SCD - Return the Favor

[RowanKeltizar]

I think Return the Favor is worth looking at. This just seems like the ultimate in flexibility as far red redirect/copy spells go and for a pretty efficient cost.

As far as I'm aware, Return the Favor is the only effect that can copy opponents' activated or triggered abilities. I could be wrong but I don't remember seeing that anywhere else. (other than Aboleth Spawn but that is pretty specific.)

There are spells of course that can counter abilties, but copy ones you don't control? There are several effects that can copy your own triggered abilities such as Strionic Resonator and Lithoform Engine. Probably more, but it's a pretty rare effect outside of specific kinds of triggers like ETBs.

I never really felt like I could comfortably maindeck Redirect or Twincast or Wild Ricochet as there always seemed to be better cards to play that were less situational. I've always like these effects however as they make for some very fun plays.

But I think holding up three or four mana for this should be worth it given the huge number of options that activated or triggered abilities offer over only instants and sorceries. It can redirect a kill spell or just steal value if the opportunity presents itself. But of course, the option to copy your own stuff is always there so I just don't see this ever being a dead card.

In terms of tempo this has the potential to 3 for 1 someone (just like Wild Ricochet). Say opponent casts a Path to Exile. You pay 2RR and not only is their Path now yours, but 2 of their creatures get exiled. But it is strickly better because it can also redirect and copy a Reclamation Sage or a Strip Mine and you don't always have to to pay the 4 mana either.

Amazing for an uncommon if you ask me (probably should have been rare?).

[Mookie]

Return the Favor certainly looks interesting. It has a lot of potential uses - you can copy your own spells and abilities, copy your opponents', redirect an opponents' spell or ability, or all of the above. Some of those are more relevant than others, but it's certainly flexible.

I think getting a 3-for-1 with Wild Ricochet is pretty difficult - how often does an opponent throw a Swords to Plowshares at your creature when there are two other things you want to kill on the board? Most of the time, I just feel awkward when I see it in hand when an opponent casts a board wipe and I wish I were running a counterspell instead.

However, throwing in the ability to copy abilities is certainly interesting. The idea of copying a Sakura-Tribe Elder or Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm trigger certainly sounds appealing. Copying a cascade or storm trigger sounds extra spicy. I run Reverberate and similar cards in my spellslinger decks, but I could see myself using it in other decks to copy Etali, Primal Storm triggers or whatever. I think spells are generally stronger to copy / redirect than abilities, but I'm not going to say no to extra text.

They have been printing some copy effects at uncommon, but yeah, they're usually at rare. We also got Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor at uncommon, which I find surprising. This may be due to play boosters having more uncommons, so they're pushing things a bit more? Hmmm... at the very least, it's interesting to see a three-step power creep over Wild Ricochet - rarity downshift, modes, and copying abilities. My best guess is that the general guideline for spree card design is 'uncommon = 2 modes, rare = 3 modes', but that's not true for all of them.

[darrenhabib]

Not many decks get to hold up 4 mana each turn in the hopes of bagging value.

Even though its got that unique ability to copy triggered or activated abilities, if you are looking to get full value (4 mana) from the card that would also need to be a "targeted" trigger.
I went through top played cards until I found instances of this and got Deathrite Shaman, Mother of Runes, Goblin Bombardment.
Even say with Dauthi Voidwalker it doesn't target. Finding this combination of targeted triggers is actually pretty rare in general.

Planeswalkers would be the most consistent way to get the full value off an opponent with loyalty abilities that target. Just looking at my own Will & Rowen deck Dack Fayden would be the best example of getting value, but again this is pretty rare even on planeswalker to get the trigger that you want (for full value).

As you pointed out probably the most consistent way you'd use this card is against targeted removal.
Then as far as activated probably fetchlands would be most consistent/common way to get value as 3 mana ramp.
If that makes sense holding up 4 mana each turn is hard for most decks, unless you are specifically instant speed control. So if you have 3 mana and a fetchland then you can justify this by using it for searching for another land just before your turn if you didn't have other good targets that turn round. But I wouldn't just keep it in hand hoping for a glory play.

[PrimevalCommander]

One of the better copy spells we have gotten in a while. But as history has shown us with copy and redirect spells, unless they cost , holding mana open waiting for your opponents to do something spicy is only good when you are ahead and don't need to commit more to the board, or are playing a draw-go style deck that likes to hold open mana. Copying your own stuff is good for storm decks to copy rituals and such, but general value-copies are hard to justify. They don't help during set-up periods unless it is very late game and you have the mana to copy your stuff.

The best redirect/copy spell I have personally played is Insidious Will, which is in a draw-go Talrand, Sky Summoner deck. Because it has the counterspell fail-case for when the board wipe hits and neither copy or redirect helps you there.

[pokken]

I will absolutely run this in my Slicer Gotcha deck (where I run all those effects to bounce anything people try to hit slicer with :D).

As a 4 mana "jack this time warp and get two* it's pretty solid too lol.


--that current red interaction suite is:

• dualcaster mage
• deflecting swat
• fork
• reiterate
• wild ricochet
• wyll's reversal

(some of those effects are just, "if you kill slicer I'll punish you" and some are "i'll make you hit yourself" :D)

[ISBPathfinder]

Can you pay for the same mode multiple times or is it just that you can activate up to each ability once? I was thinking it would be funny to chain a fetchland crack but if you can only do each one once it becomes less amusing.

[pokken]

Can you pay for the same mode multiple times or is it just that you can activate up to each ability once? I was thinking it would be funny to chain a fetchland crack but if you can only do each one once it becomes less amusing.

I believe it would need to explicitly say multiples were allowed.