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Sphinx of the Second Sun

Creature — Sphinx

Flying
At the beginning of each of your postcombat main phases, there is an additional beginning phase after this phase. (The beginning phase includes the untap, upkeep, and draw steps.)

CMC
8
Mana cost
{6}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
mythic
Set
Murders at Karlov Manor Commander
Price
$1.93
EDHREC rank
#2409
Buy on TCGplayer
Sphinx of the Second Sun card art
Sphinx of the Second Sun hands you a second untap step every turn — draw cards, untap mana, trigger upkeeps again, all before your opponents can respond to a single end step. The six-mana, six-power flying body is fine, but you're here for the extra phase; anything that stacks upkeep triggers or runs suspend cards like Chronomantic Escape turns this from a value engine into a game-warping threat. Braids, Conjurer Adept cheats the cost entirely, which is why those two show up together in 76% of Braids lists.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Braids, Conjurer Adept

Braids, Conjurer Adept

76.2% of decks · synergy 0.72

03
The Tenth DoctorRose Tyler

The Tenth Doctor // Rose Tyler

38.2% of decks · synergy 0.37

04
Alaundo the Seer

Alaundo the Seer

38.5% of decks · synergy 0.37

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Sphinx of the Second Sun does its best work: multiplayer games run long enough for the second upkeep to compound, and the format's density of upkeep-matters and suspend synergies makes each extra phase snowball. Legacy and Vintage allow it, but a six-mana do-nothing-the-turn-it-arrives creature has no business in those formats' tempo ecosystems. Oathbreaker is a theoretical home, though the faster pace narrows the window before the game ends. Outside of those, Sphinx of the Second Sun is simply not legal, so Commander is both the intended context and the only one worth building around.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$1.93 cheap tier

At $1.93, Sphinx of the Second Sun is cheap for what it does — a unique, game-altering effect at this price point is a genuine bargain, and it's the kind of card that quietly holds its floor because the effect is irreplaceable rather than obsolete.

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Sources

Mentioned

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