Price$0.51 – $0.82
Buy on TCGplayerReturn the Favor
Instant
LegalRank #677
Spree (Choose one or more additional costs.)
+ 
— Copy target instant spell, sorcery spell, activated ability, or triggered ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
+ — Change the target of target spell or ability with a single target.
KeywordsSpree
Why is this card good?
Return the Favor is a flexible, modal answer-and-amplifier stapled together with Spree, and that combination is what makes it shine.
The redirect mode is the real prize for 
: it turns an opponent's removal, edict, or—crucially—their Counterspell or Cyclonic Rift-style targeted threat back on them or onto a different creature. As an instant, it doubles as protection for your key piece while punishing the caster. The copy mode lets you piggyback on the best spell on the stack: copy a board wipe, a ritual, a tutor, or a fat triggered ability.
You can do both at once, which is where this earns its slot over plain redirects like Deflecting Swat (which is free, though).
Wants it: spellslinger/storm decks, Veyran/Zada/Krark builds that love copies, and any red deck wanting interaction red usually lacks.
Skip it in low-interaction aggro or token decks—it's reactive and often dead with nothing worth copying or redirecting. The double-pip and incremental costs also strain tight curves.
: it turns an opponent's removal, edict, or—crucially—their Counterspell or Cyclonic Rift-style targeted threat back on them or onto a different creature. As an instant, it doubles as protection for your key piece while punishing the caster. The copy mode lets you piggyback on the best spell on the stack: copy a board wipe, a ritual, a tutor, or a fat triggered ability.
You can do both at once, which is where this earns its slot over plain redirects like Deflecting Swat (which is free, though).
Wants it: spellslinger/storm decks, Veyran/Zada/Krark builds that love copies, and any red deck wanting interaction red usually lacks.
Skip it in low-interaction aggro or token decks—it's reactive and often dead with nothing worth copying or redirecting. The double-pip and incremental costs also strain tight curves.Related cards
Fork
Copies an instant or sorcery, similar copy mode.
Reverberate
Red spell copy effect for instants/sorceries.
Twincast
Copies any instant or sorcery spell.
Deflecting Swat
Free spell to redirect a spell or ability's target.
Redirect
Changes the target of a spell with a single target.
Bend or Break
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Wild Ricochet
Both redirects and copies spells, dual-mode like Return the Favor.