Firemane Angel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Angel
Abilities First strike,Flying
Power 4
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Offers recurring card advantage and strategic flexibility with graveyard-to-hand return capabilities.
  2. Provides consistent life gain, which is essential for sustaining player resources over time.
  3. Instant speed reanimation offers surprise plays and efficient mana usage during opponents’ turns.

Text of card

Flying, first strike At the beginning of your upkeep, if Firemane Angel is in your graveyard or in play, you may gain 1 life. : Return Firemane Angel from your graveyard to play. Play this ability only during your upkeep.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Firemane Angel is a powerhouse when it comes to gaining an edge over your opponent. It offers a recurring card advantage with its ability to return from the graveyard to your hand, granting you additional opportunities to play this impactful creature multiple times.

Resource Acceleration: Notably, Firemane Angel provides a form of life gain acceleration. With its ability to heal you at the beginning of each upkeep, it sustains your resources while you develop your board presence and plan your strategy.

Instant Speed: Another significant advantage of the Firemane Angel is its Reanimation ability at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to return it to play at the end of your opponent’s turn. This can be a strategic move to surprise opponents and ensure optimal use of your mana each round.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To achieve the full potential of Firemane Angel, a player must discard it and pay the specific mana cost to benefit from its reanimation ability. This action can deplete hand resources, leaving less room for strategic plays or responses to opponents’ threats.

Specific Mana Cost: Firemane Angel necessitates a precise mixture of mana, including both red and white. This may restrict its integration into decks that do not run these colors or make it more challenging to cast on curve in multicolored decks due to mana constraints.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three red and white mana, Firemane Angel is on the more expensive end of the mana spectrum. Considering this investment, players might find other creatures or spells that provide more immediate impact on the game state at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include Firemane Angel in Your Collection

Versatility: Firemane Angel is a flexible card that can be a key component in a variety of decks. Its ability to offer life gain throughout the game, coupled with a solid flying body, makes it a good fit for both aggressive and control strategies.

Combo Potential: With the capacity to return from the graveyard to your hand, Firemane Angel works well with graveyard manipulation mechanics. It synergizes with recursion strategies and can be a recurring threat that opponents must handle more than once.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where games tend to go longer, the incremental life gain and recurrent nature of Firemane Angel can give you a significant edge. It’s particularly effective in metas where stabilizing your life total while applying pressure is crucial against midrange and aggressive decks.


How to beat

Firemane Angel is a unique card in MTG that offers a blend of life gain and creature recursion. It provides a steady life buffer and the potential to return from the graveyard to the battlefield. But no card is invincible in Magic. Tackling Firemane Angel effectively hinges on disrupting its reanimation ability. Graveyard hate spells, such as Scavenging Ooze, can target it directly in the graveyard. Exile effects, like Swords to Plowshares, ensure it can’t come back to haunt you. Additionally, countering the life gain with a timely Skullcrack can nullify the angel’s advantage. The key is to address the angel before the cumulative life gain becomes overwhelming or to keep it from recurring, which can be a tipping point in a prolonged matchup.

Moreover, strategies involving high pressure and aggressive board presence can outpace the slow life gain, pushing for a swift victory. In essence, maintaining a proactive stance against Firemane Angel involves a mix of graveyard control, life gain disruption, and a solid offense. Remember strategic foresight and timely disruption can ground even the most resilient angels in MTG.


Cards like Firemane Angel

Firemane Angel stands as a unique creature within Magic: The Gathering’s vast array of flying creatures. It mirrors characteristics of other notable winged beings such as Archangel of Thune, bolstering life totals while maintaining an imposing presence on the battlefield. Unlike the Archangel, which beefs up your creatures each time you gain life, Firemane Angel offers a steady life gain during each upkeep when it’s in the graveyard, emphasizing its resilience and long-term impact.

Comparatively, Resolute Archangel resets your life total upon entering the battlefield, a different take on life manipulation compared to Firemane Angel’s gradual approach. Meanwhile, Lyra Dawnbringer gives other Angels you control +1/+1 and lifelink, which proves beneficial for Angel-centric decks but doesn’t have the recurring life gain mechanic of the Firemane Angel when in the graveyard or the innate reanimation feature.

In essence, while each angelic card presents a way to tip the scales via life manipulation, Firemane Angel assures a particular endurance, providing strategic depth and consistent value across various phases of the game, making it a card that can shine in the right deck with the right support.

Archangel of Thune - MTG Card versions
Resolute Archangel - MTG Card versions
Lyra Dawnbringer - MTG Card versions
Archangel of Thune - Magic 2014 (M14)
Resolute Archangel - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)
Lyra Dawnbringer - Dominaria Promos (PDOM)

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

Foundry Champion - MTG Card versions
Bull Cerodon - MTG Card versions
Aurelia, the Warleader - MTG Card versions
Firesong and Sunspeaker - MTG Card versions
Swathcutter Giant - MTG Card versions
Stet, Draconic Proofreader - MTG Card versions
Returned Pastcaller - MTG Card versions
Duke Ulder Ravengard - MTG Card versions
Wyll of the Celestial Pact - MTG Card versions
Nahiri, Forged in Fury - MTG Card versions
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - MTG Card versions
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Bull Cerodon - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Aurelia, the Warleader - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Firesong and Sunspeaker - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Swathcutter Giant - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)
Stet, Draconic Proofreader - Unsanctioned (UND)
Returned Pastcaller - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)
Duke Ulder Ravengard - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Wyll of the Celestial Pact - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Nahiri, Forged in Fury - March of the Machine: The Aftermath (MAT)
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - Doctor Who (WHO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Firemane Angel MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds and Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas, 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 Firemane Angel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Firemane Angel Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2018-11-02. Illustrated by Matt Cavotta.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 2052003normalblackMatt Cavotta
22011-09-02Duel Decks: Ajani vs. Nicol BolasDDH 212003normalblackMatt Cavotta
32017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 1992015normalblackMatt Cavotta
42018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 882015normalblackMatt Cavotta
52020-09-26The ListPLST RAV-2052003normalblackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Firemane Angel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-11-17 If Firemane Angel is put into your graveyard from the battlefield or returned from your graveyard to the battlefield during your upkeep before its triggered ability resolves, you won’t gain 1 life.

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