<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana the Faultless|FRA|200" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana the Faultless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://martanael.com/">Marta Nael</a></em></p>
<p>Friendly greetings and welcome to the simulation! I'm either John Sherwood, or I'm another John Sherwood. <em>Reality Fracture</em> is just around the corner, and I'm getting ready for a highly anticipated, original <em>Magic</em> set by brewing one of the previewed legends: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana the Faultless|FRA|200" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana the Faultless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>"All mistakes can be fixed. Even you."</h2>
<p>That's just mean, and a little ironic.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana the Faultless|FRA|200"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana the Faultless|FRA|200" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana the Faultless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the alternate-reality Liliana Vess from Jace's ill-conceived, remade multiverse. <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&amp;order=name&amp;q=%28oracle%3AWhenever+oracle%3Aanother+oracle%3Acreature+oracle%3Aenters%2C+oracle%3Ayou+oracle%3Again+oracle%3A1+oracle%3Alife%29+%28game%3Apaper%29+prefer%3Abest">As a soul sister</a> with a little upside, she's a great fit in the 99 of any deck that already wants <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. So what about that little upside? Granting hexproof is fine, but nothing on this card screams command zone. She's functionally a vanilla 1/1 by herself. That's a feature, not a bug. I love commanders that make players work for it.</p>
<p>I built a Bracket 2 deck around the cost of Liliana's activated ability, which includes the instruction: "discard a card." Discarding cards is a fundamental enabler for graveyard decks, especially in a color without <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/mill">mill</a> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Entomb" href="#" target="_blank">Entomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The alternate-universe version of <em>Magic</em>'s most recognizable necromancer might be mono-white, but she's still keyed to fit in a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator">Reanimator</a> shell.</p>
<h2>Discarding is Good</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, using Liliana as a discard outlet requires another creature or planeswalker to target. The requirement to control another creature is a minor inconvenience in the early game, when a Reanimator deck wants to devote as many actions as possible to filling the graveyard. Fortunately, I found a way to overcome that inconvenience while building in some discard redundancy.</p>
<p>Although Liliana's creature types are Human and Cleric, her activated ability shares a template with a long-neglected creature type: Spellshaper.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tonic Peddler"></div></div>
<p>Two mana and a card is a steep price to pay for three life. On the other hand, three life is a favorable side effect when discarding the card is the real objective. Since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tonic Peddler" href="#" target="_blank">Tonic Peddler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can target any player, it will never lack a target the way Liliana might.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devout Witness"></div></div>
<p>Another Spellshaper, Devout Witness provides repeatable artifact and enchantment removal. Thanks to discarding as part of the activation cost, this <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disenchant" href="#" target="_blank">Disenchant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a stick can put gas in our own graveyard while disrupting an opponent's board.</p>
<p>Remember, discarding cards is good. Discard outlets move reanimation targets from hand to the graveyard, setting up to cheat mana costs later.</p>
<h2>Leverage the Cleanup Step</h2>
<p>Don't forget, every deck has access to a discard outlet baked into the rules: maximum hand size. Good decks don't waste slots on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reliquary Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Reliquary Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because every card above seven is going to be accessible in the graveyard anyway.</p>
<p>Sadly, mono-white struggles to achieve grips of eight or more. White draw tends to be grossly expensive like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or lame like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Secret Rendezvous" href="#" target="_blank">Secret Rendezvous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. So how does mono-white leverage the cleanup step without overspending or group hugging?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gift of Estates"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oreskos Explorer"></div></div>
<p>Catch-up land tutors like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gift of Estates" href="#" target="_blank">Gift of Estates</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oreskos Explorer" href="#" target="_blank">Oreskos Explorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can easily push cards in hand above maximum. In which case another rule works in our favor: the limitation to play one land per turn. Filling a hand with extra lands yields a twofold benefit. First, it makes sure the deck hits its land drops; second, it creates an opportunity to discard a creature for later resurrection.</p>
<p>So what creatures are we reanimating, and how?</p>
<h2>Reanimation Targets</h2>
<p>This deck's mana curve is top-heavy by design, but mana value is trivial when the whole point of the deck is to cheat the costs.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma, Angel of Wrath"></div></div>
<p>I wanted this deck to include some of the game's simpler pleasures, like ruthlessly attacking. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma, Angel of Wrath" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma, Angel of Wrath</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lives up to her title, with enough keywords and power to punish any unprepared defending player. There's no subtlety or nuance here, just pure, righteous fury aimed at an opponent's face.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Sovereign"></div></div>
<p>An alternate win condition as easy as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might induce some groans around the table. However, it's a natural fit with a commander passively gaining life. Opponents can roll their eyes as much as they want. Pitching a Felidar Sovereign into the graveyard to bring back later is a slow, telegraphed win. This is Bracket 2 prime.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scavenged Brawler"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenged Brawler" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenged Brawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of my favorite cards I've never played with. I'm excited to find a home for it here. It's flexible: threatening other players by itself, or pumping another threat.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald of Eternal Dawn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archon of Coronation"></div></div>
<p>Although flash is a little harder to use out of the graveyard, everything else on this Angel is exactly what the Cleric ordered. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Eternal Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Eternal Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hits hard and stops other players from taking the game. There's inevitability in those sunlit wings, daring your opponents to find an answer or lose.</p>
<p>In a similar vein, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Coronation" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Coronation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can stave off the most common cause of player death long enough to wear down opponents through attrition. Putting the monarch in play is the cherry on top. Every game I've ever played with monarch was better for it, even if I couldn't hold onto it.</p>
<h2>White Necromancy</h2>
<p>White trails significantly behind black for the most efficient graveyard recursion with one notable exception: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria, the Sky Ruin" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria, the Sky Ruin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There's absolutely no downside to including it in any mono-white deck for incidental value. In a dedicated graveyard deck, it's essential.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria, the Sky Ruin"></div></div>
<p>Simply by counting Plains we would have played anyway, Emeria resurrects one creature on our upkeep. This deck is already on the back foot for lack of black, so I feel no shame for including <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expedition Map" href="#" target="_blank">Expedition Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="World Map" href="#" target="_blank">World Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Cave" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Cave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to find it. I didn't stop there either. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thespian&#039;s Stage" href="#" target="_blank">Thespian&#039;s Stage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vesuva" href="#" target="_blank">Vesuva</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Echoing Deeps" href="#" target="_blank">Echoing Deeps</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are in the deck to duplicate Emeria.</p>
<p>Sorceries make up a good chunk of the deck's recursive effects.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Resurrection|LEA|34"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Late to Dinner"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Resurrection" href="#" target="_blank">Resurrection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the original white reanimate, first printed in <em>Alpha</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breath of Life" href="#" target="_blank">Breath of Life</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does the same thing, and it's easier to cast. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Late to Dinner" href="#" target="_blank">Late to Dinner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes one step further, adding upside in the form of a Food token.</p>
<p>Next, one of my favorite spells in the deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death or Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Death or Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death or Glory"></div></div>
<p>This card can play politics, allowing opportunities for collaboration against common enemies. Alternatively, it imposes a dilemma for an opponent to choose the threats that will soon be pointed at them. Whether as a promise or threat, it's pure fun.</p>
<h2>Reanimate the Reanimators</h2>
<p>Some of white's best reanimation effects are creatures themselves, meaning they are both reanimators and targets for reanimation. They work together, resurrecting their friends via triggered or activated abilities. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karmic Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Karmic Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has an enters effect. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Scalelord" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Scalelord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does it on attack. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does both.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karmic Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Scalelord"></div></div>
<p>My personal favorites are three Angels: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adarkar Valkyrie" href="#" target="_blank">Adarkar Valkyrie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emeria Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Emeria Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reya Dawnbringer" href="#" target="_blank">Reya Dawnbringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adarkar Valkyrie"></div></div>
<p>Admittedly, Adarkar Valkyrie is restrictive compared to the others. Its activated ability is reactive to a creature dying. Still, the effect is good enough that it became the template for a whole family of black instants, starting with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Supernatural Stamina" href="#" target="_blank">Supernatural Stamina</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Anything that can bring creatures back without paying more mana is going to add up over the course of a game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emeria Shepherd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reya Dawnbringer"></div></div>
<p>Both of these creatures can bring any other creature back from the dead. Emeria Shepherd can even bring back other permanent types if needed. Since it's a landfall trigger, it's possible for this engine to run out of gas. Conveniently, the multiple land tutors mentioned previously can help mitigate that issue.</p>
<p>Finally, Reya returns a creature to life on your upkeep. The wording is identical to Emeria, the Sky Ruin, minus the requirement to control seven Plains. She is a solid reanimator commander in her own right. Just not for this deck. In this deck, Reya completes what Liliana started.</p>
<h2>The Deck List: Liliana the Faultless Reanimator</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Liliana the Faultless" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Liliana the Faultless
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Adarkar Valkyrie
*1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
*1 Angel of Indemnity
*1 Angelic Arbiter
*1 Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer
*1 Archon of Coronation
*1 Boreas Charger
*1 Cartographer&#039;s Hawk
*1 Containment Construct
*1 Devout Witness
*1 Emeria Shepherd
*1 Felidar Sovereign
*1 Firemane Commando
*1 Gold Myr
*1 Guardian Scalelord
*1 Haliya, Guided by Light
*1 Herald of Eternal Dawn
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Keeper of the Accord
*1 Knight of the White Orchid
*1 Oreskos Explorer
*1 Reya Dawnbringer
*1 Scavenged Brawler
*1 Silver Seraph
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Tonic Peddler
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Coin of Fate
*1 Cosmos Elixir
*1 Cranial Archive
*1 Elixir of Immortality
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Heart-Shaped Herb
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Key to the City
*1 Monument to Endurance
*1 Starnheim Memento
*1 Well of Lost Dreams
*1 World Map
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cleric Class
*1 Court of Ardenvale
*1 Elspeth Conquers Death
*1 Land Tax
*1 Marshal&#039;s Anthem
*1 Primary Research
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Splendor
*1 Tale of Tinúviel
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Breath of Life
*1 Death or Glory
*1 Emerge from the Cocoon
*1 Gift of Estates
*1 Invoke Justice
*1 Late to Dinner
*1 Resurrection
*1 Storm of Souls
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Dawn Charm
*1 Disenchant
*1 Erode
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Miraculous Recovery
*1 Stroke of Midnight
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
*33 Plains
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Vesuva
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Make No Mistake</h2>
<p>At this point, <em>Reality Fracture</em> is about a month away. I'm hoping to see some previews with more white discard outlets. Maybe <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana the Faultless" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana the Faultless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a one-of with her Spellshaper-coded ability. Either way, brewing this deck was a lot of fun, and I hope it helps you find inspiration for your next build.</p>
<p>What are you excited for with <em>Reality Fracture</em> around the corner? What would you do differently with this deck? Is there a totally different direction you would take with Liliana in the command zone? Let me know in the comments.</p>


liliana the faultless

Liliana the Faultless | A Mono-White Bracket 2 Reanimator