The Millennium Calendar – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 1.37
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 2.00
Multiplayer: 2.25
Commander [EDH]: 2.50
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
This card is a reference to the meme about the world ending in 2012, which people connected in a vague way to the Mayan calendar. In truth, the Mayan calendar did not have a singular end: it conceives of time as cycles, and one such cycle-era ended around 2012 on the Gregorian calendar. But another era started when that one ended – it does not predict a date for the end of the world, which suggests the Maya may have been aware that such a prediction is not actually possible (even assuming such an end would or could actually take place).
It is kind of amusing, though, that the meme gave rise to such an eye-catching card. There is an interesting sub-category of Magic cards which generate interest by saying something that seems to be outside of the game’s normal vocabulary – compare Platinum Angel, Door to Nothingness, and the closest direct analogue to this card, As Luck Would Have It. Doubling does get out of hand very fast and get you close to the target number in a mathematically consistent way, and you’re helped by any other cards which duplicate or enhance activated abilities. But to reliably win with the Calendar, you’d probably have to go in super-hard on proliferate or Doubling Season effects, and probably be a prison deck on top of that. I’d be very surprised if somebody pulls that off in tournaments, though there are some possible paths; and I can easily see this card being part of meme decks at casual tables.
Constructed: 1.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 2
Multiplayer: 2.5
Commander [EDH]: 2.5 (I guess it solves Commander’s aggro/damage problem in some super-technical sense?)
A card like The Millennium Calendar is very eye-catching, if nothing else, thanks to it referencing having 1000 counters on it. In nearly every case, that triggered ability is effectively an “I win” button, all on a one-mana permanent that just needs to sit there and do its Thing. Which can include doubling the number of counters on it. The issue, though, is largely one of time; this card needs a long time to amass the counters needed for it to pop. I’m sure someone’s done the math as to the soonest you can pop this trigger, but this is definitely a gameplan with a lot of holes, one that relies on a fragile permanent with no protection and no way to affect the board besides.
This card is honestly more “cute” and “fun” than good, despite how eye-catching it looks at first. If you’re trying to win with this, you’re committing hard to the gameplan, since it only cares about upkeep untaps. I do think this will always be a bit of a fan-favorite because of how weir an interesting it is, but I can’t recommend playing this if your goal is to win above all else.
Constructed: 1.25
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 2
Multiplayer: 2
Commander [EDH]: 2.5 (might be able to make a stall deck that wins with this, but finding the one you can play might be a tricky task; still, if there’s a format where this might be able to work, I trust it’d be Commander)
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
