Liliana of the Veil MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Liliana
Loyalty 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by manipulating both players’ hands to benefit your strategic position.
  2. Accelerates resources by forcefully removing opponent’s creatures, disrupting their play.
  3. Strategically significant, her abilities can be utilized at critical moments to shift game dynamics.

Text of card

+1: Each player discards a card. -2: Target player sacrifices a creature. -6: Separate all permanents target player controls into two piles. That player sacrifices all permanents in the pile of his or her choice.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Liliana of the Veil’s +1 ability forces each player to discard a card, which paired with a well-structured deck, can disproportionately affect your opponent, giving you an edge by depleting their resources while yours remain strong or even benefit from the discard.

Resource Acceleration: Her -2 ability serves as a resource acceleration tool by allowing you to effectively remove an opponent’s creature from the battlefield. This not only advances your board position but can also disrupt your opponent’s strategy and momentum.

Instant Speed: While Liliana herself is not an instant, her ability to impact the board at a moment’s notice during your turn is comparable to instant speed interaction. This quick alteration of the game state can be pivotal in putting you in a more advantageous position by the time it’s your opponent’s turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Liliana of the Veil necessitates that both the player and their opponent discard a card, which can be a double-edged sword. For the player, this can sometimes mean losing a valuable piece from their own hand, particularly detrimental in scenarios where maintaining card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a black card with a stringent mana requirement—one colorless and two black mana—restricts her to primarily black-focused or multicolor decks that can reliably generate the necessary mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While three mana is not exorbitant, it is a notable investment in the early game. Players might consider other options that can affect the board state or contribute to their strategy more immediately and with less mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Liliana of the Veil’s ability to affect the board with targeted discard, creature sacrifice, and her ultimate can dismantle an opponent’s strategy. This makes her a valuable addition to a wide range of black-centric decks, from control to midrange.

Combo Potential: Her synergy with graveyard-based strategies and other cards that capitalize on discard mechanics means that Liliana can be a linchpin in powerful combo decks, providing both disruption to opponents and advantage to the player.

Meta-Relevance: As a Planeswalker that continues to see play across multiple formats, Liliana fits well into several metagames. Her impact in formats like Modern remains significant, often dictating the pace of play and influencing deck-building decisions.


How to Beat

Liliana of the Veil is a potent force in the world of MTG, her ability to disrupt the opponent’s hand and control the battlefield makes her a formidable planeswalker. Handling her efficiently requires a careful strategy. To circumvent Liliana’s influence, aim to deplete her loyalty by presenting multiple threats that must be answered, thus spreading her -2 ability thin. Alternatively, direct damage spells or creatures with haste can pressure her loyalty before she can impact the game significantly. Cards that can regenerate or have indestructible are beneficial as they can outlast her edict effect. Lastly, employing instant-speed spells or abilities to remove or neutralize targeted threats can help in maintaining a presence on the board despite her -2 ability.

Another key tactic is to keep a healthy hand size. This approach makes her +1 ability less damaging, by retaining card options and reducing the impact of her discard effect. Utilizing instant-speed card draw or abilities that allow you to play cards from the top of your library can preserve your hand while still developing your board. Prioritize efficient card advantage to out-resource her edict. Lastly, leveraging graveyard synergy can benefit you, as discarded cards might be turned into resources or reclaimed from the graveyard, thereby mitigating the loss from her discard effect.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering Liliana of the Veil’s dynamic capabilities can be the difference between victory and defeat in the world of MTG. With her exceptional ability to control the game, it’s vital to build around her strengths and mitigate the disadvantages. Strategic use of graveyard synergies and maintaining a robust hand size are key. If you’re looking to harness Liliana’s full potential or find strategies to counter her formidable presence, we’re here to guide you. Dive deeper with us as we share insights, strategies, and expert tips to ensure Liliana of the Veil secures your triumph in the MTG arena.


Cards like Liliana of the Veil

Liliana of the Veil stands tall in the pantheon of powerful planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering. The card echoes the disruptive capabilities of other planeswalkers like Thoughtseize, targeting opponent’s strategies right from their hands. However, Liliana offers consistent pressure with her repeatable ability to force both players to discard cards. Thoughtseize, despite its lower cost, is a one-time effect and doesn’t provide the same board presence.

Another card worth comparing is The Raven’s Crime, which shares the repeatable discard mechanism through retrace, yet fails to offer the same level of control over the game. Liliana of the Veil’s ability to sacrifice creatures also mirrors that of Diabolic Edict, though again, the one-time use and lack of additional utility make Diabetic Edict less versatile.

To conclude, while there are numerous discard-enabling cards in Magic: The Gathering, Liliana of the Veil’s mix of targeted discard, creature control, and ultimate game-winning ability renders her uniquely indispensable in decks aiming for disruption and control strategies. Her multi-dimensional utilities make her a peerless choice among similar Magic cards.

Thoughtseize - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Edict - MTG Card versions
Thoughtseize - Lorwyn (LRW)
Diabolic Edict - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Liliana of the Veil by color, type and mana cost

Liliana, the Last Hope - MTG Card versions
Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage - MTG Card versions
Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer - MTG Card versions
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - MTG Card versions
Liliana, the Last Hope - Shadows over Innistrad Remastered (SIR)
Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer - From Cute to Brute (PCTB)
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Liliana of the Veil MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Liliana of the Veil and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Liliana of the Veil Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2022-09-09. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 1034202015normalblackBrom
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 558662015normalblackSteve Argyle
32007-02-10Pro Tour PromosPPRO 20152015normalblackSteve Argyle
42011-09-30InnistradISD 1052003normalblackSteve Argyle
52017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 762015normalblackSteve Argyle
62018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 1042015normalblackSteve Argyle
72022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 972015normalblackMartina Fačková
82022-09-09Dominaria United PromosPDMU 97p2015normalblackMartina Fačková
92022-09-09Dominaria United PromosPDMU 97s2015normalblackMartina Fačková
102022-09-09Dominaria UnitedDMU 3732015normalborderlessBrom
112022-09-09Dominaria United Art SeriesADMU 242015art_seriesborderless

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Liliana of the Veil has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2022-09-09 A pile can be empty. If the player chooses an empty pile, no permanents will be sacrificed.
2022-09-09 When Liliana’s first ability resolves, first the player whose turn it is chooses a card in hand without revealing it, then each other player in turn order does the same. Then all the chosen cards are discarded at the same time.
2022-09-09 When Liliana’s third ability resolves, you put each permanent the player controls into one of the two piles. For example, you could put a creature into one pile and an Aura enchanting that creature into the other pile.
2022-09-09 You can activate Liliana’s first ability even if some or all players will be unable to discard a card.

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