First printed in Urza's Saga (1998)
Artifact
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may pay 2 life. If they don't, they return a permanent they control to its owner's hand.
It was the explorers' only tether to reality.
- Illustrated by
- Dermot Power
Legality
- Legal in
- Legacy, Vintage, Premodern, Commander, Duel Commander, PreDH, Oathbreaker
- Not legal in
- Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Pauper, Future Standard, Historic, Timeless, Alchemy, Penny Dreadful, Old School 93/94, Gladiator, Pauper Commander, Tiny Leaders, Brawl, Standard Brawl, Competitive Brawl
Ruling (1)
- The player makes all choices as the triggered ability resolves. They permanent they choose to return to its owner’s hand, if any, isn’t targeted by the ability.
Prices
MTGO price: 0.04 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 31 Oct 2026).
Combos
2 combos, the most popular first:
- Lock, Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you…: The One Ring + Umbilicus
- Infinite turns, Lock: Scroll of Fate + Umbilicus + Wormfang Manta