Font of ReturnHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Font of Return is a permanent that stays on the battlefield until you choose to activate its ability. For a cost of three colorless and one black mana, you sacrifice the enchantment to target up to three creature cards in your graveyard and put them back into your hand. Because it says 'up to three,' you can choose one, two, or three targets as you activate the ability.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, you must have priority to activate the ability. You pay the mana cost and sacrifice Font of Return as a cost; this means it is in the graveyard before the ability even goes on the stack. Next, you choose your targets. If you choose three targets and one is removed from the graveyard in response, the ability will still resolve and return the remaining two. Finally, the cards move from your graveyard to your hand.

Common Mistakes

A common error is forgetting that you must choose the targets at the moment you activate the ability, not when it resolves. Also, because sacrificing the enchantment is part of the activation cost, opponents cannot destroy the Font of Return in response to stop the effect; once you pay the cost, the ability is already on the stack regardless of the enchantment's presence.

When to Play It

This card is best used in grindy matchups where card advantage is key. Since it is an enchantment, it can sit safely on the board while you develop your game plan, waiting for the perfect moment after a board wipe or a series of trades to instantly refill your hand with your best creatures.

Interaction examples

Recovering from Life Loss

Phyrexian Arena

If Phyrexian Arena has helped you draw into your creature threats but also lowered your life total to a dangerous level, you might find your creatures dying as blockers. Font of Return can be activated to bring back those crucial blockers, ensuring the extra cards you drew with the Arena don't go to waste.

Economic Synergies

Black Market Connections

When using Black Market Connections to create Treasure tokens, you can use those Treasures to pay the activation cost of Font of Return. This allows you to skip using your lands to recur creatures, letting you maintain tempo while returning up to three creatures you might have lost while setting up your board.

Targeting and Resolution

If you activate Font of Return targeting three creatures and an opponent uses an effect to exile one of those creatures from your graveyard, the ability still resolves. You will simply return the two remaining legal targets to your hand.