Minion's Return MTG Card


Grants card advantage by reclaiming threats, offsetting opponent’s board presence and bolstering your own. Instant speed play enhances strategic depth, enabling surprising comebacks and disrupting foe tactics. Flexibility and combo potential make it valuable for diverse decks, despite being mana-specific and costlier.
Minion's Return - Theros Beyond Death
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant, Flash
Released2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set nameTheros Beyond Death
Set codeTHB
Number104
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byBilly Christian

Text of card

Flash Enchant creature When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control.

As a mortal, Phenax was the first to escape the Underworld. As a god, he brings his pawns along the same dark path.


Cards like Minion's Return

Minion’s Return is an intriguing enchantment that invites comparisons with other revival spells in the world of Magic: The Gathering. An interesting peer is Supernatural Stamina, which similarly allows a creature to return to the battlefield after death for just one black mana. However, Minion’s Return offers the flexibility to target any player’s creature and brings it back under your control, not just its owner’s, giving it a potential edge in game strategy.

Moreover, Unholy Indenture is another comparable card, offering the same phenomenon of reclaiming creatures after their demise. But Minion’s Return is more streamlined with its three-mana cost and flash ability, allowing players to cast it at any time, adding a surprise element that Unholy Indenture lacks. This can significantly alter the battlefield dynamic, as opponents must constantly be wary of its activation.

While Minion’s Return might seem costlier than Supernatural Stamina, its broader application and control-turning feature present a strong case for its inclusion in decks that capitalize on death triggers and creature control strategies.

Supernatural Stamina - MTG Card versions
Unholy Indenture - MTG Card versions
Supernatural Stamina - MTG Card versions
Unholy Indenture - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Minion’s Return gives you a significant edge, as it potentially lets you reclaim a creature that was previously a threat on the battlefield. This not only diminishes your opponent’s board presence but also replenishes your forces, maintaining or turning the tide of card advantage to your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although Minion’s Return doesn’t provide traditional mana acceleration, it accelerates your resource availability by returning a creature right back into play. This means you’re effectively bypassing the mana cost for casting a creature from your hand, therefore indirectly speeding up your game plan.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Minion’s Return at instant speed adds a layer of strategic depth. It ensures that you can wait to see how your opponent’s turn unfolds before deciding the best moment to bring back a key creature. This flexibility allows for surprise plays and can disrupt your opponent’s strategy, especially if they didn’t anticipate the creature coming back during their own turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Minion’s Return doesn’t directly necessitate discarding a card, it’s worth noting that deck strategies incorporating reanimation often require discarding creatures as a cost for other synergistic spells, potentially depleting your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Minion’s Return demands a precise mana alignment featuring one black and two generic mana. This could be restrictive and might not effortlessly fit into decks that aren’t heavily geared towards black mana or multicolored mana flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For an enchantment that brings back creatures only when they die, three mana can be a steep price, especially considering there are lower cost alternatives or those with broader effects for reanimating or protecting creatures.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Minion’s Return can easily find a place in a variety of decks that embrace the graveyard mechanics. It fits particularly well in strategies that require continuous creature presence on the board, allowing you to retain valuable creatures after they have been destroyed or sacrificed.

Combo Potential: This enchantment enhances strategies revolving around sacrifice effects and enter-the-battlefield triggers. Players can create powerful interactions by coupling it with creatures that have beneficial death effects, essentially doubling the value gained from a single creature.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where removal spells are prevalent, Minion’s Return ensures that you get a second life out of your creatures. For metas with control decks, this card provides resilience, and in faster metas, it can deter opponents from attacking into or trading with your creatures.


How to Beat Minion’s Return

Minion’s Return is a unique Aura that possesses the intriguing ability to reanimate a creature that goes to the graveyard. This card can disrupt your opponent’s rhythm by bringing creatures back under your control at instant speed. To effectively counter this capability, consider using exile effects or graveyard hate cards such as Relic of Progenitus or Leyline of the Void. These cards prevent creatures from hitting the graveyard in the first place, rendering Minion’s Return ineffective.

Another strategy is to employ enchantment removal like Disenchant or Back to Nature prior to destroying the enchanted creature. This will ensure that the Aura is out of play and the creature’s death will not trigger Minion’s Return’s effect. In addition, counter spells are great at dealing directly with the stack, stopping Minion’s Return before it even hits the battlefield. Having a removal or counter spell in hand when Minion’s Return is cast can save you from potential defeat or a dramatic shift in board state.

Balancing your deck with a mixture of creature, enchantment, and graveyard control can provide the versatility needed to deal with resilient cards like Minion’s Return. Being prepared for these eventualities ensures you maintain control of the game and keep your opponents on their toes.


BurnMana Recommendations

With Minion’s Return, players have a hidden ace up their sleeve, a tantalizing tool for those who thrive on second chances in the battle realm of Magic the Gathering. If you’re seeking to outwit foes, sustain your board, or simply relish the strategic complexity that comes from reanimating key creatures, this card certainly warrants attention. Its potential in various decks, especially those rife with graveyard shenanigans, is undeniable. Eager to learn more and weave it into your winning strategies? Deepen your MTG journey with us and discover how Minion’s Return can become an indispensable piece of your magical arsenal.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Minion's Return MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Minion's Return and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Minion's Return has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Minion's Return card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-01-24 If Minion’s Return enchants a token creature, that creature won’t return to the battlefield when it dies. Choose your minions wisely.
2020-01-24 In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well. If you leave the game, the creature you control from Minion’s Return is exiled if you don’t own it.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.