Scroll of AvacynHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

For a total cost of two mana—one to cast and one to activate—Scroll of Avacyn allows you to sacrifice it to draw a card. The additional benefit is conditional: if you control a creature with the Angel subtype at the moment the ability resolves, you also gain 5 life. This makes it a multi-purpose tool for both card draw and survival.

Resolving the Ability Step by Step

First, you pay one generic mana and sacrifice the artifact as a cost to put the ability on the stack. The ability then waits to resolve. When it begins to resolve, you immediately draw one card. After the draw, the game checks if you control at least one Angel. If you do, you gain 5 life; if you do not, the ability finishes without the life gain.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A frequent error is assuming the Angel must be present when you activate the ability. However, the game only checks for an Angel during resolution. If your opponent removes your only Angel in response to the activation, you will still draw a card, but you will not gain the 5 life. Remember that the sacrifice is a cost; once you activate the ability, the Scroll is in the graveyard and cannot be targeted or destroyed by other effects.

When to Play It

Scroll of Avacyn is best played early to sit on the battlefield until you have an open mana to cycle it. It is particularly effective in dedicated Angel tribal decks where the life gain is almost guaranteed. It also serves as a cheap way to trigger 'leaves the battlefield' or 'artifact put into a graveyard' triggers for other cards in your strategy.

Interaction examples

Fast Mana Setup

Sol Ring

If you have a Sol Ring on the battlefield, you can tap it to produce two colorless mana. You can use one of these mana to cast Scroll of Avacyn and immediately use the second mana to activate its ability, allowing you to draw a card and potentially gain life on the very same turn you played both artifacts.

Fixing Your Mana for Activation

Arcane Signet

In a Commander game, if you are short on available lands, you can tap Arcane Signet for one mana of any color in your commander's identity. This mana can be spent to pay the activation cost of Scroll of Avacyn, ensuring you can cycle the artifact even if your lands are currently tapped out for other spells.

Basic Cycle

Even without other cards, you can cast Scroll of Avacyn for {1}. Later, when you need a new card, you pay {1} and sacrifice it. You draw your card, and since you control no Angels, the ability concludes. You have successfully replaced the Scroll with the top card of your library.