Ancestral Recall

Ancestral Recall is a blue instant, and one of the five boons printed in the original run of Magic. It is frequently cited as Blue's most powerful card, and it is one of the Power Nine. It is one of Mark Poole's most recognized pieces of art.

History

Ancestral Recall was originally called "Ancestral Memories." It was originally going to be a common, but Richard Garfield was persuaded to make it a rare instead. This didn't stop Ancestral Recall from being unbalanced. The ability to draw three cards with no drawback allowed many decks to become dangerously fast. It was removed from core sets after Unlimited Edition. Eventually, Ancestral Recall was banned in all formats but Vintage, where it is restricted.

Similar cards

Brainstorm from Ice Age, Ancestral Vision from Time Spiral and Visions of Beyond from Magic 2012 are attempted fixed versions of the card. Jace's Ingenuity has a similar effect but instead costs three colorless and two blue and can't target opponents. As such a generic effect, "draw three cards" has appeared with many conditions and costs, typically hovering around four to six mana.