Angel of FinalityHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Angel of Finality is a 3/4 creature with Flying, making it an effective attacker and blocker. Its most significant feature is its enter-the-battlefield ability, which targets a single player and removes their entire graveyard from the game. Because it exiles every card in that graveyard, it effectively resets any 'threshold' effects or 'delirium' counts the player might have had.

How It Resolves

When Angel of Finality enters the battlefield, its triggered ability is put onto the stack, and you must choose a target player. When the ability resolves, all cards currently in that player's graveyard are moved to the exile zone. Since this ability targets a player, it can be prevented by effects that give a player hexproof, but it does not target the cards within the graveyard itself.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is forgetting that this ability is mandatory; you must target a player even if you are the only legal target. Additionally, players often think they can pick and choose specific cards to exile, but the ability is all-or-nothing. Finally, remember that because it is an 'enters' trigger, if the Angel is countered while being cast, the graveyard exile effect will never happen.

When to Play It

This card is best deployed when your opponent is preparing a big play from their graveyard, such as a reanimation spell or a 'flashback' ability. It is also a great choice in Commander to shut down decks that rely on recursive loops. Even in a vacuum, a 3/4 flyer for four mana provides a respectable clock in the air.

Interaction examples

Double the Exile

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne with 'Angel' chosen as the creature type, Angel of Finality's ability triggers an additional time when it enters. You can choose the same player twice to ensure their graveyard stays empty even if they respond to the first trigger, or target two different players to exile both their graveyards.

Denying the Draw

Solemn Simulacrum

Suppose your opponent has a Solemn Simulacrum in their graveyard. If you play Angel of Finality and target that opponent, the Solemn Simulacrum is exiled. This prevents the opponent from using cards like Reanimate to bring the Golem back to the battlefield, successfully cutting off their resource chain.