Liliana, Dreadhorde General – War of the Spark +
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.25
Commander [EDH]: 4.37
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Rulers make bad lovers,
You’d better put your kingdom up for sale . . .
Liliana was part of the first ever batch of planeswalkers in Lorwyn, and it’s always nice to see her in a new set – especially since she often gets powerful cards. This is, of course, the War of the Spark version, and one of the few strikes against it is the mana cost. That’s a late-game card by any measure, and a single 2/2 Zombie isn’t likely to hold the ground at that point unless you’re a control deck in the vein of old-school Cabal Coffers and the like. Of course, that’s a valid deck to play in some formats, and she starts two turns from an ultimate that makes it all over but the crying. I think her -4 ability is intended to be a comeback mechanic, though it’s notable that you can just as easily use it as an engine combined with her passive ability, especially in multiplayer. She might shatter some people’s illusions of love (and of their decks’ viability), but there’s little not to like about this version of Liliana.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
omg woman
In terms of raw power, Liliana, Dreadhorde General is certainly formidable, especially for her passive. Drawing a card when you lose a creature is massive in terms of tempo, and Liliana can both trigger the card draw and get removal going immediately with her -3. That said, she’s not just removal; she can create zombies to serve as blockers/attackers that will also reward you if they die, and her ultimate…well, is going to end the game then and there, more or less, being an asymmetrical Cataclysm that leaves your board alone.
The main issue, of course, is the mana cost; Liliana is powerful, but six mana is quite high, and she won’t usually end a game then and there. Six mana for an engine piece is a tall ask, and while her -3 can break a game open immediately, she’s not quite an immediate finisher. Still, she’s a rare planeswalker that scales excellently to multiplayer tables, and she’s a threat that demands quick answer to avoid a game spiraling completely out of control.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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