Return the Favor
Instant
Spree (Choose one or more additional costs.)
+ 
— Copy target instant spell, sorcery spell, activated ability, or triggered ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
+ — Change the target of target spell or ability with a single target.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive
- Price
- $0.40
- EDHREC rank
- #696
Return the Favor copies a spell an opponent controls and redirects it — turning their removal, draw, or combo piece into yours for a single blue mana. Copy-spell shells like Pyromancer's Goggles and Riku of Many Paths can then copy the copy, compounding an already-stolen effect into a blowout.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Riku of Many Paths
Riku of Many Paths copies instants and sorceries, so Return the Favor doesn't just steal an opponent's spell — Riku copies the stolen spell a second time, tripling the original effect for a total of two mana.
Ashling, Flame Dancer
Ashling, Flame Dancer triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, and Return the Favor is exactly the kind of reactive, high-impact spell that turns Ashling's triggered ability into a free bonus on top of an already-stolen effect.
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot
Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot cares about dealing exact damage with instants and sorceries, and Return the Favor lets you redirect an opponent's damage spell to meet that threshold without spending your own resources.
Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
Hinata, Dawn-Crowned reduces the cost of spells that target multiple things, and Return the Favor's redirection effect means Hinata's discount can apply to a spell you didn't even cast — free value on a stolen bomb.
Electro, Assaulting Battery
Electro, Assaulting Battery rewards stacking instants and sorceries, and Return the Favor slots in as a disruptive piece that advances your spell count while neutralizing an opponent's most dangerous play.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Return the Favor is legal across every major Constructed format, but its home is Commander. In a four-player game, there's always a high-value target — a Cyclonic Rift, a Cultivate, a tutor — and a single blue mana to steal it is an absurd rate. In competitive Legacy or Vintage, the effect is narrower because you're frequently fighting over your own game plan rather than reacting to a table, and dedicated counterspells do more reliable work. In Modern and Pioneer, it sees fringe play in tempo shells that want interaction that doubles as offense, though the variance of needing an opponent's spell to target makes it inconsistent as a maindeck staple. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's dynamic closely enough that the card performs at the same ceiling there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Arcane BombardmentPrismari CommandReturn the Favor
Infinite damage; Infinite storm count; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite draw triggers for any number of players; Infinite looting for any number of players; Infinite self-discard triggers for any number of players
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror BreakerReturn the FavorDualcaster Mage
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite creature tokens with haste; Infinite magecraft triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Price Context
Current price
$0.40 bulk tier
At $0.40, Return the Favor sits firmly in bulk territory, which is surprising given how often it swings games in Commander. It holds bulk pricing because it sees negligible Constructed play, but that makes it one of the better fifty-cent pickups for reactive spell-copy decks.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.