Parhelion IIHow it works & interactions with other cards

Taking to the Skies

Parhelion II is a Legendary Artifact Vehicle with Flying, First Strike, and Vigilance. To turn it into a creature, you must use its Crew 4 ability by tapping creatures with a combined power of 4 or more. Once crewed, it becomes an 8/8 artifact creature until the end of the turn. Its most powerful feature is its attack trigger: every time it swings, it brings two 4/4 Angel tokens onto the battlefield already attacking.

Resolution and Attackers

When Parhelion II is declared as an attacker, its triggered ability goes on the stack. Upon resolution, you create two 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying and vigilance. These tokens enter the battlefield already in an attacking state. Crucially, you choose which player or planeswalker each token is attacking as they enter; they do not have to attack the same target as Parhelion II.

Common Mistakes with Tokens

A common point of confusion involves 'whenever a creature attacks' triggers. Because the Angel tokens are created already attacking, they are never 'declared' as attackers. This means they will not trigger their own abilities or other permanents that look for the specific action of declaring an attack. However, because they have vigilance, they will not be tapped when they enter the battlefield attacking.

When to Deploy the Flagship

At eight mana, Parhelion II is a late-game finisher. It is best used when you have a board state of utility creatures or tokens that can satisfy the Crew 4 requirement. Since it has vigilance, it can attack and then remain untapped to serve as a formidable 8/8 blocker, alongside its newly created Angel tokens.

Interaction examples

Staffing the Ship

Meteor Golem

If you have a Meteor Golem on the battlefield, its 3 power isn't quite enough to crew Parhelion II alone. You would need to tap another creature with at least 1 power alongside the Golem to reach the Crew 4 threshold. Once crewed, Parhelion II becomes an 8/8 creature ready for combat.

Automating the Crew

Myr Battlesphere

Myr Battlesphere is an excellent partner for this Vehicle. The Battlesphere provides 4 power itself, exactly enough to crew Parhelion II. Alternatively, you can use the four 1/1 Myr tokens created by the Battlesphere's enters-the-battlefield trigger to crew the ship, leaving your larger creatures untapped for other abilities or defense.

Dividing the Skies

Angel

When Parhelion II attacks Player A, its trigger creates two Angel tokens. You may choose to have one Angel token attack Player A and the second Angel token attack Player B or a Planeswalker. Even though Parhelion II is committed to Player A, the tokens provide the flexibility to pressure the entire board simultaneously.