Damn my luck! I decided to write an "Urza's Stress Management" article, my part to help stop the madness that is Urza's Rage. I was going to write about every card that could deal with the Rage in one fashion or the other. You know, do my part to help the newbies and "old timers" who can't afford (or are just too cheap) to spend $20-40 on four Misdirections. (Not that I'm cheap, mind you. I just don't see the point of paying ten bucks for one Absorb when I have about forty Counterspells, each worth about twenty five cents! Um, sorry. My train of thought derailed. Let's continue, shall we?)
 
However, Arthur Pruyn wrote it first. :) You can read it at www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandsub.php?Article=1981. I enjoyed reading it, but now I was out of luck. "Well, guess I'll throw out my article notes" I thought. However, something I wrote on there stuck in my head: "Protecting your creatures: Bounce them back with Boomerang (worth an article all by itself!) before the Rage resolves."
 
Of course, Boomerang! It's been a staple for so long that it's taken for granted. Wizards R&D loves it though. Many expansions have had their own variations: Recoil, Capsize, Dematerialize, etc. This article's focusing on the original, using current Type II sets (we'll say Masques to Odyssey) to demonstrate all it's many uses.
 
Boomerang 
UU, Instant
Return target permanent to it's owner's hand
 
Let's state the obvious first. Blue's counter magic can stop most cards from coming into play, but can't remove a permanent that slips thru the defenses. With Boomerang, you can bounce that nasty card back to your opponent's hand, and try to Counterspell it again. I know, you're saying "What about card advantage? You're trading two of your cards for one of his!"  Calm down, friend. It gets better. :) In many ways, Boomerang is a temporary Vindicate. It gives blue spot removal, but usually for only about one turn. Sometimes one turn is all you need. 
 
Let's say an opposing enchantment or artifact is holding your creatures back, say Meekstone or a Circle of Protection. Boomerang can push it away long enough to let your creatures push on though for the win. Counterburn mages can also remove that Aegis of Honor or Divine Presence long enough for your Urza's Rage to win the game. (Wow! anti-anti-Urza's Rage tech!) 
 
Boomerang loves to bounce creatures around. Let's say you have a Grizzly Bears chump blocking an opponent's Spiritmonger. Wait until blockers are declared (but before damage is assigned) and Boomerang Yogi back to the warmth and safety of your hand, while Mr. Monger just sits there scratching his head and wondering where his playmate went to. For that matter, you could also just bounce that Spiritmonger back to your opponent's hand, and laugh as he has to cast it all over again. It's worth noting that Boomerang can also bounce back attackers, especially ones with Haste. "Hey, how many times can you play that kicked up Skizzix?"  Might I take this opportunity to add that Planeshift's gating creatures are especially vulnerable to Boomerang? 
 
The "return and rescue" manuveur is one of Boomerang's dirtiest tricks. Boomerang provides protection from removal for all your permanents. Stone Rain my lands? Bounce. Disenchant my enchantments? Bounce. Hey, is that a Shatter? Bounce. Bolts and creature kill? Watch me laugh as I say "bounce." :)
 
Boomerang can also "reset" cards back to their original state. Perhaps your Crimson Acolyte's protection giving ability has been Crystal Sprayed, or a Tidal Visionary has made your creatures colorblind, or perhaps a creature has one too many +1/+1 counters for your liking. Bounce and recast to get everything back to normal.   
 
Speaking of counters, Boomerang can kill off token creatures. That's not real impressive with a 1/1 Saproling, but it's a blessing when dealing with Penumbra tokens or Odyssey flashback creatures. 
 
I couldn't finish this article without mentioning cards with "comes into play/leaves play" effects. In black alone we have more discard with Ravenous Rats, more living creatures with Gravedigger, and an instant T.K.O. against anyone crazy enough to play Nefarious Lich. :)
 
And finally, your opponent can't reach Threshold if his Odyssey creatures take their sweet time getting to the graveyard (sounds like a punchline to a necromancer's joke: "a funny thing happened to me on the way to the graveyard...") Seriously, I'll be interested in seeing how effective Threshold will be, and if bounce spells like Boomerang will be effective against it. Time will tell, and all that. :) As always, feel free to send me e-mail.
 
Brock Siems
still loving Mages' Contest
whatever@hcinet.net