Sundial of the Infinite MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. It allows for unique control over turn-ending, benefiting specific strategies and preserving board state.
  2. Instant speed activation grants flexibility, but its red mana requirement can limit deck inclusion.
  3. While Sundial provides a tactical edge, a two-mana activation cost might be considered high.

Text of card

, : End the turn. Activate this ability only during your turn. (Exile all spells and abilities on the stack. Discard down to your maximum hand size. Damage wears off, and "this turn" and "until end of turn" effects end.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sundial of the Infinite provides a unique advantage by allowing you to end your turn prematurely, preserving valuable elements on the battlefield that would otherwise be lost to end-of-turn triggers. This ensures your strategic position remains powerful as you maintain board state and key resources other players might not have access to.

Resource Acceleration: In some MTG decks, time is a resource, and Sundial of the Infinite accelerates your gameplay by skipping phases or turns you deem disadvantageous. By circumventing your opponent’s opportunities to react, you can effectively take extra turns through a form of indirect acceleration that can be just as impactful as ramping mana.

Instant Speed: The instant-speed activation gives you the agility to respond to opponents’ actions or to exploit fleeting synergies at the most opportune times. This flexibility provides tactical leverage, allowing you to navigate complex board states and interactions with the assurance that you can end the turn whenever it’s most beneficial to your game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Sundial of the Infinite doesn’t directly ask players to discard, fleeing from an unfavorable turn can feel akin to dropping valuable cards. Ending your turn prematurely, especially when the Sundial’s ability is mismanaged, can lead to involuntary loss of potentially advantageous plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Sundial of the Infinite features an activation cost that requires one generic and one red mana. This necessity embeds it firmly within red-inclusive decks, potentially limiting its versatility and applicability in multicolored decks where red isn’t a key component.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The artifact itself is affordable, yet its two-mana activation fee – especially in a fast-paced game – can be a steep price. Players might find themselves opting for other two-mana options that support their strategy more directly. Additionally, the colorless casting cost might lead players to underestimate the importance of having red mana available, leading to missteps in mana management.


Reasons to Include Sundial of the Infinite in Your Collection

Versatility: Sundial of the Infinite is a card that offers broad utility across various deck types. This artifact allows players to end the turn at will, which can be strategically used to evade detrimental effects that would normally resolve at the end of turn or to prematurely end opponents’ turns during their clean-up phase.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combo-oriented decks, enabling players to exploit end-of-turn triggered abilities to their advantage by preventing those triggers from resolving. This can protect key permanents from being sacrificed or maintain temporary tokens or buffs indefinitely.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where players are utilizing end-of-turn effects for value, Sundial of the Infinite can disrupt opponents’ plans. It proves to be an unexpected hurdle, making it a nuanced tech choice in decks that can capitalize on the timing of game phases and turns.


How to beat

Mastering the intricacies of gameplay in Magic: The Gathering is essential, particularly when facing an intriguing artifact like Sundial of the Infinite. This card holds the power to end the turn when activated, exiling all spells and abilities on the stack. To effectively navigate against this card, one strategy is to bait its activation before playing your most impactful cards. This preemptive move forces the Sundial’s user to decide whether to end the turn early, potentially safeguarding your major plays.

Additionally, destroying or countering the Sundial itself is a straightforward tactic. Artifact removal spells or abilities keep the board clear and maintain the natural flow of the turn. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize are effective tools for this approach. Players might also opt for instant-speed interaction, allowing them to hold up mana and respond directly to the Sundial’s activation, which can only be done during the controller’s turn. By carefully timing your actions and keeping pressure on the Sundial’s controller, you bolster your chances of negating the artifact’s influence over the game.

Patience and strategic execution of your plays can be the key to outmaneuvering the temporal mastery Sundial of the Infinite offers to your opponent’s strategy in MTG.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the flow of time is a subtle yet powerful strategy in MTG. With Sundial of the Infinite, crafting the perfect moment becomes part of your arsenal. While the pros and cons outlined offer insight into how this card can be utilized or countered, the true potential is realized in practice. Whether adapting your current deck or integrating new strategies, consider the scenarios where the Sundial can turn the tide in your favor. As the meta evolves, stay ahead by learning and implementing innovative tactics. Enhance your gameplay and outsmart opponents by adding Sundial of the Infinite to your collection. Ready for time to be on your side? Discover more strategies and elevate your MTG knowledge with us.


Cards like Sundial of the Infinite

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Sundial of the Infinite presents a unique approach to manipulating turns. This compares to other cards that tweak the rules around phase endings and turn structures. For instance, Time Stop is another card that also ends the turn, but it does so completely and immediately, nullifying all spells and abilities on the stack, unlike Sundial of the Infinite which requires timing until the end step.

Another comparable card is Final Fortune, which grants an extra turn but with a twist – losing the game at the end of that turn. Sundial of the Infinite can preempt the losing condition by ending the turn before the trigger resolves, showcasing its potential for savvy play. Isochron Scepter, while not directly ending the turn, can effectively reuse instants like those that can end turns or disrupt opponent’s plans, but requires the right card imprinted to mimic a similar effect to Sundial.

Considering these alternatives, Sundial of the Infinite stands out due to its ability to control turn-based actions without an immediate downside, providing strategic depth in games of Magic: The Gathering. Its unique application in various strategies underlines its value among cards influencing turn mechanics.

Time Stop - MTG Card versions
Final Fortune - MTG Card versions
Isochron Scepter - MTG Card versions
Time Stop - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Final Fortune - Mirage (MIR)
Isochron Scepter - Mirrodin (MRD)

Cards similar to Sundial of the Infinite by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Elsewhere Flask - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Dragon's Claw - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sundial of the Infinite MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012 and Mystery Booster Retail Edition Foils, 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 Sundial of the Infinite and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Sundial of the Infinite Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2011-07-15 and 2020-03-08. Illustrated by Vincent Proce.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-07-15Magic 2012M12 2182003normalblackVincent Proce
22020-03-08Mystery Booster Retail Edition FoilsFMB1 1122003normalblackVincent Proce
32020-09-26The ListPLST M12-2182003normalblackVincent Proce

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sundial of the Infinite has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2011-09-22 Ending the turn this way means the following things happen in order: 1) All spells and abilities on the stack are exiled. This includes spells and abilities that can't be countered. 2) All attacking and blocking creatures are removed from combat. 3) State-based actions are checked. No player gets priority, and no triggered abilities are put onto the stack. 4) The current phase and/or step ends. The game skips straight to the cleanup step. The cleanup step happens in its entirety.
2011-09-22 If Sundial of the Infinite’s ability is activated before the end step, any “at the beginning of the end step”-triggered abilities won’t get the chance to trigger that turn because the end step is skipped. Those abilities will trigger at the beginning of the end step of the next turn. The same is true of abilities that trigger at the beginning of other phases or steps (except upkeep).
2011-09-22 If any triggered abilities do trigger during this process, they’re put onto the stack during the cleanup step. If this happens, players will have a chance to cast spells and activate abilities, then there will be another cleanup step before the turn finally ends.
2011-09-22 The earliest that you can activate Sundial of the Infinite’s ability is during your upkeep step, after abilities that trigger “at the beginning of your upkeep” have been put onto the stack but before they resolve.
2011-09-22 Though spells and abilities that are exiled won’t get a chance to resolve, they don’t count as being “countered.”

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks