Shivan Sand-Mage is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
When this creature enters, choose one — • Remove two time counters from target permanent or suspended card. • Put two time counters on target permanent with a time counter on it or suspended card. Suspend 4—
Complete guide
Shivan Sand-Mage is a versatile Lizard Shaman that masters the flow of time on the battlefield and in exile. Whether you are rushing your most powerful spells into play or stalling your opponent's clock, this creature provides essential utility for any deck utilizing the Suspend mechanic.
What It Does
Shivan Sand-Mage has an enters-the-battlefield ability that offers two modes: removing two time counters from a target or adding two time counters. This can target permanents already on the battlefield or 'suspended cards,' which are cards currently in exile with at least one time counter and the Suspend ability. Additionally, Shivan Sand-Mage itself has Suspend 4, allowing you to pay a single red mana to set it aside for a later turn.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When Shivan Sand-Mage enters the battlefield, you must choose one of its two modes and select a legal target. If you choose to remove counters, you select a permanent or suspended card; if the target has only one counter, you remove that one, and if it had the Suspend ability, the final removal will trigger the ability to cast that card. If you choose to add counters, the target permanent must already have a time counter on it, or it must be a suspended card. Note that if no permanents have time counters and there are no suspended cards, you are forced to pick the first mode and target a permanent, even if it has no counters to remove.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is trying to add time counters to a permanent that doesn't already have one; the second mode explicitly requires the target permanent to already possess a time counter. Another frequent error involves the definition of a 'suspended card.' For a card to be a legal target as a suspended card, it must be in exile, have the Suspend keyword, and have at least one time counter. Once the last counter is removed, it is no longer suspended and cannot be targeted by Shivan Sand-Mage's ability to add more counters.
When to Play It
Play Shivan Sand-Mage when you need to accelerate your own game plan or disrupt an opponent. It is particularly effective for 'cheating' high-cost spells into play earlier than expected by removing multiple counters at once. Conversely, if an opponent has a dangerous threat about to resolve from Suspend, you can use the second mode to push their arrival back by two full turns, giving you the time needed to find an answer.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Lizard' or 'Shaman' as it entered, Shivan Sand-Mage's ability triggers twice when it enters. This allows you to remove a total of four time counters from a single suspended card or split the effect to remove two counters from two different targets, potentially casting a high-cost Suspend spell immediately.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you cast Shivan Sand-Mage while Solemn Simulacrum is on the battlefield, the Sand-Mage's ability must still target something. Since the Simulacrum is a permanent but has no time counters, you must choose the first mode targeting it. The ability resolves and attempts to remove two counters; since there are none, nothing happens, and you simply have a 3/2 creature ready for combat.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Shivan Sand-Mage
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A creature cast using suspend will enter the battlefield with haste. It will have haste until another player gains control of it. (In some rare cases, another player may gain control of the creature spell itself. If this happens, the creature won't enter the battlefield with haste.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it's exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If the card has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
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.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, if there are no suspended cards and no permanents with time counters on them, you can't choose the second mode. You'll have to choose the first mode, and will have to choose a permanent as a target (though, in this case, the ability won't do anything when it resolves).
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Time Warp + Elrond, Moon-Reader
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Time Warp from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Elrond.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Time Warp.
- 4Time Warp's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Time Warp, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Time Walk + Elrond, Moon-Reader
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Time Walk from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Elrond.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Time Walk.
- 4Time Walk's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Time Walk, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Meneldor, Swift Savior + Time Warp
- 1Declare Meneldor as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Time Warp from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Meneldor.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Time Warp.
- 4Time Warp's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Time Warp, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Temporal Manipulation + Elrond, Moon-Reader
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Temporal Manipulation from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Elrond.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Temporal Manipulation.
- 4Temporal Manipulation's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Temporal Manipulation, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Temporal Manipulation + Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Temporal Manipulation from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Thassa.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Temporal Manipulation.
- 4Temporal Manipulation's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Temporal Manipulation, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Walk the Aeons + Y'shtola Rhul
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Walk the Aeons from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Y'shtola Rhul.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Walk the Aeons.
- 4Walk the Aeons's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Walk the Aeons, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Conjurer's Closet + Walk the Aeons
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Walk the Aeons from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Conjurer's Closet.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Walk the Aeons.
- 4Walk the Aeons's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Walk the Aeons, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Doom's Time Platform + Shivan Sand-Mage + Thassa, Deep-Dwelling + Time Warp
- 1Declare any creature as an attacker. When you do, Doom's Time Platform triggers, exiling Time Warp from your graveyard with two time counters on it.
- 2Blink Shivan Sand-Mage using Thassa.
- 3When Shivan Sand-Mage enters, it triggers, removing two time counters from Time Warp.
- 4Time Warp's suspend ability triggers, causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
- 5Resolve Time Warp, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Shivan Sand-Mage
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