Platinum Angel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 16 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeArtifact Creature — Angel
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Tactical advantage through loss prevention, extending gameplay even in dire situations.
  2. Can deter opponents, indirectly accelerating your own resource management.
  3. Surprise plays achievable with instant speed interaction options.

Text of card

Flying You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.

In its heart lies the secret of immortality.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Platinum Angel offers a distinct tactical advantage by preventing you from losing the game, even when your life total dips below zero or you face otherwise game-ending situations. This attribute ensures you remain in the driver’s seat, giving you the time to draw into more resources or find a solution to turn the tide in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or treasure tokens, the mere presence of Platinum Angel on the battlefield can act as a form of deterrence, discouraging opponents from committing further resources to the board. This indirect effect can delay aggressive strategies, allowing you to accelerate your own game plan without the immediate threat of defeat.

Instant Speed: Although Platinum Angel itself isn’t cast at instant speed, it can significantly impact interactions at instant speed. For example, if you have ways to cheat it onto the battlefield during an opponent’s turn or in response to a fatal blow, you effectively gain a powerful surprise element that can shift the game’s momentum in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Carrying a Platinum Angel in your deck can inadvertently make you a prime target for discard spells and effects. Opponents will often seek to eliminate threats like these before they hit the board, potentially causing you to lose this valuable card prematurely.

Specific Mana Cost: The Platinum Angel requires a specific mix of mana to cast—seven mana in total, which includes two that must be colorless. This requirement can be restrictive, particularly in multicolor decks where mana bases are strained and it’s crucial to have the right colors available at the right time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of seven mana, Platinum Angel is not only considerable in terms of resources but can be slow to hit the table. This can be especially problematic if you are facing a fast-paced or aggressive deck where setting up such a high-cost card may prove too time-consuming.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Platinum Angel offers a unique effect that enables it to be a game-changer regardless of your deck’s strategy. Its ability to prevent you from losing the game makes it a solid addition to any deck that can protect it or work towards a lockout victory condition.

Combo Potential: This card has significant combo potential in various deck archetypes. It can be the linchpin in strategies designed to make you invulnerable, working efficiently with cards that offer hexproof or indestructibility to maintain its presence on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: In metas dominated by aggressive decks aiming to win quickly, Platinum Angel can completely upend an opponent’s game plan. Its inclusion provides a substantial deterrent and challenges your opponent to find an answer to its powerful effect.


How to beat

Platinum Angel can be one of the most daunting cards to face in a game of Magic: The Gathering. It’s a unique artifact creature with the power to prevent its controller from losing the game, which can be a real game-changer. However, having a plan to tackle this card can tilt matches in your favor. Strategizing removals that can bypass its effect is key. You might consider direct removal spells, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, to effectively deal with the Angel. Cards that force your opponent to sacrifice creatures, like Diabolic Edict, can also be your allies since they neatly sidestep Platinum Angel’s loss prevention.

Another approach is to use cards that change the board state indirectly. Mass exile effects, like Merciless Eviction, or using abilities that reduce the Angel’s toughness to zero, such as the -X/-X effectiveness of Toxic Deluge, can prove invaluable. Also, don’t overlook the power of transforming it through cards like Song of the Dryads, turning it into a harmless forest, or imprisoning it under an Oblivion Ring. Thus, when confronted with a Platinum Angel, your strategy should shift to removing it swiftly and efficiently, allowing you to steer the game back to a winnable position.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing the strategic complexities of MTG can be exhilarating, and Platinum Angel is a card that exemplifies such depth. Understanding its strengths and navigating its weaknesses is key to integrating this unique creature into your game. Whether combating aggressive decks or sculpting a lockout victory, the Angel’s ability to avert defeat is a powerful tool in your arsenal. By exploring more strategies and fostering a robust removal game plan, you can turn Platinum Angel from a mere card into a cornerstone of your deck’s success. Dive deeper into these tactics with us and add an edge to your gameplay with every draw.


Cards like Platinum Angel

Platinum Angel is an iconic creature card in Magic the Gathering with a unique ability that prevents its controller from losing the game. This makes it somewhat akin to cards like Abyssal Persecutor, which also alters the fundamental win and loss conditions of the game. However, while Platinum Angel prevents the loss, Abyssal Persecutor prevents the win, creating a paradoxical situation until it’s removed.

Another card often compared to Platinum Angel is Angel’s Grace, an instant that can also temporarily stop a player from losing. What sets them apart is the permanence of Platinum Angel’s effect as opposed to the one-turn safeguard offered by Angel’s Grace. Furthermore, cards like Gideon of the Trials offer a similar protection with his emblem, but they require a specific planeswalker to remain on the battlefield.

When choosing a card that alters the endgame rules, Platinum Angel is outstanding for its persisting shield against defeat. While there are varied alternatives, the angel’s ability to indefinitely extend a game places it in a league of its own among Magic the Gathering creatures that twist the traditional paths to victory or defeat.

Abyssal Persecutor - MTG Card versions
Angel's Grace - MTG Card versions
Gideon of the Trials - MTG Card versions
Abyssal Persecutor - Worldwake (WWK)
Angel's Grace - Time Spiral (TSP)
Gideon of the Trials - Amonkhet Promos (PAKH)

Cards similar to Platinum Angel by color, type and mana cost

Mishra's War Machine - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Machine - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Colossus - MTG Card versions
Lotus Guardian - MTG Card versions
Wondrous Crucible - MTG Card versions
Myr Enforcer - MTG Card versions
Chromatic Orrery - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Dragon - MTG Card versions
Pentavus - MTG Card versions
Darksteel Gargoyle - MTG Card versions
Death-Mask Duplicant - MTG Card versions
Arcbound Lancer - MTG Card versions
Solarion - MTG Card versions
Triskelavus - MTG Card versions
Sphinx-Bone Wand - MTG Card versions
Myr Battlesphere - MTG Card versions
Akroma's Memorial - MTG Card versions
Aether Searcher - MTG Card versions
Pilgrim of the Fires - MTG Card versions
Hexplate Golem - MTG Card versions
Mishra's War Machine - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Diabolic Machine - Renaissance (REN)
Phyrexian Colossus - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Lotus Guardian - Invasion (INV)
Wondrous Crucible - The Brothers' War Commander (BRC)
Myr Enforcer - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Chromatic Orrery - Core Set 2021 (M21)
Clockwork Dragon - Mirrodin (MRD)
Pentavus - The List (PLST)
Darksteel Gargoyle - Darksteel (DST)
Death-Mask Duplicant - Darksteel (DST)
Arcbound Lancer - Darksteel (DST)
Solarion - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Triskelavus - Time Spiral (TSP)
Sphinx-Bone Wand - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
Myr Battlesphere - Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander (ONC)
Akroma's Memorial - The List (PLST)
Aether Searcher - Conspiracy (CNS)
Pilgrim of the Fires - Fate Reforged (FRF)
Hexplate Golem - The List (PLST)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Platinum Angel MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin and Tenth Edition, 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 Platinum Angel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Platinum Angel Magic the Gathering card was released in 13 different sets between 2003-10-02 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12003-10-02MirrodinMRD 2282003normalblackBrom
22007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 3392003normalblackBrom
32007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 339★2003normalblackBrom
42009-07-17Magic 2010M10 2182003normalblackBrom
52010-07-16Magic 2011M11 2122003normalblackBrom
62011-05-14Duel Decks: Mirrodin Pure vs. New PhyrexiaTD2 12003normalblackBrom
72015-08-21From the Vault: AngelsV15 132015normalblackBrom
82016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 2142015normalblackBrom
92016-09-30Kaladesh InventionsMPS 462015normalblackVictor Adame Minguez
102019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 4962015normalblackChris Rahn
112020-03-12Historic Anthology 2HA2 182015normalblackBrom
122020-09-26The ListPLST CN2-2142015normalblackBrom
132022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 104z1997normalblackOvidio Cartagena
142022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 1041997normalblackOvidio Cartagena
152022-11-18The Brothers' War Retro ArtifactsBRR 411997normalblackBrom
162022-11-18The Brothers' War Art SeriesABRO 712015art_seriesborderless

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Platinum Angel has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
GladiatorLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Platinum Angel card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-12-01 Effects that say the game is a draw, such as the _Legends_(TM) card Divine Intervention, are not affected by Platinum Angel. They'll still work.
2004-12-01 You can concede a game while Platinum Angel on the battlefield. A concession causes you to leave the game, which then causes you to lose the game (Once you concede, you no longer control a Platinum Angel, so its ability can't prevent you from losing the game).
2009-10-01 If you control Platinum Angel in a Two-Headed Giant game, your team can't lose the game and the opposing team can't win the game.
2009-10-01 No game effect can cause you to lose the game or cause any opponent to win the game while you control Platinum Angel. It doesn't matter whether you have 0 or less life, you're forced to draw a card while your library is empty, you have ten or more poison counters, you're dealt combat damage by Phage the Untouchable, your opponent has Mortal Combat with twenty or more creature cards in their graveyard, or so on. You keep playing.
2009-10-01 Other circumstances can still cause you to lose the game, however. You will lose a game if you concede, if you're penalized with a Game Loss or a Match Loss during a sanctioned tournament due to a DCI rules infraction, or if your _Magic Online_(R) game clock runs out of time.

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