Righteous Valkyrie MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Angel Cleric
Abilities Flying
Power 2
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Combining life gain with board strength, Righteous Valkyrie can alter the flow of a match significantly.
  2. Valkyrie’s specific mana cost can limit its inclusion in diverse multicolor strategies.
  3. Its mid-range mana value requires careful deck construction for optimized play.

Text of card

Flying Whenever another Angel or Cleric enters the battlefield under your control, you gain life equal to that creature's toughness. As long as you have at least 7 life more than your starting life total, creatures you control get +2/+2.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Righteous Valkyrie encourages a strategy that can lead to significant card advantage. By bolstering health for each other creature that enters the battlefield under your control, it not only sustains your life total but often allows for drawing additional cards with the right deck synergy.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly a form of resource acceleration, the additional life gained from Righteous Valkyrie’s effect can indirectly lead to accelerating resources. With more life as a buffer, players can afford to use lands that cause damage or other cards with life payment without jeopardizing their survival, effectively speeding up their gameplay.

Instant Speed: Although Righteous Valkyrie operates at sorcery speed, its ability has a persistent board presence which rivals the flexibility of instant speed interactions. This persistent threat can force opponents to play as though you could untap and gain life at any moment, altering their strategy and potentially leading to less-optimal plays on their part.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Righteous Valkyrie does not have an innate discard requirement, building around it may encourage a deck design that pushes for discarding to keep life totals high. This strategy could backfire if you deplete your hand too quickly, leaving you short on options.

Specific Mana Cost: Righteous Valkyrie’s casting cost demands a specific commitment to white mana. With one colorless and two white mana needed, this card is potentially restrictive for multicolor decks that may not always have the right mana available.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Righteous Valkyrie is not necessarily expensive, but when compared to other creatures that bolster life totals or have an immediate board impact, its cost-effectiveness can be questioned. It’s a mid-game play that requires setup for optimized use.


Reasons to Include the Righteous Valkyrie in Your Collection

Versatility: Righteous Valkyrie is a flexible card able to slot into various decks, thriving in life-gain centered strategies or any deck aiming to take advantage of its stat-boosting ability.

Combo Potential: This card enables powerful synergies with other life-gain mechanics, potentially unlocking explosive turns that can turn the tide of a game in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-based decks prevalent in many play formats, the Valkyrie’s ability to both bolster your life total and enhance your board presence makes it a timely addition to your arsenal.


How to beat

Righteous Valkyrie is a formidable presence in Magic: The Gathering, soaring high in life-gain deck archetypes. When it enters the battlefield, its passive effect rewards you for playing other creatures with its life-gain trigger. The real challenge begins once you boost your life total to 7 or more above your starting amount, strengthening every other creature you control. To outmaneuver this celestial encounter, focus on removal spells that can deal with the Valkyrie before it fortifies your opponent’s board state. Tackle it with instant-speed interactions, allowing you to disrupt your opponent’s grand strategy during their turn.

Consider spot removals like Murderous Rider or Heartless Act that can swiftly take down the Valkyrie before the life buffer becomes insurmountable. Be vigilant for enchantments that may shield the Valkyrie with indestructibility; in such cases, having a backup plan with board wipes or exile effects is prudent. Cards like Doomskar and Farewell can reset the playing field, nullifying the accrued advantages. With a well-timed intervention and a strategy to manage your own life total, the battle against Righteous Valkyrie can turn to your favor in the MTG arena.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the strategic elements of MTG as you ponder the inclusion of Righteous Valkyrie in your deck. This card’s strengths in life-gain and ability to enhance your board state offer dynamic play options, inviting nuanced deck-building decisions. Whether you’re tweaking your strategy or seeking a resilient addition, the Valkyrie’s potential to tip scales in your favor merits consideration. Explore more about how to leverage this card to its fullest and gain edge against opponents by joining us. With your strategic acumen and our insights, your repertoire will soar to new heights in the MTG realm. Learn more and secure your victories today.


Cards like Righteous Valkyrie

The Righteous Valkyrie stands as a notable card in Magic: The Gathering, serving as a powerful cornerstone in life-gain decks. In this sphere, it shares a kinship with cards like Resplendent Angel. Both creatures reward you for gaining life, but Righteous Valkyrie brings the additional benefit of buffing your entire team once you surpass a life threshold. While Resplendent Angel generates token creatures, the Valkyrie strengthens the existing board, potentially transforming an entire game’s dynamic.

Another card worth comparing is Angel of Vitality, which offers a similar life-gain catalyst function. However, though Angel of Vitality increases life gained and can grow stronger if your life total is high, it lacks the board-wide impact that makes Righteous Valkyrie so valuable in decks focused on maintaining a high life total. Then there’s Speaker of the Heavens, a card that can generate Angels but requires a setup and meets its full potential only in dedicated life-gain builds, unlike Righteous Valkyrie which provides immediate board presence and scaling benefits.

Considering these comparisons, Righteous Valkyrie merits attention for its unique blend of life-gain synergy and communal strength, marking its spot as a pivotal inclusion for life-centric strategies in the game.

Resplendent Angel - MTG Card versions
Angel of Vitality - MTG Card versions
Speaker of the Heavens - MTG Card versions
Resplendent Angel - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Angel of Vitality - Core Set 2020 (M20)
Speaker of the Heavens - Core Set 2021 Promos (PM21)

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Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
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Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
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Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
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Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
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Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Field Marshal - Coldsnap (CSP)
Kithkin Healer - Lorwyn (LRW)
Kor Hookmaster - Zendikar (ZEN)
Zhalfirin Commander - Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons (DDG)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Righteous Valkyrie MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and The List, 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 Righteous Valkyrie and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Righteous Valkyrie Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Chris Rahn.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 882102015normalblackChris Rahn
22020-09-26The ListPLST KHM-242015normalblackChris Rahn
32021-02-05KaldheimKHM 242015normalblackChris Rahn
42021-02-05Kaldheim Art SeriesAKHM 62015art_seriesborderlessChris Rahn
52021-02-05KaldheimKHM 3382015normalblackChris Rahn
62021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 24s2015normalblackChris Rahn
72021-02-06Kaldheim PromosPKHM 24p2015normalblackChris Rahn
82022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 2342015normalblackChris Rahn

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Righteous Valkyrie has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
BrawlLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-02-05 Because damage remains marked on creatures until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to creatures you control may become lethal if Righteous Valkyrie leaves the battlefield that turn.
2021-02-05 The amount of life you gain is equal to the Angel or Cleric’s toughness as the triggered ability resolves. If the Angel or Cleric is no longer on the battlefield at that time, use its toughness from when it was last on the battlefield.

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