MagicCon Las Vegas is coming up on us awfully fast, and there’s a ton to look forward to at the convention. It’s the sight of the Magic World Championship, features events such as the Secret Lair Showdown and an enormous $100,000 Limited Open, and even has promo cards you can walk away with. Recently, the promo card TARDIS was revealed, along with instructions on how to receive one.
TARDIS is a very unique vehicle from the upcoming Doctor Who MTG crossover. Despite the Doctor Who set not releasing until October 13, you can get your hands on one of these TARDIS promos a few weeks early. Luckily, obtaining one of these promo cards should be relatively simple.
How to Get a TARDIS Promo
In order to receive one of these promos at MagicCon Las Vegas, players must attend a unique photo opportunity designed specifically around Doctor Who. All you have to do is take a doctor-themed selfie and you get to walk away with this interesting promo. While the promo likely isn’t going to be worth a ton, it does give players a chance to get some free collectibles while attending MagicCon Las Vegas. Not only that, but this is the first chance for players to actually receive any Doctor Who cards, which is pretty cool.
The Doctor Who MTG crossover showcases four distinct Commander decks, at least one of which contains TARDIS. Just from reading the card, it’s clear that TARDIS is designed specifically with Commander in mind. Let’s take a closer look at the promo in question and how to best utilize it.
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TARDIS and Time Lords
On the surface, TARDIS is a two-mana Vehicle with Flying and Crew 2. However, this Vehicle is actually quite powerful, so long as you meet one important criterion: you have quick and easy access to a Time Lord Creature. The easiest way to do this is to simply play one of the Time Lord Creatures as your Commander. So far, the Doctors who have been revealed are The Fourth Doctor, The Tenth Doctor, and The Thirteenth Doctor. All of these Creatures are specifically Time Lord Doctors. The Thirteenth Doctor even references TARDIS in its ability Team TARDIS, which untaps each of your Creatures with counters on them.
This works especially well with The Thirteenth Doctor’s Paradox ability and TARDIS itself. The Thirteenth Doctor’s Paradox ability distributes +1/+1 counters to your Creatures whenever you cast spells from anywhere other than your hand. This, of course, includes spells you Cascade into. If you have TARDIS in play, then play the Thirteenth Doctor and use it to Crew TARDIS, you can attack, giving your next spell Cascade. As long as your Commander sticks around and you have spells to cast, you can keep attacking with TARDIS, getting Cascade triggers, and putting counters on your Creatures. While TARDIS does require a Time Lord in play to maximize, it certainly pays you off.
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Planeswalking is Back
In addition to giving your next spell Cascade, TARDIS also gives you the opportunity to Planeswalk. This ability specifically references Plane cards, which originated in Planechase and are utilized in the Planechase format. These cards are designed to add another layer to MTG, most commonly in Commander games, by having a specific ability associated with them. TARDIS Bay, for example, is a new Plane card from Doctor Who with abilities associated with the card TARDIS, where everyone’s first cast spell with mana value two or greater has Cascade.
In addition to being able to cast spells like normal, players can also choose to roll what’s called the Planar die. The first roll is free, and each subsequent roll costs one additional mana than the previous roll. The Planar die has different symbols on its faces that require different actions. One face has the Planeswalker symbol, which results in the Planeswalking ability where the Plane card in play is essentially replaced by the next Plane card in the deck. In general, the ability to move from one Plane card to the next is determined by the Planar die. However, TARDIS actually allows you to do this whenever you attack with it. This ability is irrelevant in games outside of the Planechase format but adds a nice element for those who enjoy adding a little flare to their Commander games.
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Value of TARDIS Promo
While TARDIS is a cool card, it is unlikely to hold much value even as a promo. After all, it is simply an uncommon. That being said, players are a bit perplexed by the choice of the promo beyond just the value of the card. See, TARDIS is specifically designed for Commander, and given the casual nature of the format coupled with the fact that players can get access to the card early, some players might want to try to play with the card even before the official release of Doctor Who.
Yet, as mentioned, TARDIS’s power lies with your ability to have a Time Lord in play. Time Lord is a new Creature type with the release of Doctor Who, making it very difficult for players to actually maximize TARDIS until other cards from Doctor Who become available.
Beyond the choice of the promo card, players also question the decision to keep the artwork the same as the traditional versions of the card. TARDIS may appear in multiple of these Commander Precons, meaning the card should not be difficult to get. The only major differences between the TARDIS promo and the traditional version of TARDIS that has been spoiled are the promo expansion symbol and the lack of reminder text alongside the Crew ability.
It’s clear players were hoping for a bit more, though given the fact that these cards are basically being handed out for free at MagicCon Las Vegas, this isn’t too surprising. Compare this to the Relentless Rats promo. Relentless Rats is more valuable, but the promo can only be obtained at by either spending over $150 at the show store on-site or purchasing the MagicCon Las Vegas Festival in a Box product. Either way, getting to acquire a copy of TARDIS is a nice option to have for those attending MagicCon Las Vegas, even if it is a bit of a strange choice.
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