By Ben Shahon
Time Stop is a six mana instant from Kamigawa block that ends whatever turn is happening, blanking all possible game effects that are happening at that moment. What at first glance looks like a moderately powerful defensive tool for blue decks turns out to be much stronger when used on the offensive–for example, in a four player environment on another player’s turn. When used in a 1v1 at the beginning of another player’s turn, it’s a spell that gives the caster an extra turn, an immensely powerful effect that’s usually gated at similar mana costs. In 4 player games, this essentially works like an UNO skip card, but one that could be used at any time, no matter where in the turn order a game is.
This is a lot of guff about a very particular, niche set of effects in Magic. And sure, it’s exactly the kind of complexity that usually drives people away, tells them that this is the space for the sweatiest of sweaty neckbeards. And to some extent, that’s correct. A few months ago, someone played a Time Stop to blank my whole turn in a mixed pod of Bracket 2 and 3 EDH players by casting it on my upkeep phase, even when they were far ahead of me in the process of attempting to win the game. Impulsively, I told the player who cast it, “Man, fuck you,” the words spilling out before I even recognized that the person who played it was a high school senior.