What is Flashback in MTG?

There is a concept Magic: The Gathering so-called card value, where you essentially want each of your cards to eliminate as many of your opponent's cards as possible. Trading one card to one of your opponents (a one-for-one trade) is usually considered the baseline value to aim for, but there are keywords that can help tip the scales more in your favor.

One such keyword is flashback, which allows you to play cards directly from your graveyard for a cost. Since most cards eventually end up in your graveyard, this allows any flashback card to be played twice. Here's everything you need to know about the flashback.

How Flashback works

Flashback is an activated ability keyword found in instant games and enchantments which allows you to cast this spell directly from your graveyard. The spell is then cast, preventing you from continuously casting the card over and over again.

Equivalent flashback for permanent cards is called dig up.

Introduced during the Odysseus block, it was originally marked by a small tombstone next to the card name as a visual aid, but this has since been removed. The flashback time works the same as the spell typetherefore, flashback sorcery can only be played when you could play sorcery normally.

Flashback cards will always have the keyword flashback next to the value –usually the mana cost is different from the casting cost of the card himself, but not always. The cost of a flashback can range from mana in alternate colors to the cost of casting a card to paying life, tapping or sacrificing creatures, or sacrificing other permanents.

The cost of the flashback is usually greater than the initial cost of casting the spell, but not necessarily. Some flashback cards will actually be cheaper to cast from the graveyard than to throw it out of one's hands.

How to get the most out of Flashback

Flashback is a a useful item in almost any deck because it gives you something very useful: value. After a flashback card is discarded from your hand, it remains in your graveyard, ready to be played as soon as you can pay the cost of the flashback.

However, some deck strategies use the flashback ability to play directly from your graveyard. Any strategy that puts cards in your graveyardwhether it be mill, digger, digging, discarding, or even directly placing cards in your graveyard with the intention of playing them later, will benefit from flashback cards.

Unlike most spells, instants and flashback enchantments do not become unavailable once they enter your graveyard—they just get a different casting value and get sent out as soon as they decide.

A great strategy in green and black to use flashback is this include flashback spells in a deck that tries to fill its own graveyard to reanimate the creatures. Cards like Grisly Salvage or Satyr Wayfinder will cause you to put cards into your graveyard, and if those cards have flashback, it will almost be like putting them into your hand.

Another great strategy is this discard cards with a flashback. Not only do Faithless Looting and Desperate Ravings force you to discard more cards that could potentially have flashbacks, but they themselves have flashbacks that must be replayed to further fill your graveyard with flashback cards.

You can even use flashback on cards that don't have the keyword itself. Cards like Snapcaster Mage, Dralnu, Lich Lord, and Return to the Past provide instants and sorcery in your graveyard flashbacks, allowing you to play them again.

The best flashback cards

Flashback has been in Magic: The Gathering for years, with almost 200 cards where the keyword is mentioned. We can't go through every card in retrospect, but we can mention some great moments.

Draw more with Flashback

Flashback is a great way to give yourself more cards. Usually a spell that tells you to draw cards is a one-shot, but cards like it Deep analysis and Think twice can give you a double well to draw from when your hand runs dry.

If you want to draw and discard, Flawless robbery and Desperate delusions already mentioned but Faithful repair deserves a mention for adding some life benefit to the mix. Burn the future also deserves a mention as it provides an even stronger effect when the flashback cost is paid as it is Growing ambitions.

Two for one (or more)

Using one card to kill another is fine, but using one card to kill two cards is much more effective. Similar cards An ancient grudge, Destroy and rebuild, Ray of Revelationand Chinar decree great for getting two cards for the price of one.

Divine calculation potentially getting even more cards, albeit at the expense of some of your own.

Recycle, Reuse, Resuscitate

Revive is a common strategy that goes with flashback cards. I can't stay away, Burial ceremony, Fear of returning, Visions of horror, Wake to Slaughterand Sevigny land reclamation can draw other cards from your graveyard if they end up in it.

Make more creatures

Why create one creature when you can create two? Shaking, Visions of Glory, Wurm ditch, Increasing devotionand Squirrel chatter produce more creature tokens than a normal spell would produce.

Other Flashback cards

There are many flashback cards that don't fit into a particular paradigm. Galvanic iteration and Increasing revenge both copy spells or effects to further increase your effectiveness. Prismatic strands and A moment of peace can stop many strategies in their tracks. Have a nice day puts you on the offensive, and Cabal therapy well known for providing an exit for the victim at the top of the drop.

Cards that give flashbacks

Don't have flashback cards? No problem. Departure Wizard Snapcaster, Lier, disciple of the drowned, Cathilda and Lier, Dralnu, Lich Lord, The fugitive doctorand A return to the past all of which can provide moments and magic in your graveyard flashback.