Returned Phalanx
Creature — Zombie Soldier
Defender
: This creature can attack this turn as though it didn't have defender.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #28034
Returned Phalanx is a 3/3 defender for two mana — excellent stats, locked behind a condition that requires you to also run blue. That restriction is real enough that it rarely earns a slot outside decks built to exploit defender synergies or Dimir themes.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Returned Phalanx sees essentially no competitive play across Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer — a 3/3 that can't attack without blue mana is a steep ask when those formats demand proactive threats. Pauper is its most plausible home, where bulk defenders occasionally anchor walls-matter strategies, but even there it competes with more reliable options. In Commander, Returned Phalanx fits narrowest: Arcades, the Strategist turns every defender into a draw engine and an attacker, making the blue-mana condition trivial in a three-color deck that already wants blue.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Returned Phalanx is deep bulk — the kind of card that ends up in a bulk box rather than a trade binder. It holds no financial value and is unlikely to appreciate absent a dedicated defender-matters product pushing demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.