Redeem the Lost MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Clash
Released	2008-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Morningtide
Set code	MOR
Number	21
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Scott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

At instant speed, Redeem the Lost can turn the tide by resurrecting key creatures or surprising foes with blockers.
Its demand for specific mana and potential strain on hand resources can restrict its play in diverse strategies.
Versatile and meta-relevant, this card is a powerful inclusion in decks designed to outmaneuver targeted removal.

Text of card

Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Redeem the Lost to its owner's hand. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Redeem the Lost stands out as a meaningful way to maintain your board presence by bringing back a key creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. This can swing the game in your favor, ensuring you never lose momentum.

Resource Acceleration: By reclaiming your creature at a moment’s notice, you effectively save on the mana and resources you’d otherwise spend recasting similar threats. This accelerates your game plan, enabling you to utilize your mana pool for additional plays.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of operating at instant speed can’t be overstated. Redeem the Lost allows you to respond to your opponent’s actions, protect your creatures from removal, or simply end the turn with a surprise blocker. The strategic advantage of this timing can often be the difference between victory and defeat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Redeem the Lost forces a player to discard another card upon casting which can strain hand resources, especially in tight game situations where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Demanding white mana to be cast can pose challenges in multicolored decks or those that are mana-scarce in white, thus restricting its flexibility in play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While offering a potentially significant boon by returning a creature card from the graveyard, the card’s requirement of two white mana may be considered steep compared to other protective or revival options available.

Reasons to Include Redeem the Lost in Your Collection

Versatility: Redeem the Lost is a highly flexible card, capable of fitting seamlessly into a variety of decks. It shines in those that need to protect key creatures or safeguard against unexpected removal spells during crucial turns.

Combo Potential: This card holds the ability to unexpectedly foil an opponent’s strategy by saving a combo piece, allowing players to push further towards a win condition with an unexpected twist in the game.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to preserve key assets on the battlefield, Redeem the Lost stands firm in a meta that’s filled with targeted removals or in matchups where maintaining board presence could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

How to beat

Redeem the Lost presents a unique challenge on the battlefield, subtly altering the complexion of the game with its protection capabilities. This instant spell has the power to return a target creature to its owner’s hand at a moment’s notice, potentially nullifying an opponent’s removal or combat strategies and enabling savvy players to save their pivotal creatures from dire situations. While similar to other protective spells like Unsummon, Redeem the Lost has a distinct advantage in its added versatility through its Flashback cost, allowing it to be played from the graveyard and expanding strategic options for players throughout the game.

Overcoming the resilience that Redeem the Lost provides often requires calculated plays, such as using cards like Crippling Fear, which sidesteps traditional single-target removal methods. Timing is also critical; players may wish to bait out Redeem the Lost’s use or wait to deploy removal until after their opponent’s mana is depleted, reducing the likelihood that Redeem the Lost can be effectively employed. Additionally, strategists might incorporate graveyard disruption tools into their decks, such as Grafdigger’s Cage, that directly counteract Flashback mechanics and diminish the recycling potential of Redeem the Lost.

Ultimately, tackling the versatile nature of Redeem the Lost demands a blend of foresight, timing, and deck adaptation, ensuring games involving this card remain dynamic and strategically engaging for MTG players.

Cards like Redeem the Lost

Redeem the Lost is a unique piece in a spellcaster’s arsenal, nestled comfortably within the vast array of protection spells in Magic: The Gathering. It shares common ground with other instant spells such as Shelter, which also offers a creature protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. Redeem the Lost, however, shines with its distinct “flashback” ability—allowing you to cast the spell again from your graveyard, giving it twice the potential to shield your key creatures.

Comparably, spells like Apostle’s Blessing grant protection to creatures or artifacts but require a payment of life in addition to its mana cost, which could be a strategic disadvantage. On the flip side, Redeem the Lost requires solely mana investment and benefits players with more control over their life total. Then there’s the classic God’s Willing, which also provides protection but with the added boon of scrying 1—a subtle yet sometimes consequential advantage in foretelling your draws.

Assessing the landscape of protective spells, Redeem the Lost presents itself as a robust option for preserving your battlefield presence efficiently and with the convenience of recurability, making it a staple for defensive strategies within the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Redeem the Lost MTG card by a specific set like Morningtide, 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 Redeem the Lost and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Redeem the Lost has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2008-04-01	If the spell is countered or doesn’t resolve for any reason (for example, if all its targets become illegal), none of its effects happen. There is no clash, and the spell card won’t be returned to your hand.
2008-04-01	If you win the clash, the spell moves from the stack to your hand as part of its resolution. It never hits the graveyard. If you don’t win the clash, the spell is put into the graveyard from the stack as normal.