Return to the Ranks

Sorcery

Convoke (You may tap your creatures as you cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's colour.)

Return X target creature cards with converted mana cost / mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (51)

brieben on A fistful of Myr [Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch]

4 months ago

My favorite part of Urtet is untapping all the Myrs and finding ways to take advantage of that. To that end, I think Improvise is a great mechanic in this deck (Kappa Cannoneer and Organic Extinction are great examples already in the decklist). Since the artifacts are also creatures, Convoke can be similarly powerful. Both are even more powerful in your list since you are also running cards like Drumbellower and Unwinding Clock.

I mentioned some good Improvise cards in a previous comment, but here are some more fun possibilities:

• Whir of Invention - 3 blue pips is tough, but perhaps worth it if leaning into blue and you like tutors
• Saheeli's Directive - 3 red pips this time, but perhaps the upside is worth it?
• Battle at the Bridge - likely just one black mana to get rid of a creature, even if it has indestructible

And here are some possible Convoke cards:

• Obelisk of Urd - often "free" while pumping all your Myrs, which can still untap after the Convoke and attack with the pump that same turn thanks to Urtet
• Return to the Ranks - get back a bunch of 2-mana creatures (I would likely want to pack a few more in the deck to make it worth it, but something to consider)
• Endless Obedience - recursion from anyone's graveyard
• Unmake the Graves - more recursion
• Ephemeral Shields - protection for Urtet
• Overwhelm - the creatures you tap for the Convoke will get the buff and can still attack thanks to Urtet
• Lethal Scheme - destroy a creature or planeswalker while improving your hand with Connive
• Mob - cheap creature removal
• Sundering Vitae - cheap artifact/enchantment removal
• Sprouting Renewal - more cheap artifact/enchantment removal (maybe you want the token sometimes?)
• Venerated Loxodon - a 4/4 body that gives a +1/+1 counter to every creature that Convokes it; seems especially decent since you are also running cards like Hardened Scales and Doubling Season

ZenYoLife on Myr Tokens Budget

1 year ago

IHATENAMES, Forsaken Monument would work better in a Myrtron deck that isn't white in my opinion. Tempered Steel is cheaper and can stack as it is not Legendary.

Myr Reservoir and Myr Retriever do what Return to the Ranks can and are artifacts. I think the goal LeechBoy is doing is sticking with somewhat mainly Myr and artifact creatures as the base of creatures which capitalizes on Tempered Steel.

The Antiquities War Would probably work better with an Esper or Azorius control deck as you can have tons more of noncreature artifacts in that type of deck.

With White Tempered artifact decks, you want to go massive pump so the bots can teabag with their big nuts and bolts.

IHATENAMES on Myr Tokens Budget

1 year ago

Just realized the inf combo but it is difficult at best to pull off. Even if you do untapping a ton won't win the game a few more ideas. Some better then others.

Forsaken Monument might be a better tempered steel price allowing.

Eldrazi Displacera cook card not sure it fits here

Return to the Ranks mana sink +can win the long game.

The Antiquities War budget beef up artifacts. You only need a few blue sources as you can play the blue myr

Blacksmith's Skill protection +buff

zapyourtumor on Soylent Black is PEOPLE!!!

1 year ago

Village Rites > Altar's Reap

Eaten Alive > Spark Harvest/Bone Splinters

Konrad seems too slow and doesn't have much impact for a 5 drop.

One thing you badly need here is an instant-speed reusable sac outlet. which can be used to sac your tap creatures for untapped tokens to surprise block, or just sac anything that is targeted with exile removal, or get instant speed card draw/drain. The only good one in pioneer thats a human is Cartel Aristocrat, and it might be worth splashing white just for that. White would also let you run Cruel Celebrant (not a vampire unfortunately), and maybe Return to the Ranks.

Valengeta on Xenomorphic Expanse

1 year ago

rb701 yes there are a lot of fun Slivers out there besides the ones on my list, however I'm trying to have the cheapest mana curve possible. Anything higher than 2-3 compromises Return to the Ranks, Collected Company and Aether Vial.

I like Door of Destinies but here I have cheat-into-play mechanics which hinder stacking counters on it. On some matches it might be good but on others Shared Animosity might fare better. Still I'm thinking of getting rid of it anyway to give room to Lead the Stampede for more Sliver spam

lagotripha on Modern Hulk Flash

1 year ago

Persist is a better goryo's in this list.

Personally I'd go to B/W Heliod, Sun-Crowned and Return to the Ranks with one of the dredge engines, just to up threat density & increase the number of 'draw card, win game' options.

DarkKnightCuron on White Soldier Deck for Commander, …

2 years ago

Good Afternoon, Hope everyone is doing well.

I've amassed the following cards for specifically a soldier-themed deck, but I'm having trouble narrowing down the list for an appropriate deck, so I'd like to request advice and assistance. The general idea was to summon a bunch of soldier tokens, buff them, defeat opponents, but I keep stumbling into cards that would be 'cool' or 'awesome' with the theme. Here are the cards I am looking at:

Legendary Cards (Potential Commanders) Akroma, Vision of Ixidor (Synergy with Odric) Baird, Steward of Argive (Good delay) Brimaz, King of Oreskos (Cheap commander that produces soldiers) Darien, King of Kjeldor (decent way of making soldiers, expensive) Keleth, Sunmane Familiar (only for partner) Lena, Selfless Champion Mikaeus, the Lunarch Nahiri, the Lithomancer Odric, Lunarch Marshal Odric, Master Tactician Prava of the Steel Legion Thalia, Heretic Cathar Trynn, Champion of Freedom

Normal Cards Abzan Falconer (synergy with Mikaeus) Adaptive Automaton (buffs soldiers) Ainok Bond-Kin (synergy with Mikaeus) Ancestral Blade (2 for a 2/2 creature seems good, especially if I can re-assign it to Auriok Steelshaper) Angel's Feather (Life gain) Angel's Grace (emergency + synergy with Darien)(Isochron Scepter) Anointed Procession (Double tokens, yes) Anointer Priest (life gain for tokens, seems good) Auriok Steelshaper (seems like good synergy with the equipment in the deck, if they're included. Otherwise, might toss this out) Aven Brigadier (Might toss this) Aysen Crusader (P/T based on soldiers? Yes please) Ballyrush Banneret (cheaper soldier spells) Basri Ket (Synergy with Abzan Falconer and Ainok Bond-Kin)(Produces Soldier Tokens) Benalish Commander (Roundabout way of producing soldiers) Bounty Agent (Neat way of dealing with certain cards) Call the Coppercoats (Produces soldiers) Captain of the Watch (Produces soldiers, buffs soldiers) Captain's Call (Produces soldiers) Catapult Master (Neat way of exiling enemy creatures) Cenn's Enlistment (produces soldiers, retrace) Commanding Presence (roundabout way of producing soldiers) Conclave Phalanx (can easily be a free creature + free life gain) Congregate (good life gain) Conqueror's Pledge (produces soldiers) Coordinated Barrage (meshes with soldiers well. Isochron Scepter) Crusader of Odric (can get really tough and powerful, might be worth cutting though) Daru Stinger (Could be really potent) Daru Warchief (cheaper spells, buffs soldiers, seems good) Dawn of Hope (good synergy with life gains, produces soldiers with lifelink) Daysquad Marshal (produces 1 soldier token, only really good with other buffs/cost reductions) Decree of Justice (mostly just to cycle it) Deploy to the Front (Great way of expanding ranks of soldiers) Devout Invocation (This is basically a win condition) Door of Destinies (buffs soldiers) Elspeth Tirel (makes soldiers, gain life, emergency nuke) Elspeth, Knight-Errant (makes soldiers, indestructable emblem) Elspeth, Sun's Champion (produces soldiers, cool emblem) Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis (makes soldiers or gain life, neat concept) Enlistment Officer (Good way of thinning the deck) Entrapment Maneuver (produces soldiers while protecting yourself, smidge situational) Erase (cheap removal. Isochron Scepter) Evangel of Heliod (produces soldiers, potential for lots of soldiers) Even the Odds (Nice way of getting emergency troops) Fairgrounds Warden (cool removal) Field Marshal (buffs soldiers) Fiend Binder (cool removal) Finale of Glory (basically a win condition) First Response (Nice way of benefitting from small attackers, I think) Garrison Cat (produces 1 soldier token, effectively replacing itself, might be worth cutting) Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (only really here for the emblem and possibly getting buffed on attacks) Gift of Estates (Land is always a problem for me, good deck thinning) Glorious Anthem (buff) God-Favored General (produces soldiers, albeit a bit expensive) Haazda Marshal (neat soldier producer, makes lifelink soldiers) Hero of Bladehold (battlecry + soldier producer, great with Haazda Marshal) Holy Day (defensive spell, Isochron Scepter) Honor of the Pure (buff) Hunted Witness (replaces itself with a soldier, cheap, might cut though) Intangible Virtue (buffs tokens) Intrepid Hero (Great removal, lots of great memories, nostalgic for me, etc) Isochron Scepter (Keep using certain Instants as needed) Join the Ranks (a bit expensive but makes soldiers) Journey to Nowhere (removal) Keeper of the Accord (really cool card, definitely helps with soldiers and lands) Knight-Captain of Eos (basically a holy day by sacrificing a soldier, seems really good) Land Tax (Land is always a problem) Launch the Fleet (produces soldiers, great with Odric, Haazda Marshal, Hero of Bladehold, Brimaz, etc) Leyline of the Meek (Neat little buff) Lieutenants of the Guard (neat mechanic, might cut) Loxodon Partisan (battlecry, might cut) Loyal Sentry (neat concept, cheap) Makeshift Battalion (diet battlecry) Marble Diamond (might be good) Marshal's Anthem (neat card, might be beneficial in a pinch) Martial Coup (great removal + producing soldiers) Mentor of the Meek (card draw from soldiers) Militia Bugler (decent deck-thinning, might cut since its only top four) Militia's Pride (produces soldiers, lots of good synergy) Mobilization (decent buff, built-in soldier producer, tad expensive) Mother of Runes (utility, might cut) Murder Investigation (neat little way of producing soldiers, depends) Ninth Bridge Patrol (neat way of benefitting from tokens getting destroyed) Nomads' Assembly (huge potential) Oath of Lieges (Land is always a problem) Oathsworn Giant (expensive, but decent buff) Oblivion Ring (Removal) Omen of the Sun (produces soldiers, little life gain, scry later, flash, generally good) Palace Guard (cool card) Paragon of New Dawns (buffs soldiers) Path to Exile (Removal) Patrol Signaler (roundabout way of producing soldiers, might cut) Pay No Heed (cheap defense, Isochron Scepter) Pearl Medallion (cheaper spells is always better) Pennon Blade (make something huge, kinda expensive though, might cut) Phantom General (buffs tokens) Precinct Captain (cheap, produces soldiers for attacking, decent synergy) Preeminent Captain (free cast, depending upon circumstances, decent synergy) Proper Burial (decent life gain) Raise the Alarm (cheap soldiers, Isochron Scepter) Ranger of Eos (only useful if I have a lot of cheap creatures) Reborn Hero (neat concept, can bring it back) Rebuff the Wicked (neat counter) Recruit the Worthy (cheap soldiers, Isochron Scepter) Recruiter of the Guard (decent search) Remember the Fallen (might cut, decent card) Resurrection (decent way of bringing back an expensive creature) Return to the Ranks (potentially free method of bringing cards back) Reverent Hoplite (potentially lots of soldiers) Rhox Pikemaster (Decent buff) Righteous Cause (Decent buff, tad expensive) Riot Control (neat life gain, defense) Rootborn Defenses (defense, makes a soldier, neat) Safe Passage (defense) Selfless Squire (interesting utility, might cut) Sergeant-at-Arms (can create soldiers, seems expensive though) Shielded Passage (neat little defense, Isochron Scepter) Sol Ring (obvious reasons) Soul Parry (decent defense, Isochron Scepter) Soul Snare (neat way to keep up devotion + have something on hand to deal with a creature) Soulmender (cheap creature, life gain, might cut) Standing Troops (decent card, might cut) Stormfront Riders (expensive way of producing soldiers, flying, might cut) Strata Scythe (make something huge, might cut) Strength of Arms (decent way of making soldiers, Isochron Scepter) Sword of the Meek (decent way of bringing it back from graveyard, might cut though) Sworn Companions (lifelink soldiers) Terminus (nice clutch card) Thraben Standard Bearer (cheap soldier, can be good for creating defenders in a pinch) Timely Reinforcements (neat for emergencies) True Conviction (huge buff) Unified Strike (exile based on number of soldiers, isochron scepter) Unruly Mob (might cut) Valor (easy way to get first strike) Veteran Armorer (buff, might cut) Veteran Armorsmith (buff, might cut) Veteran Swordsmith (buff, might cut) Veteran's Armaments (decent synergy, might cut) War Report (good life gain) Wing Shards (neat card, might cut) Worship (synergizes with Darien)

Lands Drifting Meadow (cycling) Emeria, The Sky Ruin (awesome card if I can get 7 plains) Karoo (neat little card, not sure if worth it) 28x Plains New Benalia (neat card, not sure if worth it) Nykthos, Shrine of Nyx (white deck, probably a good call) Secluded Steppe (cycling)

Thank you for your time and attention.

Amoebamantis on The Debt Collectors

2 years ago

Geschlechts I have to admit I was skeptical of Return to the Ranks being better than Rally the Ancestors , but after play testing with it I agree. The Convoke really pays off, and even though it is generally less explosive than Rally the Ancestors , it can be used in a wider variety of situations. Nice call!