Grim Return
Instant
Choose target creature card in a graveyard that was put there from the battlefield this turn. Put that card onto the battlefield under your control.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic 2014
- Price
- $0.45
- EDHREC rank
- #12051
Grim Return steals any creature that just died — yours or an opponent's — for four mana at instant speed, no questions asked about ownership. It's narrow by design, but Toshiro Umezawa turns that narrowness into an asset: kill a creature, flash back Grim Return from the graveyard, and walk away with the body.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Toshiro Umezawa
Toshiro Umezawa's ability to cast instants from the graveyard whenever a creature dies means Grim Return effectively recurs itself — kill a threat, rebuy the spell, take the threat.
Massacre Girl
Massacre Girl's board wipe kills everything at once, and Grim Return lets you cherry-pick the best corpse from the pile before the table rebuilds.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Grim Return earns its keep — three opponents means creatures are dying constantly, and the instant-speed timing lets you swoop in at the end of someone else's combat or in response to a sacrifice effect. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's legal but essentially invisible; dedicated reanimation spells do the same job for less mana with no targeting restriction. Vintage has better options at every point on the curve. Play Grim Return in Commander, ignore it everywhere else.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.45 bulk tier
At $0.45, Grim Return is bulk — easy to pick up, easy to cut without regret. Demand is too niche to push the price higher, so expect it to stay in this range.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Toshiro Umezawa
- Massacre Girl
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.