Like Rising of a Sapling, this was one of the first cards made to fit into a Dredge like deck. I figured I wanted some spells that could use the graveyard, but I didn't want them all to have flashback or dredge, so this was going to be an important piece. It made sense alone, and it made sense for Dredge. It didn't matter that it was red because the flashback was blue.

Like Rising, interestingly, this changed from a generic flavor to the Chandra-Jace conflict very late.

I find it interesting that this is such a discount, compared to Call to Mind/Déjà Vu. I know I read, somewhere, (was it Mystic Retrieval?) that Wizards tried to make cheap sorcery retrieval, but a few playtests against a deck that cast Time Warp every turn showed them the error of their ways.

Still seems strange, though, that Call to Mind costs 3, while Raise Dead costs 1. I know it has something to do with the fact that the creature has value tied to its p/t, and that creatures doesn't go straight to the graveyard to be retrieved again... but it still seems strange.

If you aren't aware, this is a closed Limited environment, which is why some things can be pushed in a certain way. Here, it's more about giving card advantage, and giving dredge decks a way to get Fragile Minds or Spiders' Carrion. But if you do set up some sort of rituals with this to cast End of the Interlocus three times, go for it.