Desolation Angel

It’s interesting to watch every time that WotC tries to bring Armageddon back into play. A 5/4 with Flying for 7 usually isn’t worth it, but when it explodes the world when it comes into play, then we’re talking serious power. Mass land destruction is probably one of the most powerful effects in the game because it puts everyone into a bad position, with the probable exception of the player who did it. This card is a prime example of that. Let’s pretend that there are no other permanents except for 7 lands each on the board (the player before you used Planar Cleansing let’s say). You drop this and wipe out everyone’s lands. How long do you think it will take another player to find an answer to your 5/4? On average, a player will have 3-5 cards in their hand come turn 7. How many of those do you think are lands? 

Another good example would be against a green ramp deck. Again, assume you just wiped the board with a Damnation and then you play this. A green ramp deck might have up to 80% of their land base in play when that happens. You’ve just effectively removed that player from the game. Now, you may be thinking: “Why would I want to pay that much to set everyone else back, including myself? It doesn’t seem worth it!”. Before you ask that out loud, remember this: Angel of Despair costs the same amount, has one more toughness, but only hits one thing. This card, as its name suggests, desolates the field and will probably leave you in a very commanding position. However, one of its major flaws in that it’s an ETB trigger, meaning that if an opponent survives long enough to stabilize, they could flicker this card and cause you to lose all of your lands repeatedly. Still, the chances of an opponent recovering after a well-timed land removal are slim at best.

Pros: Armageddon on a creature

Cons: Requires kicker, vulnerable to flicker effects

Rating: 4.5/5