Angelheart Vial MTG Card


Angelheart Vial excels in transforming life loss into card advantage, enhancing strategic play. Instant speed charging allows for reactive plays and hand replenishment on opponents’ turns. Despite its benefits, high mana cost and damage prerequisite can limit its practicality.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeArtifact

Text of card

Whenever you're dealt damage, you may put that many charge counters on Angelheart Vial. , , Remove four charge counters from Angelheart Vial: You gain 2 life and draw a card.

It holds a whisper from Iona: "Persevere."


Cards like Angelheart Vial

Angelheart Vial offers a unique approach to life gain and card draw mechanics within Magic: The Gathering. As a comparison, we can look at Alhammarret’s Archive, which also accentuates the benefit of life gain and card draw. Angelheart Vial requires an active strategy of taking damage to accrue charge counters, which are then spent to draw cards and gain life. In contrast, Alhammarret’s Archive passively doubles the effects of life gain and card drawing, a set-it-and-forget-it asset that provides consistent value.

Prism Ring is another relative, yet simpler, in this field. While it aids specifically with life gain for each spell of a chosen color, it lacks the card draw flexibility included in Angelheart Vial. Lastly, Well of Lost Dreams brings card drawing potential tied directly to life gain events, allowing a spend of mana for each life gained to draw cards. Angelheart Vial offers a similar effect but takes an alternative route by capitalizing on receiving damage rather than the mana investment that Well of Lost Dreams requires.

By exploring the intricacies of these cards, Angelheart Vial emerges as an intriguing choice for players keen on leveraging damage to their advantage and who appreciate a blend of defensive gains with card advantage.

Alhammarret's Archive - MTG Card versions
Prism Ring - MTG Card versions
Well of Lost Dreams - MTG Card versions
Alhammarret's Archive - MTG Card versions
Prism Ring - MTG Card versions
Well of Lost Dreams - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Angelheart Vial offers a unique mechanism that results in substantial card advantage over time. It allows you to draw a card for every two charge counters on it, effectively turning a potential loss of life into a resource for gaining more options and outpacing your opponent’s hand.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana or treasures, Angelheart Vial facilitates longer-term resource acceleration by enabling you to consistently draw into more lands or ramp spells. This translates into having the resources you need to play impactful spells sooner.

Instant Speed: The ability to put charge counters on Angelheart Vial at instant speed ensures that you can react to your opponent’s moves, replenishing your hand during their turn. Managing this card’s effect at the right moment can tilt the dynamics of the game in your favor.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Angelheart Vial mandates that you first take damage before you can use its ability to draw cards. This requirement can be a strategic setback as it forces you to wait for the right conditions rather than allowing immediate utilization upon playing it.

Specific Mana Cost: Activating Angelheart Vial’s ability requires a mix of generic and white mana which could potentially restrict its inclusion to decks that can reliably produce both types of mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial investment of five mana to cast Angelheart Vial, it demands a significant chunk of your mana pool, limiting other plays or responses during the turn it’s played. Additionally, there are alternative artifacts and spells in MTG that provide card draw or life gain at a lower cost.


Reasons to Include Angelheart Vial in Your Collection

Versatility: This unique artifact offers ample flexibility, slotting into decks that can capitalize on life gain as a resource. Whether you’re stabilizing against aggressive opponents or seeking to outlast control matchups, Angelheart Vial offers both a buffer to your life total and a consistent draw engine.

Combo Potential: With its ability to draw cards by converting stored life points, the Vial synergizes well with strategies that revolve around gaining life. It serves as an excellent combo piece in decks that can manipulate lifegains, such as Orzhov lifelink or Esper control archetypes, turning surplus health into valuable card advantage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where games tend to go long and life totals are pressured, Angelheart Vial not only keeps you in the game but also keeps your hand replenished. Its role in grinding out victories can be integral, especially in a meta that favors endurance over quick finishes.


How to beat

Angelheart Vial presents a unique challenge for MTG players due to its ability to prolong games and provide card advantage. As a reusable source of life gain and card draw, it can give its controller a significant edge over time. When facing this artifact, it’s crucial to focus on strategies that minimize its impact. Aggressive decks aiming to close out the game swiftly may not worry as much about the long-term benefits Angelheart Vial provides. On the other hand, control or midrange decks should consider direct answers such as artifact removal spells to eliminate the Vial from play.

Another approach is to limit the life gain potential of Angelheart Vial. Cards that prevent life gain or punish the opponent for it can be very effective. Additionally, having a reliable clock on the battlefield ensures the pressure is kept high, forcing the opponent into less optimal plays just to stay alive. Always remember, the key is not allowing the game to stall to a point where Angelheart Vial’s card drawing capability becomes a deciding factor. Keep up the pressure and have answers ready, and Angelheart Vial will lose much of its potency on the battlefield.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Angelheart Vial MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and The List, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Angelheart Vial and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Angelheart Vial Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2010-04-23. Illustrated by Chippy.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 2152003NormalBlackChippy
22020-09-26The ListPLST ROE-2152003NormalBlackChippy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Angelheart Vial has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Angelheart Vial card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2010-06-15 If you’re dealt enough damage to reduce your life total to 0 or less, you’ll lose the game before you can put charge counters on Angelheart Vial.