Liesa, Shroud of Dusk MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Angel
Abilities Flying,Lifelink
Power 5
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Liesa offers persistent presence and strategic depth as a recurrent threat and card advantage mechanism in gameplay.
  2. Demands careful resource management due to life cost, mana specificity, and potential late-game vulnerability.
  3. Excels in versatility and resilience, fitting various decks and challenging opponents in meta gameplay.

Text of card

Rather than pay for each previous time you've cast this spell from the command zone this game, pay 2 life that many times. Flying, lifelink Whenever a player casts a spell, they lose 2 life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Liesa Shroud of Dusk stands as a formidable force in deck-building strategies that aim to outpace opponents through superior card economy. With its ability to return to the battlefield from the graveyard when casting another spell, Liesa ensures a persistent presence, effectively granting you indirect card advantage as opponents must deal with it repeatedly.

Resource Acceleration: As a 5/5 flyer with lifelink, Liesa not only advances your board presence but also complements strategies focused on gaining life. Each instance of life gain can be leveraged in MTG as a resource, paving the way for activating synergistic effects or simply outlasting the adversary through attrition, making her a key piece in life-based acceleration tactics.

Instant Speed: While Liesa herself does not operate at instant speed, her lasting impact on the game creates opportunities where you can use other instant-speed spells more effectively. The threat of her return demands constant vigilance from opponents, allowing you strategically to exploit their hesitations and pass turns with mana untapped for instant-speed interactions, disrupting their tempo while shielding your game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not a typical discard effect, Liesa Shroud of Dusk does ask for a steep price in terms of resource management. Players must pay 2 life for each ability used, which could lead to a precarious situation if life totals aren’t properly managed or if the game drags on longer than expected.

Specific Mana Cost: Liesa’s color identity is locked firmly within the Orzhov Syndicate, requiring both white and black mana. This specific mana cost can sometimes be restrictive, making her difficult to cast in a timely manner, especially outside of a dedicated Orzhov deck or without the perfect mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At five total mana including two white and two black, Liesa is a significant investment. In a game where early gameplay can often dictate the pace, this can be a major con as players may stall getting her onto the battlefield. Additionally, other creatures and spells at this cost bracket may provide immediate impact or have lower maintenance costs.


Reasons to Include Liesa Shroud of Dusk in Your Collection

Versatility: Liesa Shroud of Dusk isn’t confined to a single strategy. This angel’s unique taxing ability and lifelink make her a formidable addition to both aggressive and defensive play styles, fitting snugly into various lifegain and control decks.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with other cards that capitalize on life changes, such as Sanguine Bond or Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. Each time you pay life, you’re bolstering your position to potentially create game-winning interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where commanders can change the flow of battle, Liesa’s ability to offset her own commander tax and manipulate life totals keeps her relevant. As metas evolve, players looking for resilience and the means to disrupt common strategies will find Liesa Shroud of Dusk a solid choice for adaptation and survival.


How to beat

Liesa, Shroud of Dusk, stands out as a formidable Angel commander in the universe of MTG. With her rarely seen ability to impose life payments instead of traditional commander taxes, she can be a persistent threat on the battlefield. To surmount Liesa’s challenge, one might consider strategies that work around life total manipulation. Cards that deter life gain, such as Tainted Remedy or Erebos, God of the Dead, can effectively negate the advantage Liesa provides. Spot removal spells are less efficient given her recurring nature; hence cards offering exile effects, like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, become prized for their ability to remove Liesa from the game entirely.

Moreover, leveraging graveyard hate through artifacts like Relic of Progenitus or enchantments like Rest in Peace can prove to be a double-edged sword against her. Such cards prevent Liesa from making a comeback once she’s placed in the graveyard, demanding alternative strategies from the opponent. Finally, having a counterspell in reserve for her inevitable cast from the command zone can buy crucial time and resource advantages. Players who carefully tailor their decks with these considerations in mind stand a good chance of neutralizing the impact of Liesa, Shroud of Dusk, on their road to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the depths of MTG demands more than just understanding individual cards such as Liesa Shroud of Dusk; it’s about crafting winning strategies that resonate with your playstyle. With her ability to influence the game from multiple angles and persist on the battlefield, Liesa operates as both a threat and an asset. Reflect on how she can enhance your existing strategies or inspire new ones, especially in Orzhov-themed decks. Embrace the lifecycle of competitive play and adaptability. If Liesa Shroud of Dusk’s blend of taxing abilities and resilience speaks to your gamer spirit, join us as we explore ways to integrate her into your powerful arsenal and outmaneuver opponents at every turn.


Cards like Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

Liesa, Shroud of Dusk stands as an intriguing commander option in MTG. She brings to mind other cards such as Kambal, Consul of Allocation, which also excels at punishing opponents for casting spells. While Kambal does so passively, Liesa actively pressures life totals by mandating an additional two life payment with each spell your opponents cast. In contrast, Kambal heals you while chipping away at opponents’ life totals, offering a more defensive edge.

Alongside lies Athreos, God of Passage, another card with a strong life-total manipulation ability. However, Athreos focuses more on recouping creature cards as they die, rather than directly influencing life totals. Liesa, on the other hand, hovers in the battlefield with her ability to return from the graveyard, ensuring a persistent threat. The distinction between Athreos’s utility in creature-heavy decks and Liesa’s broad spell taxation makes her a unique commander to build around.

In essence, Liesa, Shroud of Dusk finds her niche as a challenging and deterrent commander in gameplay. With the ability to impact the game from the command zone and the graveyard, she upholds her place as a resilient force in the MTG universe, especially in multiplayer formats where her taxation effect can be a game-changer.

Kambal, Consul of Allocation - MTG Card versions
Athreos, God of Passage - MTG Card versions
Kambal, Consul of Allocation - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Athreos, God of Passage - Journey into Nyx (JOU)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Liesa, Shroud of Dusk MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Liesa, Shroud of Dusk and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Liesa, Shroud of Dusk Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862442015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 2862015normalblackSlawomir Maniak
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 6062015normalblackSlawomir Maniak

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Liesa, Shroud of Dusk has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Liesa, Shroud of Dusk card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2020-11-10 Liesa's first ability applies only to the "commander tax." If there are any other additional costs to cast Liesa, those costs must be paid as normal.
2020-11-10 Liesa's first ability isn't optional. You can't choose to pay mana to cover the "commander tax," even if you have that mana available.
2020-11-10 Liesa's last ability will resolve before the spell that caused it to trigger.

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