Avenger en-Dal MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Spellshaper
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	2
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ron Spencer

Key Takeaways

Avenger en-Dal’s ability to force sacrifices can drastically swing the momentum in your favor on the battlefield.
This card’s presence encourages strategic resource management, enhancing your control over the game’s pace.
Despite its potent abilities, Avenger en-Dal may require a tailored deck to optimize its high mana cost.

Text of card

o W, oc T, Discard a card from your hand: Remove target attacking creature from the game. Its controller gains life equal to its toughness.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Avenger en-Dal potentially disrupts your opponent’s strategy by forcing them to sacrifice key creatures. In games where board presence is crucial, forcing such a sacrifice can represent not just a one-for-one trade, but a swing in momentum that puts you ahead in resource competition.

Resource Acceleration: While Avenger en-Dal itself doesn’t accelerate your resources directly, its presence on the battlefield can protect your own resource development. By deterring attacks or threatening to remove an opponent’s creature, you maintain board stability and pave the way to deploy your own threats or accrue advantages unimpeded.

Instant Speed: Although Avenger en-Dal’s ability isn’t at instant speed, its effect can have an impact similar to an instant. It can be activated at any time you could play an instant, thereby allowing you to make strategic reads on your opponent’s turns and reduce their creature count before they can leverage them for attacks or abilities. Its mere presence can alter the pace and play pattern of the game, much like an instant waiting in the wings.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks of Avenger en-Dal is the need to discard a card when activating its ability. This could set you back, especially if your hand is running thin and every card counts towards your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Avenger en-Dal demands a precise mana setup to cast, which includes white mana. This restriction might not suit all deck types, making it less versatile for players who are not running a white-based or multicolored mana deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the card has a potentially impactful ability, its casting cost is on the higher side. There are alternatives within the game that might offer similar offensive capabilities or board control at a lower mana investment, thus providing more economy and flexibility within a match.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Avenger en-Dal is a nimble pick for white decks that prioritize control and tempo. It can easily slide into a variety of deck strategies, be it for combat tricks or complex stack interactions during an opponent’s turn.

Combo Potential: This card has notable synergy with effects that care about tapping or untapping creatures. Its ability to exile target attacking creature means it pairs well with cards that manipulate combat phases or benefit from the removal of adversary threats.

Meta-Relevance: In a format where aggressive creature-based strategies are prevalent, having Avenger en-Dal could be a game-changer. Its capacity to disrupt opponent attacks without using the stack offers a considerable edge and can pivot games in your favor.

How to Beat Avenger en-Dal

Avenger en-Dal is known among MTG players for its ability to force sacrifice upon attacking creatures, which could heavily disrupt your board presence. To navigate past this card, it’s essential to adapt your strategy, focusing on cards that either prevent targeting or have indestructible attributes. For instance, cards with hexproof can evade Avenger en-Dal’s ability as they cannot be targeted by opposing spells or abilities.

An alternative tactic is to employ creatures that benefit from being sacrificed, turning a seeming disadvantage into a boon. Strategies that utilize death triggers or cards like Reassembling Skeleton that can return from the graveyard to the battlefield are worth considering. Additionally, a control deck with sufficient removal spells can handle Avenger en-Dal before its ability becomes a significant threat, preserving the integrity of your onslaught.

In essence, while Avenger en-Dal presents a unique challenge in MTG, the key to overcoming it lies in deck customization and adapting your play style. With the right mix of protective, resurrecting, or removal elements in your deck, this formidable adversary can be effectively managed.

Cards like Avenger en-Dal

Within the strategic ecosystem of Magic: The Gathering, Avenger en-Dal stands out with its unique niche. Its ability to sacrifice it to force a creature to be blocked this turn if able gives it a tactical edge similar to that of Master Warcraft, which also manipulates the combat phase by deciding which creatures attack and block. However, Avenger en-Dal offers more surgical control, focusing on single-target engagement rather than the broad-scope manipulation that Master Warcraft provides.

Comparatively, Niveous Wisps serves as a card with a more defensive leaning, allowing the player to tap an opponent’s creature and draw a card. Although it doesn’t require a sacrifice, its one-time use and the added card draw put it in a different strategic bracket where preventing damage takes precedence over guiding the combat. Conversely, Avenger en-Dal’s ability can be a decisive force, ensuring key creatures are blocked, potentially altering the course of the game through calculated creature trades.

Taking a closer look reveals the subtle beauty of Avenger en-Dal’s design. It offers a specialized role with a finesse that can align with various deck strategies, especially when keen battlefield control can mean the difference between victory and defeat in the Magic: The Gathering realm.

Cards similar to Avenger en-Dal by color, type and mana cost

Voice of the Blessed - MTG Card versions

Silverflame Squire // On Alert - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Avenger en-Dal MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Avenger en-Dal and other MTG cards: