Pointed Discussion

When this card didn't function while tapped, it had a great interaction with Teferi's Realm. Now (as in the past 10 years) that artifacts function all the time, I find have to get my kicks by having as many copies in play as possible and flooding my upkeep with mana. Hooray for Buyback!

The beginning of your upkeep isn't the beginning of your turn, unfortunately. That would be the Untap Step.

Fictionarious, the revised Oracle text says "at the beginning of the upkeep", and the untap step doesn't exist. Each turn begins with the beginning of the upkeep (unless it ceases to exist too: Eon Hub), but it's irrelevant to my question: does a Sands of Time that comes into play "at the beginning of the upkeep" (e.g. via Braids, Conjurer Adept) trigger in the same upkeep or only on the next turn's upkeep?
The rules aren't very clear on "the beginning of the upkeep" being a state (a piece of the upkeep) or an event (the transition between whatever comes before, either the draw step or the previous turn or something else, and the upkeep).

My favorite combinations are with Capsize (beyond one Capsize per turn, and it's easy to play 2-3, it's usually game over), Prodigal Sorcerer/Zuran Spellcaster/Reveka, Wizard Savant etc. for creature extermination and burn, with Betrayal etc. and Psychic Venom etc. to abuse the opponent's permanents, Archivist/Arcanis the Omnipotent etc. to draw. Never got around to try Equipoise.

I can only say this:

Since it's YOUR turn you have priority. So, when multiple cards have effects in the same phases you can pick what happens. Artifacts don't have summoning sickness (unless their Artifact creatures)

So, yes. A Sands of Time coming into play with an effect or ability will trigger as long as their being done in the same phase.

1. Sands of Time (already in play)
2. Untap phase is skipped
3. Beginning of your upkeep, Braids ability triggers
4. Sands of Time that is reveled from Braids hits play and still in your beginning of your Upkeep phase
5. 2nd Sands of Time triggers.

If I have it right that is. I'm 90% sure it's the proper way.

+ Eon Hub = no more untapping. Add Kismet/Frozen Aether for lock-down. Then you just wait to draw lands and play your win condition (something with vigilance would be fairly effective).

Oh, @LG: It would not trigger. "At the beginning of your upkeep" is an event.

@MTGFreak: No, it does not trigger after being put into play at the beginning of your upkeep. At the beginning of the upkeep step, all things that trigger at the beginning of your upkeep go onto the stack. If something comes into play after all those triggered abilities go onto the stack, then it has come into play after the only "at the beginning of your upkeep" trigger, and therefore it will not trigger. Of course, there's always Paradox Haze. Heheh, that would be so confusing. And it would make Capsize truly horrifying...

What you usually want to do is Paradox Haze your opponent.

This card would be really fun to play right after you've cast Topsy Turvy.

So, what happens if you have multiple copies of this on the field? I think the effects stack, but I'm not sure of that one.

Vigilance Hate.

If you have multiple of these out then all trigger at the beginning of the upkeep and resolve in reverse order. This means that having odd number of these out is just the same as having only one out. Having even number of these out equals Stasis without an upkeep cost.

Careful use of this card can make it better than Stasis

I miss the days of mana burn...

Anti-Second Wind tech.

@LG: When you put Sands of Time onto the battlefield with Braids at the beginning of the upkeep, that event has already passed. When it becomes "the beginning of the upkeep", the game checks for all cards in play that trigger abilities, and these abilities then go on the stack to resolve in whatever order. When Braids's ability resolves and Sands of Time enters the battlefield, the game has already checked for abilities that trigger at this time, Sands of Time's triggered ability won't trigger, because the event (the beginning of the upkeep" has already passed.

TL;DR - permanents entering the battlefield during your upkeep won't trigger their "at the beginning of upkeep" abilities, because it's already too late at that point.

Also, just a reminder: you can't play cards or activate abilities on a turn before the "beginning of the upkeep" event has triggered This is because no players get priority before this event. The Leylines and Gemstone Cavern could be called an exception to this, but that's because you get to start the game with them in play before you actually get your turn.

The removal of mana burn substantially weakens this card, because your opponent can just tap all their lands to ensure they always untap. (You can do the same, but it means the card has less impact.) Also, this weakens the Paradox Haze combo -- your opponent can tap all their lands in response to the effect going off the second time, meaning all their lands will always untap. In fact, this even lets them do instant-speed stuff with the extra mana.

It does lock down their creatures and artifacts, but only the stuff with no tap abilities.

@LG.

You are wrong.

>Comprehensive Rules. Updated April 2013
Section 502 and subsections used.
>Untap step gives no priority
>Occurs before ANY beginning of upkeep effects.
>HOWEVER, given any effect that occurs in the untap step, you can respond to it. Just like in the upkeep, you CANNOT respond to it as you do not have priority unless an effect triggers. (Re: Mesmeric Orb allows you to respond in the untap step, pre-upkeep, provided SOMETHING exists to untap)

I suggest you reread your rules. The untap DOES exist. Just because oracle changes a card doesn't change gameplay entirely. (Re: Guardian Beast. The effect was massively changed as temporary effects + untapping him used to create an entirely different effect than what he does now, many cards are 'improved' by oracle or change functionality entirely)

@MTGFreak

When a phase begins, it checks all permanents and triggers them all at once. This trigger only occurs once.

Example:

>Upkeep trigger
>Sands of Time A Triggers
>Braids Triggers
>Braids Resolves, places new Sands of Time B onto the field
>Sands of Time A Resolves

There is no new upkeep trigger to set off Sands of Time B. So it will not act until the next upkeep.

@Guest1381794618

They 'stack' in the terms of 2 Sands of Time would tap and untap, and untap and tap (depending on orientation of said cards) all permanents. 3 would replicate the effect of 1, and 4 the effect of 2, and so on.

Though it would trigger when a creature taps or untaps effects properly, yes. IE the Mesmeric Orb I mentioned above.

@tavaritz & Paladin85

Stasis how? Stasis prevents anything from becoming untapped. 2 of these will just return the field to its proper position every turn. Just tapping and untapping everything. Which honestly could yield some nice instant / mana dump mana (it triggers the tapping, tap in response, thusly it untaps it, 2nd triggers, tap it in response to have it freely untapped)

But not so much stasis, unless you combo it with something else I am not seeing you post.

Use with Jangling Automaton and shut down your opponent's creatures on their turn. You'll probably want to give it indestructibility somehow, so it doesn't murder itself charging into the opposing forces.

This can still be dangerous, of course, as there's still abilities that don't require tap or anything, but it would be useful if you need to get a creature through somehow.

Surprised nobody's mentioned this yet, but it effectively doubles your mana pool for instant/flash cards, or cards with abilities such as Helix pinnacle.

Don't tap any of your lands for a turn, pass over to your opponent, and then when it's your turn again, and this goes on the stack, tap all of your mana producers in response to it, and then let it resolve. This will untap the lands you just tapped, and now you can tap them again.

For example, if you play this on turn 4 with 4 lands, you can cast up to 10 mana worth of instants on the beginning turn 6 with no ramp whatsoever.

If you plan on using this kind of strategy though, you're bound to have ramp... because it can utilize things like Mana vault, Grim monolith and Basalt Monolith without their usual drawbacks. Doubling cube is also a nice ramp card with this combo.

Throw in a Leyline of anticipation, and you effectively double your mana, but only during your upkeep. It also makes passing your turn safer, because you can answer threats instantly. Throw in mana fixing cards like Chromatic lantern, or Mycosynth Lattice, and you can cast any card you want. Ultimatums are pretty fun.

Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you: they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I am or why I say this. Sit down and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard.

A true horror when paired with Taniwha and donate effects, such as in Zedruu, the Greathearted EDH.

@LG
It wouldn't trigger, because it has to come in at the beginning, not the middle. If the upkeep started before sands of time ETB, then the ability would not trigger.

You want to combo this with paradox haze enchanting opponent.

Looks like Born of the Gods has a nasty Inspired enabler, especially if this is out in multiples.