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Salvager of Secrets

Creature — Merfolk Wizard

When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
common
Set
Game Night 2019
Price
$0.30
EDHREC rank
#14036
Buy on TCGplayer
Salvager of Secrets card art
Salvager of Secrets returns any instant or sorcery from your graveyard to hand the moment it enters — that's a repeatable effect when you can keep bouncing it. Five mana for a 2/2 is the obvious cost, and it only pays off in decks built to exploit the ETB, but loop it with Ghostly Flicker and you have an engine, not a body.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Salvager of Secrets is a Pauper staple — the common slot means it's one of the best recursive pieces available at that power tier, anchoring flicker and spellslinger loops where the card restriction matters. In Commander it slots into ETB-abuse shells and infinite-loop combos, though five mana demands dedicated support to justify the slot over cheaper recursion. Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, and Vintage all have faster, more efficient graveyard tools that push Salvager of Secrets to the fringe — it sees virtually no play in those formats outside of casual lists.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

1,146 decks
DisplacePeregrine DrakeSalvager of Secrets

DisplacePeregrine DrakeSalvager of Secrets

Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite storm count; Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite blinking; Infinite landfall triggers; Infinite untap of lands you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
531 decks
Illusionist's StratagemPeregrine DrakeSalvager of Secrets

Illusionist's StratagemPeregrine DrakeSalvager of Secrets

Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite blinking; Near-infinite landfall triggers; Near-infinite magecraft triggers; Near-infinite mana lands you control can produce; Near-infinite storm count; Near-infinite untap of lands you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.30 bulk tier

At $0.30, Salvager of Secrets is firmly bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. Demand from Pauper keeps a floor under it, but don't expect movement; it's a pick-up-a-copy-while-you're-ordering card, not one to prioritize.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.