Snapback
Instant
You may exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Return target creature to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Time Spiral
- Price
- $0.44
- EDHREC rank
- #5370
Snapback bounces any creature for free — you just pitch a blue card instead of paying mana, which means it's live even through soft counters on your mana. In Katara, Waterbending Master decks it pulls double duty as both interaction and a discard outlet for cards with flashback or cycling upside.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Katara, Waterbending Master
Katara, Waterbending Master rewards you for casting spells on opponents' turns, and Snapback is zero mana on any turn — it triggers her ability at instant speed while the discarded blue card feeds any graveyard synergies she enables.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Snapback fills a niche: free interaction that dodges taxing effects like Thalia or Sphere of Resistance, and it answers an indestructible blocker or a combo piece with no mana investment on a turn you need every land open. In Pauper it sees fringe play in tempo and Faeries shells that want cheap bounce, though Snap and other options often outcompete it. Legacy and Vintage have access to Force of Will and harder disruption, so Snapback rarely makes the cut outside of very specific builds that need the additional free-spell density.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.44 bulk tier
At $0.44, Snapback sits firmly in bulk territory — it's a pickup you make by the playset without thinking. Price stability is likely; it's never been a chase card, and demand stays low and steady from tempo and Katara brewer alike.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Katara, Waterbending Master
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.