Betrayal of Flesh is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Choose one — • Destroy target creature. • Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Entwine—Sacrifice three lands. (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

Complete guide

Betrayal of Flesh is a versatile black instant from the Mirrodin block that offers a choice between life and death. Whether you need to remove a threat or resurrect one of your own, this spell provides the flexibility to swing the game in your favor. By paying its entwine cost, you can even perform both actions simultaneously for a high price.

Dual Modes and Entwine

When you cast Betrayal of Flesh, you must choose one of its two modes: destroying a creature or returning a creature from your graveyard. However, the Entwine ability allows you to choose both modes if you pay the additional cost of sacrificing three lands. This makes the spell a powerful late-game tool where card advantage is worth the loss of resources.

Resolution Step-by-Step

First, you announce the spell and choose your modes. If you choose both via Entwine, you must select two targets: one creature on the battlefield to destroy and one creature card in your graveyard to return. As the spell resolves, the actions occur in the order written. The targeted creature is destroyed first, and then the creature card is placed onto the battlefield. If one target becomes illegal before resolution, the other effect still happens.

Strategic Considerations

Because this is an instant, it can be used as a surprise blocker or to disrupt an opponent's combat phase. The high mana value of 6 is a double-edged sword; while it requires significant mana to cast, it interacts favorably with cards that care about high mana costs. Remember that sacrificing lands for Entwine is a cost paid as you cast the spell, meaning those lands are gone even if the spell is countered.

Interaction examples

Maximum Value with Entwine

You cast Betrayal of Flesh and pay the Entwine cost by sacrificing three Swamps. You target an opponent's creature to destroy it and target a high-impact creature in your own graveyard. Both effects happen sequentially, swinging the board state significantly.

Mana Value Interactions

Ad Nauseam

If you reveal Betrayal of Flesh while resolving Ad Nauseam, you will lose 6 life because that is its mana value. This highlights the risk of running high-cost Entwine spells in decks that draw cards based on mana value.

Protecting Your Resurrection

Not of This World

If you use Betrayal of Flesh to return a creature with power 7 or greater to the battlefield, and your opponent attempts to target it with a removal spell immediately, you could potentially cast Not of This World for zero mana to protect your newly returned threat.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.