Desolation Angel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Angel
Abilities Flying,Kicker
Power 5
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. The card provides indirect card advantage by setting back opponents more than yourself via land destruction.
  2. Strategic timing of its cast can vastly accelerate your resource advantage and alter the game’s tempo.
  3. Despite its high cost and requirements, its versatility can be a game-changer in various deck builds.

Text of card

Kicker o Wo W (You may pay an additional o Wo W as you play this spell.) Flying When Desolation Angel comes into play, destroy all lands you control. If you paid the kicker cost, destroy all lands instead.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The awe-inspiring Desolation Angel presents a unique twist in gameplay when it comes to card advantage. While it doesn’t allow you to draw directly, its ability to destroy all lands upon kicking ensures that, while you sacrifice your own resources, your opponent is likely to be set back far more, essentially generating an advantage through attrition—leaving you as the last one standing with the mightiest board presence.

Resource Acceleration: When examining resource acceleration, Desolation Angel may not grant direct mana or token creation, but what it does offer is a reset button on the game’s resources. By tactically setting up your mana base to recover swiftly post-wrath, you can accelerate past your opponent, who will be scrambling to rebuild their land drops—a powerful position in any match.

Instant Speed: While Desolation Angel does not operate at instant speed, the strategic implications of its cast timing are akin to high-stakes instant-speed plays. Deciding when to deploy this fearsome flyer can change the tempo of the game entirely, acting as a sudden upheaval to skillfully orchestrated plans, and leaving opponents in the dust as you sail towards victory on darkened wings.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A gameplay downside of Desolation Angel is its “kicker” cost, which, when paid, forces you to sacrifice all the lands you control. This significant setback can leave you vulnerable and struggling to rebuild your mana base to play further spells.

Specific Mana Cost: Desolation Angel requires a combination of both black and white mana to cast. This specific mana cost makes it less flexible, as it can only seamlessly fit into decks that are oriented around or can accommodate both of these colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering the mana cost of Desolation Angel without its kicker effect, it stands at five mana, which is a hefty price for a flyer without additional immediate impact on the board. This can be restrictive, especially in formats where quicker, more impactful plays are prevalent.


Reasons to Include Desolation Angel in Your Collection

Versatility: Desolation Angel offers flexibility as both a game-ending threat and a strategic play. With its kicker ability, it can transform from a mere deterrent into a powerful force that can sway the tide of a match, appealing to a broad array of deck builds focused on control and disruption.

Combo Potential: This card has inherent synergy with strategies that benefit from resetting the board. When paired with mana acceleration or cards that protect your own land base, Desolation Angel can become a cornerstone of a formidable combo that devastates opponents while you maintain advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where land-based strategies prevail, Desolation Angel shines by hampering opponents’ plans and keeping ramp and multicolor decks in check. Its presence in your collection ensures you have a response to a widespread range of tactics.


How to Beat Desolation Angel

Desolation Angel is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, notably for its game-altering kicker ability that can leave opponents without lands. To stand against such a powerful threat, a strategy focused on prevention and reaction can be key. Countermagic such as “Cancel” or “Mana Leak” can neutralize this Angel before its effect takes place, effectively keeping your lands safe from destruction. Additionally, retaining instant-speed removal spells in your hand, like “Murder” or “Path to Exile”, ensures that if the Angel does hit the board, you can respond swiftly to remove it before the kicker cost is paid.

Another approach is to utilize discard effects to force the Angel out of your opponent’s hand before they even get the chance to cast it. Such strategies rely on cards like “Thoughtseize” or “Duress”, which are potent tools in preempting threats. Lastly, should Desolation Angel’s ability resolve, having a backup plan with land reanimation spells like “Splendid Reclamation” or artifact-based mana generation can help mitigate the impact and keep your game strategy on track despite the setback.


Cards like Desolation Angel

Desolation Angel stands out in the roster of Magic the Gathering kicker spells, reminiscent of destruction spells like Wrath of God, which provides a clean slate by destroying all creatures. What makes Desolation Angel unique is its kicker cost that, when paid, annihilates all lands as well. In contrast, the classic Wrath of God spares the land base, sustaining the player’s mana resources for subsequent turns.

Looking to Cataclysm, another spell with sweeping effects, players must choose carefully as each player is left with only one creature, one land, and one artifact. Here, Desolation Angel offers a potentially game-ending play without the need for such decisions, as long as you are willing to pay the higher cost. Yet another similar card, Armageddon, also obliterates all lands, but what it packs in impact, it lacks in the creature board presence that Desolation Angel provides with its aerial power.

Comparatively, the flexibility of choosing how apocalyptic Desolation Angel’s arrival will be—a creature presence or a total land decimation—gives players a versatile tool, depending on their strategy or position in the game. Its unique blend of creature threat and land destruction options carves a distinct niche for Desolation Angel in MTG.

Wrath of God - MTG Card versions
Cataclysm - MTG Card versions
Armageddon - MTG Card versions
Wrath of God - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Cataclysm - Exodus (EXO)
Armageddon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

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

Selenia, Dark Angel - MTG Card versions
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Shadrix Silverquill - MTG Card versions
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Selenia, Dark Angel - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
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Liesa, Shroud of Dusk - Commander Legends (CMR)
Ravos, Soultender - Commander Legends (CMR)
Agent of Masks - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Revenant Patriarch - Duel Decks: Sorin vs. Tibalt (DDK)
Deathbringer Liege - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)
Evershrike - Eventide (EVE)
Divinity of Pride - Commander 2013 (C13)
Vizkopa Confessor - Gatecrash (GTC)
Obzedat, Ghost Council - Explorer Anthology 3 (EA3)
Blood Baron of Vizkopa - Iconic Masters (IMA)
Maw of the Obzedat - Dragon's Maze (DGM)
Sentry of the Underworld - Theros (THS)
Knights of the Black Rose - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Vona, Butcher of Magan - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Arvad the Cursed - March of the Machine Commander (MOC)
Regal Bloodlord - Core Set 2019 (M19)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Desolation Angel MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse and Amonkhet Invocations, 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 Desolation Angel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Desolation Angel Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2001-06-04 and 2017-04-28. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-06-04ApocalypseAPC 381997normalblackBrom
22017-04-28Amonkhet InvocationsMP2 402015normalborderlessBastien L. Deharme
32020-09-26The ListPLST APC-381997normalblackBrom

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Desolation Angel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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