Never // Return MTG Card
2017-04-28 - Number 212
2017-04-29 - Number 212s
2020-08-13 - Number 118
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Abilities | Aftermath |
Text of card
Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.) Exile target card from a graveyard. Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Cards like Never // Return
The Never Mtg Card stands out in the lineup of unique spells across Magic: The Gathering, offering an intriguing play dynamic similar to that of other iconic cards. It’s reminiscent of versatile removal spells like Hero’s Downfall, which allows players to target and destroy a creature or planeswalker. Yet, Never differentiates itself by potentially providing an additional benefit, thus offering extra flexibility over the classic removal staple.
Similarly, Vraska’s Contempt is another card that offers exile effects but comes with the added upside of life gain, although at a higher mana cost. While it doesn’t share the same potential secondary advantage as Never, it compensates with the certainty of life increment. Despark also enters this conversation due to its capability to exile targets, notwithstanding its restriction to only affect permanents with high mana costs. It shines with its lower mana cost but misses out on the versatility or extra effects presented by Never.
Ensuring a methodical evaluation between Never and its counterparts, one can appreciate its place in a player’s arsenal. Its adaptable nature and added value position it as a notable option amongst similar spells in Magic: The Gathering’s diverse offerings.
Cards similar to Never // Return by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When delving into the specifics of the Never MTG card, one can appreciate its unique ability to offer significant card advantage. This can tilt the game in your favor by ensuring you have a continuous flow of options at your disposal, enhancing your overall strategy and keeping you one step ahead of your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: This card not only aligns with card advantage but also serves as a catalyst for resource acceleration. Providing players with an opportunity to ramp up their resources can lead to a dominant position on the battlefield, enabling more powerful plays and quicker deployment of game-changing spells or creatures.
Instant Speed: The versatility of an instant-speed spell cannot be overstated. It allows for reactive play, keeping your strategy flexible while you adapt to the unfolding game. This strategic element can often catch an opponent off-guard and swing the momentum in your favor when they least expect it.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Never card necessitates discarding from your hand, potentially depleting valuable resources or forcing tough decisions when hand size is crucial.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise mana configuration to cast, possibly restricting its inclusion in decks that can’t consistently produce the needed types or amounts of mana.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its casting cost is on the higher side, which might be inefficient compared to other options that have a lower mana investment for a similar or better impact on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Never card boasts a flexible nature that allows it to seamlessly integrate into various deck archetypes. With its unique abilities, it can address different game situations, making it a solid choice regardless of the deck’s primary strategy.
Combo Potential: Its effects dovetail neatly with numerous other cards, unlocking powerful combinations that can swing the game in your favor. This card’s potential to synergize can be the linchpin in crafting a winning strategy.
Meta-Relevance: As the metagame shifts, the versatility and combo potential of the Never card mean that it remains relevant, providing answers to prevalent threats and enhancing your deck’s performance against a range of opponents.
How to beat
Overcoming the Never card in Magic: The Gathering hinges on a deep understanding of its mechanics and strategic counterplays. This card poses a unique challenge to players as it not only negates an opponent’s action but can also become a persistent threat due to its ability to return to the owner’s hand. A common tactic to thwart Never’s potential is by leveraging instant-speed removals or counterspells, effectively dealing with the card before it has a chance to disrupt your strategy.
Establishing a board presence with creatures that have hexproof or shroud can also be a workaround, as Never struggles to target such elusive beings. Furthermore, implementing card advantage through draw effects or recursive strategies could overwhelm the limited scope of Never’s influence. Additionally, it’s important to manage your resources carefully—avoid overcommitting to the board and keep backup plans in your hand for recovery post-interaction.
Ultimately, the key lies in predicting the Never card’s play and preemptively setting the stage in your favor. By maintaining a flexible and adaptive game plan, accompanied by foresightful resource management, you can turn Never’s disruptive power into a trivial hiccup in your path to victory in Magic: The Gathering.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Never // Return MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet and Amonkhet Promos, 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 Never // Return 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
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Printings
The Never // Return Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2017-04-28 and 2020-08-13. Illustrated by Daarken.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-04-28 | Amonkhet | AKH | 212 | 2015 | Aftermath | Black | Daarken | |
| 2 | 2017-04-29 | Amonkhet Promos | PAKH | 212s | 2015 | Aftermath | Black | Daarken | |
| 3 | 2020-08-13 | Amonkhet Remastered | AKR | 118 | 2015 | Aftermath | Black | Daarken |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Never // Return has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Never // Return card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-04-18 | A spell with aftermath cast from a graveyard will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, it’s countered, or it leaves the stack in some other way. |
| 2017-04-18 | All split cards have two card faces on a single card, and you put a split card onto the stack with only the half you’re casting. The characteristics of the half of the card you didn’t cast are ignored while the spell is on the stack. For example, if an effect prevents you from casting green spells, you can cast Destined of Destined // Lead, but not Lead. |
| 2017-04-18 | Each split card has two names. If an effect instructs you to choose a card name, you may choose one, but not both. |
| 2017-04-18 | Each split card is a single card. For example, if you discard one, you’ve discarded one card, not two. If an effect counts the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard, Destined // Lead counts once, not twice. |
| 2017-04-18 | If another effect allows you to cast a split card with aftermath from a graveyard, you may cast either half. If you cast the half that has aftermath, you’ll exile the card if it would leave the stack. |
| 2017-04-18 | If another effect allows you to cast a split card with aftermath from any zone other than a graveyard, you can’t cast the half with aftermath. |
| 2017-04-18 | If you cast the first half of a split card with aftermath during your turn, you’ll have priority immediately after it resolves. You can cast the half with aftermath from your graveyard before any player can take any other action if it’s legal for you to do so. |
| 2017-04-18 | Split cards with aftermath have a new frame treatment—the half you can cast from your hand is oriented the same as other cards you’d cast from your hand, while the half you can cast from your graveyard is a traditional split card half. This frame treatment is for your convenience and has no rules significance. |
| 2017-04-18 | While not on the stack, the characteristics of a split card are the combination of its two halves. For example, Destined // Lead is a green and black card, it is both an instant card and a sorcery card, and its converted mana cost is 6. This means that if an effect allows you to cast a card with converted mana cost 2 from your hand, you can’t cast Destined. This is a change from the previous rules for split cards. |
| 2017-07-14 | Once you’ve started to cast a spell with aftermath from your graveyard, the card is immediately moved to the stack. Opponents can’t try to stop the ability by exiling the card with an effect such as that of Crook of Condemnation. |