Temporal Spring
Sorcery
Put target permanent on top of its owner's library.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #17064
Temporal Spring puts a nonland permanent on top of its owner's library — effectively removing it from the game for a turn while also setting back their draw — for three mana at sorcery speed. That tempo loss on the caster's end is the real cost, and against fast or combo-heavy pods it often isn't enough; Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever is the clearest shell where Temporal Spring earns its slot, since bouncing your own exiled card resets it for another free cast.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever
Pako exiles cards face-down as counters, and Haldan lets you cast them — so using Temporal Spring to return one of those exiled cards to the top of its owner's library effectively recycles a spell you've already gotten value from, while also denying an opponent a draw. That loop is the core reason Temporal Spring shows up in roughly 25% of Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever lists.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Temporal Spring is a niche tempo piece — it answers any nonland permanent without destroying it, which matters against indestructible threats and commanders with powerful death triggers, but sorcery speed limits how often it's the right call. Pauper is where it sees the most genuine play, since the card pool has fewer unconditional answers and bouncing a permanent to the top of the library is a real setback in a format with modest card velocity. Legacy and Vintage are both legal but irrelevant — the card is simply outclassed by faster, more powerful interaction at those power levels. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander: situationally interesting, rarely optimal.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Temporal Spring is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or from a common bin. Demand is narrow enough that the price is unlikely to move in either direction, so there's no reason to hesitate on buying a copy if the slot fits your deck.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Haldan, Avid Arcanist // Pako, Arcane Retriever
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.