Diminished Returner MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Phyrexian Skeleton |
| Released | 2022-10-05 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alchemy: Dominaria |
| Set code | YDMU |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 9 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Bruno Biazotto |
Text of card
Diminished Returner enters the battlefield tapped. : Diminished Returner perpetually gets -1/-1, then return it to the battlefield. Activate only if Diminished Returner is in your graveyard and its toughness is 2 or greater.
Cards like Diminished Returner
Diminished Returner lies within the realm of unique MTG cards, offering a clever twist on graveyard manipulation. Comparable to cards like Forever Young, which enables players to put any number of target creature cards from their graveyard on top of their library, Diminished Returner offers a similar function. However, Diminished Returner allows for a more selective return, often focusing on a particular creature type or strategy for a specialized gameplay approach.
Then we see Gaea’s Blessing, another card with a nod towards reshuffling the graveyard into the library. Gaea’s Blessing targets two cards in the graveyard instead of focusing on creature cards, providing a broader but less targeted application. Furthermore, it also offers a chance to draw a card when it’s put into the graveyard from the library, building a slight card advantage over Diminished Returner.
Finally, we must consider the Echo of Eons as a parallel. This card mirrors the famous Time Spiral by emptying both player’s hands and graveyards into their libraries and drawing seven new cards. It’s a more drastic and universal reset compared to Diminished Returner, affecting the entire state of play rather than honing in on specific cards. When examining these options, Diminished Returner serves players looking for focused recursion, while Echo of Eons reshapes the entire game landscape.
Cards similar to Diminished Returner by color, type and mana cost
Decks using this card
MTG decks using Diminished Returner. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.
| # | Name | Format | Archetype | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mono-Black Aggro | Gladiator | Gladiator Team Unified League |
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Diminished Returner card gives you the potential to strategically cycle through your deck, essentially digging for key cards and pushing you closer to your strategic win conditions.
Resource Acceleration: As it puts lands into play, the Diminished Returner facilitates your resource growth. This leads to a quicker deployment of your larger threats or allows you to cast multiple spells in a single turn.
Instant Speed: The ability to play Diminished Returner at instant speed means you can adapt to the unfolding game. It allows you to keep up the pace with your opponents or respond aptly to their threats during their turn, keeping you one step ahead.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To play Diminished Returner, you must part with another card from your hand. This cost compels players to lose potential resources, making the card a tricky play when you’re trying to maintain a full grip of strategies.
Specific Mana Cost: With its unique mix of mana colors needed, Diminished Returner demands a carefully constructed mana base. This necessity can be restrictive, pigeonholing the card into more specific decks that can accommodate it.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing a substantial amount of mana for its effects can be a steep price. While the abilities of Diminished Returner are undoubtedly impactful, its cost-effectiveness is a subject of debate when stacked against other available options in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include Diminished Returner in Your Collection
Versatility: This particular card is adeptly versatile, sliding easily into various deck archetypes. Its capability to recur from the graveyard offers continuous value and resilience to your game plan.
Combo Potential: Diminished Returner shines in its ability to synergize with engines that capitalize on graveyard strategies or benefit from casting creatures from unusual zones, opening doors to powerful combinations.
Meta-Relevance: Given the right meta where graveyard interaction is prevalent or expected, Diminished Returner can serve as an essential tactic, disrupting opponents’ strategies while advancing your own board state.
How to beat Diminished Returner
Diminished Returner might seem daunting with its ability to disrupt your deck’s flow, potentially denying you crucial cards. Unlike utility cards that come with a direct benefit, this card plays the longer strategic game. To effectively counter it, consider enhancing your deck with instant-speed draw spells or graveyard retrieval options. This could mean including cards that allow you to draw in response to its activation or something more robust like an Elixir of Immortality to reshuffle your graveyard into your library.
Deck manipulation is another strategy, which cards like Brainstorm excel at, by letting you put back less essential cards on top of your deck, minimizing the impact of Diminished Returner’s ability. Control elements such as counterspells can also be vital, allowing you to negate the Diminished Returner’s initial cast before it can become a thorn in your strategy. Efficient deck builders often have a contingency in place for such nuisances, and the Diminished Returner is no exception.
Taking a proactive stance and adjusting your deck to be resilient against such interruptions can make the encounter with Diminished Returner less of a setback and more of a minor interruption to your swiftly enacted game plan in Magic: The Gathering.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Diminished Returner MTG card by a specific set like Alchemy: Dominaria, 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 Diminished Returner and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Diminished Returner has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |