Unbender Tine 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
: Untap another target permanent.
Complete guide
Unbender Tine is a versatile utility artifact that allows you to reset your resources mid-turn. By tapping this tool, you can refresh anything from a used land to a vital creature, keeping your opponents guessing about your available defenses. Mastering this card is all about timing and understanding what 'another target permanent' truly encompasses.
What It Does
Unbender Tine possesses a single activated ability that costs no mana to use once the artifact is on the battlefield. By tapping it, you choose another permanent—which includes lands, creatures, enchantments, planeswalkers, or other artifacts—and untap it. The key restriction is the word 'another,' meaning Unbender Tine cannot target itself to create an infinite loop of untapping.
How It Resolves
First, you activate the ability by tapping Unbender Tine and choosing a legal target that is not this specific Unbender Tine. Once the ability is on the stack, players can respond. If the target is still legal when the ability resolves, that permanent becomes untapped. If the target was already untapped, the ability still resolves but does nothing.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that Unbender Tine can target any permanent, including those controlled by an opponent. While you usually want to untap your own cards, you could technically untap an opponent's creature to allow them to block a third player in a multiplayer game. Also, remember that summoning sickness applies to the Tine if it becomes a creature, but as an artifact, you can use its ability the turn it enters the battlefield.
When to Play It
This card excels in decks that rely on powerful tap abilities or need to reuse mana-producing lands during an opponent's turn. It is particularly effective for 'bluffing'—you can tap out for a spell during your main phase, then use the Tine to untap a land or creature to keep a blocker or counterspell mana ready.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumYou cast Solemn Simulacrum and search for a basic land, which enters the battlefield tapped. Normally, you couldn't use that mana until next turn. However, you can tap Unbender Tine to untap that new land immediately, giving you an extra mana to use right away.
Commander's SphereWith both artifacts on the field, you can tap Commander's Sphere for one mana. Then, activate Unbender Tine to untap the Sphere. You can now tap the Sphere again to add a second mana, effectively doubling the output of your mana rock for that turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Unbender Tine
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Synod Artificer + Unbender Tine + Basalt Monolith
- 1Activate Basalt Monolith's first ability by tapping it, adding
. - 2Activate Synod Artificer's last ability by paying
and tapping it, untapping Unbender Tine and Basalt Monolith. - 3Holding priority, activate Unbender Tine by tapping it, untapping Synod Artificer.
- 4Repeat
Synod Artificer + Unbender Tine + Gilded Lotus
- 1Activate Gilded Lotus by tapping it, adding three mana of any color.
- 2Activate Synod Artificer's last ability by paying and tapping it, untapping Unbender Tine and Gilded Lotus.
- 3Holding priority, activate Unbender Tine by tapping it, untapping Synod Artificer.
- 4Repeat
Synod Artificer + Unbender Tine + Chromatic Orrery
- 1Activate Chromatic Orrery by tapping it, adding
. - 2Activate Synod Artificer's last ability by paying and tapping it, untapping Unbender Tine and Chromatic Orrery.
- 3Holding priority, activate Unbender Tine by tapping it, untapping Synod Artificer.
- 4Repeat.
Magosi, the Waterveil + Rings of Brighthearth + Unbender Tine
- 1Activate Magosi's second activated ability by tapping it and paying
. - 2Rings of Brighthearth triggers; choose not to pay for it.
- 3Resolve the Magosi ability, putting an eon counter on Magosi and skipping your next turn.
- 4Activate Unbender Tine by tapping it targeting Magosi.
- 5Rings of Brighthearth triggers; choose not to pay for it.
- 6Activate Magosi's third activated ability by tapping it, removing an eon counter from it, and returning it to your hand.
- 7Rings of Brighthearth triggers; pay and copy the Magosi ability.
- 8Resolve both copies of the ability, cancelling out your skipped turn and taking an extra turn after this one.
Goblin Welder + Corridor Monitor + Unbender Tine
- 1Activate Goblin Welder by tapping it, sacrificing Corridor Monitor and returning Unbender Tine from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 2Activate Unbender Tine by tapping it, untapping Goblin Welder.
- 3Activate Goblin Welder by tapping it, sacrificing Unbender Tine and returning Corridor Monitor from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4Corridor Monitor enters the battlefield, untapping Goblin Welder.
- 5Repeat.
Synod Artificer + Unbender Tine + Mana Vault
- 1Activate Mana Vault by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Synod Artificer's last ability by paying and tapping it, untapping Unbender Tine and Mana Vault.
- 3Holding priority, activate Unbender Tine by tapping it, untapping Synod Artificer.
- 4Repeat
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Unbender Tine + March of the Machines
- 1Activate Kiki-Jiki by tapping it, creating a token copy of Unbender Tine with haste.
- 2Activate the Unbender Tine token by tapping it, untapping Kiki-Jiki.
- 3Repeat.
Goblin Welder + Unbender Tine + Esper Sojourners
- 1Activate Goblin Welder by tapping it, sacrificing Esper Sojourners and returning Unbender Tine from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 2Esper Sojourners triggers, untapping Goblin Welder.
- 3Activate Unbender Tine by tapping it.
- 4Holding priority, activate Goblin Welder by tapping it, sacrificing Unbender Tine and returning Esper Sojourners from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 5Resolve the Unbender Tine trigger from step 3, untapping Goblin Welder.
- 6Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Unbender Tine
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.