The War Doctor

Gameplan

The War Doctor is a counters-as-damage attacker: you stockpile time counters by repeatedly phasing permanents out and exiling cards, then swing to fire off a growing burst that snipes creatures, planeswalkers, or faces. Early turns are spent building a phase/exile engine and protecting the Doctor, mid-game you exile from everywhere to balloon the counter, and you close by attacking for lethal direct damage. As a Doctor, he wants a Doctor's Companion in the command zone for added value and resilience.

Key Cards

• Teferi's Protection — Phases out your whole board to add a time counter while saving you from a wipe or alpha strike.
• Out of Time — Phases out every creature with a counter and triggers The War Doctor's phase-out clause for a counter spike.
• Semblance Anvil — Repeatable cost reduction via imprint that pairs with exile-from-anywhere themes to grow counters.
• Rest in Peace — Exiles cards going to graveyards across the table, generating a steady stream of time counters.
• Leonin Relic-Warder — Blink it to repeatedly exile permanents and pile on counters while removing threats.
• Faith's Reward — With phasing or sacrifice loops, returning permanents keeps the engine churning and bodies safe.
• Embercleave — Cheap to cast on a connecting attacker and pushes The War Doctor into one-shot range alongside its counter damage.
• Sword of Hearth and Home — Connects to blink a permanent each combat, exiling and returning it for guaranteed counter growth.

Upgrade Path

Add fast mana (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone) and protection (Swiftfoot Boots, Lightning Greaves, Teferi's Protection) so the Doctor reliably survives to attack. Layer in repeatable exile/blink engines—Conjurer's Closet, Restoration Angel, Soulherder via partner companions—and graveyard-hate stax like Leyline of the Void to passively stack counters. Top end with damage doublers (Fiery Emancipation, City on Fire) and Embercleave/Sunforger to convert a modest counter total into a one-shot kill.