Like Chandra's Phoenix, I see this less as a creature and more as a recurring burn spell. Cast, attack for 4, and dodge removal for the next turn. Flavorwise, I like how Innistrad dragons have those networked wings that almost look like stained glass. It's a nice touch to otherwise give non-Gothic creatures their own unique look.
Cyberium
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Also works with any comes-tinto-play effect like Electropotence.
Kryptnyt
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Too expensive for something that doesn't stick around. It's probably playable to an extent but it's not my cuppa tea.
majinara
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
It's like a Viashino Sandstalker. Except, if you burned away your opponents creatures, the sandstalker is superior to the dragon, because it costs three mana instead of four. Still, the dragon ain't that bad. Not awesome either.
Fenix.
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Not the strongest card ever, but I'm really glad the obligatory dragon slot of every set got an interesting card this time around, instead of the overdone 6-7cmc "when this creature attacks something nasty probably happens to your opponent and/or his creatures" dragon we've been getting lately.
For that alone, this gets a solid 4/5 from me.
Halidir_Orveck
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I want to like this card but i see this as a rare that people will not like in limited and will be passed around much however I see the silver lining in this card Turn 4 in a red deck wins, your opponent is swinging out each turn because he has to race you, you drop this guy and go in for four, they will sit up and take notice, from that turn forth your opponent will leave at least one creature back to defend, consider this guy a deterrent in RDW, the fact that he keeps your opponents cards from reaching their full potential is this card's greatest asset.
I foresee a day when there will be a Jund Birthing Pod deck, and this my friends will be in it. pay four swing with this guy hit your opponent for four then pod him off to get your favorite five drop, not the best but certainly not the worst rare in this set
I know it's kinda obvious to say that any Angel, Demon, or Dragon works well in a Kaalia of the Vast Commander deck. But this guy works so well there that I can't help but think he was made specifically for that deck.
pedrodyl
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Anyone else agree that Wizards needs to stop printing dragons just for the sake of dragons? Dragons, in my opinion, have to be something special, not just a big red creature that fits in every set; although I have to say Archwing here isn't as bad as the two from Dark Ascension or Innistrad
P.S. See Granny's Payback for flavor text analogous to this card's flavor text.
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
cool dawg
DragonLord132
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A blockable and reusable burn card? Definitely not worth a rare slot.
RAV0004
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I wanted a another splashy mythic dragon from the last Innestrad set. I am dissapoint.
DarthMohawk1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
As I recall, Hell's Thunder was a good card back in the days of Alara. I'd like to think Archwing Dragon is capable of living up to that standard, but it's less resistant to removal than the Thunder and it costs 4 instead of 3 to play the first time. And Archwing may be more reusable if left alone, but I don't think you're likely to get the chance at three hits with it in a normal game.
Will these minor character flaws stop me from playing it? Nnnnnope!
Man... This guy in Limited with Angel Tomb... swinging for 7 every turn.
RJ.693
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Based on the art, wouldn't Arch-neck dragon be a more appropriate name?
WarioMan
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Amazing in Norin the Wary decks. Slightly better than Viashino Sandstalker, but I can always run both. This card and Burn at the Stake being an excellent win condition, I think I'm going to do a serious build of my mono-Norin deck.
nessy_ydissac
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I don't think people truely understand how freaking good this card is. It says that you have to return it to your hand at the end of your turn, but it doesn't specify from where.
It means that even if your opponent manages to kill it, counter it, or exile it (though all the good exile cards I can name don't play fast enough) you still return it to your hand. That's how powerful it is. The only drawbacks to it is that you have to pay the mana cost every time and in some instances you need a blocker on the field but it is still very hard to to argue with a turn-four flying stomper.
theoneandonlyjoseph
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ nessy: 5/1/2012 Archwing Dragon is only returned to its owner's hand if it's on the battlefield. other wise the text will say something like "at the begining of the end step, return this card to your hand from anywhere" or something. i am not good at writing rules.
it is still fricken awsome. if your oppoenent has no anwser to it then its a guaranteed 4 damage a turn. angels tomb for an other 3, warstorm surge for an extra 4, slayers stronghold for an extra 2 damage (although the vigilance and haste is wasted on him).
SyntheticDreamer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If this lives through the turn it's on the battlefield, this thing is solid. Wins games in Limited, may potentially be good enough for other formats.
It reminds me of hell's thunder, and that card was very good and alot of fun. I don't like how this costs one more mana, but it does get to go over and over as opposed to going just twice. Then again, did Hell's Thunder even need to go twice?
The card is good, but flavour-wise, dragons feel out of place in Innistrad. This could have been a sort of raging spirit or so. But a decent face-basher, for sure.
Skin-Shifter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This in a R/W deck is amazing. Turn 4, day of Judgement/ Miracle Terminus. Turn 5, Archwing plus a shock/ other cheap burn spell. Repeat. Oh Yeah.
Looks like Glitterfang has been hitting the gym, really hard.
Domak
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like this with Demonic Rising. If I have one creature out it allows me to beat with an extra flying 4/4, then go back to having one creature to get my flying demon. Conversely, if I only have the Archwing Dragon, I can make the Demonic Rising resolve first and still get my demon.
Reversed
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Having to continuously pay the mana can be troublesome at times, but it allows this guy to dodge all sorts of removal, notable Oblivion Ring. At worst, it makes for a great sideboard choice. Good card.
rollinsclone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If they have no chump blockers, this is almost a recurring Lava Axe. I am quite okay with this.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I see this as tech in a Kaalia deck- no, you don't want to be stuck casting this every time if you have something better in your hand--- BUT, you won't mind at all keeping him safe in your hand where he's harder to kill away :)
It's kind of like he's a sub-Commander- he goes away but is easily retrieved! :D And if you have something better to play, play that card instead, but for the times you don't have anything else, and need to set off a trigger- BOOM! He's there to enter the battlefield for you and do all the things that entering the battlefield does to help you, if you build your deck right :)
kazenpaus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've got him twice in limited games now. He is amazingly powerful and useful as long as your opponent doesn't have Archangel or something.
endersblade
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy has become the new powerhouse in my dragon deck. One or two dragonspeaker shamans, crucible of fire, it gets silly. Not a tourney deck by any stretch, but still a fun one.
Goldie911
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think this card is close to being really good in mono red deck but it just doesnt have it. The cumulative 4 mana is very annoying and youre not even assured it's going to return. If an opponent would just block it with a 5/5 flyer it would be dead and never to be seen again, which could be fixed without even changing the text of the card. Second, if this card said "When Archwing dragon enters the battlefield, it deals 3(or 4) damage to target creature or player" this would be bumped to mythic or at least see some play in aggro decks. Disappointed but I like the flavor.
Equinox523
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is rather cool, and reminds me of Viashino Sandstalker - though the flying can be quite relevant if you've sufficiently cleared the path of blockers for it. What made that card special in its day was that it was a high power creature with haste that was relatively cheap, and dodged sorcery-speed removal and never blocked since it retreated back to your hand. Here, acts mostly as a 4 mana repeatable burn spell, though at repeated castings could prove costly. With proper support, this could be conditionally better - for example, Assault Strobe makes this effectively 8 damage for .
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Usually better than Hell's Thunder except against instant speed removal or making the deck *as fast as possible*
I may have to pick these up; it's hard to tell. Notice that you can use it for awhile and then pitch it to a discard/exile effect later; helpful if you get multiples and want to blazing shoal another 4 damage or something.
Zeritanos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm surprised that no one's thought about what this thing can do with Soulbond. A 4/4 flyer plus whatever effect you want to give it every turn? Yes please. I'd shutter to think of going up against this knowing that my opponent could pair this with Silverblade Paladin or Wolfir Silverheart every turn.
This actually would have been more powerful released in the RTR/THS world. With the significantly slower removal, it would reek havoc on a lot of decks as a recursive burn spell, as Trygon_Predator described it as.
Paleopaladin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I LOVE this card!
During AR limited, it absolutely wrecked face for me on the way to some free boosters! :)
In standard, if you put this in a Heartless Summoning deck, it can be like a recurring Volcanic Hammer. Did this end up seeing standard play at all in its time?
I've always liked cards where the converted mana cost is equal to the creative's p/t, and this one is no exception. I also like cards that can't be the target of most removal spells for long.
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hits hard in the air and is hard to remove. Also gets some interesting mileage along with Scourge of Valkas!
Comments (43)
Flavorwise, I like how Innistrad dragons have those networked wings that almost look like stained glass. It's a nice touch to otherwise give non-Gothic creatures their own unique look.
For that alone, this gets a solid 4/5 from me.
Turn 4 in a red deck wins, your opponent is swinging out each turn because he has to race you, you drop this guy and go in for four, they will sit up and take notice, from that turn forth your opponent will leave at least one creature back to defend, consider this guy a deterrent in RDW, the fact that he keeps your opponents cards from reaching their full potential is this card's greatest asset.
I foresee a day when there will be a Jund Birthing Pod deck, and this my friends will be in it. pay four swing with this guy hit your opponent for four then pod him off to get your favorite five drop,
not the best but certainly not the worst rare in this set
Dragons, in my opinion, have to be something special, not just a big red creature that fits in every set; although I have to say Archwing here isn't as bad as the two from Dark Ascension or Innistrad
P.S. See Granny's Payback for flavor text analogous to this card's flavor text.
Will these minor character flaws stop me from playing it? Nnnnnope!
Also -> Warstorm Surge.
It means that even if your opponent manages to kill it, counter it, or exile it (though all the good exile cards I can name don't play fast enough) you still return it to your hand. That's how powerful it is. The only drawbacks to it is that you have to pay the mana cost every time and in some instances you need a blocker on the field but it is still very hard to to argue with a turn-four flying stomper.
5/1/2012 Archwing Dragon is only returned to its owner's hand if it's on the battlefield.
other wise the text will say something like "at the begining of the end step, return this card to your hand from anywhere" or something. i am not good at writing rules.
it is still fricken awsome. if your oppoenent has no anwser to it then its a guaranteed 4 damage a turn. angels tomb for an other 3, warstorm surge for an extra 4, slayers stronghold for an extra 2 damage (although the vigilance and haste is wasted on him).
Also, Hell's Thunder had that great supporting cast in standard (goblin guide, hellspark elemental, searing blaze, ball lightning, etc) and i really don't see RDW being strong enough to make this a champ in the current standard.
It's kind of like he's a sub-Commander- he goes away but is easily retrieved! :D And if you have something better to play, play that card instead, but for the times you don't have anything else, and need to set off a trigger- BOOM! He's there to enter the battlefield for you and do all the things that entering the battlefield does to help you, if you build your deck right :)
Second, if this card said "When Archwing dragon enters the battlefield, it deals 3(or 4) damage to target creature or player" this would be bumped to mythic or at least see some play in aggro decks.
Disappointed but I like the flavor.
I may have to pick these up; it's hard to tell. Notice that you can use it for awhile and then pitch it to a discard/exile effect later; helpful if you get multiples and want to blazing shoal another 4 damage or something.
A 4/4 flyer plus whatever effect you want to give it every turn? Yes please.
I'd shutter to think of going up against this knowing that my opponent could pair this with Silverblade Paladin or Wolfir Silverheart every turn.
During AR limited, it absolutely wrecked face for me on the way to some free boosters! :)
In standard, if you put this in a Heartless Summoning deck, it can be like a recurring Volcanic Hammer. Did this end up seeing standard play at all in its time?
Also, think about pairings like Fatal Frenzy and Grafted Wargear! With BOTH of those, your opponent scoops!
This card is the blue-collar version of Chandra's Phoenix, Ball Lightning, or Boggart Ram-Gang, and it apes Batterskull's sort of utility for putting an aggressive creature in a control or burn deck that contains boardwipes.
Mahamoti Djinn and Water Elemental have this same relationship!