Sands of Time
Artifact
Each player skips their untap step.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player simultaneously untaps each tapped artifact, creature, and land they control and taps each untapped artifact, creature, and land they control.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Visions
- Price
- $3.34
- EDHREC rank
- #20745
Sands of Time locks the untap step for everyone, warping the game around its static — permanents only untap when upkeep triggers fire, which hands enormous advantage to decks built to exploit the timing. The combo ceiling, especially with Strionic Resonator copying its triggered ability, is high enough to justify the slot in dedicated builds, but it's a blank or worse in any deck that hasn't engineered around it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Sands of Time actually lives — four-player tables amplify the chaos of a shared untap disruption, and the format's singleton construction means the card goes unanswered long enough to matter. Legacy and Vintage are legal homes but irrelevant in practice; the effect is too slow and parasitic to compete in those formats where faster, more linear disruption dominates. Sands of Time is a Commander-specific tool, full stop.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Strionic ResonatorSands of Time
Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Lithoform EngineSands of Time
Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
AwakeningSands of Time
Tap all lands and creatures opponents control during each of your turns; Tap all lands and creatures during each opponent's upkeep step; Lock; Mass Land Denial
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Tawnos, Urza's ApprenticeSands of Time
Infinite Mana during the upkeep step; Infinite untap of creatures you control; Infinite mana artifacts you control can produce during the upkeep step; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce during the upkeep step; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$3.34 cheap tier
At $3.34, Sands of Time sits at the cheap end of the spectrum for a card with genuine combo potential in Commander. The price reflects its narrow application — it holds value in the niche that wants it, but don't expect movement in either direction.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.