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Unwinding Clock card art
Live Play Data

Unwinding Clock

{4} · Artifact · Commander 2018 (C18)
3%
Live Inclusion
Buy on TCGplayer
Times Brought
1051
Decks Running
509
Median Cast Turn
6
Drawn → Played
73%
Format
Multiplayer 1v1

73% of drawn Unwinding Clocks get cast, and games where it resolves show a +12.1 percentage-point win-rate lift over games where it stayed in the library, across 201 observed casts.

Unwinding Clock sits in 3% of tracked Commander decks on Playgroup Live, a niche pick that nonetheless shows a clear win-rate signal when it lands on the battlefield. Across 201 participations where the Clock resolved, the normalized win rate is 34%, compared to 22% in the 646 participations where it never left the library. That +12.1 percentage-point gap is a directional positive signal, and the lower bound of the confidence interval remains above zero, which is early but notable given the sample size.

The card's mechanical case is straightforward: untapping every artifact you control on each opponent's untap step converts tapped mana rocks and utility artifacts into permanent resources. The 4-mana cost means it rarely arrives before turn 6, but once it resolves it sticks. 80% of cast copies survive to end of game. The data is spread across 421 distinct players, with no single contributor exceeding a small share of total instances, which gives the numbers reasonable breadth for a card this narrow.

The commander distribution tells the clearest story about where Unwinding Clock belongs. Artifact-heavy commanders dominate the list, from Urza, Lord High Artificer to Shorikai, Genesis Engine and Ultron, Artificial Malevolence. Colorless identity commanders also feature prominently, since the Clock fits into any deck regardless of color requirements. It is legal in Commander and has no format ban.

At a glance
  • 3% of tracked Commander decks include Unwinding Clock
  • 73% of drawn copies reach the battlefield before the game ends
  • T6 median first-cast turn, reflecting the 4-mana cost
  • 80% battlefield stickiness once it resolves
  • +12.1pp win-rate lift when cast versus when it stays in the library
  • 421 distinct players have brought Unwinding Clock to a tracked game

First-cast turn

n=209
2%
T1
3%
T2
4%
T3
12%
T4
12%
T5
55%
T6-9
12%
T10+
Median 6 P25 5 · P75 8 · max 17
On curve 22% (26 / 209 cast on T4) Cast same turn as drawn 39%

The "good card" funnel

1051 brought · 421 players
Brought to game
1051
Ever drawn
287
Reached battlefield
209
Still on board at game end
168
73%

Of 1051 Unwinding Clocks brought to games, 287 were drawn, 209 of those were cast, and 80% of cast copies remained on the battlefield at end of game.

≥ +5.4pp

Players who cast this card win 34% of the time (n=201) , vs 22% when it never left the library (n=646).

When players drew this card but left it in hand, they won 19% (n=71) — about the same as leaving it in the library. Those players survived long enough to draw it, so the gap above is about the card resolving, not just about surviving.

Observed gap +12.1pp; 95% confidence interval +5.4pp to +18.7pp. Correlational, not causal: powerful payoffs also get cast more often in games you are already winning.

Final zone distribution

320 instances
3.8%
Library
52.5%
Battlefield
17.5%
Graveyard
6.3%
Exile

The majority of Unwinding Clocks tracked never leave the library, which is structural for any singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the copies that did move, the battlefield is the dominant landing zone, consistent with the card's high stickiness.

Commanders that played this card

in tracked games

Artifact commanders dominate the list, with Shorikai, Urza, and Tony Stark each appearing in double-digit deck counts. The spread across colorless and blue-based artifact strategies reflects the Clock's any-color identity.

Card text
Unwinding Clock card

Unwinding Clock

{4}
Artifact
Untap all artifacts you control during each other player's untap step.
Commander 2018 (C18) · Rare · Illustrated by Mike Bierek

Frequently Asked

How often is Unwinding Clock drawn in a Commander game?
Across 1015 tracked games where Unwinding Clock was in the deck, it was drawn 27% of the time. That is consistent with a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 287 drawn copies, 73% were cast before the game ended. The remainder largely reflects games that ended before the player had the opportunity to cast a 4-mana artifact.
What turn does Unwinding Clock typically hit the battlefield?
The median first-cast turn is 6, with the interquartile range spanning turns 5 through 8. Only a small cluster of casts land before turn 4, which typically indicates ramp or cost-reduction assistance. The mode of the distribution is turn 6, suggesting most players are casting it into an already-developed board rather than as an early setup piece.
Does casting Unwinding Clock actually improve your chances of winning?
The data shows a +12.1 percentage-point difference between the win rate in games where it resolved (34% across 201 observations) and games where it stayed in the library (22% across 646 observations). The lower bound of the confidence interval is above zero, which is an encouraging directional signal. Still, with 201 cast observations, treat this as early evidence rather than a definitive conclusion.
How sticky is Unwinding Clock once it resolves?
80% of cast Unwinding Clocks are still on the battlefield at end of game. That is high for a non-land artifact with no built-in protection. Opponents may not prioritize removing a card that benefits the controller passively rather than generating an immediate threat, but the dataset does not distinguish between removal and game-end as the cause of departure.
Which commanders pair best with Unwinding Clock?
The top commanders by raw deck count in the tracked data are Shorikai, Genesis Engine, Urza Lord High Artificer, Tony Stark, Mr. House, and Ultron. The common thread is artifact density. The Clock untaps all your artifacts each turn cycle, so commanders that generate or rely on tapped artifacts convert it from a value engine into a near-combo piece. Colorless commanders also appear frequently since the Clock has no color identity and slots into any deck.
Is Unwinding Clock legal in Commander?
Yes. Unwinding Clock is legal and unrestricted in Commander. It is also legal in Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, Duel Commander, Brawl, Oathbreaker, and several other formats. It is not legal in Standard, Pioneer, Pauper, or Pauper Commander.