You’re staring at a piece of cardboard that looks like it belongs in a Lovecraftian nightmare. Honestly, if you’ve been tracking the secondary market for Magic: The Gathering (MTG) lately, you know things are getting weird. The Dial of the Old Ones isn't your typical powerhouse staple like a Mana Crypt or a Sol Ring. It’s niche. It’s flavor-heavy. And for a long time, it was mostly ignored by the competitive sweat-lords who only care about Tier 1 efficiency.
But things changed.
The Dial of the Old Ones is a colorless artifact from the Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks. Specifically, it hails from the Necron Dynasties deck—the one that came in that all-black, moody packaging that collectors went absolutely feral for. It costs three mana to cast. Its primary function? It lets you tap it, pay X, and discard a card to return an artifact with mana value X from your graveyard to your hand. Or, you can pay a different cost to cast things from the bin. It’s a graveyard recursion engine built for players who think "death" is just a temporary suggestion.
Why the Dial of the Old Ones actually matters right now
Let’s be real. Graveyard hate is everywhere. If you play Commander, you’ve probably had your entire strategy deleted by a well-timed Bojuka Bog or a Rest in Peace. It sucks. The Dial of the Old Ones offers a specific kind of resilience that many artifact-centric decks desperately need. It’s not just about getting things back; it’s about the flexibility of the timing.
Most people look at this card and see a slow, clunky wheel. They aren't entirely wrong. It requires an investment. You have to have the mana. You have to have the targets. But in a mono-black artifact shell—which is where this card lives its best life—mana is rarely the issue. Between Cabal Coffers and the sheer amount of ritual effects available, paying X is a breeze.
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The card's design mirrors the relentless, undying nature of the Necrons from the 40k lore. In the tabletop game, Necrons are famous for their "Reanimation Protocols." You kill them, they stand back up. The Dial of the Old Ones captures that soul-crushing persistence perfectly. If your opponent spends a premium removal spell on your Portal to Phyrexia, you just click the dial. You bring it back. You do it again. It’s psychological warfare as much as it is a game mechanic.
The Mechanics: Breaking down the "Echoes of the Past"
The card has a very specific wording that trips people up. It’s not a simple "Regrowth" effect. Because it scales with X, it stays relevant at every stage of the game. Early on, you might just be grabbing a Wayfarer's Bauble you used on turn two. Late game? You're fishing for a Triarch Stalker or a heavy hitter that wins the game on the spot.
What makes it better than other options?
Well, look at something like Buried Ruin. It’s a land, which is great, but it’s a one-time use. Once you pop it, it’s gone unless you have land recursion. The Dial of the Old Ones stays on the board. It sits there, threatening to undo every bit of progress your opponents make. It forces them to waste a Disenchant or an Abrade on a utility piece instead of your actual win conditions. That’s the "hidden" value of the card. It’s a lightning rod.
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Where to slot this in your deck (and where to skip it)
Don't just jam this into every deck. Please.
If you’re playing a high-speed Combo deck, the Dial of the Old Ones is probably too slow for you. You want things that happen now. You want KCI (Krark-Clan Ironworks) loops that end the game before your opponent can blink. This dial is for the grinders. It’s for the players who enjoy a twenty-turn game where they slowly exhaust everyone else's resources.
- Best in: Imotekh the Stormlord. This is the obvious one. Imotekh rewards you for things leaving your graveyard. The Dial facilitates that perfectly.
- Great in: Trazyn the Infinite. Since Trazyn can use abilities of artifacts in the graveyard, having a way to move pieces around is vital.
- Solid in: Daretti, Scrap Savant. Even though Daretti is red, he loves artifact recursion. The Dial acts as a backup for when Daretti gets pressured off the board.
The synergy with Mishra, Eminent One is also worth a mention. If you can copy the Dial, or use it to fodder into Mishra's ability, you start generating absurd amounts of value. You basically turn your graveyard into a second hand. That’s where the power lies.
The Financial Aspect: Is it a "Buy" or a "Bust"?
Checking the prices on TCGPlayer or CardMarket for the Dial of the Old Ones reveals a steady trend. It’s not a $50 card. Not yet. But because the Warhammer 40k decks were a limited print run compared to standard sets, the supply isn't infinite. Whenever a new artifact commander gets printed—which happens in basically every set now—cards like this get a tiny bump.
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The surge in interest usually follows "Artifact Summer" cycles. When The Brothers' War dropped, people scrambled for this card. When the Fallout decks arrived, same thing. It’s a "safety" card. Collectors like the surge-foil versions because the art looks genuinely menacing with that metallic sheen. If you’re a player, just grab the regular version. The cardboard plays the same.
Common misconceptions about the Dial
One thing people get wrong constantly is the speed. They think they can use it as a "gotcha" during an opponent's turn to bring back a blocker. Remember: the ability requires tapping and mana. Unless you have a way to untap your artifacts (like Unwinding Clock), you're usually limited to using this on your own turn.
Another mistake? Forgetting the discard cost. You have to discard to activate it. This isn't always a downside, though. In a graveyard deck, discarding is often just "Step 1" of your plan. You discard a big creature to the Dial, use the Dial to bring back a cheap utility artifact, then reanimate the big creature with a Reanimate or Animate Dead. It’s a cycle. Use the discard to your advantage.
Actionable Steps for Deckbuilders
If you're looking to integrate the Dial of the Old Ones into your current lineup, follow these specific steps to make sure it actually performs rather than just sitting there looking pretty.
- Check your Mana Curve: Ensure you have enough rocks to support the X cost. If your deck is mostly 1-mana and 2-mana spells, the Dial might be overkill. It shines when you are recurring 4+ CMC (Converted Mana Cost) items.
- Evaluate your Discard Outlets: If you already have 10 ways to discard cards, you might not need the Dial. If you find yourself with a hand full of high-cost artifacts you can't cast, the Dial becomes your best friend.
- Prioritize Targets: Identify the 3 "must-have" artifacts in your deck. If they are destroyed, do you lose? If the answer is yes, you need recursion. The Dial provides that insurance policy.
- Consider the Meta: If your local game store is filled with players running Leyline of the Void or Dauthi Voidwalker, maybe leave the Dial in the sideboard. It’s useless if your graveyard is being exiled on sight.
- Upgrade the Synergy: Pair it with Scrap Trawler. When you use the Dial to bring something back, you trigger a chain reaction of value that can often result in putting three or four cards back into your hand for the price of one activation.
The Dial of the Old Ones represents a shift in how MTG designs crossover cards. It’s flavor-first but mechanically sound. It doesn't break the game, but it makes the game harder for your opponents to win. That’s the hallmark of a good utility card. It won’t always be the star of the show, but when the game goes long and everyone is top-decking, you’ll be the one with the Dial, reaching into the past to secure your future.