Is time walk legal in Commander?
The iconic and infamous extra turn spell Time Walk remains on the Commander ban list, restricted from being included in deck building along with all silver-bordered cards. As one of the Power Nine cards dating back to Alpha in 1993, Time Walk has long represented an extremely efficient and powerful effect that comes with balance risks.
Why Are Extra Turn Spells Like Time Walk Banned?
For only 1U mana – among the lowest costs possible to enable Turn 1 or 2 plays – Time Walk grants a complete extra turn with untapped lands. Beginning in 1994, Time Walk became restricted in Vintage where the card pool covers all sets. This initial limitation established precedent across other formats that unfettered extra turns warp games.
By chaining extra turns together, Time Walk can fuel combo wins or arbitrary "storm count" shenanigans. Even without dedicated combo potential, the tempo boost of an extra land drop and attack phase often swings games. These reasons have seen Time Warp and most other extra turn spells banned as well in Legacy and Modern formats over time.
Commander Philosophy Prioritizes Social Fun Over Raw Power
The guiding philosophy of Commander balances power with social dynamics. As a multiplayer format frequently played in casual home settings, the ban list targets cards considered overly centralizing or unfun in group games. While the list does not aim to outright eliminate combos or fast wins, reducing consistent turn stealing aligns with this vision.
But where exactly should the line be drawn on restricting extra turns? The Rules Committee has firmly kept the ban hammer swung on Time Walk despite periodic calls to revisit such staples. As they explain, "We don‘t aim to balance competitive play" but promote enjoying the journey versus racing to the destination.
What If Time Walk Were Legal?
Given Commander‘s social focus that frowns on warping combos, I expect Time Walk would remain too powerful to unban even if the Rules Committee reversed course. With efficient mana cost and instant timing, the card offers consistent early game stealing of turns before opponents have interaction ready.
Even outside dedicated combo shells, attaching Time Walk to already problematic commanders would further reduce diversity and enjoyment:
- Narset taking 3 turns in a row off extra combat phases
- Teferi players phasing out permanents for extended solitaire sequences
- Kess using Time Walk from graveyard to chain other recursion spells
Granting blue tempo decks yet more access to turn manipulation could see a significant metagame shift and win rates spiking above healthy thresholds.
Comparing Time Walk to Other Banned Extra Turn Cards
How does Time Walk compare functionally to similar cards that remain banned in Commander?
| Card | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Time Walk | 1U | The original; banned across multiple formats for decades |
| Time Warp | 4U | Slower than Time Walk but cheaper than most extra turns; often combo finisher |
| Nexus of Fate | 5UU | Additional cost mitigated by shuffle effect; led to bans even in Standard due to infinite loop potential |
| Capture of Jingzhou | 3U | Flexible modal card also draws 3 cards; Chinese-only version legal oddly enough |
| Temporal Manipulation | 4UU | Slowest mana cost but grants two turns; banned likely due to combo finishing capacity |
| Walk the Aeons | 5UU | Unusual Tolaria-matters clause, but long term potential for infinite turns |
The efficiency of Time Walk sticks out, with its 1U mana cost far below similar effects. Even tempo cards like Capture of Jingzhou that tack on a draw 3 clause cost considerably more. And "Walk the Aeons can generate infinite turns at instant speed" as cards like Mystic Sanctuary come into play.
Speculation on Metagame Changes
Given my familiarity and enthusiasm for the Commander format as a passionate gamer, I speculate what meta changes could unfold if Time Walk dodged the ban hammer:
- Lower cost spell slinger and storm decks would surge in win rates from easily accessible infinite combos. Expect a sharp decrease in game length variability.
- To catch up in power level, opposing decks would skew further toward fast mana rocks to keep pace with extra turns coming online as early as Turn 1 or 2.
- Blue control and tempo archetypes get yet another tool proven too efficient across multiple formats historically. This risks reducing color diversity as those decks dominate.
- The overall social nature declines as games become "solves puzzles" to combo faster. Removing the safety valve of Time Walk‘s ban could undermine theCommander vision long term in a way the Rules Committee likely wishes to avoid.
I predict we would see bans against other complementary cards eventually, be it tutors, fast mana, or recurrable Time Walk targets. This slippery slope gives the Rules Committee incentive to hold firm on the initial Time Walk ban.
Could Any Form of Time Walk Be Balanced for Commander?
Some players hold out hope that an "Unglued" silver border version could enable the iconic card and its art in decks while avoiding balance issues. For example,Temporal Aperture from Unhinged grants an extra turn with no other bonuses for 5 mana.
However, as long as the functional name remains Time Walk, it seems unlikely Eldrazi werewolves get to take temporal matters into their own paws anytime soon. But never say never…
"Storm crow plus any extra turn card, obviously" – MaRo on Tumblr
