “suspended card,” that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.
2021-06-18 If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
2021-06-18 If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card’s owner’s next upkeep.
2021-06-18 If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can’t be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended.
2021-06-18 If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it’s exiled.
2021-06-18 If you can’t cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended.
2021-06-18 If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” such as with suspend, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.
2021-06-18 Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it’s on the stack).
2021-06-18 The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn’t paid.
2021-06-18 When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn’t matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
2021-06-18 You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile.
2021-06-18 You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage’s ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.

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