The Mountain-king's Return

Not legal in this format after release.

Not legal in this format after release.

Much slower and less repeatable than Birthing Ritual; the turn-delayed MV-3 return is only a plausible low-curve graveyard payoff.

Could be wrong if A dense, resilient shell with premium MV-3 creatures could make the self-discard plus reanimation package more efficient than expected.

Far slower than Animate Dead, with a mana-value cap and a full-turn delay before recursion; efficient Legacy interaction punishes it.

Could be wrong if A dedicated shell that specifically values the token and repeatable Saga synergies could justify testing.

It self-enables a cheap creature return while leaving a token, but the delay, MV-3 cap, and one-shot effect keep it a synergy role-player.

Could be wrong if The depth of valuable MV-3 utility creatures and Saga-recursion support will determine whether it exceeds a niche slot.

Looting can discard its own eligible target, then this yields a token, reanimated creature, and later counter; the MV-3 restriction limits it.

Could be wrong if Limited speed and the density of creatures costing three or less are unknown; a slow format could make the delayed value substantially better.