Angel of Mercy MTG Card

Entering the battlefield, the Angel of Mercy grants life, creating a buffer against fast-paced aggressive opponents. Lifespan extension from gained life permits more turns to draw and play game-changing spells. Discarding for its effect and specific mana needs can be a trade-off in diverse strategies.
Card setsReleased in 17 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Angel
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 3

Text of card

Flying When Angel of Mercy comes into play from your hand, you gain 3 life.

Cards like Angel of Mercy

Angel of Mercy is a particular beacon within the realm of life-gaining creatures. When you play the Angel of Mercy, its immediate impact is the gain of 3 life points – a feature that echoes the abilities found on cards like Angelic Page. While both offer flying, Angelic Page provides an additional option to boost other creature’s strength or defense, rather than direct life gain.

Another card that shares attributes with Angel of Mercy is Healing Salve. Although not a creature, this spell similarly allows players to gain life. The primary difference lies in versatility since Healing Salve can also prevent damage, giving players more options in response to threats. Then we encounter Serra Angel, a classic flyer without life gain but with vigilance, which is instrumental for both offense and defense.

Assessing their place, Angel of Mercy stands out in scenarios where immediate life gain is paramount, offering a decent body to defend the skies. It brings a balance between adding to your life total while establishing board presence, a valuable asset in white creature decks. By having these comparisons, it’s evident that the Angel of Mercy finds its niche in Magic: The Gathering through its simple, yet impactful, life replenishing ability coupled with aerial superiority.

Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - MTG Card versions
Angelic Page - MTG Card versions
Healing Salve - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Angel of Mercy, upon entering the battlefield, allows you to gain life, effectively providing a cushion against aggressive strategies. This form of indirect card advantage ensures you remain in the game longer, affording you more opportunities to draw into your key spells and resources.

Resource Acceleration: While the Angel of Mercy doesn’t directly ramp your mana, the life gained can be pivotal in resource acceleration contexts. It buys you time to deploy lands and spells without the pressure of a diminishing life total, setting the stage for turning the tide with more impactful plays.

Instant Speed: While the Angel itself does not operate at instant speed, the life gain it provides can significantly impact the pace at which you can safely play out your spells. This life buffer allows you to pass turns without deploying other creatures, waiting to play your creature spells at the most opportune moments, much like how one would leverage instant speed interactions.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides of the Angel of Mercy is that its deploy from hand doesn’t come without a cost beyond just mana. Part of its effect may necessitate discarding other valuable cards from your hand, which may not be ideal when you’re strategizing to maintain card advantage against an opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: The Angel of Mercy requires a specific combination of mana to cast. This can be particularly challenging if you’re running a multicolored deck and don’t have the necessary white mana sources at the critical moment when you need to play the card.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its demanding mana cost, the Angel of Mercy is often competing for a spot in your deck with other cards that have lower costs or offer more impactful effects upon entering the battlefield. This high cost can slow down your gameplay, which is a significant consideration in fast-paced matches where efficiency is key.

Reasons to Include Angel of Mercy in Your Collection

Versatility: Angel of Mercy is renowned for its flexibility across various deck types. It shines in decks focused on life gain strategies while also serving as an efficient creature in control or midrange decks. Its ability to provide immediate life boost upon entering the battlefield makes it a valuable addition to any collection.

Combo Potential: With its life-gain on entry, Angel of Mercy can seamlessly integrate into combos that capitalize on life total changes. It can trigger abilities of other cards that monitor life gains or act as a safeguard, buffering your health as you set up for a game-winning move.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment that rewards sustainability and survival, Angel of Mercy maintains relevance. It’s a card that can tip the scales in your favor during drawn-out matches, keeping you afloat against aggressive opponents and securing your position well into the late game.

How to beat

Angel of Mercy is a card that can influence the battlefield with its life gain ability in Magic: The Gathering. Often compared to other creatures with similar effects, such as Lone Missionary or Kitchen Finks, Angel of Mercy typically stands out due to its flying ability, giving it an edge in aerial combat. Kitchen Finks features a persist mechanic that can make it more resilient to removal, while Lone Missionary is more efficient in terms of mana cost for life gain.

When assessing strategies to counter Angel of Mercy, it is wise to consider removal spells that don’t target, such as board wipes like Wrath of God or Day of Judgment. These spells can eliminate Angel of Mercy regardless of its flying capability. Additionally, spells that can exile creatures, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, are effective since they prevent the life gain trigger while dealing with the angel permanently.

To conclude, while Angel of Mercy can be a boon for players looking to stabilize their life total, savvy players will pack their decks with versatile removal options. Doing so ensures they’re prepared not just for the Angel of Mercy, but for a broad range of threats that could ascend onto the battlefield.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Angel of Mercy MTG card by a specific set like Portal Second Age and Starter 1999, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Angel of Mercy and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Angel of Mercy Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 1998-06-24 and 2020-07-17. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-06-24Portal Second AgeP02 81997NormalBlackMelissa A. Benson
21999-07-01Starter 1999S99 21997NormalWhiteMelissa A. Benson
32000-10-02InvasionINV 21997NormalBlackMark Tedin
42003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 12003NormalWhiteMelissa A. Benson
52003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 1★2003NormalBlackMelissa A. Benson
62005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 12003NormalWhiteMelissa A. Benson
72005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 1★2003NormalBlackMelissa A. Benson
82005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL G142003NormalWhiteMelissa A. Benson
92005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL G382003NormalWhiteMelissa A. Benson
102007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 2★2003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
112007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 22003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
122009-04-10Duel Decks: Divine vs. DemonicDDC 92003NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
132014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Divine vs. DemonicDVD 92015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
142017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 62015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
152019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 192015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
162020-07-17JumpstartJMP 842015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa
172020-09-26The ListPLST IMA-62015NormalBlackVolkan Baǵa

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Angel of Mercy has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal