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Restore Balance

Restore Balance

Sorcery

mythic

Suspend 6— Each player chooses a number of lands they control equal to the number of lands controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then sacrifices the rest. Players sacrifice creatures and discard cards the same way.

$0.61 ✦ $2.31View on Scryfall →

Semantic Tags

Group Hugmechanical

Benefits all players or gives opponents choices/resources. Political strategy.

Group Hugvector

Benefits all players or gives opponents choices/resources. Political strategy.

Hand Disruptionmechanical

Forces opponents to discard cards from their hand. Targeted discard, mass discard, and discard-or-pay effects.

Lets you sacrifice your own creatures or permanents for value. Key enabler for aristocrats strategies.

Suspendmechanical

A keyword ability that provides an alternative way to play a card. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.” A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

Suspendvector

A keyword ability that provides an alternative way to play a card. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.” A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernlegal
pioneernot legal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historicnot legal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (2)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Time Spiral Remastered#36mythic···
Time Spiral#38rare···

Related Concepts

Suspend

A keyword ability that provides an alternative way to play a card. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.” A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

Related Rules

107.3d

If a cost associated with a special action, such as a suspend cost or a morph cost, has an {X} or an X in it, the value of X is chosen by the player taking the special action immediately before they pay that cost.

116.2f

A player who has a card with suspend in their hand may exile that card. This is a special action. A player can take this action any time they have priority, but only if they could begin to cast that card by putting it onto the stack. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.”

702.62

Suspend

701.56a

To time travel means to choose any number of permanents you control with one or more time counters on them and/or suspended cards you own in exile with one or more time counters on them and, for each of those objects, put a time counter on it or remove a time counter from it. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.”

702.62a

Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with suspend is in a player’s hand. The second and third are triggered abilities that function in the exile zone. “Suspend N—[cost]” means “If you could begin to cast this card by putting it onto the stack from your hand, you may pay [cost] and exile it with N time counters on it. This action doesn’t use the stack,” and “At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card is suspended, remove a time counter from it,” and “When the last time counter is removed from this card, if it’s exiled, you may play it without paying its mana cost if able. If you don’t, it remains exiled. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of the spell or the permanent it becomes.”

702.62b

A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

702.62c

While determining if you could begin to cast a card with suspend, take into consideration any effects that would prohibit that card from being cast.

702.62d

Casting a spell as an effect of its suspend ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

Rulings

2013-06-07

Although originally printed with a characteristic-defining ability that defined its color, this card now has a color indicator. This color indicator can't be affected by text-changing effects (such as the one created by Crystal Spray), although color-changing effects can still overwrite it.

2021-03-19

Any abilities of the creatures sacrificed may modify or trigger on the lands being sacrificed, but won't modify or trigger on the cards being discarded. Abilities of the sacrificed lands won't modify or trigger on the creatures being sacrificed or the cards being discarded.

2021-03-19

As Restore Balance resolves, first the player whose turn it is chooses the appropriate number of lands they control, then each other player in turn order does the same knowing the choices made before them. Then all the lands that weren't chosen are sacrificed at the same time. Then, starting with the player whose turn it is again, each player chooses the appropriate number of creatures they control, then sacrifice their other creatures after all choices have been made. Finally, players choose cards in hand without revealing them in the same order and discard the remaining cards.

2021-03-19

Any abilities that trigger during this process will wait to be put onto the stack until Restore Balance is done resolving.

2024-02-02

If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

2024-02-02

Due to a recent rules change to suspend, you are no longer required to cast the suspended card as the second triggered ability of suspend resolves. Instead, as the second triggered ability resolves, you may cast the card. Timing permissions based on the card's type are ignored. If you don't cast the card, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

2024-02-02

If the card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

2024-02-02

If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card's owner's next upkeep.

2024-02-02

If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it's exiled.

2024-02-02

A card with no mana cost can't be cast normally; you'll need a way to cast it for an alternative cost or without paying its mana cost, such as by suspending it.

2024-02-02

If a card with no mana cost is given an alternative cost equal to its mana cost (by Snapcaster Mage, for example), that cost cannot be paid and the card cannot be cast this way.

2024-02-02

Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that gives you the option to cast the card when the last time counter is removed.

2024-02-02

When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.

2024-02-02

You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage's ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.

2024-02-02

Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.

2024-02-02

The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn't paid.

2024-02-02

If you cast a card "without paying its mana cost," such as with suspend, you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card.

2024-02-02

If an effect refers to a "suspended card," that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it.

2024-02-02

Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.