What it does
Encore is an activated ability you use from your graveyard, paying its cost and exiling the creature card. For each opponent, you create a token copy of that creature, with each token gaining haste and a built-in instruction to attack a different opponent if able. At the next end step, you sacrifice all those tokens.
The most common misunderstanding: the tokens are forced to attack, and each one must attack a different opponent—you don't choose freely, and you can't hold them back as blockers. They're purely an attacking burst. Also note the creature is exiled, not returned, so you only get one use.
In Commander, Encore shines because the multiplayer format means more opponents equals more tokens—often three copies from one card. It's strongest with creatures that have powerful attack triggers or big bodies, turning a dead graveyard card into a wide, hasty alpha strike.
Iconic cards with Encore
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