Flashback — what does it mean?
Cast this spell once from your graveyard for its flashback cost, then it goes to exile.
Flashback appears on 216 cards.
How does Flashback work?
Flashback appears on some instants and sorceries (rule 702.34). While the card is in your graveyard, you may cast it from there by paying its flashback cost instead of its mana cost. If you paid the flashback cost, the card is exiled whenever it would leave the stack: after it resolves, if it's countered, or if its targets are gone. You get exactly one second shot.
Normal timing still applies. A sorcery with flashback can only be cast in your own main phase with an empty stack; an instant can be cast any time you have priority. Flashback is an alternative cost. That means you can't combine it with another alternative cost, like an effect that lets you cast a spell without paying its mana cost. Additional costs like kicker can be paid on top of the flashback cost, and cost reductions and increases apply too.
Mana value doesn't change: it's still based on the printed mana cost. It's also still casting a spell, so cast triggers work and your opponent can counter it. Flashback only works from your own graveyard. It doesn't matter how the card got there: cast, discarded, or milled from your library all work. That's why flashback cards fit well in decks that fill their graveyard.
An example at the table
You have a 2-mana sorcery that deals 2 damage to any target, with flashback 5. On turn 2 you cast it normally and kill a 2/2; the card goes to your graveyard. On turn 6, in your main phase with an empty stack, you pay 5 and cast it again from your graveyard at another creature with 2 toughness. After it resolves, it's exiled. If your opponent had countered it, it would have been exiled too. Its mana value was 2 both times.
Cards with Flashback
Faithless LootingIllustration: Gabor Szikszai
Sevinne's ReclamationIllustration: Zoltan Boros
Dread ReturnIllustration: Kev Walker
Strike It RichIllustration: Volkan Baǵa
Past in FlamesIllustration: Anna SteinbauerCommon mistakes
- Thinking flashback lets you cast a sorcery at instant speed. The card type's timing still applies.
- Thinking a countered flashback spell goes back to your graveyard. Anything cast with flashback is exiled when it leaves the stack.
- Combining flashback with a free-cast effect. Flashback is already an alternative cost; you can't stack another one.
- Thinking flashback changes mana value. It stays equal to the printed mana cost.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I flashback a card from an opponent's graveyard?
- No. Flashback only lets you cast the card from your own graveyard.
- Can a flashback spell be countered?
- Yes. It's a normal spell; if it's countered, it's exiled.
- Can I pay kicker when I use flashback?
- Yes. Kicker is an additional cost and gets added on top of the flashback cost.
- Does flashback work if the card was discarded or milled?
- Yes. It doesn't matter how the card got into your graveyard.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.34. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
MillSurveilTreasureDoubleAmass
Which cards with Flashback do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026