Rakdos's Return: A Versatile and Powerful Removal Spell

Overview

Rakdos's Return is a powerful and versatile sorcery that allows for significant removal of opponents or planeswalkers, while also providing a way to disrupt their hand with card draw. Its flexibility and combo potential make it a staple in many formats.

Detailed Card Mechanics and Interactions

At its core, Rakdos's Return deals X damage to a target opponent or planeswalker, which causes them to discard X cards from their hand. The key aspect of this card is the interaction between the deal phase and the draw phase. When dealing damage to an opponent or planeswalker, if that player or controller has no cards in their graveyard, they will draw one card.

For example, if you cast Rakdos's Return on a planeswalker with 3/3 power, like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, and that planeswalker is not in the graveyard, the target player will draw two cards after taking the damage. However, if the opponent or controller has no cards in their graveyard, they won't get to draw anything.

Another interaction worth noting is when casting Rakdos's Return on an opponent with 0 life. In this case, that player immediately dies and discards all of their cards.

Strategic Uses, Combos, and Synergies

Rakdos's Return is an extremely versatile card in terms of strategy. It can be used as a straightforward removal spell to deal damage to opponents or planeswalkers, or it can be part of more complex combos and synergies.

One common example is its pairing with Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. When dealing damage to your opponent with a planeswalker on the board, you can use Atraxa's ability to give that planeswalker +1/+1 until end of turn. This allows for a significant increase in the power and toughness of the target planeswalker.

Another example is when paired with Rebirth. If you have a creature that dies and gets put into the graveyard, you can cast Rakdos's Return on it to bring it back to life. This strategy allows for the reuse of valuable creatures in your hand.

Rakdos's Return is also commonly used by players as a key component in aggressive decks to immediately kill off their opponents' most problematic permanents and draw them some cards from their graveyard.

Deckbuilding Roles and Archetypes

Rakdos's Return typically fills a removal role on the board, making it very versatile. Some of its common deck slots are:

• Red-Black (Dimir or Bant) decks: In these colors you often want to have creatures that can attack early, but need to draw some card advantage when they die.
• Aggressive removal decks with combo pieces like Atraxa and planeswalkers.
• Control decks where drawing a card as you remove an opponent creates a powerful tempo swing.

However, its use is not limited to aggressive strategies; it's also commonly used in more control-oriented deck builds.

Format Viability and Competitive Context

Rakdos's Return is very playable in Standard formats. Its power level and value to players make it worth the inclusion of its cost, often making it one of the most powerful sorceries at the lower end of mana costs.

In Modern, while it can be played, Rakdos's Return is generally considered too expensive for the amount of card advantage offered by the format's other removal spells. However, in the case of more aggressive strategies like combo pieces or flying creatures, it still holds its value.

Rules Interactions and Technical Notes

Rakdos's Return can be cast on an opponent or controller who has 0 life, immediately causing them to lose the game.

Additionally, since Rakdos's Return deals damage only if the target is an opponent or planeswalker, it's also safe from certain card effects that prevent dealing damage to players (like those that make you "tap player" for X spells).

Lastly, keep in mind that when casting a spell with an effect like Rakdos's Return, all of its effects go off at the same time - so, if your opponent has a way to counter magic but fails to do so on your initial Rakdos's Return, they won't save from damage.

Art, Flavor, and Historical Context

Rakdos's Return was first released with Magic: The Gathering - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths in March 2020. Its artwork depicts a dark and twisted version of the planeswalker Emrakul, who seems to be the source of the return magic.

The card is an iconic example of the themes found within Ikoria's storyline; where players are searching for magical solutions to bring forth great power from the depths of a mystical realm.

Summary of Key Points

In summary, Rakdos's Return is a versatile and powerful spell that can deal significant removal from opponents or planeswalkers while also providing card draw. It's a staple in many formats, particularly in aggressive decks where it gives the edge in terms of tempo.

Its versatility means it can be part of many different deck archetypes but its power makes it very sought after among players.

Overall Rakdos's Return is considered an extremely powerful removal spell that offers both life loss and card draw as side effects.