Filigree Angel MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost8
RarityRare
TypeArtifact Creature — Angel
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Lifegain and combo potential make Filigree Angel a game-changer in artifact-laden decks.
  2. High mana cost and color specificity require deck commitment and careful play.
  3. Similar cards offer varied abilities, but Filigree’s lifegain is unmatched in artifact scenarios.

Text of card

Flying When Filigree Angel comes into play, you gain 3 life for each artifact you control.

"I craved enlightenment, and Crucius's etherium opened my eyes. I would share my sight with you, but first you must believe."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Filigree Angel boasts a potent ability that amps up your life total upon entering the battlefield, tantamount to drawing multiple cards when considering the enhanced survivability and potential combo plays it unlocks.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly generate mana, its formidable presence can pave the way for aggressive strategies, effectively pressuring opponents and accelerating your board state to a winning position.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Filigree Angel can be synergistically combined with cards that function at instant speed, allowing it to be deployed at the most opportune moments to surprise opponents and swing the momentum of the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Filigree Angel demands that other artifacts be present to get the maximum efficacy from its enter-the-battlefield effect, which can sometimes amount to an indirect discard requirement as it pressures you to play other cards prematurely to set up for its arrival.

Specific Mana Cost: Filigree Angel carries a heavy specific mana cost, including two white and one blue mana symbols along with five additional mana of any type. This ties you to playing a deck heavily skewed towards these colors, limiting deck-building versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of eight, Filigree Angel is a late-game play. Considering the dynamic pace of games, setting aside such a substantial amount of mana can be a disadvantage when faster, more immediately impactful plays are available.


Reasons to Include Filigree Angel in Your Collection

Versatility: Filigree Angel is a card that seamlessly adapts to various deck designs, offering significant lifegain in artifact-centric or lifegain strategies. Its ability to provide a substantial life buffer can turn the tide in close games.

Combo Potential: Its entrance to the battlefield triggers a lifegain event that scales with the number of artifacts you control, setting up powerful synergies with cards like Sanguine Bond or Aetherflux Reservoir for potentially game-ending combos.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where longer games prevail and board states become complex with numerous artifacts, Filigree Angel holds its weight by stabilizing life totals and acting as a formidable airborne threat.


Understanding the Filigree Angel

Filigree Angel stands out in MTG as a beacon of life gain and a significant threat in artifact-centric decks. When summoning this imposing creature, players can enjoy a potentially massive boost to their life total, tying directly to the number of artifacts they control. It’s pivotal within the Esper artifact decks and shines in Commander formats where artifacts are plentiful.

How to beat

Overcoming the challenge posed by Filigree Angel begins by diminishing its life gain advantage. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt can be used effectively to disrupt graveyard strategies, ensuring artifacts don’t return to the battlefield. Artifact removal options, such as Abrade or Nature’s Claim, can keep the board clear and minimize the life gain when the Angel enters the play. Board wipes like Wrath of God can reset the game, nullifying the Angel’s impact. For a more pinpoint approach, countering it with spells like Negate or using targeted removal like Path to Exile before its ability triggers, ensures you maintain control over the game pace. Playing around this majestic creature means keeping its synergy pieces in check and having an answer ready as it soars onto the battlefield.

Mastering the intricacies of MTG involves recognizing potent threats and strategizing counterplays, with the Filigree Angel being no exception. The key lies in maintaining board control and being prepared for its arrival.


BurnMana Recommendations

Deepening your MTG knowledge is pivotal to excelling in nuanced strategies. With the Filigree Angel, you’re looking at a card that, while mana-intensive, could be the linchpin in artifact-rich decks, particularly in Commander. The Angel’s synergy with other artifacts can elevate your game with staggering life point gains. In the expansive universe of Magic the Gathering, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of such cards is essential. We recommend further exploring the strategic applications of Filigree Angel and similar cards to enhance your gameplay. Ready for a deep dive into advanced deck-building techniques and meta strategies? Join us and evolve your gameplay with enriched understanding and insight.


Cards like Filigree Angel

Filigree Angel is a unique artifact creature in Magic: The Gathering that provides a significant life boost upon entering the battlefield. It shares some aspects with other game-changing creatures, such as Sphinx of the Steel Wind. Both have a powerful presence, but Sphinx of the Steel Wind offers protection from red and green, along with vigilance, flying, and lifelink—not to mention dealing damage in combat.

Another similar card to consider would be Baneslayer Angel. While Filigree Angel shines in its ability to gain you life per artifact you control, Baneslayer Angel comes with built-in protections from demons and dragons, along with flying and first strike capabilities. This makes it a formidable threat immediately upon hitting the battlefield. On the other hand, Archangel of Thune also correlates with Filigree Angel in the life gain strategy. Archangel of Thune has the added benefit of bolstering your creatures with +1/+1 counters, though it doesn’t match the potential single life boost of Filigree Angel.

The value of Filigree Angel, therefore, lies in its ability to drastically swing life totals in artifact-heavy decks, setting it apart from other life-gaining creatures and highlighting its situational strength in the Magic: The Gathering universe.

Sphinx of the Steel Wind - MTG Card versions
Baneslayer Angel - MTG Card versions
Archangel of Thune - MTG Card versions
Sphinx of the Steel Wind - Alara Reborn (ARB)
Baneslayer Angel - Magic 2010 (M10)
Archangel of Thune - Magic 2014 (M14)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Filigree Angel MTG card by a specific set like Alara Reborn and Commander 2013, 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 Filigree Angel and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Filigree Angel Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2009-04-30 and 2016-11-11. Illustrated by Richard Whitters.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-04-30Alara RebornARB 62003normalblackRichard Whitters
22013-11-01Commander 2013C13 1892003normalblackRichard Whitters
32016-11-11Commander 2016C16 1992015normalblackRichard Whitters
42020-09-26The ListPLST ARB-62003normalblackRichard Whitters

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Filigree Angel has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2009-05-01 Filigree Angel’s enters-the-battlefield ability counts Filigree Angel itself, assuming that it’s still on the battlefield and still an artifact by the time the ability resolves.

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