Avacyn's Collar — ruling 1

The triggered ability checks whether the equipped creature as it last existed on the battlefield was a Human. (It doesn’t matter what its creature types are in the graveyard.)

Avacyn's Collar : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Avacyn's Collar 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

Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has vigilance. Whenever equipped creature dies, if it was a Human, create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. Equip

Complete guide

Avacyn's Collar is a low-cost Equipment that ensures your Human soldiers leave behind a spectral protector when they fall in battle. It provides a steady offensive boost and vigilance, allowing your creatures to attack without leaving you defenseless.

What It Does

The Collar provides the equipped creature with +1/+0 and vigilance. Additionally, it features a triggered ability that creates a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying whenever the equipped creature dies, provided that creature was a Human at the moment it left the battlefield.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, pay the mana cost to cast the artifact. Second, pay the equip cost of 2 mana to attach it to a creature you control. When that creature dies, the game looks back in time to check its status: if the creature was a Human while equipped, the ability triggers. Finally, when the trigger resolves, you place a 1/1 Spirit token onto the battlefield.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion is the creature's type in the graveyard. The ability checks the creature's types as it last existed on the battlefield. If a Human creature loses its Human subtype before dying, you will not get a Spirit. Conversely, if a creature is a Human on the battlefield but not in the graveyard, you still get the token.

When to Play It

This card is best utilized in aggressive white-based decks that rely heavily on Human creatures. It is particularly effective for maintaining board presence after combat trades or against board wipes that don't exile permanents.

Interaction examples

Establishing Early Mana

Sol Ring

On turn one, you play a land and cast Sol Ring. You can then use the two colorless mana from Sol Ring to cast Avacyn's Collar and still have mana left over to cast or equip other spells, accelerating your board state.

Fixing Colors for Equipment

Arcane Signet

If you are playing a multi-color deck, Arcane Signet can provide the white mana needed for your Human creatures, while its general utility helps pay the generic mana equip cost of Avacyn's Collar to ensure your Humans are always protected.

The Afterlife of a Human

Spirit

If your equipped Human creature is blocked and dies in combat, Avacyn's Collar triggers. Even though the Human card is now in the graveyard, the ability resolves and creates a 1/1 Spirit token with flying, effectively replacing your lost ground unit with an evasive aerial threat.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Avacyn's Collar

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1January 22, 2011· Wizards of the Coast
The triggered ability checks whether the equipped creature as it last existed on the battlefield was a Human. (It doesn’t matter what its creature types are in the graveyard.)
No other card is named in this ruling.