Spiteful Returned
Enchantment Creature — Zombie
Bestow (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached.)
Whenever this creature or enchanted creature attacks, defending player loses 2 life.
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Born of the Gods
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #21230
Spiteful Returned punishes every attack on you with life loss equal to the equipped creature's power — a drain effect that scales with the board state and demands an answer before combat. The two-mana equip cost is real, but the bestow option at four mana means it arrives as a threat even with no target in hand.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Spiteful Returned occupies a niche role in voltron and lifedrain shells where repeated combat deterrence matters more than raw card advantage — Daxos of Meletis and Liesa, Shroud of Dusk lists have used it, but it rarely makes the final 99 because the effect is passive and conditional on opponents swinging at you. In Modern and Pioneer it's too slow and too narrow; aggressive decks fold before the drain adds up, and control decks have no interest in a two-drop that does nothing the turn it lands. Legacy gives it more context alongside Umezawa's Jitte comparisons in enchantress builds, but it still loses to the raw power of the format. Spiteful Returned is most honest in a Commander table where someone is playing a wide, attacking deck and you need a soft tax that doubles as a win condition in attrition games.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Spiteful Returned is deep bulk — it costs less than a sleeve and holds no meaningful financial floor. Pick it up freely if the effect fits your build; there's no version of this card that becomes a chase rare.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.