It is not uncommon in the world of MTG for cards to rise or fall in price based on specific circumstances. In some instances, a card may spike after appearing in a decklist that has a breakout performance in a tournament. In other cases, a card may spike if there seems to be a limited supply as players continue to try to buy the card in question. Today, we are going to focus on a card that saw a large spike in price thanks to its synergy with a variety of new cards that were printed.
These new cards specifically came out in the Doctor Who Commander decks. Given the range of unique mechanics that were focal points of each Commander Precon, it makes sense that cards from the past that share similar themes might see their demand increase. What’s a bit strange about the card in question spiking, though, is that it is simply a common. However, it does synergize quite well with one of the Doctor Who Commander decks in particular. Let’s take a look at this card.
Jhoira’s Timebug
Jhoira’s Timebug is an interesting card that was printed back in original Time Spiral block back in 2006-2007. It was eventually reprinted in Time Spiral: Remastered in 2021. The card was printed as a common in both sets and was never very strong. It was, however, quite on-theme with the cards from Time Spiral block. See, Jhoira’s Timebug has the ability to interact both with permanents with Time Counters on them and Suspended cards with Time Counters on them.
In original Time Spiral, Suspend cards like
Durkwood Baloth
Durkwood Baloth
Suspend 5—{G} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {G} and exile it with five time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
saw their debut. Similarly, Vanishing cards like
Aven Riftwatcher
Aven Riftwatcher
Flying
Vanishing 3 (This creature enters with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
When this creature enters or leaves the battlefield, you gain 2 life.
were introduced in Time Spiral block, which featured Planar Chaos and Future Sight alongside Time Spiral. Jhoira’s Timebug interacted favorably with a lot of cards from this block, as it could add Time Counters to cards with Vanishing to keep them around longer or take away Time Counters from Suspended cards to help you cast them quicker. The thing is, few cards utilizing Time Counters were printed over the years, so Jhoira’s Timebug never had much of a home outside of a Limited environment. Luckily, though, the emphasis on Time Counters in Doctor Who would change that.
Read More: MTG Doctor Who Timey-Wimey is the Most Complex Pre-Con Ever!
An Enormous Spike
The Doctor Who Commander decks introduced a ton of new cards that utilize Time Counters. In addition, the new Time Travel mechanic makes it easier than ever to add or remove Time Counters from multiple cards at once. This is almost certainly the biggest reason why Jhoira’s Timebug saw a big spike. However, the price spike didn’t happen to the card in its traditional form.
Copies of Jhoira’s Timebug from both Time Spiral and Time Spiral: Remastered are both worth under 25 cents. Where things get interesting is with the foil versions of the card. In Time Spiral Remastered, foil copies of Jhoira’s Timebug were worth under $1 back before October 3, according to TCGplayer market price history. From around October 3 onward, the foil has been rising in price relatively steadily to where it currently sits, which is at roughly $6.
By contrast, foil copies of Jhoira’s Timebug from original Time Spiral have been worth close to $2.50 since August. Despite seeing a modest spike to almost $3 starting near October 3 once again, this price difference is significantly smaller than with the Time Spiral: Remastered version. It’s not entirely clear why the Time Spiral: Remastered version saw such a different rise in price, but what is clear is that both cards began to rise right around the same time: October 3. Unsurprisingly, October 3 is the date that the Timey-Wimey Doctor Who Commander deck was set to be previewed. Jhoira’s Timebug is clearly in high demand, so what are some ways to best abuse the card?
Read More: Top 10 Most Expensive Doctor Who MTG Cards
Maximizing the Timebug
Obviously, Jhoira’s Timebug wants to be used in conjunction with cards with Time Counters on them. There are a few ways to make sure that Jhoira’s Timebug has a bigger contribution to the game than just adding or removing a single counter from a single permanent each turn. The first and easiest way to abuse the card is by utilizing cards that untap it. From the Doctor Who Commander decks, cards like The Thirteenth Doctor can allow you to activate Jhoira’s Timebug multiple times in a turn cycle. You can also use
Adric, Mathematical Genius
Adric, Mathematical Genius
{2}{U}, {T}: Copy target activated or triggered ability you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Ultimate Sacrifice — {1}{U}, Sacrifice Adric: Counter target activated or triggered ability.
Doctor's companion (You can have two commanders if the other is the Doctor.)
to copy Jhoira’s Timebug’s activated ability for additional benefits.
Beyond Doctor Who cards, there are tons of ways to untap Jhoira’s Timebug in Magic. Because Jhoira’s Timebug is also an Artifact,
Unwinding Clock
Unwinding Clock
Untap all artifacts you control during each other player's untap step.
is an excellent way to make sure you get to activate it on all other players’ turns. In multiplayer Commander games, the activations will start to add up quickly. Similarly,
Seedborn Muse
Seedborn Muse
Untap all permanents you control during each other player's untap step.
offers a similar effect, since Jhoira’s Timebug is also a Creature.
One thing you can do if you can activate Jhoira’s Timebug multiple times in a turn cycle is first add a Time Counter to a Suspend card, then remove a Time Counter, which benefits cards like
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Vigilance, trample
Other Dinosaurs you control get +1/+1 and have vigilance and trample.
Suspend 4—{3}{R}{W}
Whenever a time counter is removed from this card while it's exiled, create a 2/2 red and white Dinosaur creature token with flying and haste.
. This is because Dinosaurs on a Spaceship generates a token every time a Time Counter is removed from it, so the longer it stays in exile, the better.
By adding Time Counters and removing as necessary, you can continuously reap the rewards from the card staying in exile for as long as you wish unless otherwise inhibited. This also works with cards like
Aeon Chronicler
Aeon Chronicler
Aeon Chronicler's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your hand.
Suspend X—{X}{3}{U}. X can't be 0.
Whenever a time counter is removed from this card while it's exiled, draw a card.
and
Benalish Commander
Benalish Commander
Benalish Commander's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Soldiers you control.
Suspend X—{X}{W}{W}. X can't be 0.
Whenever a time counter is removed from this card while it's exiled, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.
. Jhoira’s Timebug certainly has some additional utility now, and it’ll be worth monitoring if foil copies of the card continue to climb in price.
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