Time Elemental MTG Card
1994-06-01 - Number 81
1995-04-01 - Number 108
1995-04-01 - Number 108
1995-08-01 - Number 43
1997-03-24 - Number 129
2007-09-10 - Number 53
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Elemental |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Gains card advantage by returning opponent’s permanents, disrupting their field and play progression.
- Encourages strategic resource allocation, indirectly accelerating your board state while hindering opponents.
- Demands high mana investment; other creatures may offer similar control at lower costs.
Text of card
o Uo Uoc T: Return target permanent to owner's hand. Cannot target permanents with enchantment cards played on them. If Time Elemental blocks or attacks it is destroyed and does 5 damage to controller.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Time Elemental can prove itself to be a key asset when it comes to maintaining control of the board. Its ability to return permanents to an opponent’s hand disrupts their plays, potentially generating significant card advantage as they lose field presence and have to replay their cards.
Resource Acceleration: While Time Elemental doesn’t directly provide mana or resource acceleration, its continual potential to bounce the opponent’s threats can indirectly accelerate your board position by keeping the opponent backfooted, enabling you to deploy your resources more effectively in comparison.
Instant Speed: Time Elemental operates at the speed of a sorcery, but its impact on the game state resonates like that of an instant. By setting your opponent’s development back with its ability, you’re able to keep mana open for your own instants and counterspells, ensuring you can respond to threats effectively while maintaining the utility that Time Elemental provides on the board.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While employing Time Elemental, you need to be vigilant about its activation which necessitates returning it to your hand and then discarding two other cards. This can be problematic when your hand is already depleted or when every card you hold is vital for your gameplay strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: Time Elemental features a precise mana requirement to cast, demanding both two blue and one other mana. This can be tricky in multicolored decks that might struggle to produce the needed blue mana at the right time, making it a less adaptable choice compared to more flexible creatures.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, its ability to return a creature to its owner’s hand can come at a high price. Considering the game’s pace and other available options, there are creatures and spells that provide similar or even better board control benefits without such a hefty mana investment, making Time Elemental a less appealing option in many cases.
Reasons to Include Time Elemental in Your Collection
Versatility: Time Elemental offers unique flexibility as it can be a key piece in both controlling and combo decks. Its ability to return permanents to an opponent’s hand allows you to manage threats across different types of board states.
Combo Potential: Paired with cards that punish returned permanents or leverage bounced cards, Time Elemental can become part of a powerful control combo, disrupting the opponent’s game plan while setting up your own path to victory.
Meta-Relevance: In a game that increasingly appreciates the value of time and board control, having Time Elemental can be a strategic asset. Its presence forces opponents to play around it, often leading to more favorable plays to those who wield this classic card effectively.
How to Beat Time Elemental
Time Elemental stands as one of those intriguing creatures in Magic: The Gathering that can manipulate the flow of the game. Its unique ability to return permanents to a player’s hand can hinder your battlefield progress, but strategies exist to turn the tables. A key tactic is to use spells that can target and remove creatures at instant speed, thus eliminating the Time Elemental before it triggers its effect. Cards like Murder or Path to Exile can be particularly effective against it.
Furthermore, enchantments that restrict the opponent’s ability to activate abilities, such as Suppression Bonds or Encase in Ice, can neutralize the Elemental without triggering its detrimental leave-the-battlefield ability. By understanding and stalling the unwieldy cost of Time Elemental’s maintenance, you can also wear down your opponent’s resources, gaining the upper hand as they invest mana into preserving their elemental force.
Having a mix of instant-speed interactions, whether it be removal or counterspells like Negate, ensures that the presence of Time Elemental doesn’t dictate the pace and outcome of your duel. With these methods, overcoming the quirky temporal disturbances of Time Elemental is not only possible, but manageable with the right strategy.
Cards like Time Elemental
Time Elemental stands out as a unique offering within the array of creatures available in Magic: The Gathering. As a creature that can return other permanents to a player’s hand for a cost, it brings to mind capricious cards like Man-o’-War. While Man-o’-War allows for immediate board impact by bouncing a creature upon entry, Time Elemental requires a setup and a three mana investment each time you wish to activate its ability.
Another kindred spirit is Tradewind Rider, which also orchestrates the tempo of the game by returning permanents to the owner’s hand. However, Tradewind Rider is more flexible, capable of targeting any permanents, not just those of opponents. Additionally, you can activate its ability without sinking mana into it, though it demands tapping two other creatures you control. Lastly, we have Venser, Shaper Savant, which combines the instantaneous nature of Man-o’-War with the targeted versatility of Tradewind Rider, yet it’s a single-use effect, unlike the repeatable abilities of Time Elemental.
Despite its fragility and costs associated with its upkeep and ability, Time Elemental can be a strategic component in a deck that capitalizes on disrupting an opponent’s board state. When comparing it to similar cards, Time Elemental requires careful play but rewards players with consistent control over the flow of the game.
Cards similar to Time Elemental by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Time Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Legends and Fourth Edition, 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 Elemental 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Time Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1994-06-01 and 2007-09-10. Illustrated by Amy Weber.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994-06-01 | Legends | LEG | 81 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 2 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 108 | 1993 | Normal | White | Amy Weber | |
| 3 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 108 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 4 | 1995-08-01 | Renaissance | REN | 43 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber | |
| 5 | 1997-03-24 | Fifth Edition | 5ED | 129 | 1997 | Normal | White | Amy Weber | |
| 6 | 2007-09-10 | Masters Edition | ME1 | 53 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Amy Weber |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Time Elemental has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Time Elemental card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | You both sacrifice it and deal the 5 damage at end of combat. |
| 2005-08-01 | A “permanent that isn’t enchanted” is a permanent with no Auras on it. |
| 2007-09-16 | If Time Elemental attacks or blocks, but you no longer control it at end of combat, you can’t sacrifice it. However, it will still deal 5 damage to you. |
