Suspend

Suspend
Keyword Ability
Type	Static (1st ability) Triggered (2nd ability) Triggered (3rd ability)
Introduced	Time Spiral
Last used	Murders at Karlov Manor Commander
Reminder Text	Suspend N — [cost] (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay [cost] and exile it with N time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
Storm Scale	9
Statistics	66 cards 18.2% 21.2% 13.6% 19.7% 18.2% 1.5% 1.5% 6.1%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Suspend"

Suspend is a keyword ability that debuted in Time Spiral.

Description

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 causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it's on the stack).

Suspend lets a player save mana on casting spells by committing to surviving many turns in advance. If one is uncertain on making all their land drops, Suspend helps the player use their mana otherwise. However, many suspend cards are designed to be underwhelming or risky when the opponent has prior warning, and the later one suspends them the higher chance they won't be cast before the game ends. Suspend also has its visual cue - it involves creatures, enchantments, artifacts, sorceries, or instants coming out of a time wall. Suspended creatures are depicted in their art as emerging through a time rift.

The templating and the counter-manipulation confused many players, leading to a very lukewarm initial response from the majority of players.

Suspend (called "delay" at the time) was originally designed for a cycle in Saviors of Kamigawa, but was moved because of its greater potential. Suspend was used in all of the Time Spiral block, and made a reappearance in Modern Horizons, Commander 2021, Modern Horizons 2, and the Timey-Wimey deck of Doctor Who. It also appeared as a one-off in the Streets of New Capenna Commander decks, Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, and the Lord of the Rings Holiday Release.

Suspend received a functional update along with the release of Murders at Karlov Manor: when the last time counter is removed from a suspended card, casting that spell is now optional. If you don't cast it, it will remain in exile indefinitely.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Suspend

A keyword ability that provides an alternative way to play a card. See rule 702.62, “Suspend.” A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.62. Suspend
  • 702.62a Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with suspend is in a player’s hand. The second and third are triggered abilities that function in the exile zone. “Suspend N—[cost]” means “If you could begin to cast this card by putting it onto the stack from your hand, you may pay [cost] and exile it with N time counters on it. This action doesn’t use the stack,” and “At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card is suspended, remove a time counter from it,” and “When the last time counter is removed from this card, if it’s exiled, you may play it without paying its mana cost if able. If you don’t, it remains exiled. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of the spell or the permanent it becomes.”
  • 702.62b A card is “suspended” if it’s in the exile zone, has suspend, and has a time counter on it.
  • 702.62c While determining if you could begin to cast a card with suspend, take into consideration any effects that would prohibit that card from being cast.
  • 702.62d Casting a spell as an effect of its suspend ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

Rulings

• The phrase "if you could cast this card from your hand" checks only for timing restrictions and permissions. This includes both what's inherent in the card's type (for example, if the card with suspend is a creature, it must be your main phase and the stack must be empty) and what's imposed by other abilities, such as flash or Meddling Mage's ability. Whether you could follow all steps in playing the card is irrelevant. If the card is impossible to cast due to a lack of legal targets or an unpayable mana cost, for example, it may still be exiled with suspend.
• Exiling a card with its suspend ability is not casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
• If a spell with suspend has targets, the targets are chosen when the spell is cast, not when it's exiled.
• If the first triggered ability of suspend is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again during its owner's next upkeep.
• When the last time counter is removed from a suspended card, the second triggered ability of suspend will trigger. It doesn't matter why the time counter was removed or whose effect removed it. (The Time Spiral reminder text is misleading on this point.)
• If the second triggered ability of suspend is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains in the exile zone without any time counters on it for the rest of the game, and it's no longer considered suspended.
• If the second triggered ability of suspend resolves and the suspended card can't be cast due to a lack of legal targets or a cast restriction, for example, it remains in the exiled zone without any time counters on it for the rest of the game, and it's no longer considered suspended.
• As the second triggered ability of suspend resolves if casting the suspended card involves an additional cost, the card's owner must pay that cost if able. If they can't, the card remains exiled. If the additional cost includes mana, the situation is more complex. If the player has enough mana to pay the cost, that player must do so. If the player can't possibly pay the cost, the card remains exiled. However, if the player has the means to produce enough mana to pay the cost, then they have a choice: The player may cast the spell, produce mana, and pay the cost. Or the player may choose to play with no mana abilities, thus making the card impossible to cast because the additional mana can't be paid.
• A creature cast via suspend enters the battlefield with haste. It still has haste after the first turn it's on the battlefield as long as the same player controls it. As soon as another player takes control of it, it loses haste.

Examples

Example 1

Ith, High Arcanist
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
3/5
Vigilance
: Untap target attacking creature. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by that creature this turn.
Suspend 4 — (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and exile it with four time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)

Example 2

Lotus Bloom
Artifact
Suspend 3 — (Rather than cast this card from your hand, pay and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)
, Sacrifice Lotus Bloom: Add three mana of any one color.

Cards interacting with Suspend

• The Face of Boe (play cards for their suspend cost from your hand)