Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Interacting mechanics between colors: a look through a black-centered graveyard play
Color theory in Magic has always hinged on a dance between strengths and weaknesses, and nowhere is that more evident than in the multicolor space where black’s graveyard ambitions meet the plans of other colors. The spell March of the Returned, a single black mana investment plus three generic, is a concise example of how a color’s identity can work in harmony with others to fuel a broader game plan. With a mana cost of {3}{B} and the effect of returning up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand, it’s less about raw raw power and more about tempo, resource reuse, and timing. 🧙♂️🔥
The Returned have no memory of the Underworld or of their former lives. The golden masks they wear are the last gifts of the selves they left behind.
Theros’s black identity thrives on recasting creatures, extracting value from the graveyard, and punishing enemies who think they’ve outpaced you. This common rarity spell fits neatly into a wide array of decks, from Pioneer and Modern builds to Commander tables where graveyard synergy rules the table talk. The fact that it’s a nonfoil option at a budget-friendly price—about a few cents to a few dimes depending on the market—means it slides into fold-out strategies without breaking the bank. And yes, the foil version still brings a little extra sparkle to your deck box. 💎
What the card does, in practical terms
- Mana cost: {3}{B} — a compact, black-heavy investment that fits in mid-to-late game turns when you’re reloading your hand.
- Type and rarity: Sorcery, common — reliable and accessible, a staple in graveyard-centered shells.
- Text: Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. This is graveyard value in a bottle—recovery when you need it most, without pulling from your library or relying on luck of the topdeck. ⚔️
- Color identity: Black — grounded in reclamation, reanimation-adjacent play, and resourceful manipulation of the graveyard.
- Flavor and art: Mark Zug’s illustration from Theros places you in a world where memory and duty collide—the Returned carry masks as a visual reminder that what returns is never just the creature, but a story you’re choosing to resurrect. 🎨
Multicolor mechanics: weaving black with friends at the table
In multicolor decks, March of the Returned acts as a reliable enabler for graveyard-heavy game plans. Let’s break down how black’s interactions with other colors can turn this single spell into a keystone for a broader strategy:
- Black + Blue (Dimir): Blue’s card selection and counterplay combine with black’s graveyard resilience to keep your hand full while you disrupt opponents. Return creatures to hand, then scry or draw to fuel a longer plan. It’s a patient, board-control approach that rewards late-game resource advantages. 🧙♂️
- Black + Green (Golgari): This is the classic reclamation lane—goods from the graveyard, ramp from lands, and value that compounds over time. March of the Returned feels right at home as part of a compact toolbox that recovers threats and maintains pressure as you rebuild your battlefield presence.
- Black + White (Orzhov): Education in attrition and life-linked value. Couple the hand-refill with recursion and life-swing options to wear down opponents in stalemates. It’s a patient path, but one that can snowball when you turn your graveyard into reliable card flow. 🔥
- Black + Red (Rakdos): A more aggressive, tempo-forward approach. Use March of the Returned to steadily refill your threat suite, then push damage with spells and fast creatures. The payoff is often a swift swing that catches opponents off guard as you untap and recast threats. ⚔️
For Commander players, March of the Returned often serves as a staple of the graveyard recursion shell—a dependable way to recover threats after removal or wipes, while enabling synergy with cards that reward replaying creatures or value from the grave. Its pioneer/modern legality makes it a flexible pick for players who like to tinker with different color pairings while keeping a lean mana base. And yes, you can even chain it with other black recursion enablers to keep up pressure as you cycle through your deck. 🧙♂️💎
Practical deck-building ideas with a multicolor lens
When you’re constructing a multicolor shell that leverages March of the Returned, focus on these concepts:
- Graveyard fuel: Build a stable supply of creatures you don’t mind discarding or losing to graveyard effects, so you can reliably return them later. Think of lower-cost creatures that recast well or have bodies that outvalue removal, even when they’ve fallen. 🎲
- Protection and redundancy: Since you’re leaning on a single-sourced return effect, include ways to keep the engine alive—counterspells, anti-removal, and ways to refill your hand after you cast the spell.
- Timing and tempo: Cast it on turns where you’ve already stabilized or can squeeze out a second spell before your opponent recovers. The true power lies in returning two threats and buying a full turn cycle of land drops, removal, or card draw. 🔥
- Budget-friendly decisions: Given its price tier as a common, this card is friendly to newer players trying to assemble a layered graveyard deck without overspending. Foils give you some shine in the display case, but the real value comes from the timing and synergy of the spell itself. ⚡
Flavor, art, and the Theros vibe
Mark Zug delivers a restrained, memorable image for the Returned—golden masks glinting as reminders of lives left behind. The flavor text ties the cycle to memory, identity, and the underworld’s quiet gravity, reminding players that even in a multicolor clash, personal history informs every choice. The Theros block’s presentation of color as belief and myth makes March of the Returned a perfect microcosm: it’s not just about what the card does, but how it fits into a larger story of memory, loss, and deliberate resurrection. 🎨
As you draft, sleeve, and play, you’ll notice the card’s versatility in multiple color architectures. Its type as a sorcery means you’ll often cast it in the middle of the game—late enough to matter, early enough to still have targets in the graveyard, and always ready to swing the tide if your graveyard is bustling with value. And if you’re chasing a modern or pioneer win condition, this spell helps ensure your threats keep returning to the board, even after removal-heavy turns. 🧙♂️
If you’re curious to explore more about the set and other cards that weave into these multicolor mechanics, consider dipping into a curated collection or checking out helpful purchasing options. The modern price floor for March of the Returned sits modestly, with foil editions delivering a slightly brighter peppering in your deck’s aesthetic. Whether you’re building a dedicated Golgari shell or a more splashy Orzhov-leaning control suite, this spell offers a small, dependable engine that rewards timing and synergy. 🔎
Teaming with the right cards and the right colors can turn a straightforward reanimation target into a multi-color machine that outvalues opponents, even when you’re light on mana. The Theros era teaches patience and persistence—two traits that, with a little planning, win games as surely as any flashy finisher. 🧙♂️💎