http://www.eternal-central.com/?p=1327

Blurb:

The DCI is a body composed of some of the smartest people in Magic. Unfortunately, intelligence does not entail the ability to communicate ideas or thoughts clearly or effectively. Tom LaPille was a notable addition to the staff of Wizards of the Coast, not simply because of his accomplishments in Magic, but because of his ability to communicate the groupthink of a nest of brainiacs to the outside world. With notable speed Tom became the voice of Wizards R&D as he took over the reins of the column titled Latest Developments. This is not to say that Erik Lauer, the individual responsible for explaining the most recent changes to the Banned and Restricted List, has not explained the changes clearly or effectively. However, further elaboration or insight would be helpful. The implications of the most recent B/R list announcement reach Vintage as well as Legacy. Permit me to attempt to decode the DCI…
Also, I argued for the unbanning of Time Spiral this past March. I held a poll on SCG, and here's what I wrote there:

Time Spiral

The argument for unbanning Time Spiral isn't that, like Mind Over Matter, it won't see any play. Mind Over Matter was unbanned and I don't think it's seen a moment of competitive play since. It's true that Dream Halls was unbanned and actually won a major European tournament, but it's mostly a joke deck in the U.S. Its legality is just proof that 'interesting things' can happen in Legacy, but it's nothing to fear. It's an option for people who like to play with cool toys.

Time Spiral is a card that I believe would be good for Legacy. The truth is that there is no serious Storm combo deck in American Legacy. I realize that Belcher combo gets a lot of attention in the U.S., but how often has it made Top 8 at an SCG Open? Once? Twice? And I realize that a few Ad Nauseam decks made Top 8 at the last GP, but Ad Nauseam decks are very poor performers in the U.S. SCG Opens, especially relative to their presence in the field.

Time Spiral would offer another option for Legacy Storm that isn't reliant on Ad Nauseam, or jank like Doomsday or Diminishing Returns. Time Spiral and Ad Nauseam can't be played in the same deck for obvious reasons.

Time Spiral is a genuine storm engine, but it doesn't raise the concerns that make Storm a problem. Specifically, Time Spiral is slow. At six mana, it's not a spell that is going to be cast on turn 1 or turn 2, or even on turn 3 (barring a god draw). That's why Time Spiral is okay to unban.

To even cast Time Spiral, you have to generate 6 mana. With High Tide, you are looking at turn 3 at the earliest, and you'll require something else besides, such as a Cloud of Faeries to generate the sixth mana. You could do it with Dark Rituals, but then you won't get the full benefit of the untap, and find yourself pressured in trying to combo out post-Time Spiral.

For that reason, realistically, we are looking at turn 4 before this card is going to be cast. Consider old High Tide decks:

Extended High Tide
Kai Budde

16 Island
4 Thawing Glaciers
3 Volcanic Island
4 High Tide
3 Frantic Search
4 Time Spiral
3 Turnabout
1 Palinchron
3 Stroke of Genius
2 Arcane Denial
1 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Impulse
3 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor

Frantic Search is banned in Legacy, so that would make this deck even slower. Reset can't be used with Time Spiral, since Time Spiral is a sorcery.

The natural home for Time Spiral would be Spring Tide:

Spring Tide
Suggested by Stephen Menendian on 2010-03-28 as a potential deck for Legacy
As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/l...In_Legacy.html
Print this deck!
Maindeck:

Creatures
4 Cloud of Faeries


Instants
1 Brain Freeze
4 Brainstorm
2 Cunning Wish
4 Force of Will
4 High Tide
4 Meditate
4 Snap
3 Turnabout

Sorceries
4 Ideas Unbound
3 Merchant Scroll
4 Ponder
3 Time Spiral

Basic Lands
16 Island
Sideboard:

1 Brain Freeze
1 Counterspell
2 Echoing Truth
2 Fact or Fiction
4 Remand
1 Stroke of Genius
2 Trickbind
1 Twincast
1 Wipe Away


I could imagine a slightly faster variant with Bubbling Muck and Dark Rituals, but I’m not sure it would be any stronger or more consistent, just another trade off of speed/consistency. Legacy is so dominated by tempo decks, it would be fun to see cards like Time Spiral and Land Tax unbanned to provide genuine alternative options, albeit weaker, to the standard aggro-control or aggro-tempo decks that are so common.