Apparently the original effect of Archangel's Light was pulled and they had to replace it with another effect. Since they had little time to playtest, they had to come up with a low-powered card so that they wouldn't risk another Skullclamp.
It doesn't make this card any better, but it's very understandable.
Posted By:
Axelle
(10/10/2012 2:32:11 PM)
garbage.
Posted By:
RDorothy
(1/2/2013 11:24:28 AM)
If the CMC on this card was closer to 5 or 6, I get the feeling nowhere near as many people would be hating on it. Being a rare instead of a mythic would probably help, too. As is I got it out of a booster pack so I don't much care about the mythic status and it goes well in my sacrifice deck since it just lets me recycle all the cards I've already slaughtered in a three or four player game to keep boosting my big creatures with the added bonus of giving a bunch of life, something that's pretty hard to do in a B/W deck.
Posted By:
VirusVescichetta
(2/5/2012 4:55:12 PM)
THIS is the light of Avacyn? I think we're being set up for something REEEEEALLY awful come May if this is what they call hope.
Posted By:
WarioMan
(1/29/2012 12:48:51 PM)
The first time I saw this card, I thought "hmm, that's interesting". Then I looked at it again and thought "this is actually pretty bad..." Then I kept looking at it. And I realized something: This card is almost completely useless. 8 mana for a card that's most likely counterproductive (as alzabo has already said, you want those cards to stay in your graveyard 99 times out of 100), and worse than most other life-gain cards besides... and my final revelation was what broke me.
This card is a mythic rare.
Let me repeat that. This card, one of the worst life-gain cards in existence... is a MYTHIC RARE.
I think I'm going to be sick. -1000/5. Wizards, the next time you print this — and I hope you never do — make it a common. Mythics are supposed to be amazing cards. Not amazingly terrible.
Posted By:
Continue
(11/2/2012 8:11:07 AM)
Without changing any of the effects besides their power or cost, how could you make this both playable in a certain sort of deck, and mythic? That's what I asked myself, and had the answer in a couple of seconds.
I think one part of the reason they thought this card "might" be safe to print as a mythic (at the last minute) is that it is one of the few "shuffle your graveyard into your library" cards that doesn't self-exile. Wizards must be very paranoid about not accidentally printing another Timetwister. However, Timetwister simultaneously replaced other copies of itself and allowed you to draw into them, while screwing up your opponent's planning ability, all for three mana. Without the card-draw, I don't really believe we have to be that paranoid about letting players achieve perpetual looping in the graveyard-to-library department. After all, Gaea's Blessing can replace copies of itself for just two mana, but it only draws you one card, and doesn't screw ... (see all)
Posted By:
Fictionarious
(8/4/2012 4:53:38 PM)
I was at the pre release for Dark Ascension and I opened one of these.
The person across from me pulled a foil Huntmaster of the Fells
I cried myself to sleep that night
Posted By:
SteinsGate
(4/19/2012 7:12:01 PM)
Why is this ranked so low? Gaining 50+ life is never a bad thing... even if it's missing flashback (see Ancestral Tribute)
Posted By:
htgtmd
(1/28/2012 6:49:06 PM)
I pulled one of these accursed cards tonight. I don't care if this was a last minute decision by Wizards, it should have never seen the light of day.
Posted By:
Sutebe
(2/17/2012 2:31:45 AM)
at least it has mythic flavor? and anti mill? seriously? I enjoy finding the right balance between control and milling in a mill deck but seriously? who wins a competitive game with mill? there are too many mill hosers out there, if you see it coming you shouldn't lose to mill. there's a reason control is played in every meta...8 mana anti-mill is a stupid idea, there better be something coming that makes this card worth it for white. Let the fans of plains be outraged! Luckily I like me some Havengul Lich...so I can't complain...too much. 
/
for the win.
Posted By:
MindAblaze
(1/27/2012 11:29:48 PM)