Liliana's Influence MTG Card


Liliana's Influence - Amonkhet
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeSorcery
Released2017-04-28
Set symbol
Set nameAmonkhet
Set codeAKH
Number277
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byWinona Nelson

Key Takeaways

  1. Liliana’s Influence offers superior card advantage by tutoring for a Liliana Planeswalker, refining your deck’s consistency.
  2. It provides substantial resource acceleration with Zombie tokens, bolstering your battlefield presence significantly.
  3. Though powerful, it comes with a specific mana cost and a potentially high mana investment, affecting deck flexibility.

Text of card

Put a -1/-1 counter on each creature you don't control. You may search your library and/or graveyard for a card named Liliana, Death Wielder, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you search your library this way, shuffle it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Liliana’s Influence is a powerhouse when it comes to card advantage. By allowing you to search for a Liliana Planeswalker card, it effectively reduces the chance of drawing weak cards and increases the consistency of your deck. This grants you more control over the game, as you pull into your hand not just any card, but a potent tool to swing the game in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: The power of Liliana’s Influence shines in its ability to give you a clutch of Zombie creature tokens right on the battlefield. This form of resource acceleration lets you expand your army, preparing the ground for more powerful spells or for building defenses against opposing forces. And let’s not forget, these tokens could be additional fodder for Liliana’s other grim abilities.

Instant Speed: One often overlooked yet crucial aspect of Liliana’s Influence is its resemblance in strategic versatility to an instant because it can be played whenever you could cast a sorcery. This means, on your turn, you retain full initiative to respond to the unfolding game with the card, making it a highly adaptable and timely card in your arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Liliana’s Influence necessitates discarding cards which can undoubtedly backfire if your hand is already running on empty. This cost demands strategic timing to ensure you’re not undercutting your own progress during the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Liliana’s Influence commands a very particular mana alignment, demanding both generic and black mana. This cost could be a hurdle for decks that aren’t steeped deeply in black mana sources and could therefore sideline this card in multi-colored or lighter-black decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana expenditure for Liliana’s Influence is on the higher end of the spectrum. When you navigate the card pool, you’ll find that other options might deliver similar or better effects without consuming as much of your mana resources, thereby offering potentially more efficient alternatives for your deck’s strategy.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Liliana’s Influence commands attention by its ability to integrate seamlessly into a variety of deck archetypes, particularly those that amplify the presence of zombie creatures or take advantage of graveyard mechanics.

Combo Potential: This card can act as a powerful accelerator in combos, complementing cards that benefit from both increased creature count and cards that manipulate or exploit creature deaths.

Meta-Relevance: With strategies often revolving around creature-based synergies, Liliana’s Influence has the potential to break stalemates or tip the scales in mirror matches, making it a card worth considering in the ever-evolving competitive scene.


How to beat

Liliana’s Influence is a card that can shape the battlegrounds of MTG by allowing a player to search their library for a Liliana planeswalker card, reveal it, and then shuffle their library. When facing this card, dynamism and strategy become your allies. The key to overpowering the advantage Liliana’s Influence provides is to implement disruption and counterspells effectively. Cards like Negate or Dovin’s Veto can halt the spell before it takes effect.

Additionally, employing graveyard hate mechanics through cards like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can severely limit the benefits garnered from a successfully resolved Liliana’s Influence. By exiling graveyard options, you limit the recurrence of Liliana planeswalkers or other graveyard-fueled strategies.

Thwarting your opponent’s deck synergy early and applying pressure through aggressive play can also counteract Liliana’s Influence. By keeping their mana tapped and their resources stretched thin, you reduce the chances of Liliana’s deemed influence having a lasting impact on the game.


Cards like Liliana's Influence

Liliana’s Influence is a notable card that stands out in Magic: The Gathering card pool, particularly for fans of planeswalker-related strategies. This card draws a parallel with other cards that both buff creatures and seek specific card types from your deck. For instance, Deploy the Gatewatch is a spell that fetches planeswalkers, but without the additional creature augmenting benefit.

Another comparable card is Diabolic Tutor, which also allows you to choose a card from your deck and add it to your hand. However, Liliana’s Influence specifically targets a planeswalker card and additionally places two +1/+1 counters on each creature you control, which synergizes well with creature-heavy decks. On a different but related note, there’s Behold the Beyond, a powerful tutor card that offers you the chance to discard your hand and search for three cards, providing a wider retrieval but at a higher mana cost without the immediate board impact.

Each of these cards offers its distinct advantages, but Liliana’s Influence is particularly prized for its planeswalker tutoring ability combined with instant creature enhancement, making it a card that’s hard to replace in decks designed around Liliana’s thematic powers.

Deploy the Gatewatch - MTG Card versions
Diabolic Tutor - MTG Card versions
Behold the Beyond - MTG Card versions
Deploy the Gatewatch - Eldritch Moon Promos (PEMN)
Diabolic Tutor - Odyssey (ODY)
Behold the Beyond - Shadows over Innistrad (SOI)

Cards similar to Liliana's Influence by color, type and mana cost

Kiss of Death - MTG Card versions
Dark Offering - MTG Card versions
Rain of Daggers - MTG Card versions
Corrupt - MTG Card versions
Poison Arrow - MTG Card versions
Morbid Hunger - MTG Card versions
Haunting Voyage - MTG Card versions
Zombie Apocalypse - MTG Card versions
Blood on the Snow - MTG Card versions
Choice of Damnations - MTG Card versions
Beseech the Queen - MTG Card versions
Nightmare Incursion - MTG Card versions
Stolen Grain - MTG Card versions
Blood Tribute - MTG Card versions
Essence Feed - MTG Card versions
Life's Finale - MTG Card versions
Hex - MTG Card versions
Grave Exchange - MTG Card versions
Twilight's Call - MTG Card versions
Assassin's Strike - MTG Card versions
Kiss of Death - Portal Second Age (P02)
Dark Offering - Starter 1999 (S99)
Rain of Daggers - The List (PLST)
Corrupt - The Brothers' War (BRO)
Poison Arrow - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Morbid Hunger - Odyssey (ODY)
Haunting Voyage - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Zombie Apocalypse - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Blood on the Snow - Kaldheim Promos (PKHM)
Choice of Damnations - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Beseech the Queen - The List (PLST)
Nightmare Incursion - Eventide (EVE)
Stolen Grain - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Blood Tribute - Commander 2017 (C17)
Essence Feed - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Life's Finale - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Hex - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (CLB)
Grave Exchange - Avacyn Restored (AVR)
Twilight's Call - Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari (DDJ)
Assassin's Strike - Jumpstart (JMP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Liliana's Influence MTG card by a specific set like Amonkhet, 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's Influence and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Liliana's Influence has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal

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