Sinister Concierge 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 dies, you may exile it and put three time counters on it. If you do, exile up to one target creature and put three time counters on it. Each card exiled this way that doesn't have suspend gains suspend. (For each card with suspend, its owner removes a time counter from it at the beginning of their upkeep. When the last is removed, they may cast it without paying its mana cost. Those creature spells have haste.)
Complete guide
Sinister Concierge is a unique blue creature that turns death into an opportunity to temporarily remove a threat. By leveraging the suspend mechanic, this Human Wizard ensures that neither it nor its target will be gone forever, but they will certainly be late to the party.
Exile and Suspend
When Sinister Concierge dies, its triggered ability goes on the stack. You may choose to exile the Concierge itself and up to one other target creature. If you exile both, each card receives three time counters and gains the suspend keyword. This means they are now 'suspended' cards, which will gradually tick down and eventually be cast for free.
Step-by-Step Resolution
1. Sinister Concierge is put into the graveyard from the battlefield, triggering its ability. 2. You choose a target creature to potentially exile. 3. As the ability resolves, you decide whether to exile Sinister Concierge from your graveyard. 4. If you do, you exile the target creature. 5. You put three time counters on each exiled card. 6. Each card gains suspend. At the start of their respective owners' upkeeps, a counter is removed. When the last is removed, the owner may cast the spell without paying its mana cost.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake is forgetting that suspend triggers only at the beginning of the card owner's upkeep. Also, remember that if the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) is countered or if you choose not to cast the card, it stays in exile forever without any time counters. Finally, because the Concierge targets, if the target creature becomes illegal before the ability resolves, the entire ability fails and the Concierge stays in the graveyard.
Strategic Timing
Use Sinister Concierge to clear a path by targeting a high-value blocker or a dangerous attacker. Since the Concierge returns to the battlefield with haste after its time counters run out, it acts as a recurring threat. It is particularly effective in decks that can repeatedly sacrifice creatures for value.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you target your opponent's Ornithopter of Paradise with the Sinister Concierge's death trigger, both creatures are exiled with three time counters. Three turns later, your opponent will get to cast their Ornithopter of Paradise for free with haste, but you have successfully deprived them of that mana source for three full rounds.
Foundry InspectorIf you exile a Foundry Inspector with Sinister Concierge, the Inspector will eventually be cast from exile via suspend. While the suspend ability allows you to cast it without paying its mana cost, the Foundry Inspector's own static ability will not affect its own suspend casting cost (which is already zero), but it will reduce the cost of other artifact spells you cast once it is back on the battlefield.
If Sinister Concierge dies and there are no other creatures on the battlefield, you can still choose to exile only the Concierge. It will receive three time counters and gain suspend. After three of your upkeeps, you will remove the final counter and may cast Sinister Concierge from exile for free, giving it haste for that turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sinister Concierge
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· 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.
- #2· 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.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· 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.
- #5· 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.
- #6· 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.
- #7· 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.
- #8· 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.
- #9· 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.
- #10· 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.
- #11· 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.
- #12· 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.
- #13· 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.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Sinister Concierge
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