Card Spotlight
Alpharael, Stonechosen
A 5-mana black Cleric from Edge of Eternities that halves an opponent's life whenever a permanent left the battlefield or a spell was warped this turn. One attack can decide a race.
Commander Spotlight
Alpharael, Stonechosen ↗
A 5-mana black Cleric from Edge of Eternities that halves an opponent's life whenever a permanent left the battlefield or a spell was warped this turn. One attack can decide a race.
See Alpharael, Stonechosen's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Removal-and-attack decks. Any spot removal cast before combat satisfies the trigger for free, turning a normal removal-then-swing turn into a life-halving swing.
- Sacrifice and Aristocrats shells. A sacrifice outlet used earlier in the turn checks the same box, so decks already running one get the trigger without changing their plan at all.
- Aggressive black decks. Halving a life total and then dealing combat damage on top of it is one of the fastest ways black can close out a race.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
As the commander, Alpharael gives a black removal-and-aggro deck a finisher it can use every game. The condition is easy to satisfy with cards the deck already wants, so it's a reliable payoff rather than a build-around.
In the 99
It slots comfortably into any black deck with removal or sacrifice already in the list, adding a real finishing blow on top of effects the deck is running anyway.
Formats it's strong in
- Removal-heavy black decks. The condition triggers off cards the deck already wants to run, so there's no tax to get the payoff online.
- Aggressive and race-focused pods. Halving a life total on attack is one of the biggest single tempo swings available at this mana cost.
Formats it's weak in
- Decks with little removal or sacrifice. Without something making a permanent leave the battlefield, the trigger condition simply isn't met most turns.
- Slow, defensive decks. A life-halving attacker wants to actually attack, which is a poor fit for a deck sitting back and grinding out card advantage.
Synergistic cards
Fatal Push ↗
Cheap, efficient removal that satisfies Alpharael's condition before combat with almost no mana investment.
Zulaport Cutthroat ↗
A sacrifice-payoff creature that pairs naturally with the same sacrifice outlets that trigger Alpharael.
Diabolic Edict ↗
Forces a sacrifice as removal, hitting both the opponent's board and Alpharael's condition in one card.
Any efficient spot removal ↗
Alpharael asks for effects a black deck already wants to run, so almost any removal spell doubles as an enabler.
Is it worth the price?
Recently printed and priced low, Alpharael is an easy pickup for any black removal or aggro-leaning Commander deck, and cheap enough to try without much risk.
Frequently asked questions
How does Alpharael, Stonechosen's attack trigger work?
When it attacks, if a nonland permanent left the battlefield this turn (yours or an opponent's, through removal, a sacrifice, or a creature dying in combat) or a spell was warped, the defending player loses half their life, rounded up. That condition is easy to meet in a deck already running removal or sacrifice effects, which is what makes the trigger reliable rather than incidental.
What decks want Alpharael, Stonechosen?
Any black deck already running removal, edict effects, or a sacrifice outlet. Those effects already make a permanent leave the battlefield most turns, so Alpharael's condition is met without a dedicated enabler package.
Is Alpharael, Stonechosen good in aggressive decks?
Yes. Halving a life total is a huge swing on its own, and it stacks with combat damage the same turn, so an aggressive black deck that's already removing blockers gets both the removal and a much bigger attack in the same turn.