A-Return Upon the Tide MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Foretell
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Number	A-106
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Martina Fačková

Key Takeaways

Grants significant card advantage by reviving powerful creatures directly from the graveyard.
Facilitates quicker gameplay with potential mana acceleration from resurrected creatures.
Lacks instant speed, yet allows for strategic play during your turn for impactful battlefield presence.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A-Return Upon the Tide MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the A-Return Upon the Tide and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. If it's an Elf, create three 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens. Foretell

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A Return Upon the Tide excels in providing card advantage by allowing you to return a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. This strategic retrieval can turn the tide of play, re-introducing powerful creatures to the game without drawing from your deck.

Resource Acceleration: This card facilitates resource acceleration by potentially bringing back a creature with pivotal mana-producing abilities. These abilities can be vital in ramping up your mana base and enabling the casting of high-cost spells earlier than usual.

Instant Speed: While A Return Upon the Tide does not operate at instant speed, its strategic timing effect mimics the advantage; you’re able to decide the best moment during your turn to rejuvenate your battlefield presence, possibly after your opponent has committed their resources.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A Return Upon the Tide requires you to exile a creature card from your graveyard as part of its casting process. This can reduce your graveyard resources, which might be vital for other gameplay strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands both black and generic mana, which necessitates a dedicated mana base. Decks that do not run heavily on black may find it challenging to meet this specific mana requirement consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, A Return Upon the Tide stands on the higher end for reanimation spells. For the cost and effect, it competes with various other cards that might bring creatures back from the graveyard for less mana or offer additional benefits.

Reasons to Include A Return Upon the Tide in Your Collection

Versatility: A Return Upon the Tide is not just a mere spell to bring back creatures from your graveyard to the battlefield. Its flexibility allows it to fit into any black-based deck, particularly those that revolve around graveyard interaction or reanimation themes, adding strategic depth to your game play.

Combo Potential: This card provides the perfect setup for various combos. By returning a key creature from your graveyard to the fray, you can set off a chain reaction with other cards in your deck, unleashing powerful synergies that could help you turn the course of the game to your favor.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the shifting landscape of the MTG meta, having cards that can adapt and counter prevailing deck types is a must. A Return Upon the Tide meets these criteria by offering an unexpected play, which can be crucial for outmaneuvering opponents who rely heavily on graveyard disruption or control-based strategies.

How to beat

A Return Upon the Tide shines in Magic: The Gathering as a powerful tool for reanimation strategies. It grants the ability to bring back a creature card from the graveyard to the battlefield with an additional bonus: if the creature is an Elf, you create two Elf tokens. This can suddenly swing the board in your favor, but there are strategic ways to mitigate its impact.

To counteract A Return Upon the Tide, graveyard interaction is key. Utilize cards that exile cards from an opponent’s graveyard, disrupting their retrieval plans. Tormod’s Crypt and Relic of Progenitus are excellent examples; they can remove the targets before the reanimation spell is cast. Playing cards with graveyard hate abilities, such as Scavenging Ooze, can also be an efficient approach to prevent the card from reaching its full potential.

Another effective strategy is to employ counterspells to stop A Return Upon the Tide from resolving in the first place. Dispel and Negate are affordable options that can be kept at the ready, thereby maintaining pressure while preventing a pivotal play. Understanding when to disrupt your opponent’s graveyard or save a counterspell for key moments becomes an essential aspect of overcoming this particular challenge in the game.

Cards like A-Return Upon the Tide

A Return Upon the Tide is a recent addition to the suite of reanimation spells in Magic: The Gathering. It draws parallels to cards like Unburial Rites, which also provides the ability to return a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. However, A Return Upon the Tide distinguishes itself by granting an Elf creature token when cast from a graveyard, despite sharing the same mana cost as Unburial Rites without this bonus.

Moving to other kin, we have Bond of Revival, which showcases a similar resurrection theme. It’s a bit more expensive mana-wise, but it compensates by giving the resurrected creature haste, unlocking immediate board impact. There’s also Zombify, which strictly fulfills the reanimation role at the expense of extras, setting the stage at a straightforward four mana cost.

Weighing up the options, A Return Upon the Tide emerges with a unique proposition in reanimation spells. Not only does it reanimate a creature, but the added value of an Elf token can provide strategic advantages, especially in decks synergizing with Elves or tokens.

Cards similar to A-Return Upon the Tide by color, type and mana cost

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where A-Return Upon the Tide has restrictions

Format	Legality
Brawl	Legal
Historic	Legal