Magic: The Gathering players have a love-hate relationship with board wipes. You know the feeling. You've spent four turns developing a board state, your creatures are finally ready to swing, and then your opponent drops a four-mana spell that sends everything to the graveyard. It sucks. But then Modern Horizons 2 arrived and gave us something different. MTG Out of Time isn't your standard "destroy all creatures" effect. Honestly, it’s much weirder than that, and if you aren't playing it in your Commander decks, you’re probably missing out on one of the most efficient pieces of interaction in the white color pie.
Let's look at the card. It costs $1WW$. That’s cheap. For three mana, you get an enchantment that phases out every creature on the battlefield. Not exile. Not destroy. Phased out. This is a massive distinction because phasing doesn't trigger "enters the battlefield" or "leaves the battlefield" effects. If you’ve ever tried to board wipe a player running Yarok, the Desecrated or Purphoros, God of the Forge, you know that killing their creatures often just gives them more value or sets them up for a massive reanimation spell. MTG Out of Time just puts them in a time-out.
Understanding the Vanishing Act
The card works on a mechanic called Vanishing. When MTG Out of Time enters, it gets time counters equal to the number of creatures it just phased out. Every upkeep, you remove a counter. When the last one is gone, the enchantment hits the graveyard, and everything comes back.
But here’s the kicker: Commander is a multiplayer format.
If you phase out twenty tokens and a few commanders, this thing is sitting on the board with twenty-some-odd counters. That is basically an eternity in a game of Magic. Most games don’t last another twenty rounds. Effectively, you have permanently dealt with every threat on the board for the price of a single white mana and two generic. It’s a surgical strike disguised as a board wipe.
I've seen players get tilted because they realize their Commander is stuck in limbo. Since the creature hasn't changed zones—it hasn't gone to the graveyard or exile—the owner can't choose to put it back in the Command Zone. It’s just... gone. It exists in a state where it can't be touched, but it also can't do anything. You’ve basically trapped their primary engine in a flavor-filled temporal prison. It’s hilarious, honestly, unless you’re the one across the table.
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Why Phasing is the Saltiest Mechanic
Phasing is old-school. It dates back to Mirage, and for a long time, it was considered one of the most confusing rules in the game. Basically, phased-out permanents are treated as though they don't exist. They keep their equipment, their auras, and their counters, but they aren't on the battlefield.
This is why MTG Out of Time is a nightmare for Voltron players.
If you cast Wrath of God against a Light-Paws or Uril, the Miststalker deck, they usually have ways to protect their stuff or recur the enchantments. If you use MTG Out of Time, the equipment and auras phase out with the creature. They stay attached. When (or if) the creature returns, it comes back fully loaded. But while it’s phased out? The player can't move that equipment to another creature. Their entire investment is locked behind a piece of cardboard that’s slowly ticking down.
The Math of Counters
Let’s be real about the "vanishing" part. In a typical four-player game, a mid-game board state might have ten to fifteen creatures. If you play this, you get ten to fifteen turns of peace. If someone plays a "go-wide" deck like Elves or Goblins? Forget about it. I’ve seen this card enter with forty counters. At that point, the enchantment is more permanent than the player's life total.
Strategic Synergies and Non-Bos
You can't just jam this into every deck. Well, you can, but you should be smart about it. Because MTG Out of Time is an enchantment, it’s vulnerable. A simple Nature's Claim or Disenchant brings everything back instantly. This creates a weird political dynamic at the table. If you're the one who played it, you’re now the guardian of the prison. If another player wants their creatures back, they have to target you. But if the other players are scared of what’s trapped inside, they might actually protect your enchantment for you.
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- Solemnity: This is the "mean" combo. If Solemnity is on the field, counters can't be placed on permanents. If you cast MTG Out of Time, it enters with zero counters. Because the trigger to sacrifice it only happens when the last counter is removed—and you never had any to begin with—the enchantment stays on the battlefield forever. Every creature currently on the board is phased out for the rest of the game.
- Sun Titan: Since this costs three mana, you can bring it back with Sun Titan or Sevinne's Reclamation. It’s a repeatable lockdown engine.
- Enchantress Decks: It’s a low-cost enchantment that triggers all your "whenever you cast an enchantment" draws. It fits perfectly in Sythis, Harvest's Hand.
There is a downside, though. If you are playing a creature-heavy deck, you’re hitting yourself too. It phases out all creatures. This isn't a Cyclonic Rift where you get to keep your board. You have to be prepared to play a "draw-go" style of game for a few turns or have a way to win that doesn't involve attacking with creatures you already had out.
What People Get Wrong About the Rules
I see this happen at Local Game Stores (LGS) all the time. Someone tries to respond to the vanishing trigger or tries to blink their creature in response.
Here is the truth: The phasing happens as part of the "enters the battlefield" (ETB) ability. When MTG Out of Time hits the table, that trigger goes on the stack. If you have a way to stifle that trigger, do it. But once it resolves, everything is gone.
Another common mistake involves tokens. Usually, when a token leaves the battlefield, it ceases to exist. But phasing isn't leaving the battlefield. The tokens actually stay "attached" to the phased-out state and will come back later. This is different from almost every other board wipe in existence. It makes the card uniquely suited for dealing with massive token armies without actually deleting them—which sounds counter-intuitive until you realize you've just bought yourself twelve turns of safety.
The Financial Side of the Card
Look, Magic is expensive. We all know it. But MTG Out of Time is surprisingly affordable. Because it was a rare in a high-print set like Modern Horizons 2, there are plenty of copies floating around. It’s a "bulk rare" that performs like a staple. While everyone is chasing Ragavan or Urza's Saga, smart deck builders are picking up these utility pieces for pennies.
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It’s one of those cards that will eventually spike when people realize how much better it is than standard wipes in specific metas. If your playgroup is full of "ETB" value decks or Commanders that are hard to kill, this is your silver bullet.
How to Play Against It
If you see a white player holding up three mana and they haven't done much all game, be wary. The best way to beat MTG Out of Time is to not over-extend. But that’s true for any wipe.
The real counterplay is enchantment removal. Most decks run some form of it, but they often waste it on things like Smothering Tithe or Rhystic Study. You have to weigh the options. Is it worth blowing your Krosan Grip to get your creatures back now, or can you wait three turns? If the person who played it is about to lose, you might just wait for them to die—because when a player leaves the game, all their permanents (including the enchantment) leave with them, and your creatures phase back in.
Final Thoughts for Your Next Deck Tech
Is it better than Farewell? No. Farewell is arguably the best board wipe ever printed because of its flexibility. But Farewell costs six mana. MTG Out of Time costs three. In a faster meta, that three-mana difference is the difference between surviving an aggro onslaught and being dead on the floor.
It provides a unique layer of protection by bypassing "Indestructible" and "Hexproof" (since it doesn't target). It stops graveyard recursion. It locks down Commanders. It’s a weird, flavor-heavy, mechanical powerhouse that deserves a slot in your 99.
Actionable Steps for Players:
- Check your meta: If you see a lot of Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Gaddock Teeg, put this card in your sideboard or main deck.
- Pair with Solemnity: If you're playing a deck that already uses Solemnity (like Nine Lives combo), this is a mandatory inclusion for a permanent creature lock.
- Watch the stack: Remember that the number of counters is determined upon resolution. If someone flashes in more creatures in response to the cast, the enchantment actually gets stronger and lasts longer.
- Budget Building: If you're building a white deck on a budget, buy this instead of the pricier wipes. It does 90% of the work for 10% of the price.