Delay
Instant
Counter target spell. If the spell is countered this way, exile it with three time counters on it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. If it doesn't have suspend, it gains suspend. (At the beginning of its owner's upkeep, they remove a time counter. When the last is removed, they may play it without paying its mana cost. If it's a creature, it has haste.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #1968
Delay is a two-mana hard counter that replaces itself with time — the spell doesn't resolve now, but it comes back in three turns with suspend counters removed. Against Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, that deferred resolution means the opponent can't cast it on their own turn anyway, turning a temporary answer into a near-permanent one.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin locks opponents out of casting spells on their own turns, so a spell suspended by Delay that would return on the opponent's upkeep simply never resolves — the suspension becomes indefinite lockout rather than a three-turn delay.
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator runs a fast, tempo-aggressive pirate strategy where protecting Malcolm through combat is everything, and Delay neutralizes a blocker or interaction spell for long enough to close the game.
Jhoira of the Ghitu
Jhoira of the Ghitu puts her own cards into suspend, so Delay fits the gameplan philosophically and practically — stall an opponent's threat for three turns while Jhoira's suspended spells come online and end the game.
Talion, the Kindly Lord
Talion, the Kindly Lord rewards knowing opponents' hand sizes and spell costs, and Delay's two-mana cost keeps the interaction tight and efficient inside a tempo shell that wants cheap answers over clunky counterspells.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade taxes and blanks non-land mana, and Delay synergizes by further stalling the opponent's game plan — suspending their most dangerous spell while Lavinia's static ability eats away at their ability to replay it when it returns.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Delay punches above its weight class precisely because the game goes long — three turns of suspension is often enough time to win, and at two mana it fits into any interaction package that runs blue. In Legacy and Vintage, it sees occasional play in tempo and prison builds where a two-mana counter that doesn't answer the spell cleanly is sometimes acceptable, but Force of Will and Daze crowd it out of most lists. Modern has better options at the same cost, so Delay operates as a budget or synergy-specific choice there rather than a staple. Pioneer and Standard are off the table entirely, and Pauper misses it too, which keeps its competitive footprint narrow outside Commander and the older formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Delay isn't currently available in this listing, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest. It has been printed multiple times across different products, which historically keeps its price accessible for most budgets.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
- Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Jhoira of the Ghitu
- Talion, the Kindly Lord
- Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.