Time Wipe MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 13 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Time Wipe offers card advantage through selective creature saving before a board wipe.
  2. It indirectly accelerates resources, allowing players a tempo shift in their favor.
  3. Despite a high mana cost, Time Wipe provides a board reset that’s strategically valuable.

Text of card

Return a creature you control to its owner's hand, then destroy all creatures.

"To comprehend the full answer requires years of temporal study. In short, they were now never born in the first place." —Teferi


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Time Wipe offers a unique benefit by allowing you to return a creature you control to your hand before wiping the board. This selective safeguard conserves your resources, effectively giving you a card advantage as you maintain a key piece of your strategy while disrupting your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly accelerating resources, Time Wipe can reset the board, stalling your opponents’ plans and allowing you a fresh opportunity to deploy your mana and resources without facing immediate threats. This indirect form of acceleration can significantly shift the tempo in your favor.

Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Time Wipe doesn’t have the flexibility of instant speed spells; however, the impact it has on the game state is profound, often resulting in a clear path for you to cast your spells without facing an immediate counterattack, thus granting a form of strategic acceleration as you build toward your win condition.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Time Wipe does not directly require a discard, effectively using the card to its full potential often means having to lose one of your creatures in the process. This can put you at a disadvantage if you’re counting on having a solid board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Time Wipe demands a stringent mana arrangement of two white and one blue, on top of two other generic mana costs. This specific requirement can be restrictive, potentially clashing with the mana base of multi-colored decks that may not prioritize white and blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total of five mana needed to cast, Time Wipe positions itself as a more expensive board clear option. In a game where timing is crucial, there are other sweepers available at a lower mana cost that could be played sooner, giving opponents less time to establish a threatening board state.


Reasons to Include Time Wipe in Your Collection

Versatility: Time Wipe is a card that can serve multiple purposes. It allows you to return a creature you own to your hand while wiping the board clean of all other creatures. This can be particularly useful for protecting your key pieces or reusing enter-the-battlefield effects.

Combo Potential: With its unique ability to save one of your creatures, Time Wipe enables interesting combinations with creatures that have beneficial on-cast or leave-the-battlefield triggers. This can lead to powerful plays and unexpected turnarounds in a game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state that’s dominated by creature-heavy decks, Time Wipe can act as a reset button, clearing the way for you to take control. This makes it an essential tool in the current competitive landscape where board presence often dictates the winner.


How to beat

Dealing with Time Wipe can be challenging due to its ability to reset the board. This powerful sorcery not only clears all creatures from the battlefield but also allows its caster to return a creature they control to their hand, saving a key piece from destruction. To counter this, consider using instant-speed removal spells that can disrupt your opponent’s plays before they cast Time Wipe. Spells like Negate or Disdainful Stroke are cost-effective ways to stop Time Wipe and other troublesome sorceries.

Alternatively, focusing on non-creature strategies can minimize Time Wipe’s impact on your side of the board. Enchantments, artifacts, and planeswalkers aren’t affected by creature-based board wipes, making them reliable assets in the face of such removal. Lastly, employing creatures with indestructible or those that can easily be recurred from the graveyard ensures that your board presence remains intact even after a Time Wipe resolves. Adaptability and preemptive measures are key in outsmarting opponents relying on Time Wipe to clear the path to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the evolving strategies of MTG with Time Wipe. This versatile sorcery not only clears the board but also safeguards a key creature from the carnage. Perfect for turning the tides in a creature-heavy meta, it opens up opportunities for strategic comebacks and powerful plays. Beyond its primary function, Time Wipe can foster intriguing combos and reuse potent on-cast effects. While it may have its drawbacks, its strengths can be pivotal in any game. For those looking to innovate their gameplay and outmaneuver opponents, incorporating Time Wipe into your collection could be a game-changer. Explore more tactics and build your deck’s resilience by learning more about Time Wipe with us.


Cards like Time Wipe

Time Wipe stands out in the arena of board sweepers in MTG, offering players a unique fusion of creature control and strategic repositioning. It parallels with cards such as Wrath of God, a classic reset button that eradicates all creatures on the battlefield with no exceptions. Unlike Time Wipe, Wrath of God does not allow the retrieval of a valuable creature to reuse its enter-the-battlefield effect.

Fumigate is another card that offers a full board clear, with the added benefit of life gain for each creature destroyed. This feature can be a lifeline in games where health totals are dwindling. Despite this, it misses the mark on the selective advantage Time Wipe provides by saving a key piece from the wipe. Rout, too, compares with its versatility to act at instant speed when more mana is invested. Yet, it lacks the tactical comeback potential inherent in Time Wipe for setting up future plays.

When evaluating the board wiping category, Time Wipe is indeed noteworthy. Its unique capability to blend wholesale removal with the precision of protecting a chosen creature offers players an exceptional tool for turning the tables on the battlefield.

Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Fumigate - MTG Card versions
Rout - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Fumigate - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Rout - Invasion (INV)

Cards similar to Time Wipe by color, type and mana cost

Ordered Migration - MTG Card versions
Migratory Route - MTG Card versions
Fractured Identity - MTG Card versions
Ordered Migration - Invasion (INV)
Migratory Route - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Fractured Identity - Doctor Who (WHO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Time Wipe MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and War of the Spark, 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 Time Wipe and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Time Wipe Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2019-05-03 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 722192015normalblackHeonhwa Choe
22019-05-03War of the SparkWAR 2232015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
32019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 2232015normalblackHeonhwa Choe
42019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 223s2015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
52019-05-04War of the Spark PromosPWAR 223p2015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
62020-09-26The ListPLST WAR-2232015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
72022-09-09Dominaria United CommanderDMC 1732015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
82023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 3402015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
92023-05-08From Cute to BrutePCTB 462015normalblackSvetlin Velinov
102023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8292015normalblackAnthony Devine
112023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 4782015normalblackAnthony Devine
122023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2382015normalblackAnthony Devine
132023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 10692015normalblackAnthony Devine

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Time Wipe has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 If you control no creatures, you simply destroy all creatures.
2019-05-03 You chose which creature to return to its owner's hand while Time Wipe is resolving. No player may take any actions between the time you choose the creature to return and the time other creatures are destroyed.

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