Zulp is somewhat right, this card can be amazing in the correct deck, since despite handling with turns, this card makes use of the most common counters that can be produced for any permanent by a bunch of cards. Three Energy Chambers should already do quite well, though...
iondragonx
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Zulp's idea is correct but DON'T forget the Coretappers FTW!
Subtle
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Coretapper works better with this card than Energy chamber, though I usually run both.
Coretapper, if it is online before the scepter comes into play, can actually instantly get you another turn. Tap once to throw a counter on it, and then sacrifice to take another turn. If you are running Myr Retreivers or Academy Ruins, you can put the tapper on top of your deck again and do it once more.
Sometimes that one extra turn can be what gets your combo off before you go infinite, so jump at the chance!
Tommy9898
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(5 votes)
hmmm, 4 coretappers 4 clockspining 4 gilderbairne 4 energy chambers 4 prodigal sorcerer (gotta have a win condition) 4 beacon of tomorrow 4 tinker some land and counters and maybe fog makes a deck.
Wyldblayde
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
The Depletion Counter lands from Ice Age and Power Conduit also increase this card's ability to go off. My friend uses Darksteel Reactor as his win condition once he goes infinite since he generates so many charge counters. Oh, and don't forget Voltaic Key to untap the Coretapper and the Power Conduit.
Zulp
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I have abused this with Energy Chambers. It makes people hate you. Fortunately I only have one, and I'm not buying more. I think the deck with 4 Scepters and 4 Energy Chambers would be too irritating to own.
Proliferate has made this absolutely insane! Contagion engine, yes sir!
Nayban
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Prototype Portal with Core tappers imprinted: put one out, wait a turn, put another out, tap then sacrifice your first Core tapper and take another turn. Can now take as many turns as you want, all for 2 mana.
Snafinturtle
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
To speed up the process elaborated by NayBan, you could simply have the scepter out, along with Mimic Vat, and have a coretapper die to it's effect, then it's a 3-mana infinite turn combo without the worry that they'll kill your non-hasty Coretapper.
If you look into adding a color to the combo, Enduring Renewal, Ashnod's Altar, Coretapper and this make infinite turn/counter/storm combo.
Then again Renewal and Cloudstone Curio tend to be the base for just about every storm combo ever, so i guess it's not all that uncommon to see it mentioned.
Once all those are in play pay one blue mana to turn Pili-pala blue. Then you pay 4 mana and tap magistrate finally you use Gilder Bairn (and the architect to produce infinite counters) Bam done xD
Faced it in a proliferate deck.
Its alright, but by the time they get the proliferate going, if killed them with my Vampires...
Three out of five. Too slow.
ph4ntom.lance
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
prefer time sieve over this for the desperation flavor and the speed
Lyoncet
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card has been broken in so many ways I wouldn't be surprised if we saw it hit the banned list sometime soon. If it had been a Legendary Artifact, this would be slightly more balanced, but any combination of one of these and two between Power Conduit and Vedalken Infuser (or three scepters and one of either of those) would give you infinite turns. With how easy it is to tutor artifacts in blue, black, and white, and the addition of Copy Artifact, that's not much tougher to pull off than Time Vault/Voltaic Key.
I recognize that it's not seeing play right now, but in terms of legacy legal cards, it's a pretty quick, simple infinite turn combo. And WotC seems to be really, really sensitive about those.
JFM2796
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Can go for infinite turns with an untapper.
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Proliferate cards go great with planeswalkers. Planeswalkers can make use of extra turns regardless of the board state. Magistrate's Scepter gives you extra turns but could use some help getting extra counters...
Just something to think about.
UncreativeNameMaker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think the quickest this could go infinite without ramping is turn 4.
Turn 1: Voltaic Key Turn 2: Coretapper Turn 3: Magistrate's Scepter (+1 counter from Coretapper) Turn 4: Either Coretapper, Voltaic Key, Energy Chamber, or Contagion Clasp (+2 counters from Coretapper + Key) Turn n: (+2 counters from Coretapper + Key, +1 counter from the turn 4 drop)
Once you're at 3 charge counters, Gilder Bairn or Vorel of the Hull Clade are enough to take ALL the turns for a few mana per turn. And honestly, if you have either of these on board, are you ever going to pay the {4} for adding a counter after the initial activation?
Technetium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
While not the utterly broken powerhouse that Time Vault is, it's still potentially abused and one of my favorite cards in the game. I play it with Coretappers, Energy Chambers, and Voltaic Keys, along with Copy Artifacts. For a win condition, I use Darksteel Reactor (which just so happens to also take charge counters). Just one or two scepters in the deck is generally all you need, and likewise with the reactors. I use Tinker, Gifts, Intuition, and Tezzeret the Seeker to get what artifacts are missing to make it work. Tezzeret's +1 also enables the combo with just a single coretapper. Supplement with Academy, Urzatron, Seat of Synod, artifact mana, plenty of draw cards (Thirst for Knowledge and Thoughtcast go particularly well here)... so yeah, you can build a fun and sometimes successful infinite turn deck without breaking the bank.
Arachnos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Sometimes time breaks old cards and turns them useless, and sometimes it breaks them in a whole different way. Coretapper makes hot steamy love to this card, together with Power Conduit and several others.
Layk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card might as well say "If you're able to get 3 charge counters on Magistrate's Scepter each turn, and if it's untapped, you win the game."
Comments (26)
Three Energy Chambers should already do quite well, though...
Coretapper, if it is online before the scepter comes into play, can actually instantly get you another turn. Tap once to throw a counter on it, and then sacrifice to take another turn. If you are running Myr Retreivers or Academy Ruins, you can put the tapper on top of your deck again and do it once more.
Sometimes that one extra turn can be what gets your combo off before you go infinite, so jump at the chance!
4 coretappers
4 clockspining
4 gilderbairne
4 energy chambers
4 prodigal sorcerer (gotta have a win condition)
4 beacon of tomorrow
4 tinker
some land and counters and maybe fog makes a deck.
If you look into adding a color to the combo, Enduring Renewal, Ashnod's Altar, Coretapper and this make infinite turn/counter/storm combo.
Then again Renewal and Cloudstone Curio tend to be the base for just about every storm combo ever, so i guess it's not all that uncommon to see it mentioned.
Pili-Pala
Gilder Bairn
Magistrate's Scepter
Once all those are in play pay one blue mana to turn Pili-pala blue. Then you pay 4 mana and tap magistrate finally you use Gilder Bairn (and the architect to produce infinite counters) Bam done xD
Its alright, but by the time they get the proliferate going, if killed them with my Vampires...
Three out of five. Too slow.
I recognize that it's not seeing play right now, but in terms of legacy legal cards, it's a pretty quick, simple infinite turn combo. And WotC seems to be really, really sensitive about those.
Planeswalkers can make use of extra turns regardless of the board state.
Magistrate's Scepter gives you extra turns but could use some help getting extra counters...
Just something to think about.
Turn 1: Voltaic Key
Turn 2: Coretapper
Turn 3: Magistrate's Scepter (+1 counter from Coretapper)
Turn 4: Either Coretapper, Voltaic Key, Energy Chamber, or Contagion Clasp (+2 counters from Coretapper + Key)
Turn n: (+2 counters from Coretapper + Key, +1 counter from the turn 4 drop)
How do you do this?
Coretapper
Vedalken Infuser
Energy Chamber
Throw in a Lux Cannon and Titan Forge for *** and giggles.