TheManaDrain.com
October 02, 2025, 04:01:51 am *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News:
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: - Avrilcyn Lavigne, Angel of Hope I Am Playable  (Read 2268 times)
MaximumCDawg
Full Members
Basic User
***
Posts: 2172


View Profile
« on: April 03, 2012, 05:06:09 pm »

So we got our first AVR spoiler, and it's apparently one of the signature fatties in the set.  



Does Goth Angel have a home anywhere?  She's an overpriced fattie, so we're basically talking about Oath and Dredge here.  I think she's got some possibilities, though it's not clear to me that she's worth it yet.  

To begin with, she is a gigantic Serra Angel that protects itself.  After fetches, it ends the game in 2 swings (typically) and protects you while it does so. That's potentially very good for a control list, maybe a Landstill/Oath mashup of some kind.  However, given the type of removal people use in Vintage.  As Steve points out, creatures dont usually 'die' in Vintage; they jump back into your hand or go and start a farm.  This is probably even more true with a 8/8 beatstick.  So, I gotta figure most control decks are going to prefer shroudy monsters like Morphling.  If Death Metal Sally had lifelink, then we might be talking about an upgrade of sorts to Sphinx of the Steel Wind.  

That said, Angel does have some things going for her that might give her a home somewhere.  The effect of making everything you control indestructible immediately is unique.  What decks care about this effect?  Well, most answers to Oath are "destroy" effects, so once you Oath into Maybelline, Angel of Eyeshadow, you're probably going to be able to Oath again the next turn.  I don't know why you'd do that instead of just winning with your first Oath activation, though.  Similarly, other than Recall, alot of the answers to Shop are "destroy" effects, so if there was some way to resolve a 5WWW creature in Shops (there isnt), that might be useful.

If she has a home, I suspect it's going to be in a deck abusing the indestructibility effect directly.  Her effect is broader than Darksteel Forge, and she breaks symmetry on cards like Boom//Bust, Wildfire, Crooked Scales, and all wrath and armageddon effects.  She makes Rocket Launcher reusable.  She's a great target for Stone Giant.  She basically wins the game immediately with Worldslayer.  She's best buddies with Novablast Wurm.  Of course, none of these cards probably matter for Vintage.  

But what about Serenity?  If you Oath up Avacyn, the Black Eyed when you have Serenty on the table, you've just locked out Shops and crippled any deck with a heavy artifact or enchantment contingent - including other Oath decks!  

TL;DR version:  Avacyn is interesting as an Oath target that protects your ability to Oath again next turn, and potentially combos with Serenity in a way relevant for Vintage.  I am skeptical she is vintage playable, but the power level is potentially there.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2012, 01:55:04 pm by Meddling Mike » Logged
MagicMan
Basic User
**
Posts: 122


When its time to go, its time to go!!!


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2012, 08:27:59 am »

Agree with your thoughts, not sure if its good enough for vintage as I feel I rather Oath up Emrakul or a Demon.   That said I love this card in Commander and in Legacy Reanimator lists and possibly some others. 
Logged

Team: Faded Memory

One Day At A Time!!!

Vintage!!!

Live in my area give me a yell!!!! That Would Be New Hampshire!!!!
Delha
Full Members
Basic User
***
Posts: 1271



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2012, 12:28:52 pm »

The problem with using her to ensure repeated Oaths is lack of consistency. You're obviously not hoping to Oath up a second copy of her, so that means you're running at least two different fatties. Your other fattie probably does not protect Oath the same way she does, meaning you've got a 50/50 shot of Oath remaining vulnerable. Seems pretty lackluster relative to other targets.

Also, agree wholeheartedly with "destroy" rarely being used on creatures in Vintage. The other notable problem is that she's no better than a vanilla 8/8 at stopping BSC.
Logged

I suppose it's mostly the thought that this format is just one big Mistake; and not even a very sophisticated one at that.
Much like humanity itself.
Nydaeli
Basic User
**
Posts: 91



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2012, 12:29:42 pm »

Be honest, you just wrote this so you could make up stupid nicknames for her.

That being said, you could use her with Loyal Retainers in some kind of Survival deck.  I don't know if she's better than Iona for this, but she's better against MUD.
Logged
The Atog Lord
Administrator
Basic User
*****
Posts: 3451


The+Atog+Lord
View Profile
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2012, 12:44:34 pm »

I'm pretty sure this is worse than other options for Oath/Show+Tell. I'd much rather have Iona in the vast majority of cases. If I want a large monster that doesn't have an immediate effect on the board, then I'd rather just have Emrakul. Making Oath indestructible after my monster arrives is a bit beyond the point. And in Vintage, there are almost not effects commonly played that care about her being indestructible anyway. You're more likely to have her Jaced, Duplicanted, Legend-Ruled through Metamorph, Balanced, or hit with Swords. Terror isn't exactly a common Vintage card these days.
Logged

The Academy: If I'm not dead, I have a Dragonlord Dromoka coming in 4 turns
gkraigher
Full Members
Basic User
***
Posts: 705


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: April 05, 2012, 12:03:36 am »

she needed hexproof in order to be playable. 
Logged
Prospero
Aequitas
Administrator
Basic User
*****
Posts: 4854



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2012, 08:37:25 am »

I'm pretty sure this is worse than other options for Oath/Show+Tell. I'd much rather have Iona in the vast majority of cases. If I want a large monster that doesn't have an immediate effect on the board, then I'd rather just have Emrakul. Making Oath indestructible after my monster arrives is a bit beyond the point. And in Vintage, there are almost not effects commonly played that care about her being indestructible anyway. You're more likely to have her Jaced, Duplicanted, Legend-Ruled through Metamorph, Balanced, or hit with Swords. Terror isn't exactly a common Vintage card these days.

Agree with everything here.

She's got a lot of flavor and she seems like a cool card, overall, but she's not Vintage playable as far as I see it now.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Logged

"I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I’ll drown my book."

The Return of Superman

Prospero's Art Collection
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
Page created in 0.034 seconds with 21 queries.