Angel of Despair MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Angel of Despair enters the battlefield, its unique ability lets you target and destroy any permanent, effectively gaining an edge by removing a key piece from your opponent’s board while developing your own presence.

Resource Acceleration: This powerful creature doesn’t inherently accelerate resources in the traditional mana sense. However, by removing significant threats or potential ramp tools from your opponent’s side, it can indirectly accelerate your path to victory and disrupt your opponent’s plans.

Instant Speed: While Angel of Despair itself is not an instant, the impact it makes is immediate upon its arrival on the battlefield. The ability to unmake a permanent of your choosing can swing the momentum in your favor at a crucial junction in the game. Timing Angel of Despair’s entrance after your opponent has committed to a significant investment can act much like an instant speed interaction, countering your opponent’s strategy effectively.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Angel of Despair is the potential need to relinquish another valuable card from your hand. In MTG, holding on to your cards can be crucial, and being compelled to discard can put you at a disadvantage, especially when trying to maintain a strong hand size.

Specific Mana Cost: Angel of Despair demands a dedicated mana base, requiring both white and black mana to cast. This means you’ll need a reliably balanced mana source to play this card effectively, which can be challenging in multicolored decks that may struggle to achieve the right mana mix at a critical moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that tallies up to seven mana, Angel of Despair is often seen as an investment. In faster-paced games, the cost can prove to be prohibitive. While the card has a powerful effect upon entering the battlefield, in many situations, players might prefer cards that offer similar impact for a lower investment, allowing for more flexibility in gameplay.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Angel of Despair offers a dual role as both a potent threat and an immediate answer to your opponent’s permanents. With its ability to destroy any permanent on entry, it’s a flexible addition to decks needing targeted removal, from Commander to Cube.

Combo Potential: This celestial powerhouse synergizes with cards that benefit from creature ETBs or death triggers. Its destruction ability makes it a cornerstone in reanimation or flicker strategies, potentially decimating opponents’ boards with repeated use.

Meta-Relevance: As games tend to stabilize with powerful planeswalkers, enchantments, or other threatening permanents, Angel of Despair maintains relevance by being an all-purpose solution. It’s a card that adapts to numerous meta scenarios, making it a wise investment for your collection.

How to beat

Angel of Despair stands out as a formidable force on any battlefield, known for its dual capacity to impact the board by destroying a target permanent upon entry. This potent ability not only provides immediate removal for any problematic nonland permanent but also comes with a substantial body capable of exerting pressure on the opponent.

To counter this threat effectively, it’s important to consider preemptive measures such as denial of resources or use of counterspells to prevent the angel from taking flight. Control decks often hold answers like Counterspell or Thoughtseize to either stop the angel cold or remove it from the hand before it’s cast. Additionally, haste-enabling cards or direct removal like Fatal Push after it targets a permanent offer respite by dealing with it swiftly before it can cause substantial harm.

Given its high mana cost, keeping pace with ramping player resources and deploying threats early also puts pressure on Angel of Despair players, possibly forcing them to reassess their strategy. With proper planning and a strategic approach, the daunting task of facing Angel of Despair on the battlefield becomes a challenge that can be met with confidence.

BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the intricacies of MTG is akin to navigating a labyrinth, with each decision paving the path to victory or defeat. Angel of Despair is a testament to the game’s complexity, offering a unique confluence of immediate impact and strategic nuance. Refined players recognize the advantages of timing this card’s entrance to the battlefield and harnessing its potential in the right deck build. We invite you to delve deeper into our realm, where knowledge of cards like Angel of Despair can elevate your gameplay to spectacular heights. Join us to learn more and optimize your deck for your next triumph in the MTG arena.