Time Spiral set symbol
Time Spiral’s hourglass expansion symbol marks the main set. A purple hourglass marks the timeshifted bonus sheet — a special rarity used in this product line, not a normal common/uncommon/rare/mythic color.
Set code
tsp
Released
Oct 2006
Cards
301
Type
Expansion
Lookalikes & traps
Time Spiral Remastered reprints the purple timeshifted treatment with its own set code. Old-frame art plus a purple symbol is not automatically the 2006 TSP printing — read TSP vs TSR on the code line.
Confirm after the icon
Match hourglass + color, then set code TSP (or TSR for Remastered) and collector number. Purple means timeshifted subset, not “mythic orange.”
How to identify Time Spiral cards
- 1
Identify the hourglass glyph on the type line and note whether the fill is normal rarity colors or purple.
- 2
Treat purple as the timeshifted special rarity — do not map it to mythic orange or to common black.
- 3
Read set code TSP vs TSR so you do not confuse the 2006 printing with Time Spiral Remastered.
- 4
Confirm collector number, then scan with Tappr when old-frame art makes the listing title ambiguous.
Rarity by symbol color
Black / silver / gold cover the main Time Spiral rarities. Purple is the timeshifted special rarity (above rare in pack math for the original product). Remastered keeps the purple convention for that subset — still confirm the set code.
Legend shows the modern post-Exodus palette. Pre-Exodus sets and special rarities (for example Time Spiral purple timeshifted) follow the rarity reading above — not this swatch row alone.
FAQ
What does a purple Time Spiral symbol mean?
Purple marks timeshifted cards — a special rarity for that bonus subset. It is not the orange mythic color introduced later in Shards of Alara.
What is the Time Spiral set code?
TSP for the original set. TSR is Time Spiral Remastered. Both can show purple timeshifted icons; the code decides which product you hold.
Are purple timeshifted cards mythic rare?
No. Purple is its own special rarity for the timeshifted sheet. Mythic uses orange/red-orange from Shards of Alara onward on normal mythic printings.
How do I identify a Time Spiral card quickly?
Hourglass → note purple vs normal colors → TSP/TSR + number. Scan with Tappr if remaster vs original still conflicts.
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