Writ of Return 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
Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped. Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)
Complete guide
Writ of Return is a powerful reanimation spell that keeps on giving. By combining the ability to resurrect a fallen warrior with the Cipher keyword, your creatures can weave a recurring cycle of death and rebirth.
Bringing Life from the Grave
When you cast Writ of Return, you target a creature card in your graveyard. Upon resolution, that creature is returned directly to the battlefield tapped. This is the primary effect, but the true power lies in what happens immediately after the creature returns.
How Cipher Works
As the spell finishes resolving, the Cipher ability allows you to exile the Writ of Return card and 'encode' it onto a creature you control. This isn't a target, so you choose the creature as the spell resolves. From then on, whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast a copy of Writ of Return for free. This copy creates its own effect but does not have the Cipher ability to encode itself elsewhere.
Maintaining the Connection
The encoding lasts as long as the creature remains on the battlefield. If the creature leaves the battlefield, the spell card stays in exile and can no longer be used. If the creature changes controllers, your opponent becomes the one who controls the triggered ability and can cast the free copies targeting their own graveyard.
Timing and Legal Targets
The copies created by the Cipher trigger are cast during the resolution of that trigger. This means you ignore normal timing restrictions for sorceries and can cast them during the combat phase. However, you must still have a legal target (a creature card in your graveyard) to cast the copy. If your graveyard is empty, the copy is simply lost.
Interaction examples
DamnationIf your opponent casts Damnation and clears the board, you can use Writ of Return on your next turn to bring back your best creature. Since you need a creature on the battlefield to use the Cipher ability, you can encode Writ of Return onto the very creature you just brought back. On your subsequent turn, if that creature attacks successfully, you can bring back a second creature from the graveyard for free.
Living DeathAfter a Living Death has swapped everyone's graveyards and battlefields, you may find yourself with a board full of creatures but an empty graveyard. If you cast Writ of Return now, you must have a target in the graveyard to cast it. If you do, and you encode it onto a creature that just returned via Living Death, you can start rebuilding your board even further the moment that creature connects with a player's life total.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Writ of Return
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The spell with cipher is encoded on the creature as part of that spell's resolution, just after the spell's other effects. That card goes directly from the stack to exile. It never goes to the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You choose the creature as the spell resolves. The cipher ability doesn't target that creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If the spell with cipher doesn't resolve, none of its effects will happen, including cipher. The card will go to its owner's graveyard and won't be encoded on a creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If the creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card will no longer be encoded on any creature. It will stay exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
You can choose only a creature to encode the card onto.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The copy of the card with cipher is created in and cast from exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You cast the copy of the card with cipher during the resolution of the triggered ability. Ignore timing restrictions based on the card's type.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If you choose not to cast the copy, or you can't cast it (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the copy will cease to exist the next time state-based actions are performed. You won't get a chance to cast the copy at a later time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
The exiled card with cipher grants a triggered ability to the creature it's encoded on. If that creature loses that ability and subsequently deals combat damage to a player, the triggered ability won't trigger. However, the exiled card will continue to be encoded on that creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If another player gains control of the creature, that player will control the triggered ability. That player will create a copy of the encoded card and may cast it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with an encoded card deals combat damage to more than one player simultaneously (perhaps because some of the combat damage was redirected), the triggered ability will trigger once for each player it deals combat damage to. Each ability will create a copy of the exiled card and allow you to cast it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Writ of Return
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.