Mystic Retrieval MTG Card


Grants card advantage by retrieving valuable spells, enhancing hand quality without losing card quantity. Flashback at instant speed allows strategic responses to opponents, increasing tactical opportunities. Resource acceleration is achieved by setting up potent plays through retrieved instants or sorceries.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeSorcery
Abilities Flashback

Text of card

Return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)


Cards like Mystic Retrieval

Within the tapestry of Magic: The Gathering’s vast spellbook, Mystic Retrieval carves out its own niche. It shares thematic similarities with cards that enable the retrieval of spells from the graveyard, such as Call to Mind and Recollect. Like Mystic Retrieval, these cards are designed to return an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand, providing a second chance to cast potent spells.

Call to Mind is a direct comparison, requiring three mana for the same effect without the added versatility found in Mystic Retrieval’s flashback ability. Recollect, meanwhile, offers a broader range in its retrieval with the ability to bring back any card at the expense of being slightly more expensive in mana cost.

When considering the dynamics of game play, Mystic Retrieval rises in esteem thanks to its flashback ability, granting it more flexibility and potential to impact the game across multiple turns. This puts the card in a highly regarded position among players seeking to capitalize on spell recurrences, demonstrating why it’s a choice card in decks that revolve around maximizing spellcasts.

Call to Mind - MTG Card versions
Recollect - MTG Card versions
Call to Mind - MTG Card versions
Recollect - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Mystic Retrieval by color, type and mana cost

Quenchable Fire - MTG Card versions
Collected Conjuring - MTG Card versions
Experimental Overload - MTG Card versions
Truth or Consequences - MTG Card versions
Brazen Boarding - MTG Card versions
Ill-Timed Explosion - MTG Card versions
Quenchable Fire - MTG Card versions
Collected Conjuring - MTG Card versions
Experimental Overload - MTG Card versions
Truth or Consequences - MTG Card versions
Brazen Boarding - MTG Card versions
Ill-Timed Explosion - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mystic Retrieval grants you access to a crucial spell that you’ve already played, thus expanding your hand with quality options without losing card quantity.

Resource Acceleration: By retrieving an impactful sorcery or instant from your graveyard, Mystic Retrieval effectively functions as resource acceleration, setting up powerful plays for subsequent turns.

Instant Speed: The card’s flashback ability can be activated at instant speed, offering the flexibility to respond to an opponent’s strategy during their turn or after they’ve passed, maximizing your tactical advantages.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Mystic Retrieval has a flashback ability that needs discarding a card. This could put you in a disadvantaged position if your hand is already dwindling or if you’re counting on each card to play a vital role in your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes both blue and red mana, Mystic Retrieval requires a commitment to a specific color combination. This can potentially limit the card’s inclusion to only certain types of decks, namely those that can reliably produce both colors of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Four mana to return a single instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand is a significant investment. In situations where speed and efficiency are crucial, there may be other lower-cost options available to players looking to maximize their mana use throughout the game.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mystic Retrieval plays a key role in spell-focused decks, offering the flexibility of returning any instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. This enables players to re-use their most powerful spells, making it a valuable addition for a variety of Magic the Gathering strategies.

Combo Potential: With its flashback ability, Mystic Retrieval can be cast from the graveyard, opening up numerous combo possibilities and synergies with other graveyard manipulation mechanics. This can often lead to game-changing plays by recasting the most impactful spells for a second time.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where control and graveyard-based strategies are prevalent, having access to past spells can give you a significant advantage. Mystic Retrieval’s ability to recur high-value instants and sorceries can be the turning point in matches against decks that also leverage their graveyards or in drawn-out control matchups.


How to beat

Mystic Retrieval is a unique card in the world of MTG known for its ability to recur spells from your graveyard. Facing this card across the battlefield can pose a challenge if you’re unprepared. However, it is not unbeatable. To tackle Mystic Retrieval effectively, consider incorporating graveyard hate cards into your deck. This can disrupt your opponent’s plans to utilize their graveyard as a resource.

Another strategy is to exert pressure on your opponent’s hand with discard effects. Cards that make your opponent discard prevent them from ever casting Mystic Retrieval in the first place. If the card does hit the battlefield, counterspells are your next best defense. Countering the spell as it’s cast or when its flashback ability is activated can negate its effect entirely.

Lastly, efficient use of removal spells can also help in mitigating the impact of spells that your opponent may retrieve from their graveyard. Denying them targets for those spells or removing their creatures in response can leave them without a proper use for their retrieved magic. Strike a balance between attacking their resources and developing your own game plan to keep Mystic Retrieval from tipping the scales in your opponent’s favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

The intricate world of MTG is vast, and Mystic Retrieval shines as a complex gem within it. This card opens the door for graveyard strategies and spell reuse, charting new pathways to victory. Whether you’re engineering a cunning comeback or reinforcing your board presence, understanding the utility of Mystic Retrieval can be a game-changer. There’s a landscape of possibilities for players eager to weave past magic into future triumphs, and we’re here to guide that journey. For those enchanted by the potential of this unique card and hungry for strategic depth in their gameplay, we welcome you to further explore its uses and synergies. Let’s delve deeper and refine your deck together for an unparalleled strategic advantage.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mystic Retrieval MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension and Commander 2015, 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 Mystic Retrieval and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mystic Retrieval Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2012-02-03 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12012-02-03Dark AscensionDKA 422003NormalBlackScott Chou
22015-11-13Commander 2015C15 982015NormalBlackScott Chou
32018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 662015NormalBlackScott Chou
42019-08-23Commander 2019C19 902015NormalBlackIzzy
52023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 202015NormalBlackScott Chou

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mystic Retrieval has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2011-01-22 Mystic Retrieval can’t target itself. It’s on the stack when you choose its target.