Emrakul's EvangelHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Mass Transformation

The ability of Emrakul's Evangel allows you to sacrifice itself along with any number of other non-Eldrazi creatures you control. In return, you create a 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror token for every single creature sacrificed as part of the ability's cost. Because the sacrifice is the cost to activate the ability, your opponent cannot respond to the creatures being put into the graveyard; they can only respond once the ability is already on the stack and the creatures are gone.

Step-by-Step Resolution

First, you activate the ability by tapping Emrakul's Evangel and choosing any number of other non-Eldrazi creatures you control. Second, all chosen creatures and Emrakul's Evangel are sacrificed simultaneously and moved to the graveyard. Third, the ability is put onto the stack, counting the total number of creatures that were sacrificed. Finally, when the ability resolves, you place that many 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror creature tokens onto the battlefield.

Important Constraints

A common mistake is trying to sacrifice creatures that already have the Eldrazi subtype; the ability specifically states 'non-Eldrazi' for the additional creatures. However, Emrakul's Evangel always sacrifices itself as part of the activation, meaning you will always receive at least one token even if you choose to sacrifice zero 'other' creatures. Additionally, because the sacrifice happens during activation, you cannot use the same creatures to pay for other sacrifice costs at the same time.

Strategic Timing

The best time to activate this ability is in response to a board wipe or targeted removal. If your opponent tries to destroy your creatures, you can sacrifice them to the Evangel to ensure you still have a board full of 3/2 Eldrazi Horror tokens after the dust settles. It also serves as a great way to trigger 'dies' effects on your own terms during your opponent's end step, giving your new tokens a chance to attack on your next turn.

Interaction examples

Generating Value from Death

Solemn Simulacrum

If you control both creatures, you can tap and sacrifice both to the Evangel's ability. You will immediately trigger the 'dies' ability of Solemn Simulacrum, allowing you to draw a card. When the Evangel's ability resolves, you will create two 3/2 Eldrazi Horror tokens: one for the Evangel and one for the Simulacrum.

Managing Sacrifice Costs

Sakura-Tribe Elder

You must choose which sacrifice ability to use. If you sacrifice Sakura-Tribe Elder to its own ability to find a land, it is no longer on the battlefield to be sacrificed to Emrakul's Evangel. Conversely, if you sacrifice the Elder to the Evangel to get a 3/2 Eldrazi Horror token, you do not get to search for a land because you didn't pay the Elder's specific activation cost.

The Solo Sacrifice

Eldrazi Horror

If Emrakul's Evangel is your only creature, you can still activate it. You tap and sacrifice the Evangel. Since it counts itself, the ability resolves and creates one 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror token. Note that if you already had an Eldrazi Horror token on the field, you could not sacrifice that token to the Evangel because the token has the Eldrazi subtype.