Telling Time
Instant
Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of those cards into your hand, one on top of your library, and one on the bottom of your library.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander
- Price
- $0.28
- EDHREC rank
- #5429
Telling Time looks at the top three cards of your library and puts one in your hand, one on top, and one on the bottom — instant-speed library sculpting for two mana. It's not Brainstorm, but Aminatou, Veil Piercer turns every card you bottom into a threat trigger, which makes the discard-to-bottom clause an asset rather than a concession.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Aminatou, Veil Piercer
Aminatou, Veil Piercer's ability triggers whenever a permanent you control is put into the graveyard from the battlefield while an opponent controls a permanent with higher mana value — and Telling Time fuels the setup by letting you stack exactly what you need on top while feeding the bottom for value. At a 43% inclusion rate across 16,000-plus decks, it's one of the most consistent cantrips in the archetype.
Neera, Wild Mage
Neera, Wild Mage wants a library stacked with high-impact spells to maximize the random spellslinger hits, and Telling Time lets you bury a dud on the bottom and float the best two options for your next draw. It's cheap enough to cast before swinging with Neera without meaningfully interrupting your turn.
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Talrand, Sky Summoner makes a 2/2 Drake every time you cast an instant or sorcery, so Telling Time at instant speed is a Drake plus meaningful library filtering for two mana — efficient on both axes. In a deck where every spell is supposed to pull double duty, that's exactly the rate Talrand wants.
River Song
River Song draws a card whenever opponents cast their first spell each turn and rewards you for casting instants and sorceries in unexpected order, so Telling Time fits as cheap, flexible interaction that keeps your hand full during opponents' turns. It's low-commitment enough to hold up mana without passing completely dead.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Telling Time is a solid role-player in blue spell-matters and top-of-library manipulation decks — it won't headline a strategy, but it does consistent work for two mana at instant speed. In Legacy and Vintage, it's outclassed by Brainstorm and Ponder, which offer more cards seen or more selection for less mana, so Telling Time doesn't make competitive lists there. Pauper is where it competes most seriously as a budget cantrip in blue control and tempo shells that want to sculpt draws without spending rare slots. Modern has better options at the same cost, so Telling Time rarely shows up there either.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.28 bulk tier
At $0.28, Telling Time is deep bulk — easy to acquire as throw-ins or cheap singles without a second thought. The price is unlikely to move meaningfully given its supply across multiple printings and the ceiling set by stronger blue cantrips.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Aminatou, Veil Piercer
- Neera, Wild Mage
- Talrand, Sky Summoner
- River Song
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.