Liliana Vess MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Liliana
Loyalty 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Liliana Vess enhances card advantage with abilities that force discards and control upcoming draws.
  2. Her ultimate resurrects creatures from graveyards, offering a powerful late-game resource acceleration.
  3. Though constrained by high mana costs, Liliana remains a meta-relevant choice for control strategies.

Text of card

+1: Target player discards a card. -2: Search your library for a card, then shuffle your library and put that card on top of it. -8: Put all creature cards in all graveyards into play under your control.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Liliana Vess is notorious for her ability to provide card advantage. Specifically, her -2 loyalty ability allows you to force an opponent to discard a card, reducing their choices and improving your card advantage. In addition, her +1 ability facilitates in searching your library for a card of your preference and placing it on top, giving you control over what card you draw next.

Resource Acceleration: This card offers indirect resource acceleration with her -8 loyalty ability. Using it lets your put all creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield. This means, potentially having a large number of creatures to use without expending any additional mana, thereby accelerating your in-game resources.

Instant Speed: While Liliana Vess doesn’t provide instant speed – as she is a Planeswalker and her abilities follow the rules of sorceries – she can play around this weakness. By forcing your opponent to discard cards or searching your library to add that critical instant to your hand with her +1 ability, Liliana continues to be a potent force in any deck.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Liliana Vess has inability to directly discard your cards from hand, even though it can make your opponent discard theirs, limiting the deck manipulation potential and ability to generate specific graveyard synergies.

Specific Mana Cost: Cast at a cost that includes two black mana. This can require specific deck building considerations and may limit its usage beyond mono black or heavily black focused decks. Balancing the deck with Liliana Vess can become difficult when incorporating into a multi-color deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana for her abilities, it might seem a formidable commitment when compared to other Planeswalker cards that offer similar abilities for less. With many powerful cards available at lower mana cost, Liliana Vess may appear a less convenient option for players who prioritize speed and efficiency.


Reasons to Include Liliana Vess in Your Collection

Versatility: As a versatile planeswalker card, Liliana Vess can fit seamlessly into most black decks. Her abilities relate to discarding and searching library, providing a variety of strategic options.

Combo Potential: Liliana’s discard ability combined with her ultimate -8 ability, which places all creatures from all graveyards onto the battlefield under your control, has strong combo potential that could potentially change the tide of a game.

Meta-Relevance: Liliana Vess remains relevant in the meta-game. With the increasing popularity of graveyard-centric decks and control strategies, her abilities can provide strategic depths that could prove to be invaluable in a match.


How to beat

Liliana Vess is a formidable card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its powerful abilities. With her capabilities of causing a player to discard cards from their hand or even resurrecting creatures from the graveyard, Vess can become a hard counter.Of however, there are specific strategies to overcome this powerful planeswalker.

One such strategy focuses on disrupting Liliana’s abilities. Cards like Negate or Wizards Retort could counter spell her before she even gets onto the battlefield. Another option is removal spells such as Murder or Dreadbore that can take her out once she hits the board. These methods are effective but rely on drawing the right cards at the right time.

Alternatively, fast-paced aggressive decks can put pressure on a player using Vess before her abilities become a significant influence on the game. She takes time to build up to her full potential, so striking early can be a sound strategy.

Despite her daunting abilities, Liliana Vess isn’t invincible. Knowing counters and strategies can help Magic: The Gathering players defeat this powerful planeswalker and turn the tide of the game in their favor.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the depths of MTG strategy uncovers the power of strategic card play, as exemplified by Liliana Vess. With her ability to tip the scales through card advantage, graveyard manipulation, and resource acceleration, she can shape the battlefield to your favor. However, despite her strengths, she has vulnerabilities that can be exploited through fast-paced aggression or targeted counters. Wise deck building and mindful play are your keys to mastery when wielding or facing this potent Planeswalker. Expand your MTG arsenal and discover new decks and strategies to harness Liliana’s power or devise the perfect counter. Join us to learn more and become a formidable player in the MTG arena.


Cards like Liliana Vess

Liliana Vess card has an uncanny resemblance to other powerful dark Planeswalker cards within MTG. Consider the comparison with Ob Nixilis Reignited, both are five mana cost and posses the ability to force the opponent to sacrifice a creature. But Liliana Vess stands out with her unique ability that allows you to put a target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield.

Another parallel can be drawn with Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver. Both Planeswalkers deal in the manipulation of your opponent’s field and library. However, Liliana Vess offers more direct control over your opponent’s hand and graveyard.

Finally, consider Liliana Vess to Liliana, the Last Hope. Both carry the Liliana name, but they hold two very distinct roles. Liliana Vess focuses more on heavy field control and disorientation, whilst Liliana, the Last Hope has a more aggressive, quick beat-down approach, focusing on strengthening undead creatures and self-mill.

Overall, while there are many close competitors, Liliana Vess proves her unique capabilities within the dark magic realm, making her a strong contender among other Planeswalker cards in MTG.

Ob Nixilis Reignited - MTG Card versions
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver - MTG Card versions
Liliana, the Last Hope - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis Reignited - Battle for Zendikar Promos (PBFZ)
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver - Theros (THS)
Liliana, the Last Hope - Eldritch Moon (EMN)

Cards similar to Liliana Vess by color, type and mana cost

Lolth, Spider Queen - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted - MTG Card versions
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis Reignited - MTG Card versions
Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath - MTG Card versions
Liliana, Death's Majesty - MTG Card versions
Liliana, the Necromancer - MTG Card versions
Liliana Vess // Liliana Vess - MTG Card versions
Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Lolth, Spider Queen - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools - Commander Legends (CMR)
Ob Nixilis Reignited - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath - Commander Masters (CMM)
Liliana, Death's Majesty - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Liliana, the Necromancer - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Liliana Vess // Liliana Vess - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator - Wilds of Eldraine Promos (PWOE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Liliana Vess MTG card by a specific set like Lorwyn and Magic 2010, 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 Vess and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Liliana Vess Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2007-10-12 and 2014-12-05. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-10-12LorwynLRW 1212003normalblackAleksi Briclot
22009-07-17Magic 2010M10 1022003normalblackAleksi Briclot
32010-01-01Duels of the Planeswalkers 2010 PromosPDP10 12003normalblackKekai Kotaki
42010-07-16Magic 2011M11 1022003normalblackAleksi Briclot
52014-07-08San Diego Comic-Con 2014PS14 1032015normalblackJae Lee
62014-07-18Magic 2015M15 1032015normalblackAleksi Briclot
72014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Garruk vs. LilianaGVL 322015normalblackTerese Nielsen

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Liliana Vess has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2009-10-01 A “creature card” is any card with the type creature, even if it has other types such as artifact, enchantment, or land. Older cards of type summon are also creature cards.

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