Angel's Tomb is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever a creature you control enters, you may have this artifact become a 3/3 white Angel artifact creature with flying until end of turn.
Complete guide
Angel's Tomb is a versatile artifact that stays safe from creature removal during your opponent's turn while providing an aggressive aerial presence when needed. By transforming only when you call creatures to the battlefield, it offers a reliable way to maintain pressure after a board wipe or as a consistent evasive threat.
A Sleeping Sentinel
Angel's Tomb is naturally a non-creature artifact, meaning it is immune to spells like Murder or effects that destroy all creatures. Its ability is a triggered ability that uses the stack every time a creature enters the battlefield under your control. Because the ability says 'you may,' you have the choice to keep it as an artifact or turn it into a 3/3 white Angel artifact creature with flying until the end of the turn.
The Transformation Process
When a creature enters, the ability triggers. Upon resolution, Angel's Tomb becomes a creature. If it is already a creature from a previous trigger that turn, the new effect simply resets its base power and toughness to 3/3. It retains its artifact type even while it is a creature. Crucially, the transformation lasts exactly until the 'cleanup step' at the end of the turn.
Power, Toughness, and Timing
Common mistakes involve how base power and toughness are calculated. If Angel's Tomb is already a creature and you trigger it again, it stays a 3/3. However, if an outside effect sets its power to something else (like 0/1) after it has transformed, that new effect will take precedence. If you trigger the Tomb again after it was turned into a 0/1, it will revert back to a 3/3 because the newest 'base power' effect wins.
Strategic Implementation
Since Angel's Tomb does not have haste naturally, you cannot attack with it the turn it is played unless you have a way to grant it haste. It is best used in aggressive decks that plan to play at least one creature every turn to ensure the Tomb can keep swinging through the air.
Interaction examples
Arcane SignetYou have Angel's Tomb on the battlefield. You cast Arcane Signet. Because Arcane Signet is an artifact and not a creature, Angel's Tomb does not trigger and remains a non-creature artifact. You must play a creature spell or create a creature token to wake the Angel.
Swiftfoot BootsAngel's Tomb is on the battlefield. You play a creature, triggering the Tomb. Once it becomes a 3/3 creature, you can pay {1} to attach Swiftfoot Boots to it. This grants the Angel hexproof and haste, allowing it to attack immediately even if the Tomb itself was played this turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Angel's Tomb
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If Angel’s Tomb is already a creature when a creature enters the battlefield under your control, its ability will override any effects that set its base power and toughness to specific values, but other changes to its power and toughness (such as the one created by Titanic Growth) will still apply.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Effects setting Angel’s Tomb’s base power and toughness to specific values that begin to apply after Angel’s Tomb has become a creature will override the effect of Angel’s Tomb. For example, if an effect causes a 3/3 Angel’s Tomb to become 0/1, it will remain 0/1 until another effect (such as triggering the ability of Angel’s Tomb a second time or targeting it with Titanic Growth) causes those values to change.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Angel's Tomb
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.