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Reality Strobe

Sorcery

Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Exile Reality Strobe with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3—{2}{U} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {2}{U} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.)

CMC
6
Mana cost
{4}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Future Sight
Price
$1.71
EDHREC rank
#10111
Buy on TCGplayer
Reality Strobe card art
Reality Strobe bounces a permanent to its owner's hand and then suspends itself for four turns — meaning the disruption is real but the cost is a four-turn gap before you can cast it again. In Alaundo the Seer decks, that suspend clause flips from drawback to engine fuel, letting Alaundo cash in extra card draws every upkeep while the spell sits in exile.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Alaundo the Seer

Alaundo the Seer

38.0% of decks · synergy 0.38

Alaundo the Seer's ability triggers off cards with suspend in exile, so Reality Strobe's built-in four-turn suspension generates free card draw every upkeep — the bounce is almost secondary to the engine it feeds.

02
The Tenth DoctorRose Tyler

The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler

30.8% of decks · synergy 0.30

The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler rewards you for casting spells with suspend, and Reality Strobe's self-suspending clause turns a single cast into multiple adventure triggers over the following turns.

03
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

18.1% of decks · synergy 0.17

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds manipulates end steps and time counters, and Reality Strobe's suspend mechanic interacts directly with that clock — Obeka can accelerate or exploit the countdown in ways a normal bounce spell can't.

04
Jhoira of the Ghitu

Jhoira of the Ghitu

15.1% of decks · synergy 0.15

Jhoira of the Ghitu puts spells into suspend herself, so Reality Strobe slots into a suite of permanents and spells designed to operate on a delayed timeline where the bounce doubles as tempo while the suspend refuels the stack.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Reality Strobe does its real work, specifically inside suspend-matters strategies where the four-turn exile clause is a feature rather than a bug. In Legacy and Vintage, a bounce spell that locks itself away for four turns simply can't compete with instant-speed options that don't cost tempo, so it sees essentially no competitive play there. Modern has the same problem — the format is too fast for a sorcery-speed bounce with a four-turn reload. Oathbreaker follows Commander's logic closely enough that the same suspend synergies apply, and the singleton construction means any deck built around time counters will include it.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

669 decks
Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverInspiring RefrainVenture ForthReality Strobe

Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverInspiring RefrainVenture ForthReality Strobe

Cast a portion of the cards in your library and hand without paying their mana costs; Near-infinite card draw; Near-infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite magecraft triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Return most permanents you don't control to their owner's hand; Mass Land Denial

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
113 decks
Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverCyclical EvolutionInspiring RefrainReality Strobe

Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverCyclical EvolutionInspiring RefrainReality Strobe

Cast a portion of the cards in your library and hand without paying their mana costs; Near-infinite card draw; Near-infinite draw triggers; Near-infinitely large creatures until end of turn; Near-infinite magecraft triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Return most permanents you don't control to their owner's hand; Mass Land Denial

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
104 decks
Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverCyclical EvolutionVenture ForthReality Strobe

Alaundo the SeerChakram RetrieverCyclical EvolutionVenture ForthReality Strobe

Cast a portion of the cards in your library and hand without paying their mana costs; Near-infinite card draw; Near-infinite draw triggers; Near-infinitely large creatures until end of turn; Near-infinite magecraft triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Return most permanents you don't control to their owner's hand; Mass Land Denial

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$1.71 cheap tier

At $1.71, Reality Strobe sits in budget territory — you're not paying a premium for the effect. The price is fair for a card with a narrow but genuine home; it's unlikely to spike unless a new suspend commander breaks out, but equally unlikely to bottom out given the existing Alaundo the Seer demand.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.