Vanishing

Vanishing is a keyword ability that limits the number of turns a permanent can remain on the battlefield, using time as a resource. It was introduced and appears primarily in the Time Spiral block. It serves as an update to the earlier fading ability with more intuitive mechanics and can be considered an inversion of the suspend ability.

Description
A vanishing permanent enters the battlefield with a given number of time counters on it. At the beginning of its controller's upkeep step, it loses a time counter. When the last time counter is removed, the permanent must be sacrificed. This acts as a countdown, destroying the permanent as soon as the countdown reaches zero.

The keyword debuted in Planar Chaos, appearing on nine creature cards and one aura. It also appeared on four creatures in Future Sight and in Modern Horizons.

Vanishing was Planar Chaos’ twist on Nemesis’s fading mechanic, but more intuitive to play due to the lack of delay after the last counter is removed. It's also more compatible with other Time Spiral block mechanics, in particular suspend, as the two abilities are inversions of each other (suspend times when a spell becomes active while vanishing times when a permanent becomes inactive by leaving play). Vanishing also has its own visual cue - the form of the creature sizzling away into the aether.

Rulings

 * Both vanishing and the suspend mechanic introduced in the Time Spiral set use time counters. Most effects in the Time Spiral block that deal with time counters, such as the ability of Jhoira's Timebug, can also affect permanents with vanishing that have time counters on them.
 * Vanishing is similar to the fading ability from Nemesis. However, it plays much more like suspend does. The card starts out with a number of time counters on it, an ability triggers at the beginning of your upkeep that has you remove a time counter, and an ability triggers when you remove the last time counter that has you do something with that card.
 * Note that the vanishing rules include an "intervening 'if' clause" that stops the counter-removing ability from triggering if there are no time counters on the permanent. This extra clause has minimal impact outside the Magic Online interface, so it doesn't appear in the vanishing reminder text.
 * If the last time counter is removed from a permanent with vanishing and the sacrifice ability is countered, that permanent will remain on the battlefield indefinitely with no time counters on it. Neither of vanishing's two triggered abilities can possibly trigger again. Similarly, if a permanent without time counters on it that's already on the battlefield becomes a copy of a permanent with vanishing, it will stay on the battlefield indefinitely. If a permanent with one or more time counters on it that's already on the battlefield becomes a copy of a permanent with vanishing, it will vanish as normal.