Locket of Yesterdays MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Artifact
Released	2006-10-06
Set symbol
Set name	Time Spiral
Set code	TSP
Number	258
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dany Orizio

Key Takeaways

Offers crucial card advantage by making spells cheaper for each copy in the graveyard.
Can limit deck effectiveness without enough graveyard-filled cards, affecting early-game play.
Despite its cost, adds strategic value to decks utilizing graveyard synergies and combos.

Text of card

Spells you play cost less to play for each card with the same name as that spell in your graveyard.

Every hour, at the turning of the glass, its owner had whispered to the locket, seeding it with secrets. This would be her legacy, her memory, if the rifts should take her.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Locket of Yesterdays reduces the cost of all cards in your hand for each card with the same name in your graveyard, potentially allowing you to cast multiple spells in a turn and thereby gaining a significant card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: By decreasing the mana required to play spells, this artifact provides a form of resource acceleration, enabling a faster execution of your strategy and allowing you to outpace your opponents by making efficient use of your mana pool.

Instant Speed: While Locket of Yesterdays itself doesn’t have instant speed, the reduction in casting cost it offers can lead to a swifter deployment of your instant-speed spells, effortlessly integrating into a dynamic and reactive playstyle.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Locket of Yesterdays’ effectiveness depends on cards being in your graveyard. Without an adequate number of cards to support its cost-reduction effect, this can be a significant downside, especially early in the game where the graveyard is often not well stocked.

Specific Mana Cost: Needing one specific colorless mana to cast may seem trivial, but it can be restrictive in multicolored decks aiming for a smooth mana curve and when considering the necessity of having other color sources for the overall strategy.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the Locket promises a reduction of costs for spells, the initial investment may not be as advantageous compared to other mana accelerators or cost reducers in the game, particularly in environments where speed and efficiency are crucial.

Reasons to Include Locket of Yesterdays in Your Collection

Versatility: Locket of Yesterdays is an artifact that can seamlessly integrate into various deck structures. Its ability to reduce mana costs for spells based on the number of cards with the same name in your graveyard means it can support a range of strategies, from aggressive to control decks.

Combo Potential: With its cost reduction ability, this card excels in decks that rely on combos or reanimation tactics. Smart players can exploit the Locket to cast powerful spells much earlier than usual or to play multiple spells in a single turn for a winning combination.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where specific spells are consistently utilized, the Locket increases in value, allowing you to potentially outpace opponents by casting key spells for less mana. Particularly in eternal formats, where certain cards are often used, Locket of Yesterdays can be a tactical addition to your arsenal.

How to beat

Locket of Yesterdays is a unique artifact in Magic the Gathering that caters to decks with an inclination towards casting multiple spells with the same name. Its cost-reducing ability makes it a gem for strategies focused on utilizing the graveyard or repetitious spellcasting. The power of this card can be effectively mitigated by employing graveyard disruption tactics. Cards like Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void are proficient countermeasures, turning Locket of Yesterdays into a mere trinket by nullifying the card’s primary function.

Another approach is to target the artifact directly. Spell removal options such as Disenchant or Naturalize offer an instant solution to the potential problem posed by Locket of Yesterdays. Alternatively, employing a control-focused playstyle can limit the card’s effectiveness. Forced discard mechanics, counter spells, and strategic removal can disrupt the opponent’s plans before they fully utilize the cost-reducing benefits, ensuring that Locket of Yesterdays does not accelerate their strategy beyond your control.

In essence, by preemptively addressing the graveyard or the artifact itself, you can effectively neutralize the advantage Locket of Yesterdays promises to grant your opponent, thereby securing your position in the game.

Cards like Locket of Yesterdays

Locket of Yesterdays is a unique piece in the MTG arsenal, offering a cost-reduction ability for cards in the graveyard. Its closest relatives include cards like Sapphire Medallion and Ruby Medallion, which reduce the cost of blue and red spells, respectively. However, Locket of Yesterdays takes a distinctive approach, providing a discount for each copy of a card you have in your graveyard, irrespective of color.

Another comparable card is Cloud Key, which also provides a way to cast spells for less mana. While Cloud Key offers a broad reduction based on card types chosen when it enters the battlefield, Locket of Yesterdays’ cost reduction can potentially be more significant but demands a setup of having multiple copies of cards in the graveyard.

Also worth mentioning is Helm of Awakening, which presents a universal cost reduction for everyone at the table. Though Locket of Yesterdays could risk benefiting opponents with similar strategies, it generally focuses on enhancing the spells from its controller’s graveyard. This can lead to very cost-effective plays for decks that utilize the graveyard extensively.

Assessing these artifacts, Locket of Yesterdays finds its niche among cards that make spells cheaper, especially in a deck designed to exploit a well-stocked graveyard.

Cards similar to Locket of Yesterdays by color, type and mana cost

Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Locket of Yesterdays MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral, 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 Locket of Yesterdays and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Locket of Yesterdays has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2006-09-25	Colored costs can’t be reduced by this effect. For example, a spell that costs can’t be reduced by more than .
2006-09-25	Locket of Yesterdays reduces only the amount of mana you need to pay to cast a spell. The spell’s mana cost and mana value are not affected.
2006-09-25	The spell being cast doesn’t reduce its own cost, even if you’re casting it from a graveyard. At the time the cost is reduced, the spell is on the stack.