Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Best Moments to Cast The Day of the Doctor
In the grand tapestry of Boros-style aggression meets time-bending storytelling, this Saga stands out as a narrative engine. With a mana cost of {3}{R}{W} and a bold red-white identity, it invites you to press your advantage early, then lean into a multi-step plan that rewards careful sequencing and a little bit of luck. The artful design of this card isn’t just flavor; it’s a blueprint for dramatic turns where you turn a single spell into a saga that reshapes the battlefield. 🧙🔥💎⚔️
Why this card fits so neatly into a rolling-battle narrative
Every Saga follows a simple rhythm: a starting entry, a progress of chapters I through III, and a decisive IV. Here, the I, II, and III steps exile cards from the top of your library until you hit a legendary card, and you may play that card for as long as the Saga remains. That “play for as long as it remains” clause is the heart of the tempo swing—your deck can funnel toward a legendary Doctor or other iconic figure, letting you deploy a powerful payoff while the enchantment is alive. Then, in IV, you get to pick up to three Doctors and—potentially at great cost—exile all other creatures to deliver a 13-point punch to you if you choose to wipe the slate clean. It’s a calculated risk that feels cinematic, which is exactly the vibe Doctor Who fans adore. 🎨🎲
Early game: cast, exile, and reveal a legend
- Turn order matters: you’ll often want this on the battlefield by the time you’ve built enough mana to confidently pay 5 mana. The blend of red and white supports proactive plays—think removal for troubled boards, blockers, and a few combat tricks to keep pressure on while you assemble your Doctor lineup. 🧭
- First few chapters as a search engine: the I–III steps function like a dynamic tutor. You’re not tutoring for a single spell; you’re tutoring for a legendary card that can shape your immediate plan. The thrill comes from peeking at the top of your library and seeing a legendary reveal emerge, then leveraging that presence on the board as you continue to press advantage. 🧙♀️
- Playing the revealed card even as the Saga ages: you may play the exiled legendary card for as long as the Saga remains—this is your window to deploy a game-changing creature or planeswalker or even another spell that can alter the tempo of the match. The key is to time your threats so your opponents can’t easily disrupt the chain before IV lands. 🗺️
Midgame: stacking the Doctor lineup and control paths
As the Saga accumulates lore counters, the potential to shape the battlefield grows. The mechanic of exiling until a legendary card appears encourages a little deck-thoughtful play—your deck’s architecture should tilt toward legendary Doctor figures or other legendaries with impactful yet affordable effects. You’ll want to shield your engine with efficient removal and inexpensive front-line threats, so when you finally reveal a legendary, you can deploy it with confidence. The red-white mix also plays nicely with temp control, anthem effects, and robust removal packs—typical Boros strategy but with a Time Lord twist. ⚔️
Late game: the IV moment and the high-stakes board wipe
IV is where the card demands a reckoning. You can choose up to three Doctors and exile all non-Doctor creatures. If you execute this full-board exile, the Saga punishes you with 13 damage—so you’re trading your own life total for a potentially devastating swing. This is the classic “go big or go home” moment, letting you clear a stubborn board and lock in a dramatic victory path, especially if you’ve already set up a resilient Doctor trio or built a board presence that can survive the burn. It’s not just a line in a rulebook; it’s a cinematic crescendo that begs for a triumphant victory lap. 🧙♂️💥
Deckbuilding notes: what to look for and how to ride the wave
- Legendary consistency: lean into legendaries that can be cast from exile and survive your own I–III setup. Creatures with robust defensive frames or legendary threats with strong enter-the-battlefield effects pair especially well with the Saga’s tempo.
- Protection and ramp: you’ll want a solid ramp base to hit the five-mana mark comfortably, plus cheap disruption to keep opponents off-balance while you price in the IV payoff.
- Life-budget management: the IV damage is real. Plan for a possible life-toll and build ways to sustain yourself or minimize risk, like life-gain spells or damage-prevention effects that keep you in the race for the final flourish. 🧭
Lore, flavor, and the Doctor Who connection
Set within the Doctor Who crossover, the card captures the thrill of meeting archives of history and legends in a single enchantment. The color pairing of red and white echoes the high-energy, telltale-yet-practical storytelling of a time traveler who jumps between eras to save the day. The art, by Eddie Schillo, and the lore around the Doctors evoke a sense of story-driven play that’s as much about the journey as the destination. If you’re a fan of the mythos, this card isn’t just a play—it’s a narrative beat you can feel on the battlefield. 🎨
Collector’s angle and playability in EDH/Commander
With an EDHREC rank around 11,071, it’s a niche, flavorful pick rather than a staple, but that rarity and the Doctor Who branding give it a distinctive glow for Commander tables where crewed projectors and legendary synergies shine. The card’s foil presence and the occasional price point in the single digits on non-foil prints make it an appealing, approachable target for casual to mid-level decks that want a story-driven engine rather than a pure, brutal bolt-fest. The charm isn’t just the payoff; it’s the journey—the way a single Saga stitches together a story arc across multiple turns. 🧙🔥
As you fine-tune your list, consider how you’ll narrate the tempo: a slow burn that crescendos into a single, glorious reveal. If you’re wiring your playmat for drama, a little merchandising partnership can help you stay organized between turns—perhaps a sturdy desk display for your cards and dice. Speaking of handy accessories, you might also appreciate a practical setup you can trust during marathones of play—like a sturdy mobile phone stand to keep your notes, timers, and life-tracking in easy reach. The world is full of small joys that upgrade the game-day ritual. 🧙♂️🎲