Suspend MTG Card
2021-06-18 - Number 448
2021-06-18 - Number 68
2021-06-19 - Number 68s
2002-06-24 - Number 91243
2021-06-18 - Number 23s
2021-06-18 - Number 23
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Instant |
Key Takeaways
- Suspend offers card advantage by playing more powerful cards later for less, optimizing current turn resources.
- Cards with Suspend can be cast at instant speed, enabling players to maintain the element of surprise.
- Despite its strengths, Suspend’s high mana cost can be a setback compared to more immediate play strategies.
Text of card
Exile target creature and put two time counters on it. If it doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend. (At the beginning of its owner's upkeep, they remove a time counter. When the last is removed, they play it without paying its mana cost. If it's a creature, it has haste.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Suspend mechanic, as utilized in MTG strategy, offers a significant card advantage. This is because it allows a player to play a card for a cheaper cost at a later turn, ensuring that they have more resources available during the current turn.
Resource Acceleration: Suspend contributes to resource acceleration as it essentially works as a delayed investment. Using it means planning for the future, buying a larger effect for a small immediate cost and some patience, which can pay off in maintaining board presence and accelerating win conditions.
Instant Speed: Certain cards with the Suspend mechanic can be cast at instant speed, allowing players to make strategic decisions during opponents’ turns. By delaying the action to a later moment, players can keep their opponents on their toes, creating an unpredictable game dynamic and holding the balance of power.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The process of suspending in MTG entails sidelining a card for a specific number of turns. This can put a player at a disadvantage, specifically when they are low on resources, or when the match calls for immediate action.
Specific Mana Cost: Suspending in MTG usually involves a specific mana cost, particularly of time counters. Certain cards with the suspend feature come with a high mana cost with color specifications, posing limitations to its use in broader deck builds. Players may face constraints when attempting to incorporate these cards into their strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Comparatively, the mana cost borne by a player while suspending cards might just be too high in relation to the benefit received. There exist alternate strategies and cards, like direct play or mana ramp, which may offer a more efficient utilization of resources or quicker impact in gameplay. Suspend mechanism therefore, might not be the most competitive choice in all game scenarios.
Reasons to Include Suspend in Your Collection
Versatility: Suspend, as a mechanic, finds its place in numerous deck types, especially those centered around time-based or delayed strategies. By leveraging the power to delay spells, Suspend can offer unique tactical advantages to adjust the tempo of the game.
Combo Potential: Cards deploying Suspend can be invaluable in setting up powerful, game-changing combos. Combining it with other abilities or mechanics that manipulate time counters can lead to eruptive late-game plays, making your deck unpredictably formidable.
Meta-Relevance: Given the current meta where long-term strategies often hold sway, Suspend fits the meta perfectly. This ability allows players to strategically delay their spellcasting, providing an additional layer of depth to how games unfold, making it an essential inclusion in the collection of any serious MTG player.
How to Beat
Suspend is an intriguing mechanic in Magic: The Gathering that significantly alters the tempo of the game. This unique ability allows players to exile a card for a predetermined number of turns, and after a countdown, the card is cast with an added effect. Its strategic use can turn the tides of a match in your favor, disrupting your opponents’ plans.
As a player, countering strategies that involve Suspend can be challenging, but some effective countermeasures exist. MTG cards like Stifle can directly counter Suspend by preventing an ability from triggering, effectively ‘pausing’ it. Similarly, Trickbind is another instant card that can counter Suspend’s activated abilities and prevent them from triggering for a whole turn. Both these cards function as a way to delay the casting of Suspend cards.
Another strategy is to dispose of suspended cards altogether using cards such as Pull from Eternity or Riftsweeper. By doing so, you can ensure the suspended card never makes it to the battlefield, thwarting your opponent’s strategy. In conclusion, beating cards with the Suspend ability requires strategic use of countering cards or removing suspended cards directly from exile. Combining these tactics can help stave off the temporal disruption that Suspend represents.
BurnMana Recommendations
Embracing the Suspend mechanic in MTG can give players a unique edge in resource management and tempo manipulation. As you refine your deck and adapt to your opponents’ moves, consider integrating Suspend for its potential to provide long-term advantages. Curious about discovering more strategic depth and how to optimize your game with Suspend? We have comprehensive guides and insights that can help enhance your deck’s performance. Unravel the full potential of Suspend, adapt it to your strategy, and stay in sync with the evolving MTG meta. Step up your game and explore our resources to master the art of Suspend.
Cards like Suspend
Suspend MTG, a unique mechanic in Magic: The Gathering, shares some similarities with other mechanics and spells within the game. One remarkable counterpart is Foretell, another mechanic that allows players to exile a card from their hand and play it later for a reduced cost. Just like Suspend, Foretell gives strategic advantages by setting up future plays.
On another hand, we find Miracle, a mechanic that offers a one-time opportunity to cast spells for a significantly lesser cost if drawn for the turn. Similar to Suspend, Miracle provides surprise and tempo advantages. However, unlike Suspend, which requires a setup, Miracle is entirely based on luck of the draw.
Another card that engages time manipulation is Temporal Manipulation allowing the player to take an extra turn. This card, much like Suspend, uses time as a resource, but differs in its immediate effect. Rather than setting up future advantages, Temporal Manipulation grants players immediate gains in-game progression.
In conclusion, comparing Suspend to these similar mechanics and spells, Suspend offers strategic depth in Magic: The Gathering. With its blend of varying elements of timing, resource managing, and in-game strategy, Suspend serves as a valuable addition to the MTG world.
Cards similar to Suspend by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Suspend MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Modern Horizons 2 Art Series, 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 Suspend and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Suspend Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-06-18 and 2021-06-19. Illustrated by Lake Hurwitz.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 91243 | 2015 | normal | black | Lake Hurwitz | ||
| 2 | Modern Horizons 2 Art Series | AMH2 | 23s | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Lake Hurwitz | ||
| 3 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 448 | 2015 | normal | black | Lake Hurwitz | |
| 4 | 2021-06-18 | Modern Horizons 2 | MH2 | 68 | 2015 | normal | black | Lake Hurwitz | |
| 5 | Modern Horizons 2 Art Series | AMH2 | 23 | 2015 | art_series | borderless | Lake Hurwitz | ||
| 6 | 2021-06-19 | Modern Horizons 2 Promos | PMH2 | 68s | 2015 | normal | black | Lake Hurwitz |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Suspend has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Suspend card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | A creature cast using suspend will enter the battlefield with haste. It will have haste until another player gains control of it. (In some rare cases, another player may gain control of the creature spell itself. If this happens, the creature won't enter the battlefield with haste.) |
| 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. |
