Akroma, Angel of Wrath is a character in
Legions
and reprinted or referenced in a number of other sets.
The Angel of Wrath, sworn to destroy Phage the Untouchable on behalf of her creator, Ixidor (Ixidor, Reality Sculptor). Akroma was shaped by the master illusionist in the image of his wife, Nivea, who had been slain by Phage. Shortly after her creation, she flew to confront Phage in personal combat, but was defeated by the combined force of the cabal champion and her druid acolyte brother Kamahl. Akroma lost both her legs in the battle but escaped back to Ixidor, who fused her waist to the neck of a decapitated jaguar (this transformation is not represented on any card).
The Cabal and Kamahl's Krosan Forest soon launched an attack on Ixidor's illusionary desert kingdom, and Akroma led an army of Ixidor's phantasmic creations into battle. The battle, known as the "Nightmare War," quickly turned to rout as Ixidor's beasts went out of control, and Ixidor himself was deemed lost in the chaos.
In the events of the Scourge set, Akroma was devastated by the loss of her creator but carried on in his name, raising an army of flesh and blood and starting a cult devoted to the master illusionist. She later discovered Ixidor alive in the belly of one of his summoned monstrosities, a massive deathwurm personifying the demise of Nivea. Failing to convince him to return, she left him to his despair and readied her army for a final confrontation with Phage. During a personal duel with Phage, Kamahl struck both down in one blow, fusing them into
Karona
In an alternate universe seen in the
Planar Chaos
set, Akroma is a red-aligned avatar of vengeance. In this timeline, Ixidor descended into an even deeper state of madness and evil, vowing to wipe the entire Cabal out rather than focusing solely on Phage.
In 2005, Akroma, Angel of Wrath was voted the most popular legend in Magic in a long-running online poll on the game's official website, magicthegathering.com. As a result, three Akroma-themed cards were printed in the 2006/07
Future Sight. Akroma's Memorial is an artifact that gives all creatures the seven keywords on the Akroma card:
flying,
first strike,
vigilance,
trample,
haste,
protection from black, and
protection from red. In the game, Akroma, often referred to by her nickname, the "Angry Lady," is one of the most iconic cards ever printed and has seen considerable high-level tournament play. Her popularity among players is often quoted as the primary reason that the "Legend Rule" (which restricts the number of times a character card can be played to one at a time) was altered in 2004's
Kamigawa block.
In 2009, Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic featured Akroma, Angel of Wrath with new art and flavour text.
In 2010, the M11 Core Set introduced Sword of Vengeance, an equipment card with striking similarities to the sword wielded by Akroma. The flavor text implies that it may be a reproduction of Akroma's sword, and the card gives the equipped creature evergreen abilities similar to Akroma, Angel of Wrath and Akroma's Memorial.
