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//“Angels guide me while I wake,
and I will watch for evil’s creep.
Angels guard me while I dream,
and I will rest in peaceful sleep.”
—Amulet inscription.
Present in various media, Angels are part of Magic: The Gathering ever since the Alpha set, with the release of the famous Serra Angel. Additionally, in March of the Machine
's story, we found out that Angels can produce halo, which helped saved various planes which fought against the Invasion of New Phyrexia.
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If you're a fan of Angels or if you're just curious and want to know more about this tribe, you're in the right place!
In this article, we'll discuss the story of Angels through various Multiverse planes and bring you a list of the most iconic Angel cards, which can make a difference in your deck.
Angels in Magic: A Broad View
Angels are a type of creature represented by humanoid beings with big wings on their back, predominantly aligned with white mana 
.
Some Angels that escape this rule are:
Angels' appearance also changes according to their plane. For instance, in Innistrad it is common for Angels to have feminine traits, but, in Amonkhet, they're depicted with masculine traits.
Another variance in how Angels are represented in Magic's Multiverse covers their origin.
In Alara, a council of arch mages placed an enchantment on Bant's shard to allow the souls of the mortal beings faithful to Bant's ideals to transform into an angelical state after they passed, and consequently become Angels.
In Kaldheim, Angels are known as Valkyries, and have existed since the beginning of time without worshiping the plane's gods.
As for Ravnica, we have the Boro Angels, created by Razia, the old Parun from the Boros Guild, as copies of herself.
“Justice is toothless without punishment. Righteousness cannot succeed without the suffering of the guilty.”
—Razia, Boros archangel.
Angel Representation in Planes
Now you know Angels are different according to each plane. Do you want to find out more? So, follow along!
Alara
In Alara, Angels gather at the Cathedral of Bliss, a temple that floats above the Bant's shard sky, and they are known for representing ideals such as Justice and Truth.
On this plane, there is a hierarchy of Angels. They are divided into:
The most revered Angel in Bant is Asha, an archangel who sacrificed herself to banish Malfegor from Bant. Her name became a title, but so far, no Angel achieved enough greatness to conquer it.
Amonkhet
As said before, Angels in Amonkhet have a masculine appearance, their limbs are long and thin, with elongated shins and forearms, and eyes that glow with a gold or orange light. It's believed that their original forms were distorted by Nicol Bolas' influence.
They apparently serve the gods, but, during the Hour of Devastation, they aligned themselves with the God-Pharaoh's hordes to lay destruction to the plane.
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Arcavios
Not much is known about Angels in Arcavios, but we know they're artificially made and can be found in the plane's ruins.
Capenna
In Capenna, Angels may appear masculine or feminine, and can align with any one of the five mana colors, even though the more common is for them to associate with white mana . Angels in Capenna are born mortal and aren't made of pure mana.
During the first Phyrexian Invasion, this plane's Angels aligned themselves with the Demons to fight the Phyrexians. However, at the end of the battle, the Demons betrayed them and imprisoned Angels in stone to extract the halo out of their bodies.
After the recent developments in this plane, Angels began to wake up from their slumber and actively took part in the battle against the invaders commanded by Atraxa, Grand Unifier sent by Elesh Norn.
Dominaria
The Angels in this plane can be divided into:
Fiora
In Fiora, Angels are aligned to 
and act as magisters.
Innistrad
Innistrad Angels were born from a shared essence in the "dawn times" of that plane, and the leaders of its four flights considered each other sisters
Many years later, Sorin Markov created Archangel Avacyn to maintain balance and protect humans from monsters who attacked them.
Innistrad's four initial flights are:
and led by Gisela, these Angels were associated with the sun. and led by Bruna, these Angels personified the Blessed Sleep, and created magical protections that protected towns and sacred places, besides preventing the desecration of dead humans.Ad
and led by Sigarda, these Angels were associated with birth, rebirth and purity. 
and led by Liesa, these Angels studied Vampires, Witches, Devils and Demons to defeat them more easily.Ixalan
Ixalan Angels protected the plane's core; for that reason, they live below the surface. We'll know more about them in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan set.
Kaldheim
Kaldheim Angels are known as Valkyries, and live in Starnheim, a place where fallen heroes can rest. Valkyries don't serve the gods and can be divided into two groups:
, Shepherds guide the souls of those who died with honor, be it in battle or not. , Reapers interfere when they witness cowardly acts, they smite the "coward" before escorting them to the Gates of Istfell, where they get a rune that announces their shame to all.Kaladesh
In Kaladesh, Angels have four arms and richly adorned wings, besides using an ornate metallic headpiece that hides their eyes. They were created by inventors and are considered "perfect" beings.
These Angels aren't worshiped on this plane and don't answer to prayers.
Mirrodin / New Phyrexia
On the few times it was possible to see an Angel in Mirrodin, they would very likely be fighting against a Demon over dominance of the skies. These Angels had metallic parts, particularly their wings.
They fought bravely against Phyrexia's influence and saved many humans from being corrupted. However, many were corrupted themselves and were forced to serve their enemies.
The most famous corrupted Angel is Atraxa, who got Elesh Norn's attention and was corrupted with the help of other praetors.
Ravnica
In Ravnica, there are three main Angel groups:
They don't need to sleep or eat, and can hear people's calls from anywhere in Ravnica. They have enhanced strength and are supposedly incapable of lying.
The original generation of these Angels had four wings, but now they have two.
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Serra Angels
There are three types of Serra Angels. They are:
By the way, we have an entire article on the creation of this plane and Serra, the planeswalker, here at Cards Realm - click here.
Zendikar
The Zendikar Angels have tried to resist against the first stirring of the Eldrazi, but they were easily defeated by the Titans. Most Angels in this plane use their halos down over their eyes to symbolize their blindness to the Eldrazi's atrocities and how powerless they were to aid their world.
Some Angels were strong enough to keep their sight, as well as their sense of loyalty and ability to act on behalf of the oppressed.
When the Eldrazi returned, the halos of oppression were destroyed and these Angels were able to redeem themselves with this plane. Many ended up dying in battle for the greater good of Zendikar.
Angels: Cards in this Tribe You Need to Meet!
Are you building an Angel tribal and need good cards?
We've selected 10 great Angel cards for you!
Aurelia, the Warleader
An additional combat phase in Boros decks is always welcomed!
Aurelia has Haste, so she can come down and attack on the same turn, and that makes her an interesting commander for Voltron decks or just a good card to have among your 99 Commander cards.
Lyra Dawnbringer
Lyra is one of the best cards to have in an Angel deck, particularly when the rest of the deck interacts with Life Gain. It is a creature that makes a lot of difference as a commander in a Mono White deck, but she truly shines as just another card in your deck.
Serra's Emissary
Only those who have been victims of a Serra's Emissary know how this creature can be problematic.
If your opponent has a creature-based deck, this card's protection will be focused on creatures. The same goes for instants, spells, planeswalkers and other card types in the game.
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Akroma is one of the most beloved Angels in the history of Magic: The Gathering, and this impression of her is probably the most famous one. With many keywords and a body big enough to attack or defend, Akroma is a creature you should know.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Avacyn, Angel of Hope equipped with Swiftfoot Boots makes many players shiver.
This creature protects herself and others from being destroyed, and that is usually a headache for your opponents and can be a sign that the game will end soon.
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Baneslayer Angel
This is one of those cards that make you happy just for its references, such as protection against Demons, but, besides that, it brings interesting keywords for any creature in this tribe.
Shalai, Voice of Plenty
Shalai, Voice of Plenty protects you, your planeswalkers and other creatures by giving them Hexproof. If your opponent uses a card that specifies "target player", you can't be the target. It's interesting to be careful, as Shalai doesn't give Hexproof to herself.
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Does your opponent have a mono-colored deck? Call an ambulance... For them.
With Iona, Shield of Emeria on your side, just choose the color that will disrupt your opponent the most and, there you go, they won't be able to cast spells of that chosen color.
Restoration Angel
Restoration Angel isn't the best card for a tribal deck, but it is a good card to keep an eye on and is practically mandatory on any blink deck. By the way, within this theme you can find many combos that use this Angel.
Giada, Font of Hope
Unlike most famous Angel cards, Giada has a low mana value and can be your commander. She guarantees any other Angel that comes on board will have an additional +1/+1 counter for each Angel you control and will even create mana for you to cast your Angel spells.
Are there other good Angel cards? Tell us in the comment section.
Finally, Angels
With their feathery wings and various shapes, Angels dominate the Multiverse's skies. Now, you know a bit more about their story.
If you want to keep on reading about tribes, keep browsing other lore articles we have available here at Cards Realm.
Do you have a tribe suggestion for us to write an article on? Leave it in the comment section! See you next time!
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