Telling Time MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Telling Time offers players the ability to look at the top three cards of their library, which paves the way for strategic selection of the next draw. This subtle yet powerful effect ensures you get just the right card for upcoming turns, providing a significant advantage over an opponent.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or acceleration in the traditional sense, the card manipulation Telling Time provides can help align your land drops and increase the probability of drawing into your deck’s key resources when you need them most.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Telling Time at instant speed adds a layer of unpredictability for your adversaries. It allows you to wait until the most opportune moment, such as the end of your opponent’s turn, to refine your draw and adapt your strategy with the enhanced knowledge of what’s coming.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: However, one downside for players considering Telling Time is the absence of a discard requirement. Unlike some instants or sorceries that provide a built-in mechanism for card advantage or selection, Telling Time doesn’t allow you to churn through your deck by discarding unneeded cards, which could be seen as a missed opportunity for deck cycling and graveyard strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Telling Time demands a blue mana in its casting cost, which pigeonholes it into blue-centric or multi-colored decks. Players running mono-color decks that aren’t blue or those with a tight mana base might find the card hard to incorporate without compromising their mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing one colorless and one blue mana, Telling Time’s mana investment is significant when compared to other card selection options available in MTG. For a two-mana investment, cards like Serum Visions or Preordain might offer a more immediate impact on the game state, given their lower casting cost and additional effects such as scrying.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Telling Time offers a unique mix of card selection and draw, allowing players to strategically plan their next moves. It can be a beneficial addition to control decks seeking to smooth out draws, or combo decks that are looking for key pieces.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to look at the top three cards of the library and manipulate them opens up combo potential by increasing the odds of finding the right card combinations. It’s a strong enabler in decks that aim for a high level of synergy.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where information and choice can make the difference between victory and defeat, Telling Time’s capacity to provide both makes it relevant in many different meta scenarios. Its utility in shaping draws makes it a pertinent pick for competitive play, adapting well to various tempo swings.

How to beat

Telling Time is a nuanced addition to the suite of card selection spells in Magic: The Gathering. It shares some likeness with cards like Anticipate, allowing a player to look at the top few cards of their library and put one into their hand. However, Telling Time offers a strategic benefit—placing one card in the hand, another on top of the library, and the third on the bottom of the library. This subtle arrangement can set up future draws or help avoid undesirable cards.

When facing Telling Time, disrupting a player’s library and their knowledge of upcoming cards can be effective. Cards that shuffle the library, like Field of Ruin, can nullify the advantages gained from Telling Time. Hand disruption spells, such as Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, can also be potent as they allow you to pluck crucial cards that your opponent has secured with Telling Time. Aggressive strategies that put pressure on the opponent can force them to use resources defensively, making Telling Time less effective as it diverts mana that could be used for responses.

Ultimately, while Telling Time grants players control over their upcoming draws, applying pressure through disruption and aggressive plays can significantly mitigate its utility and maintain your advantage on the battlefield.

BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re intrigued by the strategic depth that Telling Time introduces to your MTG gameplay, then BurnMana encourages you to further explore its potential. This card’s blend of foresight and manipulation can refine your deck’s precision, aligning draws with your game plan. It thrives in environments where control and combo plays dictate the tempo. Remember, every card choice you make has the power to tip the scales in your favor. Expand your horizons, understand the shifting tides of the meta, and let Telling Time be the conduit for your ultimate success. Take the next step in your MTG journey with us and discover how to incorporate this strategic gem into your arsenal.