Return the Past MTG Card
2023-10-13 - Number 697
2023-10-13 - Number 388
2023-10-13 - Number 979
2023-10-13 - Number 92
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Text of card
As long as it's your turn, each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard has flashback. Its flashback cost is equal to its mana cost.
"You're back! You're in my head. All my memories... are back." —The Twelfth Doctor
Cards like Return the Past
Return the Past in Magic: The Gathering shares features with a host of graveyard interaction spells. It mirrors the capacity of Regrowth, a classic card that permits the retrieval of any card from a graveyard. However, Return the Past offers a distinctive spin with its potential for selective mass graveyard recovery compared to the single-target functionality of Regrowth.
Analogous to Eternal Witness, Return the Past allows the recovery of key cards, but Witness does so by providing a creature body on the field, which offers additional blocking or attacking options. Conversely, Return the Past is not tied to a creature, thereby not susceptible to removal in the same way. Pulse of Murasa stands as another related spell, giving life gain plus the benefit of retrieving a creature or land, yet it doesn’t match the potential volume of Return the Past’s multiple card recovery.
Ultimately, analyzing these options reveals Return the Past’s value in decks focusing on maximizing graveyard resources. While other cards provide different bonuses, Return the Past can be a game-changer, particularly in strategies that are built around, or benefit from, a robust graveyard toolbox.
Cards similar to Return the Past by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Return the Past card shines by offering players the chance to retrieve a choice piece from their graveyard. In MTG, having the capability to bring back an essential creature or spell can tilt the match in your favor by maintaining or gaining card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: By reclaiming key cards with Return the Past, you effectively accelerate your resources without spending extra turns drawing or waiting for the right card to come along. This can be a decisive factor in outpacing your opponent’s strategy.
Instant Speed: The versatility of Return the Past is further enhanced by its instant speed, allowing players to wait for the most opportune moment during the gameplay to execute the revival. This keeps opponents guessing and can disrupt their gameplay while giving you the element of surprise.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Invoking Return the Past in your game plan necessitates the sacrifice of another card from your hand. This requirement might put you at a disadvantage, especially when your hand is already depleted, which curbs your strategic options.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation is bound to a particular mana color combination. It requires a precise blend of mana types which can be problematic if your deck isn’t fine-tuned to accommodate it, potentially leading to situations where you can’t play it when needed.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that’s on the upper end of the spectrum for its effect, Return the Past faces stiff competition from other cards in the pool. Given the plethora of options available, there may be alternative spells that achieve similar results with a lower mana investment, translating to quicker and more efficient plays on the battlefield.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Return the Past offers a unique ability to retrieve key cards from your graveyard, making it a versatile addition to decks that rely on specific cards for their strategy or need to recycle valuable resources.
Combo Potential: This card has significant combo potential, seamlessly integrating with strategies that revolve around graveyard synergy or cards that benefit from being cast multiple times throughout a game.
Meta-Relevance: Its relevance in the current MTG meta can’t be overstated, with many decks employing tactics that inadvertently fill the graveyard, Return the Past becomes a powerful tool to turn what is normally a disadvantage into a game-changing advantage.
How to beat
Return the Past is a unique card in the Magic: The Gathering universe with the power to bring cards back from the graveyard. Overcoming this card requires strategic planning, similar to how one might plan against other regenerative cards such as Eternal Witness or Regrowth. The key difference lies in Return the Past’s ability to target multiple card types for retrieval, making it a versatile tool in any player’s arsenal.
To effectively counter Return the Past, consider using graveyard hate cards like Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus to remove the target cards before they can be reclaimed. Additionally, instant-speed removal such as Krosan Grip can disrupt your opponent’s timing, leaving them without the chance to benefit from their planned recursion. Another effective strategy is to apply pressure with a fast-paced aggro deck, forcing the opponent to use their resources defensively rather than proactively with Return the Past.
In conclusion, dealing with Return the Past centers on pre-empting your opponent’s actions and disrupting their graveyard synergy. With a combination of grave hate and timely disruption, this card’s advantages can be significantly mitigated.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Return the Past MTG card by a specific set like Doctor Who and Doctor Who, 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 Return the Past and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- 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
Printings
The Return the Past Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2023-10-13 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by Irina Nordsol.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 697 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Irina Nordsol | |
| 2 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 388 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Irina Nordsol | |
| 3 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 979 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Irina Nordsol | |
| 4 | 2023-10-13 | Doctor Who | WHO | 92 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Irina Nordsol |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Return the Past has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Return the Past card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-10-13 | "Flashback -ost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying -ost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack." |
| 2023-10-13 | A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way. |
| 2023-10-13 | If a card has multiple instances of flashback, you may choose any of its flashback costs to pay. |
| 2023-10-13 | If a card is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it with flashback if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions. |
| 2023-10-13 | If a card with no mana cost gains flashback, it has no flashback cost. It can't be cast this way. |
| 2023-10-13 | If a split card gains flashback, you pay only the cost of the half you're casting. |
| 2023-10-13 | If you cast a spell with flashback, you can't pay any alternative costs such as overload costs. You can pay additional costs such as kicker costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast the spell with flashback. |
| 2023-10-13 | If you cast an instant or sorcery with in its mana cost this way, you still choose the value of X as part of casting the spell and pay that cost. |
| 2023-10-13 | To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was. |
| 2023-10-13 | You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast. |
| 2023-10-13 | You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery. |