Vraska, Golgari Queen MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Vraska
Loyalty 4

Key Takeaways

  1. She excels in card advantage and can destroy key nonland permanents, making her a strong strategic asset.
  2. Vraska’s inflexible mana cost and dependence on Golgari colors might limit deck-building opportunities.
  3. Despite mana cost considerations, her range of abilities and combo potential make her a worthy addition to MTG collections.

Text of card


+2: You may sacrifice another permanent. If you do, you gain 1 life and draw a card.
-3: Destroy target nonland permanent with mana value 3 or less.
-9: You get an emblem with "Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Vraska Golgari Queen excels in providing a consistent card advantage with its +2 ability to sacrifice another permanent, which in return, lets you draw a card. This mechanism not only fuels your hand but can also synergize with strategies that benefit from having permanents leave the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: By utilizing Vraska’s -3 ability, you can destroy target nonland permanent with mana value 3 or less. This action can accelerate your resources indirectly by removing opponents’ mana dorks or potential threats, clearing the way for a more dominant board presence.

Instant Speed: While Vraska herself does not operate at instant speed, her ultimate ability, which can be activated the turn after she’s played due to her unique loyalty ability structure, creates an emblem that wins the game on the spot with any amount of damage. This threat must be answered by your opponent immediately, effectively granting you a strong psychological advantage and influencing the pace and decisions of the game as if you had an instant-speed trick up your sleeve.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Vraska Golgari Queen’s ability to draw a card comes with the condition of first discarding another card from your hand. This attribute can strain your hand size and may not be ideal if you’re trying to maintain card advantage over your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Her mana cost requires both black and green, thus she’s inherently restricted to Golgari or multicolor decks. If your mana base isn’t properly configured, it can be challenging to cast her on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While her abilities are potent, the initial investment of four mana—including two specific colors—can be a hindrance especially when faster, lower-cost planeswalkers or creatures might contribute to board presence more efficiently.


Reasons to Include Vraska Golgari Queen in Your Collection

Versatility: Vraska Golgari Queen offers a dynamic range of abilities that support a multitude of strategies. Her capability to destroy nonland permanents with a value of three or less, provide card advantage, and a life gain makes her a valuable addition to decks that can exploit any piece of her skill set.

Combo Potential: This planeswalker shines in creating powerful interactions. Her ultimate ability can be a game-ender if carefully paired with other cards that protect her, or cards that proliferate to accelerate the availability of her emblem.

Meta-Relevance: Given her role in disrupting opponent strategies by removing key pieces from their board, Vraska is a strong card in environments heavily populated with utility creatures and artifacts, making her presence in your deck a strategic advantage over a wide range of potential matchups.


How to beat

Vraska Golgari Queen is a formidable planeswalker that players can encounter in the MTG arena. With her ability to sacrifice another permanent to gain life and draw a card, she operates as a potent engine of advantage. Additionally, her -3 ability can destroy target nonland permanent with converted mana cost 3 or less, a versatile removal tool. Defeating Vraska demands careful resource management and timing.

To effectively combat Vraska, consider cards with direct damage abilities or those that can increase their power quickly to pressure her loyalty counters. Instant-speed removal spells that can target planeswalkers, such as Hero’s Downfall or Bedevil, can take her out before she generates too much value. Alternatively, aggressive strategies that can deploy threats early and often will force Vraska’s controller to use her defensively, rather than as a value-generating asset. In the dance of deck types, knowing when to hold back and when to push forward against Vraska goes a long way in securing victory.

Ultimately, triumphing over cards like Vraska Golgari Queen comes down to understanding when it’s essential to switch gears from developing your board to focusing on the threat she represents. Adaptability and strategic card choices are key to coming out ahead.


BurnMana Recommendations

Wrapping up our insights on Vraska Golgari Queen, it’s clear that she’s a multifaceted asset for any MTG collection. With abilities that disrupt opponents and strategize for victory, she’s a valuable Golgari tool. If her unique blend of board control, life gain, and the potential for game-ending plays has piqued your interest, understanding her strengths and weaknesses is just the beginning. Navigating her complexities requires a finesse that comes with experience and adaptation. So whether it’s assembling a deck tailored to her advantages or learning the ins and outs of countering her, the journey with Vraska is filled with strategic depth. Join us to delve deeper into mastering her capabilities and securing your wins with intelligence and precision.


Cards like Vraska, Golgari Queen

Treading through the rich strategy of MTG, Vraska, Golgari Queen is a powerful planeswalker card that manages to differentiate itself from others in her category. Like Vraska, other Golgari-aligned planeswalkers such as Garruk, Cursed Huntsman also offer a combination of creature removal and card advantage. Both can generate a significant impact on the board with their abilities, but Vraska is unique with her flexibility to destroy nonland permanents with low power and her ability to provide a card advantage while gaining life.

Meanwhile, Liliana, the Last Hope stands as another parallel, with her focus on controlling enemy creatures and replenishing your own forces. Although her ultimate ability may not have the game-ending power of Vraska’s emblem, it certainly sets up overwhelming board states over time. It’s Vraska’s delicate balance of board control, resource advantage, and potential to end games through her emblem that sets her apart in the roster of similar MTG planeswalkers.

Evaluating the landscape, Vraska, Golgari Queen aligns incredibly well within the scope of planeswalker options, distinguished by her blend of control, life gain, and an ultimate ability that can command an immediate threat on the table.

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman - MTG Card versions
Liliana, the Last Hope - MTG Card versions
Garruk, Cursed Huntsman - Throne of Eldraine Promos (PELD)
Liliana, the Last Hope - Eldritch Moon (EMN)

Cards similar to Vraska, Golgari Queen by color, type and mana cost

Nissa of Shadowed Boughs - MTG Card versions
Vraska, Swarm's Eminence - MTG Card versions
Tyvar Kell - MTG Card versions
Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed - MTG Card versions
A-Tyvar Kell - MTG Card versions
Nissa of Shadowed Boughs - Zendikar Rising (ZNR)
Vraska, Swarm's Eminence - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Tyvar Kell - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
A-Tyvar Kell - Kaldheim (KHM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Vraska, Golgari Queen MTG card by a specific set like MTG Arena Promos and Guilds of Ravnica, 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 Vraska, Golgari Queen and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Vraska, Golgari Queen Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2018-07-14 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-07-14MTG Arena PromosPANA 32015normalblackLivia Prima
22018-10-05Guilds of RavnicaGRN 2132015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
32018-10-05Guilds of Ravnica PromosPGRN 213p2015normalblackMagali Villeneuve
42018-10-05Mythic EditionMED GR82015normalborderlessLivia Prima
52019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 902015normalblackMike Uziel

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Vraska, Golgari Queen has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2018-10-05 If a permanent has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2018-10-05 Tokens that aren’t a copy of something else don’t have a mana cost. Anything without a mana cost normally has a converted mana cost of 0.
2018-10-05 You choose whether to sacrifice a permanent (and which one to sacrifice) while Vraska’s first ability is resolving. No player may take actions between the time you choose which permanent to sacrifice and the time you do so.

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