Time SieveHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Price in Metal

The ability of Time Sieve is an activated ability that costs both tapping the artifact and sacrificing five artifacts. Because sacrificing the artifacts is part of the cost, your opponents cannot respond to the sacrifice itself to try and save your permanents; by the time they can react, the artifacts are already in the graveyard and the ability is on the stack.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you announce the activation of Time Sieve. Second, you pay the costs by tapping Time Sieve and choosing five artifacts you control to sacrifice. Third, the ability is put onto the stack. Once both players pass priority, the ability resolves, and a new turn is inserted into the schedule immediately following the current one.

Common Pitfalls

A common point of confusion is whether Time Sieve can sacrifice itself. According to official rulings, you may indeed sacrifice Time Sieve as one of the five artifacts required to pay its own activation cost. Additionally, remember that if you manage to take multiple extra turns in a single turn, they are added one by one and will be played out in the order they were created.

Strategic Timing

Since the cost requires five artifacts, this card shines best in decks capable of generating tokens. You should generally activate this during your second main phase after you have exhausted your resources for the turn, ensuring your new extra turn begins with your permanents untapped and a fresh draw step.

Interaction examples

Fueling the Extra Turn

Sol RingArcane Signet

If you control Time Sieve, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and two other artifacts, you can tap Time Sieve and sacrifice all five of them. Even though Sol Ring and Arcane Signet provide mana, they are artifacts and satisfy the requirement for the sacrifice cost, successfully granting you an extra turn.

Sacrificing the Sieve

Sol Ring

Suppose you have Sol Ring and three other artifacts on board alongside Time Sieve. You can activate Time Sieve by tapping it and sacrificing the Sol Ring, the three other artifacts, and Time Sieve itself. The ability will still resolve normally even though Time Sieve is no longer on the battlefield.