Archangel Avacyn wants a deck that plays sturdy creatures that also deal with opponents' cards. It also suits a deck that answers everything its opponents play, then wins late.
Mana cost
White, Red ()
Power / toughness4 / 4
RarityMythic
Flash
Flying, vigilance
When Archangel Avacyn enters, creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
When a non-Angel creature you control dies, transform Archangel Avacyn at the beginning of the next upkeep.
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Flying
When this creature transforms into Avacyn, the Purifier, it deals 3 damage to each other creature and each opponent.
Picked for what they do in Archangel Avacyn's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Archangel Avacyn's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Archangel Avacyn works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast8 Apr 2016
Archangel Avacyn's delayed triggered ability triggers at the beginning of the next upkeep regardless of whose turn it is.
Wizards of the Coast8 Apr 2016
Archangel Avacyn's delayed triggered ability won't cause it to transform back into Archangel Avacyn if it has already transformed into Avacyn, the Purifier, perhaps because several creatures died in one turn.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWRPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, R for red.MidrangeMidrange decks play solid creatures that also deal with opponents' cards, attacking when it is safe and defending when it is not. They sit in the middle: slower than an all-out attacking deck, sturdier than a deck built to answer everything.Open the Midrange pageToken WipeDeals a small amount of damage to every creature, or lowers every creature's toughness a little. It is aimed at clearing tokens and small creatures while larger ones survive. Fiery Confluence, PyrohemiaOpen the Token Wipe pageMini SweeperDeals a set amount of damage, or gives a set -X/-X, to every creature, and that amount is under 7. It clears out tokens and small creatures but leaves big ones standing, so it is not counted as a board wipe. Pyroclasm Anger of the Gods LanguishOpen the Mini Sweeper pageValue CreatureA creature that does two jobs: it deals with an opponent's card when it arrives, then stays as a real attacker. Its enter the battlefield ability destroys, damages, counters or bounces something, and it has 3 or more power or an ability like flying that makes it hard to block. Answering your opponent and pressuring them with the same card is what a Midrange deck is built on. Shriekmaw, Meteor GolemOpen the Value Creature pageETB ValueDoes something useful the moment it arrives: an enter the battlefield ability, which players shorten to ETB. You keep that effect even if the card is removed straight afterwards, which is why these pair so well with flicker cards that make them enter again. Solemn Simulacrum, The One RingOpen the ETB Value pageControlControl decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of removal, spells that cancel other spells, and extra card draw.Open the Control pageBurnBurn decks win by dealing damage straight to opponents with spells and abilities, rather than by attacking with creatures. Damage that hits every opponent at once counts three times over at a four-player table.Open the Burn pageMass BurnDeals damage to everything, or to every opponent at once, rather than to a single target. In a four player game the same card hits three people, so small repeated amounts add up quickly. Blasphemous Act, Impact TremorsOpen the Mass Burn pageDeath TriggerTriggers when a creature dies, whether it is this creature, one of yours or an opponent's. These are the cards that pay you in an Aristocrats deck: something else makes creatures die, and these decide what you get each time. Blood Artist, Solemn SimulacrumOpen the Death Trigger pageAngelsAngels are flying creatures, almost all of them white, and many also gain you life or protect your other creatures.Open the Angels pageTypal PayoffRewards you for playing lots of one kind of creature. That includes "lords" that make every other Goblin or Merfolk you control bigger, and cards that ask you to choose a creature type and then pay you off for it. A creature type is the word on the middle line of the card, like Goblin, Elf or Zombie.Open the Typal Payoff pageEvasionAn ability that makes a creature hard to block, so its attacks reach the player. Flying, menace, landwalk and plain 'can't be blocked' are the common kinds.Open the Evasion page
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