The Kaldheim set for Magic the Gathering brought Tribal decks to the forefront, especially with classic tribes such as Angels. Valkyrie Harbinger is one such Angel. On paper, she doesn’t look fantastic, but she fits perfectly into the Angel tribal synergies that Kaldheim features.
Not available in ordinary Draft boosters, the Harbinger is a 6-drop angel with Flying and Lifelink with a neat triggered ability. If you gain 4 or more life in a turn, at the end of the turn you get a 4/4 Angel creature token who has flying and vigilance (meaning it doesn’t have to tap in order to attack).
There are several reasons that this Angel is decent enough to begin with, especially the fact that you can gain at least 4 life on an opponent’s turn and get the Angel token. Plenty of Clerics and lifegain-happy Enchantment in the concurrent Standard environment are happy to synergize with the Harbinger. But, the Harbinger only gets better when you pair it with a creature that makes your Angel spells two generic mana cheaper to cast in Starnheim Aspirant.
What makes the Aspirant even more incredible is that other powerful Angels, such as Baneslayer Angel, exist in the same Standard environment. Baneslayer goes from being a 5-mana creature to a 3-mana creature with flying, first strike, lifelink, and vigilance. Yes, the Aspirant also synergizes well with the Harbinger, who goes from being a 6-drop to a 4-drop, making her far easier to cast early in the game.
While Valkyrie Harbinger may not be a game-breaking card in Standard – and isn’t available in Draft – it doesn’t mean that she won’t find quite a few homes in decks. Several Angel Tribal Commander decks have found a home for her. Also, even some lifegain-themed Commander decks can find a slot, such as Trelasarra, Moon Dancer. The Harbinger isn’t the most exciting rare in the Kaldheim set, but she’s going to be fairly hard to get and will hold some value for that reason alone.
