Archangel of Wrath 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
Kickerand/or
(You may pay an additional
Complete guide
Archangel of Wrath is a versatile powerhouse that brings divine retribution to the battlefield. Whether you need an efficient flyer or a multi-target removal spell, this Angel scales perfectly into the late game by utilizing its flexible kicker costs.
Mastering the Kicker Mechanic
When you cast Archangel of Wrath, you decide how many times to kick it. You can pay an extra {B} to kick it once, an extra {R} to kick it once, or pay {B}{R} to kick it twice. Note that you cannot pay {B}{B} or {R}{R} to kick it twice; the colors must be distinct. These additional costs are paid as you cast the spell, and the game remembers how many times the spell was kicked when it eventually enters the battlefield.
Resolving the Triggers
Archangel of Wrath has two separate enter-the-battlefield triggers. The first checks if the creature was kicked at all (at least once), and the second checks specifically if it was kicked twice. If you paid both {B} and {R}, both abilities trigger simultaneously. You may choose the same target for both instances of 2 damage or select two different targets. Because the Archangel has lifelink, any damage dealt by these abilities will also result in you gaining that much life.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A frequent error involves putting the Archangel onto the battlefield without casting it, such as through a reanimation effect. Since kicker is an additional cost paid during casting, you cannot pay it if the card is put directly onto the battlefield. Similarly, if a card enters as a copy of an Archangel that was already on the field, the copy itself was not 'kicked' and will not trigger any damage abilities. Always remember that the mana value of the spell remains 4, even if you pay the extra kicker costs.
When to Play Archangel of Wrath
The Archangel is most effective when you can stabilize the board. In the mid-game, casting it for 4 mana provides a 3/4 flying blocker with lifelink. In the late game, holding onto it until you have 6 mana allows you to potentially remove two small creatures like Solemn Simulacrum or finish off a weakened opponent while jumping ahead in life total.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne with 'Angel' chosen as the creature type, casting a twice-kicked Archangel of Wrath results in four separate damage triggers. Each of the Archangel's two abilities triggers twice, allowing you to deal 2 damage to four different targets (or stack the damage on fewer targets) for a total of 8 damage and 8 life gained.
Solemn SimulacrumYour opponent controls a Solemn Simulacrum. You cast Archangel of Wrath and pay the {B} kicker cost. When it enters, the first ability triggers (since it was kicked). You target the Simulacrum. The ability resolves, dealing 2 damage to the 2/2 Golem, destroying it. You gain 2 life due to the Archangel's lifelink, and your opponent then gets to draw a card from the Simulacrum's death trigger.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Archangel of Wrath
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked. If the copied spell is a permanent spell, the token the copy of that spell becomes when it enters is also kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent, the new permanent isn't kicked, even if the original was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can't kick it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If it was kicked twice, each of Archangel of Wrath's last two abilities will trigger once. In other words, it will deal 2 damage to each of two targets or deal 2 damage to the same target twice.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You may kick Archangel of Wrath only once for its
cost and only once for its cost. You can kick it twice by paying , but you can't kick it twice by paying or . You can't kick it more than twice.No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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