(Drana and Linvala | Art by Raluca Marinescu)

Fangs Vs. Feathers

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Rodolf Duskbringer is the only single entity Vampire Angel?)

Angels. Vampires. From Alpha to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they've always been at odds. Maybe I should do some research on that last one, but I'm not going to because I am a confident alpha male. The real question is, which is better? Well, leaving David Boreanaz out of it, there are any number of ways we could arrive at which iconic Black/White creature type wins the day.

For instance, if we went chronologically, then the clear early lead goes to Angels, with an iconic Serra Angel that spawned both the first competitive 60-card deck and wall murals at LGS's across the world. Meanwhile, Sengir Vampire wasn't even really considered the competition, with Shivan Dragon providing that dichotomy from white's other rival color.

Surprisingly, Angels keep that lead for quite some time, as well. If we look at all the Angels and Vampires from prior to the year 2000, you have to go through five Angels before you even see a Vampire, going by EDHREC score, and it's still Sengir Vampire!

These aren't exactly what you'd call impressive Angels, either:

Continuing to move forward in five year increments, you start to wonder if any worthwhile Vampires ever get printed. In the cards prior to 2005, for instance, things have improved somewhat, with the first Vampire on the list only being behind four Angels, rather than five, and even beating out Serra Angel by a nose.

Surely at some point they started printing decent Vampires, though, no? Well, yes, actually, in Zendikar, as it turns out. While the Angels and Vampires printed prior to 2010 are still ruled by Karmic Guide and Platinum Angel, they're followed closely by Bloodghast and Vampire Nighthawk.

The complete Vampire takeover took a while, but it did eventually get there. Looking at the Angels and Vampires printed prior to 2015, Blood Artist and Viscera Seer are now in the lead, a lead that pushes all the way into today:

Top 10 Angels and Vampires

1. Blood Artist
2. Viscera Seer
3. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
4. Welcoming Vampire
5. Karmic Guide
6. Cruel Celebrant
7. Avacyn, Angel of Hope
8. Butcher of Malakir
9. Aurelia, the Warleader
10. Yahenni, Undying Partisan

As fun as this exercise was, however, I'm not sure that we've come to the right conclusion. Yes, Blood Artist does see the most play of any Angel or Vampire, and it's not close. With that said, would you actually make a blanket statement that it's better than the "best" Angel, Karmic Guide?

Because I think I would argue the exact opposite there, given that Karmic Guide is a combo machine and Blood Artist might not even win the argument for best Aristocrats finisher. Still, I think I'd rather have that discussion, rather than just landing on "Vampires are better", which might be true, but doesn't really give us anything useful to work with.

So, with that in mind:

Top 10 Vampires vs. Top 10 Angels

Criteria: Angels versus Vampires, with the most played of each occupying each top ten slot together, unless said slot would have an Angel Vampire (get outta here, Drana and Linvala!). As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

Well, that ought to do it! Let's get to the list.

10.

Creeping Bloodsucker (60,886 Inclusions, 3% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Emeria Shepherd (52,442 Inclusions, 2% of 2,147,683 Decks)

If there was something I didn't expect out of this list, it was it bringing me a card I was totally unaware of. With that said, as an old school "play Subversion directly onto the playground pavement" player, I do see the appeal of Creeping Bloodsucker.

With that said, there is a reason I grew out of my childhood love for Subversion. Even at three mana cheaper, Creeping Bloodsucker doesn't really affect the board at all other than as a blocker, and while gaining three life a turn is nice, pinging the table for one every turn is unlikely to win the game.

On the other side of the board, however, while you're waiting for the steady pings to drain folks down to 30, the white deck is going to plop down Emeria Shepherd into an immediate plains.

One of the best late-game threats available in the color, Emeria Shepherd should bring back an old threat from the graveyard every turn, along with flying over the top for a relevant four damage each combat.

While there are a lot of cheaper Vampire threats we're going to see in this list that are going to win the day with their efficiency, this one clearly goes to the seven-mana, six-winged Angel in the middle of the room.

9.

Elenda, the Dusk Rose (Helms 5,155 Decks, Rank #247; 60,592 Inclusions, 6% of 1,056,624 Decks)

vs.

Archangel of Thune (53,636 Inclusions, 2% of 2,147,683 Decks)

This one feels a lot more competitive, however. Since Elenda, the Dusk Rose benefitted from the rules change that allowed her death trigger to work on the way to the command zone, she has become a very good Aristocrats commander in her own right. What's surprising is that her EDHREC page doesn't include Archangel of Thune, which would make for an amazing engine and finisher for all stages of Elenda's repeated lifespan.

Some of that is surely Archangel of Thune's ridiculous $40 pricetag (it would appear that $15.00 premiere set packs and Secret Lair reprints don't actually help lower a card's price, who would've thought?), but overall I think we're more looking at people not being able to find space for a five-drop in a busier and busier spot.

I do think that I would find the space for Archangel of Thune if I were an Elenda player, however, because I also think that it's the better of the two cards. Elenda is a fine commander that can be a ton of fun if she sticks around for a minute, but all too often a random player has a ping effect that removes her immediately, only to be replaced by a single Vampire token. That is not what you'd call great value for four mana, if we're looking at Elenda in a vacuum.

Which isn't entirely fair, as it's just as likely that you'll play her out into a table with 10 tokens and a sac outlet, and she'll be huge immediately. Archangel of Thune doesn't need any of that, however. Entirely on its own, it can come down, swing in for three in the air, and hand itself a +1/+1 counter to hit for four next turn while you gain three life for your trouble.

Even better, if you play it into the same hypothetical table of 10 tokens and a sac outlet, it will make all your tokens legitimate threats to an opponent's life total, rather than binning them all to make an 11/11 commander that is likely to eat a Swords to Plowshares for no gain.

8.

Twilight Prophet (66,830 Inclusions, 3% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Restoration Angel (53,925 Inclusions, 3% of 2,147,683 Decks)

In today's EDH, four mana is a lot. Luckily, that situation is true for either of our number eight contenders, so we can talk about them on equal footing. With that said, these are two very different cards, at least outside of the four toughness flying bodies.

Twilight Prophet wants to draw you cards and drain opponents along the way, which is a much better deal than what you'd get for two mana in Dark Confidant. Restoration Angel, on the other hand, wants to come down at instant speed and blink something in the fair position, and wants to go full combo at instant speed in the unfair position.

While I am tempted to give the go-ahead to our third Angel in a row here, given the obvious higher ceiling of Restoration Angel, I don't actually think that's the correct answer, because you have to build around it.

There's no question that Restoration Angel is good with thousands of cards in a blink deck (not to mention dozens in a combo deck), but Twilight Prophet is just generically good, anywhere. Unless you're aware of a deck that doesn't want to draw cards and kill opponents? Because I'm not.

7.

Yahenni, Undying Partisan (Helms 849 Decks, Rank #1,117; 76,170 Inclusions, 3% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Angel of the Ruins (55,063 Inclusions, 3% of 2,147,683 Decks)

After a brief respite from the "small vampire threat versus gigantic angel threat" conversation, we're right back into it with Yahenni, Undying Partisan and Angel of the Ruins. If there is an ace in the hole here, however, it's the fact that Angel of the Ruins can be cycled early to go find a plains.

This not only keeps you from having a dead card in your hand in the early game, but also puts it precisely where decks often want their huge, seven-mana threats: In the graveyard to be reanimated. Still, it's not like Yahenni is any slouch, either.

Three mana for a 2/2 with haste that gets bigger every time an opposing creature dies, and that makes itself indestructible via a sac outlet is pretty impressive value. And while not every deck needs a sac outlet, not every deck reanimates to take advantage of Angel of the Ruins at a discount, either.

Between the two, however, I do think that the top-end threat is better here, however. Seven mana for a relevant threat in the air that removes two problems when it enters is more than good enough, even if you're not planning on blinking or reanimating it. Yahenni, on the other hand, probably doesn't see play at all if you're not planning on utilizing it as a sac outlet.

6.

Butcher of Malakir (82,962 Inclusions, 3% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Sephara, Sky's Blade (Helms 1,464 Decks, Rank #824; 61,785 Inclusions, 3% of 2,147,683 Decks)

Taking a break from small versus big, then, it's on to big versus big! When it comes to game-ending threats, I'd say that it's hard to do better than Sephara, Sky's Blade, only in a head-to-head matchup, one of the best ways to take care of it would be Butcher of Malakir.

Of course, both need outside help to shine their brightest, with Butcher of Malakir demanding disposable creatures and a means to dispose of them to rid the rest of the table of their creatures, and Sephara wanting other flying creatures to both get her out earlier and to grant indestructible to.

In my mind, however, this one fairly easily goes to Butcher of Malakir. Black decks as a whole are bound to have some creatures and sac outlets, making it less of a build-around than Sephara is. In short, while Butcher of Malakir dies in literal combat to Sephara, in just about every other way it's an excellent answer to her, and a bigger threat to the average table.

5.

Cruel Celebrant (89,884 Inclusions, 8% of 1,061,653 Decks)

vs.

Gisela, Blade of Goldnight (Helms 2,300 Decks, Rank #584; 66,968 Inclusions, 6% of 1,050,955 Decks)

To really understand the feelings that go into Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, I feel like you had to be around for when the norm for Commander was Battlecruiser play, and she was a mainstay commander. She would come down right as things were getting going, and would be an almost immediate threat to win the game. In truth, however, it's not actually that different when she rears her head today.

She comes down a little later than you'd like, but both keeps you alive and has your opponents incidentally killing each other, even if you don't have the board state to do it yourself. All this is bluster and nostalgia, though; Cruel Celebrant wins this matchup, and it is not close.

Sure, sure, Gisela does more on an empty board state, where Cruel Celebrant does nothing. Honestly, though, I'm shocked that this little Vampire is only in 6% of the Orzhov decks out there. If you're in white and black, chances are you're playing some sac outlets. And if you're playing some sac outlets, then you should be playing Cruel Celebrant, easy as that.

4.

Welcoming Vampire (116,830 Inclusions, 5% of 2,147,683 Decks)

vs.

Shalai, Voice of Plenty (Helms 784 Decks, Rank #1,161; 73,537 Inclusions, 7% of 1,016,708 Decks)

To be honest, I've never really understood Shalai, Voice of Plenty, at least outside of the command zone. In the command zone, it's likely that you're playing either the huge mana or infinite combos to make her activated ability go nuts. In the 99, however, I feel like most people are playing Shalai for her hexproof ability, which honestly just doesn't seem worth it to me for four mana.

Coming down at sorcery speed, it's likely that your opponents will have spot removal for whatever you're trying to protect in response. And if they don't? Well, hexproof doesn't stop board wipes, which you're now solidly in the time period for if you're putting down a four-drop.

Contrast all of that with Welcoming Vampire, which might just be the best "fair" white card-draw effect we have right now, with the heavy price tags and cEDH stigma of cards like Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, and Trouble in Pairs. As for its restrictions, they're pretty easy to meet for almost any deck playing white, which tends to have smaller creatures, plays a ton of tokens almost as a rule, and plays the second-most creatures with flash behind blue.

At the risk of making this whole competition be a failure of an exercise, I think we're going to have to once again give this one to the Vampires, and to wonder if Welcoming Vampire couldn't have just been Welcoming Angel?

3.

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose (Helms 2,908 Decks, Rank #474; 130,247 Inclusions, 5% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Aurelia, the Warleader (Helms 3,024 Decks, Rank #457; 77,855 Inclusions, 7% of 1,050,955 Decks)

Luckily, we have yet another example of "generically excellent end game threat" versus "hyper-specific utility creature for a single strategy". Which is not to say that Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose isn't an amazing card in life-gain decks. In point of fact, it's one of the best you can play, hence the insane play numbers on the back of how prevalent life gain is in black (and it being the third-most popular strategy in Commander).

Aurelia, on the other hand, is good in any deck trying to win via combat, which is fairly inarguably the most popular strategy in Magic as a whole. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if it weren't for Aurelia being two-color, in colors that are much less popular than black, it very well might actually have better play numbers than Vito.

2.

Viscera Seer (227,841 Inclusions, 10% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Avacyn, Angel of Hope (Helms 2,721 Decks, Rank #500; 81,490 Inclusions, 4% of 2,147,683 Decks)

Yeah, I'm not going to go to bat for two huge, hard-to-cast Angels in a row. Viscera Seer might be just a sac outlet, but it's the best sac outlet in the game. Even decks not planning on having a bunch of small creatures or tokens to sacrifice to it often end up playing it for the Scry 1, or just to have something to do in response to a board wipe.

Meanwhile, Avacyn, Angel of Hope is a generically good effect, but is really too expensive to play well outside of big mana or reanimate decks, with the exception of the constantly dwindling Battlecruiser power level.

1.

Blood Artist (281,248 Inclusions, 12% of 2,332,894 Decks)

vs.

Karmic Guide (101,453 Inclusions, 5% of 2,147,683 Decks)

I wasn't shy about saying that the entire reason I put this format together was because I really did think that Karmic Guide was better than Blood Artist. Make no mistake, Blood Artist is an amazing card that any Aristocrats deck will have in its 99 as one of the first cards they include. Karmic Guide, however, is both a combo machine and also is the best available Reanimate effect in white.

While not every deck wants a reanimator effect, returning a creature from your graveyard to your battlefield is generically good enough that more decks want that effect than there are enough decks with enough creatures and sac outlets to utilize Blood Artist as a finisher.

That brings our final tally to Vampires 5, Angels 5, a non-decision that we absolutely cannot let stand. So for the tiebreaker, let's head to the Honorable Mentions!

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Honorable Mentions

The tiebreaker being number 11 in each type would be pretty lame, so let's kick it out to the next three versus the next three, shall we?

A strong set of contenders from the Vampires, with a couple of very good aggro threats in the air and yet another great lifegain entry. Honestly, this might be a bit too much for the Angels to overcome, but let's take a look!

While it's surprising that Battle Angels of Tyr didn't make the actual list, the rest of the team really lets down what's undoubtedly the best card of these six. Inspiring Overseer is maybe the fourth-best "ETB, draw a card" creature in white, and Platinum Angel has been firmly relegated to meme status. All in all, a poor final showing from the Angels, despite the quality at the "top".

And with that, Vampires win! Is that the exact result that we started with? Yes, absolutely. Was this all probably a grand old waste of time? Almost certainly. But what are we focusing on Magic for, if not to pass the time in pleasant fashion?

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Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

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What Do You Think?

There's a reason that I generally stay away from opinion-based top tens, and it's because they're contentious. With that in mind, I'm sure many of you disagree with one or several of my points, and as such I'd like to give you a place to express yours:

And finally, what's your favorite Vampire? Your favorite Angel? Is a survey not enough to express your opinions on how I did everything wrong and you disagree?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the Chessboard table.

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