MTG Salvation

Don't forget Doom Blade. And I recall one of the Schemes even seems to be messing up an Angel, though I never really looked at the Schemes so I don't really know...I'm sure there are more. It's not like I go looking for them or anything. It's just when I try to think of cards for a black deck, it's hard not to find some kill spell of that type. Maybe they just stand out more because they are more offensive?

Iona's Judgment isn't the problem, in fact you'd think there'd be more removal spells like that! I thought it wasn't uncommon for Angels to banish things?

Quote from luminum can

There aren't really all that many kills spells with angels in them. The first one that comes to mind is Expunge, and Induce Despair, but nothing else comes to mind readily.

Ribbons of Night was what first came to mind for me, Grasp of Darkness, and Oxidize (that's a bit of stretch, I admit);)
Voidslime is another example.

As for the previews: These things will definitely be a great addition to the EDH environment, not only in my group :).

Nin's a pretty wicked vedalken. I had a bit of trouble to accept the colors, but considering both excel in stealing and the "burn and draw" was featured in Izzet guild, I can live with that. From the "torture" flavor It would make more sense with -X/-X and being UB for me.
I just hope that the thing on her head is a cape and not hair - that would made her the first hairy vedalken.

I don't think it's that Angels are particularly terrifying, it's that most kill spells are black, and though black has two enemies in magic it really only has one opposite. If you are going to show how powerful a black spell is you show how easily it takes down it's oppositions best creatures. Whites best creatures: Angels. It's not that they are scary, it's that they are powerful. It's that they are cards like Baneslayer Angel and Akroma, Angel of Wrath, and Reya Dawnbringer that make spells able to blow up angels a big deal. In reality, it means that on some level, we ARE afraid of Angels. Not because they look scary or imposing, but because they are super powerful.
Also, Death Stroke

I really like Nin even though it is not my preferred colour combination in EDH. I will have to give it a shot anyways just for the card advantage it provides.

Quote from Wingedkagouti

The Cheese Sphinx usually does provoke that reaction. Much like Lighthouse Chronologist.

But when either of them work...

I guess I just prefer to be subtle in multiplayer. Until I'm in a position that's too dominant to lose from. Both of those cards are very unsubtle but very fragile and they tend to make the table not like you very much even post mortem.

I presume the angel only gives the bonus as long as it's on the battlefield (please correct me if i'm wrong)

Quote from darkdawn5012

I presume the angel only gives the bonus as long as it's on the battlefield (please correct me if i'm wrong)

That's correct. The bonus is a separate ability from the one that makes you choose, so it's tied to the card being on the battlefield.

Quote from Caranthir

Ribbons of Night was what first came to mind for me, Grasp of Darkness, and Oxidize (that's a bit of stretch, I admit);)
Voidslime is another example.

As for the previews: These things will definitely be a great addition to the EDH environment, not only in my group :).

Nin's a pretty wicked vedalken. I had a bit of trouble to accept the colors, but considering both excel in stealing and the "burn and draw" was featured in Izzet guild, I can live with that. From the "torture" flavor It would make more sense with -X/-X and being UB for me.
I just hope that the thing on her head is a cape and not hair - that would made her the first hairy vedalken.

You guys are forgetting the most epic "kill an angel card" in recent memory: Slave of Bolas. I am sad for the angel just thinking about it.
Act of Treason makes an angel crazy.

Edit just looking through gatherer, I've found: Dark Offering.
Plus the aforementioned Doom blade, Expunge, and so on.
But it seems like there is a lot more angels dying in art then demons or dragons. But elves get more of it then angels do. I think it's because most of the cards that kill things are black, and black doesn't like angels none too much.

Quote from Thunderchild

To expand on this, WotC did a lot of thinking about the color pie during Ravnica Block and concluded that some things belong to color pairs just like some things belong to single colors. Card draw linked to damage dealt and vice versa is UR just like the Zombie creature type is B and efficient fatties are G.

Mostly true, but creatures with the ophidian effect are now firmly in color for G or U and have been for some time.

Hmm. I guess there are more angels in spell art than I thought.

But that makes sense when you consider that lots and lots of spells that do something negative to their target are shown harming a creature that is an enemy of the spell's color. Red and black spells are enemies of white, and often are aimed at white creatures, of which Angels are some of the most visible and iconic. And angels appear in nearly every setting, unlike other white-aligned racial types; leonin or kor don't appear in every setting, the main non-human white race changes with nearly every block. And showing white-aligned humans in art does show up a lot too, but is less memorable because humans get killed in spells of pretty much every color. Angels stand out more.

Killing with a Walking Archive is a bit tricky, but yeah. That actually would be a nice inclusion in the RWU precon alongside the Swans and Nin, if that's the deck she is in. Along with things like Arcane Laboratory and Rule of Law, a sort of Owling Mine deck would be neat.

Quote from Nof

An Angel is, in Magic, a living embodyment of white mana. Unless really special circonstances, it wouldn't make more sense for them to have a class than for Force of Nature or a cyclone.

I agree. they are white's iconic flyers. Just because they are human-shaped doesn't mean they are any more "people" then demons or dragons or sphinxes are. A lot of dragons are highly intelligent, but they don't have jobs. Look at Nicol bolas. He could easily be a dragon wizard, but his "wizardness" is much less important then his "dragoness" so they don't mention it. As far as I'm concerned, to barrow from D&D, angelic sword wielding is just a function of Hit Dice.
If an specific angel had a class that was unique and differentiated her from every other angel ever, such as a Druid Angel that deeply cares about the forest and is revered by the elves, she should have Druid Angel on her type line. Even an a soldier angel could happen, provided the angel was so well known as a weapon master that her sword wielding was important to the storyline. But just being your standard warrior angel that flies around and smites things doesn't count IMO.

I'm really, really hoping white gets some better cards than this angel. It's got a cool ability and great art and all, but as for playability... it might see play in Doran and maybe token decks, but it doesn't do a whole lot else.

White deserves better.

Quote from Kupo Samurai

The only real explanation I can think of is some vendetta against Angels at Wizards. Sure, there are lots of powerful Angels in Magic, but ever notice how many kill spells have Angels on them?

Uh if there's any creature type in magic that there is a vendetta against it's drakes. Drakes are getting nuked on more artwork across all 5 colors than just about any other creature type and I think Wizards mentioned that in an article somewhere.

Minotaurs get beat up a whole lot too.

No way. Humans. Humans are always getting melted and burned and rotted and everything else, becuase they are everywhere, just like cockroaches. Them and elves.
By the way, Bituminous Blast is another angel killing card.

Quote from Desolation Angel

No way. Humans. Humans are always getting melted and burned and rotted and everything else, becuase they are everywhere, just like cockroaches. Them and elves.
By the way, Bituminous Blast is another angel killing card.

shocked Shivan Meteor isn't among these, i feel like it epitomizes the "motherf-!" moment of humans in magic.

Fixed.

Quote from Sabett

what? No trent is definitely at least black, and I could see red as only the weaker part of him. He does sing about his emotions but there's also a madness in them. Take hurt for example, that's loaded with things you could slap on a black card for flavor text. As for blue because he knows a lot of synthesizers seems like it's stretching it to be blue.

hurt is all about how he feels and how important it is. there's certainly some black/red going on in the song, but the lyrics don't celebrate it. he's lamenting it and saying "look what this got me? nothing." a black aligned person would be saying "i used all of you and it was awesome and now i'm on the top of the world." hurt is one of the more black aligned songs by him, but keep in mind a lot of nin songs that seem to express black philosophy are actually satirical. head like a hole, star☺☺☺☺ers, god given, etc. they are criticism, not his personal philosophy. i'd say pre-sobering up he was RUb in that order, with black as a minor aspect. sure he was pretty self absorbed, but it was the selfishness of emotion and personal freedom rather than the selfishness of manipulation and ambition. the dude cared so little for his money that he didn't realize his manager had stolen it all until he quit drugs. i don't think he has a much greater complement of black than the average human being. we all have some self interest (it's coded into our DNA). he explored the darker side of things but i think it was more in a sensation gorger way than a dark confidant way.

i don't think it's stretching to call him blue. technology has always been a very strong part of his personality and his music. video games, computers, and electronic instruments (some of them very hands on and very complex) have been his thing since the beginning. he scored quake. a lot of people don't realize he gave an album away for free on torrent sites before radiohead got famous for imitating. he's given away huge amounts of music, video, and for-remix multitracks on the internet. he ran a really complex alternate reality game by 42 entertainment. his live shows have always been grandiose with multiple screens, elaborate light shows, strange devices, even a giant drum machine interface that the drummer programmed in front of the audience. technology has always been a big part of NIN.

but this is getting pretty off topic, if you want to discuss it further i'd be happy to do it via PM. as you can tell i'm a pretty big NIN fan.

Quote from chopshop

nim is pretty cool,amazing in Niv mizzit,combine her withmage bane armor or Basilisk collar.multiple uses,kill your dude or draw a bunch of cards?she also seems good with swans.

Darksteel Plate works too^^

Quote from Desolation Angel

No way. Humans. Humans are always getting melted and burned and rotted and everything else, becuase they are everywhere, just like cockroaches. Them and elves.
By the way, Bituminous Blast is another angel killing card.

That reminds me...

Drakes get bounced a lot.

And burned.

It's funny that Nin is spoiled the same day I discover Rushing-tide Zubera

Quote from The Chandrian

It's funny that Nin is spoiled the same day I discover Rushing-tide Zubera

I had completely forgotten about that card! Thank you for reminding me, that's really great. Burning-Eye Zubera isn't quite as good, unfortunately.