IT'S TIME FOR TIME SPIRAL REMASTERED By Adam Styborski

IT'S TIME FOR TIME SPIRAL REMASTERED By Adam Styborski

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IT'S TIME FOR TIME SPIRAL REMASTERED

Posted in Card Preview on February 25, 2021

By Adam Styborski

We've done this before.

In 2006, Time Spiral was unleashed into the world. It heralded our return to the plane of Dominaria after a then-long hiatus of three years since the release of Scourge—the last story to take place there. The face of Magic cards had changed—updated to the "modern" frame—and we were met with a dystopian future where the world was slowly dying and things got complicated.

The story of Time Spiral block includes many characters, but the most important was the return—and planeswalking sacrifice—of Teferi that played out through the namesake release and its additions: Planar Chaos and Future Sight. Packed with flavorful callbacks to Magic's earliest days alongside dozens of mechanics, it created a rich, complex Draft format.

Time Spiral block would be the last visit to Dominaria until, well, Dominaria's release ten years later. (Things got better.)

It's easy for me to wax philosophic about Time Spiral because I lived through the experience. In wonder, I opened cards that looked old but were being printed anew—even if they weren't the splashiest of options.

I fell in love with the reimagined color pie—a rebalancing of the mechanics and abilities of colors—that played with my Magic intuition and appeared only in Planar Chaos.

I was in awe of the "future frame" that came with some of the cards in Future Sight, showing off full-art cards in basic Draft commons.

The era was defined by complicated interactions, interesting combos, and payoffs of some of Magic's wildest competitive moments. But, like all other sets, it was an ephemeral moment.

Time Spiral Remastered follows in the footsteps of digital "remastered" sets to bring older gameplay to a modern aesthetic and match it with an experience that's as refined as it is nostalgic.

TSR Aven RiftwatcherTSR Pallid MycodermTSR Mycologist

Each card in Time Spiral Remastered comes from the three sets in the Time Spiral block, selected to capture what it was like drafting in that era.

  • Thallids! If you can wait three turns you can get something good, I think! (You need "time" to make it work. Get it?!)
  • Sacrifice outlets! What good is a thallid growing saprolings without some way to munch them up and get something else out of them? (Dominarian historians can explain the dangers of a Thallid-based economy.)
  • More life gain! Aven Riftwatcher is somewhat efficient, and will get a hit in for you, but it's destined to vanish as a win condition. [Editor's Note: Insert a "time is limited/Limited" joke here.]

You'll have to wait to see other familiar faces for folks who enjoy taking time to find the win, but Time Spiral Remastered also brings one more nod to the past with it.

WAR Ajani's PridemateTSR Ajani's Pridemate

Every booster pack contains a card from a bonus sheet, select cards originally printed with the modern Magic frame now returning with what we're calling the retro frame treatment. Built beginning from the original frame files for Magic, these cards flip Time Spiral's "the past returns" convention on its head—and delight players like me who love the throwback Magic look.

Gaining life quickly suddenly looks a lot better with Ajani's Pridemate around. You can be sure that just as Time Spiral's bonus sheet added excitement for the unexpected in drafts, the retro frame cards of Time Spiral Remastered bring a new dimension to its battles with familiar faces sliding into the past.

TSR Booster Box
TSR Booster Packs
TSR Draft Sleeves

Time Spiral Remastered releases March 19. Check out the Card Image Gallery, and the Promo and Bonus Sheet Card Image Gallery, to see even more returning and retro frame cards!




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