Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Inclusion Rate and the Reanimation Equation
When we talk about win probability in the color-black space of MTG, one of the most reliable levers is inclusion rate—the frequency with which a given card appears in your decklists and, more importantly, in your opening hands and early draw steps. No One Left Behind sits at a fascinating intersection of cost efficiency and graveyard recursion. Its text is a compact formula: a spell that costs {4}{B}, but costs {3} less to cast if you’re targeting a creature card with mana value 3 or less, and then returns a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. In practical terms, that discount can drop the price to a lean two-mana investment in the right circumstances, letting you slam a losing creature back into play when the board is at stake. 🧙♂️🔥
Inclusion rate compounds across multiple turns. If you’re packing this spell in a wide variety of decks—modern or eternal formats, especially those that lean into graveyard strategies—the more copies you include, the higher your chance of hitting the discounted scenario: hitting a target with mana value 3 or less in your graveyard, and then resolving a two-mana reanimation that could swing the tide. The math behind it is simple, even if the numbers feel magical: more copies means more draws, which translates to more frequent access to the crucial two-mana version when you need it most. And because you’re returning a creature, you’re also triggering ETBs, buffs, or death triggers that can push your offense or defense over the edge. 💎⚔️
Think of this as a two-part engine: the discount mechanic acts as a turbocharger for your reanimation plan, while the actual return-from-graveyard effect fuels your midgame gravity well. You’re no longer waiting for a single big reanimate; you’re constructing the tempo to flood the board with value across turns. In a game where smooth curve and timely interaction decide outcomes, that kind of predictable ramp becomes a meaningful contributor to win rate. 🎲
Contextualizing No One Left Behind in The Brothers’ War
The card comes from The Brothers’ War (set code bro), a set famous for blending artifacts, cleaving battles, and a more tempered approach to large, splashy spells. No One Left Behind is an uncommon, card draw that embodies the set’s theme of salvage, resilience, and the hunger of the battlefield. Its flavor text—“Dying for the cause is overrated.”—paints a wry, practical mood: sometimes, the best way to honor your fallen allies is to bring them back to fight another day, not to burn yourself out trying to go out on a dramatic note. This vibe translates into gameplay as well: you’re not asking for a miracle; you’re engineering a reliable doorway back into play. The card’s artwork by Chris Cold adds a somber, cinematic tone that fans still quote in casual chatter about late-game commutations. 🎨🧙♂️
“Dying for the cause is overrated.” — No One Left Behind (The Brothers’ War)
From a gameplay standpoint, the discount condition is the real star. Target a creature card with mana value 3 or less in your graveyard, and the price reduces dramatically. In practical terms, you can look for small, efficient bodies—think tokens or little value creatures—that still carry meaningful ETB effects or that synergize with your broader graveyard plan. The flexibility of targeting any creature card in your graveyard gives you room to tailor your plan to your deck’s engine, whether you’re built around Aristocrats, UK-style self-munition, or a classic reanimator shell that loves to flood the board with recurrences. This makes No One Left Behind a candidate for inclusion in several shells that value predictable late-game value, budget-friendly pathing, and resilient board presence. 🔥⚔️
Practical Deckbuilding Guidelines: When Inclusion Elevates Win Rate
- Size and consistency: In 60-card modern or legacy shells, 2-3 copies can noticeably lift the odds of seeing the discount trigger across a typical game. If you’re working with graveyard recursion, you’ll want enough targets to ensure there’s always a viable creature in the graveyard for the discount condition to satisfy. 🎲
- Graveyard management: You’ll want to curate a graveyard that's reliably stocked with creature cards of mana value 3 or less, whether via milling effects, sacrifice outlets, or deliberate discards. A robust graveyard is the backbone of making the discount sing. 🧙♂️🔥
- Target selection: When you cast No One Left Behind, you must choose a target creature card in your graveyard. The power lies in pairing that choice with your immediate battlefield situation: a low-toughness threat you want back now, or a versatile ETB creature that can swing the next turn. 💎
- Cost awareness: Remember the discount is contingent on the target’s mana value. If your plan has a robust supply of small creatures, you’ll reliably hit that two-mana moment more often, speeding up your clock and widening your play opportunities. 🧠⚡
- Format considerations: The card’s legality spans Modern, Legacy, Pioneer, and Commander, making it a versatile option for various metagames. In a Commander game, No One Left Behind can slot into reanimator-adjacent builds without crowding the curve, letting you weave into political and board-state feasts with a single, efficient spell. 🔥🎲
From Card to Confidence: Measuring the Win-Rate Uplift
In the abstract, raising the inclusion rate translates to higher confidence in achieving a decisive moment in mid-to-late game. You’re not merely counting a card; you’re counting the probability of hitting a discount window when it matters. That, in turn, nudges the expected value of your draw by enabling earlier reprieves from graveyard pressure and sustaining pressure with recurring threats. The “win-rate lift” from inclusion, especially for a card like this with a powerful discounted line and a straightforward return effect, is particularly noticeable in grindy matchups where a single well-timed reanimated creature becomes a game plan pivot. And yes, the two-mana discount is a tantalizing lever that can turn a losing position into a comeback sequence with minimal mana disruption. 🧙♂️💎
Flavor and function walk hand in hand here: the art, the text, and the timing come together to make No One Left Behind feel like a lifeline you can actually pay for—and then wield. A little planning, a dash of luck, and a lot of discipline in inclusion rate can turn a “maybe” into a “got him.”
Visual and Market Notes: Collectibility, Value, and Community Footing
No One Left Behind is an uncommon from The Brothers’ War, illustrated by Chris Cold. While it’s not a marquee pickup in most tier lists, it sits comfortably as a budget-friendly, highly functional piece for graveyard-focused strategies. Scryfall’s data shows modest market prices, with nonfoil around USD 0.08 and foil options closer to USD 0.19, which is a nice entry point for players rebuilding a casual or semi-competitive black-based reanimator shell. Collectors sometimes pore over the card’s collector number—“109” in bro’s lineup—and the art, which has become a memorable footnote for fans exploring the set’s broader narrative. The community often gravitates to the card’s synergy with other reanimation engines, making it a fun talking point in EDH/Commander circles where players chase big moments with small, repeatable spells. 🧩🎨
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