Restart Sequence
Sorcery
Freerunning 
(You may cast this spell for its freerunning cost if you dealt combat damage to a player this turn with an Assassin or commander.)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Assassin's Creed
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4152
Restart Sequence puts a destroyed or sacrificed creature directly into play under your control at the start of your next combat — skipping the graveyard entirely and ambushing opponents who thought the threat was gone. The cost is real, but in Ezio Auditore da Firenze decks, replaying a key Assassin at the perfect moment turns a removal spell into a tempo gift.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ezio Auditore da Firenze runs Restart Sequence in over 60% of lists because replaying an Assassin at the start of combat means it's already attacking the turn it comes back — feeding Ezio's hunt trigger without waiting a full rotation. The synergy is as tight as it gets: Ezio wants Assassins dealing combat damage, and Restart Sequence is the fastest possible recovery when one gets answered.
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive builds around sneaking Assassins into combat unblocked, and Restart Sequence fills the role of both recovery and surprise threat — reanimating a key piece at the moment it matters most. Etrata decks lean hard on every piece of the combat engine, so losing an Assassin to interaction and immediately re-deploying it at start of combat is a significant tempo swing.
Ratonhnhaké꞉ton
Ratonhnhaké꞉ton cares about free strikes and connecting with unblocked creatures, and Restart Sequence keeps that attack plan running even when opponents answer your best threats. Replaying a creature directly into combat means Ratonhnhaké꞉ton's synergies — particularly around connecting multiple creatures — reset almost instantly after a sweep or spot removal.
Ramses, Assassin Lord
Ramses, Assassin Lord wins the game outright if a player loses life from an Assassin, so Restart Sequence is insurance: if your key attacker gets removed before combat, you replay it right at the critical window instead of waiting a full turn cycle. That single-turn difference between winning and not makes Restart Sequence more than a recovery tool in Ramses, Assassin Lord lists.
Basim Ibn Ishaq
Basim Ibn Ishaq generates value when Assassins deal damage in combat, so uninterrupted attack steps are the whole game plan — Restart Sequence patches the hole that removal would otherwise tear in it. At roughly 26% inclusion, it's not universal, but any Basim Ibn Ishaq build that wants consistent combat triggers should consider it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Restart Sequence is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but in practice it's almost exclusively a Commander card — the effect is too slow and too situational for the one-shot pressure of competitive Legacy or Modern. In Commander, it occupies a clear niche in Assassin tribal builds where replaying a creature at the start of combat, rather than from hand or graveyard at sorcery speed, is the entire point. Outside that tribal lane, the card competes poorly against cheaper or more flexible reanimation options that don't require the creature to have died that turn. In Oathbreaker it could theoretically see play in creature-heavy aggro shells, but the pool of relevant commanders is narrow.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Restart Sequence isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest figures before buying or trading. Given its 60%+ inclusion rate in Ezio Auditore da Firenze decks — the primary home that drives demand — it's worth verifying whether supply has caught up with that popularity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze
- Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
- Ratonhnhaké꞉ton
- Ramses, Assassin Lord
- Basim Ibn Ishaq
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.