by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff
The Liliana, Death Wielder planeswalker deck has proven to be a popular product. Many players are asking how to improve upon what is already the start of a decent Amonkhet planeswalker deck. It's built around the -1/-1 counter theme, which is strong not only in Amonkhet but even stronger with Hour of Devastation. Before you go any further, you may want to refer to our out-of-the-box review of the Amonkhet Liliana planeswalker deck to see if this is a deck you want to build upon.
When making suggestions on how to improve these introductory decks, it makes the most sense to use the current set as the starting point. The reason not to use previous sets is two fold. First of all, you want this deck to be playable for as long as possible.but secondly, if another set is going to be released with similar mechanics directly afterward, you're buying into an archetype that has room to improve.
While this won't always be the case, especially with Wizards of the Coast moving away from a consistent block structure, Hour of Devastation has proven to be a strong resource for improving this particular deck. Let's just say that this deck improvement article was worth the wait.
When making suggestions on how to improve these introductory decks, it makes the most sense to use the current set as the starting point. The reason not to use previous sets is two fold. First of all, you want this deck to be playable for as long as possible.but secondly, if another set is going to be released with similar mechanics directly afterward, you're buying into an archetype that has room to improve.
While this won't always be the case, especially with Wizards of the Coast moving away from a consistent block structure, Hour of Devastation has proven to be a strong resource for improving this particular deck. Let's just say that this deck improvement article was worth the wait.
Possible additions from Hour of Devastation
Ammit Eternal
Probably the best addition to this deck is Ammit Eternal. Besides his awesome creature typing, Ammit Eternal fits right into what this deck is trying to do. We don't mind having to spread around some -1/-1 counters to be a bit ahead of the curve. A 5/5 for 2B is amazing, even if he gets weaker with each spell your opponents cast. However, we will have ways of actually taking advantage of this apparent drawback in this deck as you will soon see.
But there is far more upside to this guy. He can lose those counters if he deals combat damage to a player, so he does have a reset button. And even if he doesn't, as soon as he is blocked his afflict 3 ability causes your opponent to lose 3 life immediately. This afflict ability can certainly make combat interesting, so Ammit Eternal could be an all star in this deck.
Banewhip Punisher
While he may be an outside contender for a slot in this deck, Banewhip Punisher is worth looking at for purposes of considering the options. You may put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature when she comes into play . This doesn't seem all that great for 3 mana, but we’ll have ways to make that more relevant. Plus, the Punisher has an ability to sacrifice herself for 2B to destroy a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it. This can be very useful against a problematic creature. Compared to a couple of our other options that we’ll get to, though, it probably won’t make the cut.
Obelisk Spider
Another 3-drop to consider is Obelisk Spider. A 1 / 4 with reach isn’t bad, but it has a couple of strong abilities. The first allows you to put a -1/-1 counter on any creature it deals combat damage to, and whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature, you gain 1 life and each opponent loses 1 life. The problem with Obelisk Spider is that he’s a bit too defensive for what we’re trying to do.
Driven // Despair
Driven // Despair might be a good Aftermath card to consider for our purposes. Both halves of the card only cost 2 mana. For 1G, Driven gives all of your creatures trample until end of turn, and also allows your creature to draw a card each time they deal combat damage to a player that turn. This is a nice way to gain some extra card advantage. The Aftermath side, which costs 1B to cast from the graveyard, gives all of your creatures menace - meaning each creature must be blocked or two or more creatures. If this wasn’t enough, each time one of your creatures deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
As this is like two cards in one, we could sneak a copy into our deck for a strong effect. We’ll see if it makes the grade.
The Scorpion God?
I really want to dip into red to play the scorpion god, but he sort of throws off the deck's mana base. But being able to draw a card each time a creature with a -1/-1 counter dies on it is so powerful. Can we make it work? We will have to see. This is a very powerful creature. But is it worth being our only Red card in the deck? Probably not.
Ammit Eternal
Probably the best addition to this deck is Ammit Eternal. Besides his awesome creature typing, Ammit Eternal fits right into what this deck is trying to do. We don't mind having to spread around some -1/-1 counters to be a bit ahead of the curve. A 5/5 for 2B is amazing, even if he gets weaker with each spell your opponents cast. However, we will have ways of actually taking advantage of this apparent drawback in this deck as you will soon see.
But there is far more upside to this guy. He can lose those counters if he deals combat damage to a player, so he does have a reset button. And even if he doesn't, as soon as he is blocked his afflict 3 ability causes your opponent to lose 3 life immediately. This afflict ability can certainly make combat interesting, so Ammit Eternal could be an all star in this deck.
Banewhip Punisher
While he may be an outside contender for a slot in this deck, Banewhip Punisher is worth looking at for purposes of considering the options. You may put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature when she comes into play . This doesn't seem all that great for 3 mana, but we’ll have ways to make that more relevant. Plus, the Punisher has an ability to sacrifice herself for 2B to destroy a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it. This can be very useful against a problematic creature. Compared to a couple of our other options that we’ll get to, though, it probably won’t make the cut.
Obelisk Spider
Another 3-drop to consider is Obelisk Spider. A 1 / 4 with reach isn’t bad, but it has a couple of strong abilities. The first allows you to put a -1/-1 counter on any creature it deals combat damage to, and whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature, you gain 1 life and each opponent loses 1 life. The problem with Obelisk Spider is that he’s a bit too defensive for what we’re trying to do.
Driven // Despair
Driven // Despair might be a good Aftermath card to consider for our purposes. Both halves of the card only cost 2 mana. For 1G, Driven gives all of your creatures trample until end of turn, and also allows your creature to draw a card each time they deal combat damage to a player that turn. This is a nice way to gain some extra card advantage. The Aftermath side, which costs 1B to cast from the graveyard, gives all of your creatures menace - meaning each creature must be blocked or two or more creatures. If this wasn’t enough, each time one of your creatures deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
As this is like two cards in one, we could sneak a copy into our deck for a strong effect. We’ll see if it makes the grade.
The Scorpion God?
I really want to dip into red to play the scorpion god, but he sort of throws off the deck's mana base. But being able to draw a card each time a creature with a -1/-1 counter dies on it is so powerful. Can we make it work? We will have to see. This is a very powerful creature. But is it worth being our only Red card in the deck? Probably not.
Cards to Consider from Amonkhet
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Being the master of -1/-1 counter shenanigans in EDH, it’s no surprise that we will want to consider Hapatra. Whenever she deals combat damage to a player, you may put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature. Then, whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a creature, you create a 1/1 Snake creature token with deathtouch. That’s some good value right there! Being a Legendary Creature, however, we will only want to have a couple of copies in our deck. Drawing an additional copy is often going to just feel really bad.
Hapatra's Mark
This one-mana instant may be key to our deck. It gives a target creature hexproof, meaning opponent's spells can't target that creature. But, it also removes all -1/-1 counters from that creature. In a few cases, this is very good for us. We may sneak a copy or two in.
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Being the master of -1/-1 counter shenanigans in EDH, it’s no surprise that we will want to consider Hapatra. Whenever she deals combat damage to a player, you may put a -1/-1 counter on a target creature. Then, whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a creature, you create a 1/1 Snake creature token with deathtouch. That’s some good value right there! Being a Legendary Creature, however, we will only want to have a couple of copies in our deck. Drawing an additional copy is often going to just feel really bad.
Hapatra's Mark
This one-mana instant may be key to our deck. It gives a target creature hexproof, meaning opponent's spells can't target that creature. But, it also removes all -1/-1 counters from that creature. In a few cases, this is very good for us. We may sneak a copy or two in.
Nest of Scarabs
Here’s an Enchantment that’s perfect for this deck that was surprisingly not included in the original Planeswalker deck. It does something very similar to Hapatra in that it makes a token whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a creature. These tokens are only 1/1 Black Insect tokens, however.
But there’s an upside to Nest of Scarabs. You get to create a token for each -1/-1 counter you place. So if there’s one counter, you get one, but if you need to place two, you get two tokens. These little guys can add up fast! Plus, if you get more than one Nest of Scarabs onto the battlefield, their abilities stack and you get an additional token.
Here’s an Enchantment that’s perfect for this deck that was surprisingly not included in the original Planeswalker deck. It does something very similar to Hapatra in that it makes a token whenever you put a -1/-1 counter on a creature. These tokens are only 1/1 Black Insect tokens, however.
But there’s an upside to Nest of Scarabs. You get to create a token for each -1/-1 counter you place. So if there’s one counter, you get one, but if you need to place two, you get two tokens. These little guys can add up fast! Plus, if you get more than one Nest of Scarabs onto the battlefield, their abilities stack and you get an additional token.
Plague Belcher
It’s easy to see that Plague Belcher has a drawback that has made him relatively underappreciated early on in his Standard life. When he comes into play, you have to put two -1/-1 counters on a creature you control. It could easily be him, or another creature of yours that’s expendable. The Plague Belcher, though, becomes a lot better when you have Hapatra or Nest of Scarabs or both on the field. You can always sacrifice a token and get another one in return, or two if you have Nest of Scarabs, or even three if you have both a Nest and Hapatra on board at the same time.
A 5/5 for 3 mana is simply very powerful, as is the case with Ammit Eternal. But this isn’t all Plague Belcher does. Whenever another Zombie you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life. This incidental life loss can win you a game here and there, especially since there is going to be a fair amount of Zombies in this deck.
It’s easy to see that Plague Belcher has a drawback that has made him relatively underappreciated early on in his Standard life. When he comes into play, you have to put two -1/-1 counters on a creature you control. It could easily be him, or another creature of yours that’s expendable. The Plague Belcher, though, becomes a lot better when you have Hapatra or Nest of Scarabs or both on the field. You can always sacrifice a token and get another one in return, or two if you have Nest of Scarabs, or even three if you have both a Nest and Hapatra on board at the same time.
A 5/5 for 3 mana is simply very powerful, as is the case with Ammit Eternal. But this isn’t all Plague Belcher does. Whenever another Zombie you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life. This incidental life loss can win you a game here and there, especially since there is going to be a fair amount of Zombies in this deck.
What Do We Keep and What Do We Cut in the Original Liliana Planeswalker Deck?
Now that we’ve identified several cards that we want to play, we have to decide what will stay and what will go.
Here is the original deck list:
Planeswalker (1)
1 Liliana, Death Wielder
Creature (20)
1 Festering Mummy
2 Dune Beetle
4 Tattered Mummy
1 Channeler Initiate
2 Baleful Ammit
3 Desiccated Naga
2 Gravedigger
1 Crocodile of the Crossing
2 Giant Spider
2 Decimator Beetle
Sorcery (2)
2 Liliana's Influence
Instant (2)
2 Splendid Agony
Artifact (3)
1 Edifice of Authority
1 Luxa River Shrine
1 Oracle's Vault
Enchantment (7)
2 Trial of Ambition
2 Cartouche of Ambition
2 Cartouche of Strength
1 Gift of Paradise
Land (25)
4 Foul Orchard
1 Grasping Dunes
11 Swamp
9 Forest
We would like to keep the exclusive cards to the deck of possible, so we will start with them first.
Tattered Mummy is a planeswalker deck exclusive, and while it’s not the best two drop in the world, there are several things going for it. First, it’s a 1 / 2 Zombie, which fits into our Zombie sub theme. It's also a good target for -1/-1 counter fodder. Plus, when it dies, each opponent loses 2 life. We will keep the full four copies for now.
On the other hand, Desiccated Naga and her three copies will have to go. Her 4 Mana ability isn't bad, but it can only be activated with a Liliana Planeswalker on the battlefield. While gaining 2 life while also making an opponent lose 2 life seems good, it's not worth running over something like Ammit Eternal. We will be swapping these three copies out for that card.
Liliana, Death Wielder and her support cards, Liliana's Influence can remain for now. They still work into our game plan.
Festering Mummy is a good little creature. Unfortunately as a Singleton, he is taking up a space we will need for something else. So he needs to go.
Baleful Ammit is a decent creature, especially when you can dump the -1/-1 counter on something expendable. But these two copies will go to make room for the superior Plague Belcher. We will have a third copy in place of the Festering Mummy.
Channeler Initiate isn't a deck exclusive, but is a creature we want to keep around nonetheless. We will end up cutting the two defensive Giant Spiders to have two more copies.
Dune Beetle is a 1 / 4 creature for two Mana. This is the deck slot which we need for Hapatra, so out go the vanilla beetles and in go two of our better cards.
The two copies of Gravedigger don’t really fit our deck’s theme. We can get away with running 18 creatures, especially with our added token production. These can go and we can add in two copies of Driven // Despair. The trample and card draw will be helpful. The Aftermath side is just gravy.
Gift of Paradise is a cute card that can help us ramp mana. But with a couple more Channeler Initiates in the deck, this is extraneous. We can put a copy of Hapatra's Mark in its place.
The last card we need to include somehow is Nest of Scarabs. This Enchantment complements our deck’s entire strategy. Fortunately, there are some easy cuts to make here. The “brick counters” cards, while interesting, don’t really need to be in here now that we’re adding a more aggressive bent to the deck.
So out go the three artifacts in the deck, and in go three copies of Nest of Scarabs.
Now, here’s what our revised deck list looks like, with improvements to the Mana base:
Planeswalker (1)
1 Liliana, Death Wielder
Creature (18)
2 Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
4 Tattered Mummy
3 Channeler Initiate
3 Plague Belcher
3 Ammit Eternal
1 Crocodile of the Crossing
2 Decimator Beetle
Sorcery (2)
2 Driven // Despair
2 Liliana's Influence
Instant (3)
2 Splendid Agony
1 Hapatra's Mark
Enchantment (9)
3 Nest of Scarabs
2 Trial of Ambition
2 Cartouche of Ambition
2 Cartouche of Strength
Land (25)
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Foul Orchard
1 Grasping Dunes
9 Swamp
7 Forest
We now have greatly improved the core of the Liliana Planeswalker deck. Where you take it from here is up to you. We could easily add cards such as Fatal Push to the deck, since Kaladesh and Aether Revolt will remain in standard together. But for purposes of this exercise, it makes sense to just consider Amonkhet on. However, we’ll make an exception in the case of Blooming Marsh. This is the only green and black dual land besides Foul Orchard that will remain in Standard for a bit, and we already had four of those.
We want to make this deck as rotation-proof as possible. That's why we won't make suggestions that include cards from earlier sets. If you're planning on playing this deck casually, there are plenty of ways you could go in exploiting -1/-1 counters.
What would you add to this deck to make it better fit your playstyle? Which direction would you take it?
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