Baneslayer Angel

Trinket Text Explained

What is trinket text? I know of rules text and flavor text?

Trinket text is mechanical rules text that is more for flavor than mechanical reasons. It can matter at times, but it doesn’t matter the majority of the time. Baneslayer Angel’s protection from Demons and from Dragons is an example of trinket text.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Demon Dragon Flavor Flavor Text Protection Rules

Baneslayer Angel's Playability Concern

Do you think the fact that Baneslayer Angel was unplayable for its entire time in recent Standard an example of power creep, the weakness of White with cards that are not pure aggro/board control ,or a shift in the Overton Window for players expectations for creatures and interaction?

I think the game ebbs and flows, so something that might be relevant in one environment, may be less so in another.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Creatures Power Level Standard White

M21 Set Card Teaser Hints

Now that all of M21 has been revealed, can you go through your teaser and tell us the card or cards each hint was?

The new core set has a lot of exciting new cards, including:
• A brand new planeswalker (from a plane we’ve visited) - Basri Ket (from Amonkhet)• A card that lets you draw half of your library. - Peer into the Abyss• A +1/+1 tribal lord for a creature type that’s never had one. (A creature type with over fifty cards already in print.) - Pack Leader• A character with a Vanguard card and a legendary creature card gets a second of the latter. - Barrin, Tolarian Archmage• A card with thirty-one different options. - Sublime Epiphany• A card that gains all activated abilities of a certain subset of cards in a place it’s never done it before. - Conspicuous Snoop• A card that uses a nonevergreen named ability over twenty years old. - Teferi, Master of Time (phasing)• A card with the words “battlefield”, “cast”, “creature”, “converted mana cost”, “end of turn”, “exile”, “graveyard” and “mana cost”. - Idol of Endurance• An aura inspired from a cycle from Urza’s Sagablock - Demonic Embrace• A nonevergreen enchantment subtype returns - Shrines with Sanctum of Tranquil Light and company Core 2021 also has a number of fun reprints, including:• A popular character first introduced in flavor text. - Ugin, the Spirit Dragon• A French Vanilla mythic rare. - Baneslayer Angel• A popular aura that started as part of a cycle. - Faith’s Fetters• A card with a unique protection. - Runed Halo• Two cards played in tournaments that have been reprinted over twenty times with at least five different pieces of art - Duress & Shock• A card that’s never previously appeared in a premier set. - Grim Tutor• A card that’s never been reprinted before which has a 2, 3, 5 and 6 all appear on the card. - Massacre Wurm• A Human Monk. - Azusa, Lost but Seeking• A card from the Time Spiraltimeshifted sheet. - Tormod’s Crypt

Amonkhet Angel Art Auras Azusa, Lost but Seeking Baneslayer Angel Barrin, Tolarian Archmage Basri Ket Card Printing Conspicuous Snoop Core Set 2021 Creatures Cycles Demonic Embrace Dragon Duress Enchantments Endurance Flavor Text France French Vanilla Grim Tutor Human Idol of Endurance Kindred / Typal Mana Mana Value Massacre Massacre Wurm Monk Mythic Rares Pack Leader Peer into the Abyss Phasing Planeswalkers Premier Sets Protection Rares Reprints Runed Halo Sanctum of Tranquil Light Spirit Sublime Epiphany Subtype Teasers Teferi, Master of Time The Abyss The Exile Zone The Graveyard The Library Tutoring Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Vanguard Vanilla Wurm

Baneslayer Angel Printings

Was Baneslayer Angel popular enough to see more printings?

It was.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Card Printing

Deciduous Protection Mechanic

Maro - How can Baneslayer Angel be the answer to No. 42? It has Protection, which is no longer a supported mechanic in Standard.

Protection is deciduous, not unsupported. Standard-legal sets can still have protection. while you won’t see intimidate.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Deciduous Intimidate Mark Rosewater Mechanics Protection Standard

Baneslayer Angel Protections

Why did Baneslayer Angel have protection from Demons and Dragons, but not Sphinxes and Hydras? Seems weird it only has protection from half the Signature Creatures

It had protection from the iconics of its enemy colors.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Colors Creatures Demon Dragon Hydra Protection

Baneslayer Angel Reflection

Was Baneslayer Angel a mistake?

I don’t believe so. Not a developer, yada, yada.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Not a developer

Baneslayer Angel Trivia

It is finally my birthday after i started following you last march it has felt like an eternity. Do you have any trivia on my favorite creature Baneslayer Angel?

The big argument we had in the core set she premiered wasn’t was she okay to print but rather was it okay to have Serra Angel in the same set. Originally, Baneslayer Angel had vigilance but we changed it to first strike so she wasn’t strictly better than Serra Angel.Happy Birthday!

Angel Baneslayer Angel Birthday Card Printing Creatures First Strike Power Level Serra Angel Vigilance

White's Versatility

Taking the heat off of Blue: Why can White do virtually anything without any drawbacks? It has a monopoly on small, effective creatures (Soldier of the Pantheon, Elite Vanguard, etc) and impressive large creatures (Baneslayer Angel, Reveillark, etc) a hold over coveted keywords (First Strike, Vigilance, Flying, Indestructible, etc) powerful removal (Path of Exile, Journey to Nowhere, Oblivion Ring, etc) and it has control spells like Silence. Black at least pays a price for versatility.

It’s the reason white is fifth in card drawing. It has answers but no way to easily draw more.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Black Blue Card Draw Creatures Elite Vanguard First Strike Flying Indestructible Journey to Nowhere Keywords Oblivion Ring Reveillark Soldier Soldier of the Pantheon Spells The Exile Zone Vanguard Vigilance White

Unexpected Card Impact

Has there ever been a case of a card being much stronger than intended due to what was supposed to be flavorful trinket text?

Baneslayer Angel’s protection from demons was supposed to be trinket text but ending up becoming very relevant.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Demon Flavor Protection

Spell Timing Logic

Mr. Rosewater! Mr. Rosewater! I have a very important question! Why do all spells have to have their decisions made as you cast them, as opposed to when they resolve? Ex: why do I have to target my opponents Mistmeadow Witch OR their Baneslayer Angel AS the spell is cast as opposed to when Murder resolves.

Because consistency of effects is important.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Cast Mark Rosewater Mistmeadow Witch Spells

Creature Mechanism Evolution

You keep referencing pro tour winning "spells only" decks as proof that spells are doing fine, but if you look at those decks, they're using planeswalkers and spells that create tokens and usually winning in combat by attacking with those tokens. Sure, the card type "creature" isn't there anymore, but a control deck that wins with Elspeth isn't any more creatureless than one that wins with Baneslayer Angel. Where are my Storm/Enchantress/HiveMind decks?

And you have to stop making a separation between “a deck can produce a creature” and “a deck cannot produce a creature”. Every archetype can exist with creatures as an element of the deck. We’re way past the point where creatureless deck is synonymous with a particular strategy.

Angel Attacking Baneslayer Angel Card Types Competitive Play Creatures Keyword Abilities Planeswalkers Spells Tokens

Creature Type Themes

"... creature type matters is linear". I hate to disagree with you here Maro, but Extinction, Baneslayer Angel, Rival's Duel, Rend Flesh, Urgent Exorcism, Engineered Plague, Victim of the Night, Consuming Bonfire, An-Zerrin Ruins, Callous Oppressor, Riptide Shapeshifter, Avacynian Priest, Restoration Angel, etc, etc, etc, are not linear. I agree ~99% of the ones you make are, but I don't see why 'type' is any more intrinsic than 'non-type', or 'share' is any more basic than 'don't share'.

The fact that most of your examples are linear makes my point. : )

Angel An-Zerrin Ruins Avacynian Priest Baneslayer Angel Callous Oppressor Consuming Bonfire Creatures Engineered Plague Linear Mark Rosewater Rend Flesh Restoration Angel Riptide Shapeshifter Urgent Exorcism

Creature Cycle Query

Are Baneslayer Angel, Kanolian Hydra, and Thundermaw Hellkite part of a cycle or are they simply coincidence?

There are not part of a planned cycle.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Cycles Hydra Thundermaw Hellkite

Baneslayer Reprint

Do you have plans to reprint Baneslayer Angel in a Standard legal set?

I can’t tell you if we have plans but I can say I do think one day we’ll bring her back into Standard. (Normal “I’m not a developer” statements apply.)

Angel Baneslayer Angel Card Printing Not a developer Reprints Standard

Trinket Text in Theros

I've long been a huge fan of 'Trinket Text', such as Baneslayer Angel's Protection from Demons and Dragons. While I understand why it isn't used in overabundance, I can't stress how much I adore it. With Theros being a largely 'top-down design', flavor-focused block, can we look forward to more 'trinket lines' than normal, or would you say that it has a rather normal amount of them?

Theros has some trinket text you should enjoy.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Demon Dragon Flavor Overabundance Protection Theros Top Down

Significant Trinket Text

Can you think of any examples of trinket text which turned out to be significant mechanically?

Trinket text can matter. What makes it trinket text is it seldom matters. Have we made trinket text that has mattered? Sure. Baneslayer Angel’s protection from demons and dragons, for example, ended up mattering in Standard.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Demon Dragon Flavor Protection Standard

Baneslayer's Text Impact

Isn't Baneslayer Angel's "protection from dragons and demons" an example of high-profile trinket text?

It very much is high profile trinket text.

Angel Baneslayer Angel Demon Dragon Flavor Protection

Reprint Likelihood

How likely are we to see Baneslayer Angel or Angelic Destiny reprinted? I really like those cards.

I think both have a real decent chance of coming back one day. On the Storm Scale: Baneslayer Angel: 3 Angelic Destiny: 4

Angel Angelic Destiny Baneslayer Angel Card Printing Keyword Abilities Reprints Storm Scale

Core-Set Mythics Future

Are the powerful, mythic core-set staples of yore (titans, baneslayer angel) gone for good, or might we see them return again one day in the future?

There will always be powerful, mythic core-set staples (as well as at other rarities). The key for us is to keep changing them up so they aren’t always the same.

Angel Baneslayer Angel