What it does
Aftermath appears on split cards where the second half can only be cast from your graveyard, not from your hand. You cast the front half normally; later, when that card is sitting in your graveyard, you can cast the aftermath half as a second spell. After resolving from the graveyard, the card is exiled rather than going back to the yard.
The common mistake: you can't cast the aftermath half from your hand—if the whole card is in hand, only the top portion is castable. People also forget the card exiles after the aftermath resolves, so you only get one use. It can't be recurred unless you reanimate or recast it through other means before exiling.
In Commander, aftermath gives flexible two-for-one value—cards like Dusk // Dawn act as a board wipe early and a recursion spell later. Just remember graveyard hate (exile effects) shuts off the back half entirely.
Iconic cards with Aftermath
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