Avacyn, Angel of Horror 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
Flying, deathtouch Whenever Avacyn or another nontoken creature you control dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step.
Complete guide
Avacyn, Angel of Horror is a terrifying force that refuses to let your army rest in peace. By bringing back your fallen non-token creatures at every turn's end, she creates an inexorable tide of undead power. Understanding the timing of her triggered ability is key to dominating the battlefield.
Undeath and Rebirth
Avacyn possesses two powerful keywords: Flying and Deathtouch. However, her true strength lies in her triggered ability. Whenever she or another nontoken creature you control dies, the card is tracked in the graveyard. At the beginning of the next end step, that card is returned directly to the battlefield under your control.
Resolving the Trigger
When a nontoken creature you control dies, Avacyn's ability triggers and sets up a delayed triggered ability. This delayed trigger will wait until the very next end step to put the creature back onto the battlefield. If Avacyn dies at the same time as other creatures (such as during a board wipe), she still 'sees' them die and will return both herself and the others at the next end step.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common error is forgetting that this ability only applies to nontoken creatures. If a creature token is destroyed, it ceases to exist after leaving the battlefield and cannot be returned. Additionally, if the creature card is removed from the graveyard before the end step (via exile effects), the ability will fail to find the card and nothing will return.
Strategic Timing
Because the return happens at the 'next' end step, creatures that die during an opponent's turn will return before your turn begins. This allows you to reuse 'enters-the-battlefield' effects repeatedly if you have a reliable way to sacrifice your creatures.
Interaction examples
Meteor GolemIf your Meteor Golem is destroyed or sacrificed while Avacyn, Angel of Horror is on the battlefield, Avacyn's ability triggers. At the beginning of the next end step, Meteor Golem returns to play. When it enters, its ability triggers, allowing you to destroy a nonland permanent. This cycle can repeat every turn the Golem dies.
Sheoldred, Whispering OneIf an opponent manages to kill Sheoldred, Whispering One, Avacyn will trigger to bring her back at the end step. Once Sheoldred returns, her own ability will trigger at the start of your next upkeep to bring back a different creature that may have died before Avacyn was in play, creating a layered recursion engine.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Avacyn, Angel of Horror
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If Avacyn dies at the same time as another nontoken creature, her ability will trigger for each of them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Time Sieve + Myr Battlesphere + Avacyn, Angel of Horror
- 1Cast Myr Battlesphere by paying
. - 2When Myr Battlesphere enters, it triggers, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 3Activate Time Sieve by tapping it, sacrificing Myr Battlesphere and sacrificing the four Myr tokens, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 4At the beginning of your end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Myr Battlesphere from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 5When Myr Battlesphere enters, it triggers, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 6Repeat from step 3 each turn.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Fateful Handoff
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Fateful Handoff.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Harmless Offering
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Harmless Offering.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Bazaar Trader
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Bazaar Trader.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Blim, Comedic Genius
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Blim.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Burglar's Plot.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Iroh, Tea Master
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Iroh.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable + Avacyn, Angel of Horror + Zedruu the Greathearted
- 1Donate control of Avacyn to an opponent using Zedruu the Greathearted.
- 2Kill Phage by any method.
- 3At the beginning of the next end step, Avacyn triggers, returning Phage from your graveyard to the battlefield under the opponent's control.
- 4When Phage enters, its first ability triggers, causing the opponent to lose the game.
Legal formats
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