Clockspinning

Clockspinning card image

Clockspinning: Instant, Time Spiral. Buyback 3. Choose a counter on target permanent or suspended card. Printings, prices, and format legality on Mana Grove.

Mana cost
{U}
Mana value
1
Type
Instant
Colour identity
Blue (U)
Rarity
Common
Set
Time Spiral (TSP)
Released
2006-10-06
Collector number
53
Artist
Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
Commander rank
4,275 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
Keywords
Buyback

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About Clockspinning

Clockspinning is a Magic: The Gathering card, a common blue instant from Time Spiral (TSP), an expansion set released in October 2006. It is collector number 53 in that set, with art by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai. It costs {U} (one blue mana) to cast, for a mana value of 1. Its colour identity is blue. It is legal in Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Pauper Commander and PreDH. It has been printed in 2 sets, from Time Spiral (2006) to Doctor Who (2023). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.56 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-02).

Card text

Buyback {3} (You may pay an additional {3} as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.)

Choose a counter on target permanent or suspended card. Remove that counter from that permanent or card or put another of those counters on it.

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.56 (as of 2026-11-02).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Clockspinning by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

ModernLegal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
PauperLegal
CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
Pauper CommanderLegal
PreDHLegal

Other printings of Clockspinning

Clockspinning has been printed in 2 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

PrintingRarityYear
Doctor Who (WHO) #215Common2023
Doctor Who (WHO) #806Common2023

Official rulings

The 8 most recent official rulings for Clockspinning, newest first.

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

Similar cards

Other instant cards with a blue colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.

In these precons

Clockspinning is in the decklist of these preconstructed Commander decks.

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