Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor MTG Card
2021-02-05 - Number 114s
2021-02-05 - Number 114
2021-02-05 - Number 286
2021-02-05 - Number 308
2023-05-08 - Number 19
2002-06-24 - Number 88272
2002-06-24 - Number 88270
2021-02-05 - Number 28
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Mythic |
| Type | Legendary Creature — God |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Text of card
When Valki enters the battlefield, each opponent reveals their hand. For each opponent, exile a creature card they revealed this way until Valki leaves the battlefield. : Choose a creature card exiled with Valki with mana value X. Valki becomes a copy of that card.
Cards like Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor
Valki, God of Lies stands out in the pantheon of multifaceted creatures in Magic: The Gathering. With the ability to disrupt opponents by exiling their creatures, Valki draws a parallel to cards like Thought-Knot Seer. Both infiltrate the opponent’s hand, but Valki has the added flexibility to actually turn into those creatures later on, via his backside Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor.
Comparatively, Gonti, Lord of Luxury shares some semblance of Valki’s enter-the-battlefield effect, allowing you to look at the top four cards of an opponent’s library and exile one of them. However, Gonti lacks the transformative dual-card nature that makes Valki such a dynamic play. Other cards like Hostage Taker can also exile opponents’ creatures, but Valki does it directly from their hand, which can be a more preemptive strategic move.
Evaluating the duality and adaptability of Valki, he is a potent force in player’s decks. His unique double-card design provides a blend of hand disruption and potential for powerful creature plays, a combination that is hard to find elsewhere in the vast MTG card library.
Cards similar to Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Valki, God of Lies presents players with a dynamic choice upon casting. His front side can strip a creature from opponents’ hands, effectively turning their potential threat into your advantage. When flipped, as Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, his plus ability exiles the top card of each player’s library, giving you an additional card to play each turn. Both abilities are strategically built to sustain and improve card advantage on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: Valki’s second form, Tibalt, offers a significant boost in resources. By using his minus-3 ability, you conjure a cascade of value, potentially nabbing any creature or plane walker off your opponent’s exile, thus accelerating your board presence and resource pool without spending extra mana from your hand.
Instant Speed: Though Valki himself does not operate at instant speed, his innate versatility compensates for this. However, the myriad strategic decisions he unlocks can be utilized in tandem with other instant-speed interactions in your deck, allowing you to adapt and respond to threats on the fly while Valki quietly sets the stage for your late-game dominance.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Valki, God of Lies requires a strategic approach to hand management, as playing him in his Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor form entails exiling a significant number of cards from your hand. This action could set you back if you’re already facing resource scarcity.
Specific Mana Cost: Valki’s casting cost demands both black and red mana which can pose a challenge in decks not tailored around a Rakdos color scheme. This restricts his adaptability and incorporation into a broader array of deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluated against other two-cost creatures, Valki’s initial form may not seem mana intensive. However, his true power lies in the seven mana cost to unleash his Planeswalker side. Considering the game’s pace and resource competition, this requirement is substantial and often less attainable in faster match situations.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Valki, God of Lies demonstrates incredible adaptability in its use. It can function as an early disruptor, snatching key cards from opponents while also potentially transforming into Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, offering a completely different set of abilities and potential plays.
Combo Potential: This card is a combo enabler that meshes well with various strategies. Its backside, Tibalt, can exile cards from each player, allowing you to play any number of them and gain a significant advantage, especially in formats like Commander where card advantage is king.
Meta-Relevance: Due to its flexibility and the capacity to disrupt opponent’s plays, Valki is a strong card in multiple metas. It remains relevant in settings where information and choice cards can swing the game in your favor, making it a persistent threat on the board.
How to beat
Valki, God of Lies is a unique and versatile card that can disrupt your opponent’s plans in Magic: The Gathering. Neutralizing Valki effectively requires understanding its duality, as it can also transform into Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, a potent planeswalker. One effective strategy is to remove Valki from the battlefield before it can transform. Instant removal spells like Fatal Push or Path to Exile are perfect answers, as they can deal with Valki cost-efficiently.
Counterspells also play a crucial role in mitigating Valki’s impact. Countering Valki on cast ensures that your opponents cannot benefit from its enter-the-battlefield ability or invest in its costly transformation. Furthermore, graveyard removal is pivotal against Valki, as it prevents recursive threats when utilizing reanimation strategies. Cards like Relic of Progenitus or the Scavenging Ooze can exile Valki after it hits the graveyard, ensuring it doesn’t return to cause further mischief. Strategically, playing around Valki involves being vigilant of when your opponent reaches sufficient mana for Tibalt and keeping removal or counterspells in hand for these critical turns.
Ultimately, by prioritizing Valki as a removal target, utilizing counter magic, and keeping graveyard clean-up tools at the ready, players will be better positioned to handle the deceptive god’s trickery.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor 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.
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Printings
The Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2021-02-05 and 2023-05-08. Illustrated by 3 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 88272 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Grzegorz Rutkowski | ||
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 88270 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Jeff Miracola | ||
| 3 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim Promos | PKHM | 114s | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Yongjae Choi | |
| 4 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 114 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Yongjae Choi | |
| 5 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 286 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Borderless | Grzegorz Rutkowski | |
| 6 | Kaldheim Art Series | AKHM | 28 | 2015 | Art series | Borderless | Yongjae Choi | ||
| 7 | 2021-02-05 | Kaldheim | KHM | 308 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Jeff Miracola | |
| 8 | 2023-05-08 | From Cute to Brute | PCTB | 19 | 2015 | Modal DFC | Black | Yongjae Choi |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-02-05 | A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed. |
| 2021-02-05 | If Valki becomes a copy of a creature during the same turn Valki enters the battlefield, you can’t attack with him or use any abilities he gains. |
| 2021-02-05 | If Valki leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield ability resolves, each opponent will reveal their hand, but no cards will be exiled. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect begins to apply to Valki before it becomes a copy, that effect will continue to apply. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name. |
| 2021-02-05 | If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield. |
| 2021-02-05 | If another object becomes a copy of Valki, it will become whatever Valki is copying. That object remains a copy even if Valki leaves the battlefield. |
| 2021-02-05 | If there are no creature cards exiled with Valki with converted mana cost equal to the value of X as Valki’s activated ability resolves, nothing happens. God of Lies, indeed. |
| 2021-02-05 | In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. |
| 2021-02-05 | Playing the cards exiled with Tibalt follows the normal rules for playing those cards. You must pay their costs, if any, and you must follow all applicable timing rules. For example, if one of the cards is a sorcery card, you can cast that card by paying its mana cost only during your main phase while the stack is empty. |
| 2021-02-05 | The cards exiled by Tibalt’s loyalty abilities are all exiled face up. |
| 2021-02-05 | The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined. |
| 2021-02-05 | The emblem given to you by Tibalt allows you to play cards exiled with that specific Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, even after that Tibalt leaves the battlefield. If a different Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor comes under your control, it’s a new object (even if it’s represented by the same card). Of course, the new Tibalt will also give you an emblem so you can play the cards he exiles. |
| 2021-02-05 | There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face. |
| 2021-02-05 | To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics. |
| 2021-02-05 | Unless an effect allows you to play additional lands that turn, you can play land cards exiled with Tibalt only if you haven’t played a land yet that turn. |
| 2021-02-05 | Valki copies the printed values of the exiled creature card. Notably, once Valki becomes a copy of another creature card, he won’t have his own printed activated ability. |
| 2021-02-05 | While resolving Tibalt’s last ability, you’ll add even if you don’t exile any cards. |
| 2021-02-05 | You can activate Valki’s ability multiple times in response to one another. This may briefly allow Valki to copy different creature cards. You’ll get priority to cast spells or activate abilities in between each of Valki’s activated abilities. |
| 2021-02-05 | You don’t choose which creature card exiled with Valki that Valki will become a copy of until that ability is resolving. (In many cases, the value you chose for X will give away your intentions.) |