What it does
Retrace lets you cast an instant or sorcery from your graveyard by paying its mana cost plus discarding a land card as an additional cost. After it resolves, the spell goes back to the graveyard as normal—so you can keep recasting it turn after turn as long as you have lands to pitch.
The common misunderstanding: discarding the land is an additional cost, not an alternative one. You still pay the spell's full mana cost on top of discarding a land. Also, retrace only works from the graveyard, not from hand, and you must discard an actual land card—not just any card.
In Commander, retrace shines as repeatable value, turning excess lands into recurring effects. Cards like Worm Harvest or Raven's Crime fuel grindy, attrition-based strategies. It pairs beautifully with lands-matter decks and ways to refill your hand with lands.
Iconic cards with Retrace
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