Drana, Liberator of Malakir

Legendary Creature — Vampire Ally

Flying, first strike

Whenever Drana, Liberator of Malakir deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on each attacking creature you control.

Discussion (49)

trippy_mcfly on Mono Black Death Plague

1 month ago

Cool deck. I'm here to offer some suggestions after you pointed me here from your other deck.

Tergrid, God of Fright  ^Flip is a powerful commander and generates insane advantage in 4-player games. Let's take a look at this deck and see what it is doing, and then streamline it. I see three main objectives of this deck:

1 - RAMPING.

This is pretty much a primary objective of any commander deck, since if your only source of mana is playing one land per turn, you're going to fall way behind. Your main ramping plan for this deck is to double lands, using Cabal Coffers, Cabal Stronghold, Caged Sun, Crypt Ghast, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, and Nirkana Revenant. This is super cool and probably a pretty strong plan. We want to try to maximize this plan. How can we do that?

All of these cards want you to load up on basic swamps, which you did. We want to make sure we are playing a basic swamp every turn. Solemn Simulacrum is definitely a worthwhile add. Liliana of the Dark Realms is very helpful and I'm happy to see her in this deck. Often times Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a worthwhile add for decks with Cabal Coffers. I think it is worth it here. Although you yourself don't have many non-swamps that will benefit from Urborg, you are likely going to be stealing people's lands with Tergrid, and counting those as swamps will be helpful for you.

How else can we keep getting swamps onto the battlefield to power up this strategy? Card draw. The more cards in your hand the higher the chance you will have a swamp to play every turn. Night's Whisper and Sign in Blood are great for this. Disciple of Bolas is solid too. Dread Presence loves swamps and is a must-add. I would add Phyrexian Arena, which is great card draw for you. Necropotence, one of the craziest cards in the game, is also a worthwhile addition. Not as good but worth consideration are Yawgmoth's Bargain and Null Profusion. Two other well-known card draw machines in black are Dark Confidant and Bolas's Citadel. You have some costly spells in your deck, so they might be a bit of a liability. If you want to include them, Sensei's Divining Top pairs very well with them.

Just because you are mainly ramping with land doubling doesn't mean there isn't room for other ramping as well. You have Black Market, which I have never personally tested, but is probably decent. Black has some explosive, single-turn ramp with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, and Culling the Weak. These cards would do well in letting you get out expensive plays ahead of schedule, mainly Tergrid. Artifact ramp is also great in any deck. I would add Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Jeweled Lotus, and Jet Medallion. I would consider adding even more artifact ramp as well. Getting down Tergrid as early as turn 1 or 2 is just so good.

2 - SACRIFICE AND DISCARD.

Once you have Tergrid out, sacrifice and discard become powerful effects that let you take control of your opponent's permanents. This is insane advantage and if left unchecked for very long will win you the game. Syphon Mind while Tergrid is in play not only puts you up 4 cards in comparison to each opponent (since they each went down 1 and you went up 3), but also could net you 3 more cards if they discard permanents that then go onto your field. That's insane. Let's take a look at all the cards you have that enable Tergrid:

SACRIFICE:

Archfiend of Depravity - A one-sided, almost board wipe that repeats every turn? Pretty solid. Getting the creatures onto your field with Tergrid? That is nuts. The one issue is that some commander decks won't have that many more than 2 creatures on the field when this comes down, and if they do, then this card and/or Tergrid become a big target, but if you survive the turn, this and your commander will put you ahead so far.

Butcher of Malakir - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Gatekeeper of Malakir - This guy only costs three and steals a creature if Tergrid is on the field. Love it.

Phyrexian Obliterator - If someone is dumb enough to deal damage to this guy, then you're getting a lot of their permanents! I don't love this card for you. People will just leave it alone and then you just hit someone for 5 each turn or leave up a blocker, which is a bit slow.

Sheoldred, Whispering One - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

Dictate of Erebos - I like it. Let's say you have 10 mana. Cast Tergrid, then somebody goes to kill him. Flash this card in. Now, you at least get 3 of your opponents creatures on the way out!

Grave Pact - I like this as well. You can't flash it in, but if you put this card on the field, then people will have to kill this before Tergrid comes down or else end up giving you their creatures.

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

DISCARD:

Liliana, Defiant Necromancer - You need to flip her first, but once flipped she is great.

Syphon Mind - Great.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

... and that's it. We need more cards that are busted with Tergrid! The following would be great adds to your deck: Smallpox, Dark Deal, Liliana's Triumph, Plaguecrafter, Soul Shatter, Mire in Misery, Innocent Blood, Vona's Hunger, Death Cloud, Burglar Rat, Demon's Disciple, Fleshbag Marauder, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana, Waker of the Dead, Bottomless Pit, Fraying Omnipotence, Rotting Rats, Cunning Lethemancer, Merciless Executioner, and a personal favorite: Smokestack.

Notice that all of these cards are typically even trades (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card, everyone else goes down 1 card.) These aren't great on their own since it costs you mana to do so, and, in the case of discard and sacrifice, the opponent gets to choose an asset that they are least upset to get rid of, making them actually below-even trades. However, they become insanely busted with Tergrid. (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card in hand for a measly 1/1. But, I get a Carpet of Flowers, basic plains, and Birds of Paradise on my field? Now that's an amazing play). Therefore, the ones that are recurring are better, since they give you more chances to make sure they resolve while Tergrid is on the field. (ex: I play Cunning Lethemancer and my opponent kills Tergrid. Later in the turn I play Tergrid again, albeit for 7 mana now due to commander tax. Next turn, with the Lethemancer trigger, I get some great value!)

Here are some other cards that work well with Tergrid, although they only target one opponent: Sudden Edict, Hellish Rebuke, Pharika's Libation, Diabolic Edict, Duress, Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Chain of Smog, Despise, and Divest.

Notice that in the absence of Tergrid, these cards are negative trades. They set you and an opponent back by putting you both down one card. The other two opponents are left untouched. Seeing them early in the game is not particularly helpful since you'd rather spend the early game ramping. They are great and slowing down whoever is winning, but at the expense of your own board. There is a trade-off here, since these can be leveraged politically. "Each opponent discards a card"" can give you tons of value with Tergrid on the field but makes you 3 enemies. "Target opponent discards a card"" gives you not as much value in general but you can leverage this to make someone else the common enemy or make a deal with a player ("if you don't attack me next turn I won't target you with my Duress"). Things like Duress can also target specific cards, which is an added benefit for you and an added detriment to the opponent.

I would run some from each category, probably with an emphasis on maximizing Tergrid value.

3 - DRAIN AND GAIN.

Blood Artist and other cards gain you one life and drain your opponent one life. This is cool and certainly an interesting archetype of a deck. It doesn't synergize with Tergrid particularly well. I personally would not use this strategy at all in this deck and maximize the Tergrid plan. However, Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is an awesome combo and an unexpected way to finish the game for you while people are busy dealing with Tergrid. If you want to keep this, I would trim some of the other cards, such as Exsanguinate and maybe Underworld Dreams.

---

So, now that we know what the 3 objectives are, and have maybe cut the third, we have a bit more of a plan. I've suggested adding some card draw and mana rocks for ramp, and tons more Tergrid synergy. What are the cuts? I would say anything that doesn't fit in with the objectives, so basically any card I haven't mentioned already, unless it gives great value on its own. I'll go through some:

Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor are incredible cards and provide great value. Diabolic Tutor, Scheming Symmetry, and Shrouded Lore are worse tutor effects and should probably be moved to the maybe board. Sudden Spoiling is interesting and stops somebody from comboing off on their turn so is probably worth it. Reanimate is good value and should probably stay, same with Animate Dead. Demonic Vigor protects creatures but not Tergrid, unless you want him going to your hand. This is risky but probably fine. I could see him getting countered and then removed from your graveyard which puts you back majorly, but I could also see you avoiding commander tax. Worth looking into. Undying Evil is strictly better since it has instant speed and keeps him on the field. We might also want to protect him with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots

Coffin Queen is too expensive and vulnerable. Drana, Liberator of Malakir is cool for aggressive strategies and can help you close out the game but is out of place in this deck. Falkenrath Noble is an overcosted Blood Artist. Gonti, Lord of Luxury is a value creature that if you can get his ETB many times, which your deck can't really do. Grave Titan isn't worth it in this deck. Gravedigger is fine but might be a bit slow. Helldozer is probably not worth it unless you want to pick on somebody lol. Korlash, Heir to Blackblade is not worth it. Massacre Wurm might not be worth it. Nighthowler isn't worth it. Opposition Agent is always a good add. Phage the Untouchable is too slow and vulnerable. Sepulchral Primordial might not be worth it. Skirsdag High Priest is probably not worth it. Syr Konrad, the Grim is not worth it. Wight of Precinct Six is not worth it. Tainted Strike is not worth it. Lashwrithe is not worth it. That's about 15 cuts right there.

Props to you for building Tergrid and having an interesting ramp strategy. I think if you go more in on the Tergrid plan by cutting unrelated cards for cards that ramp or are good with Tergrid then your deck will be a lot more reliable. After all, the most fun part of this deck is going off with Tergrid!

Hope this helps.

dritchie on Edgar Markov, The First Lord

1 month ago

If your midrange is recommend Door of Destinies. I’d add Cordial Vampire, Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Vampire Hexmage this is good for those pesky plains walkers and gives you a vampire token via Edgar, Blood Seeker fits your sub theme of drain and gain, you need some tutors just as a standard for black decks if you can get your hands on them, Blood Tribute is always helpful you could also add Exquisite Blood and for extra damage Wound Reflection, Patriarch's Bidding For reanimation, if you’re able to generate a lot of mana Exsanguinate might be a good add You also need the mandatory Sol Ring You could swap out Kindred Charge for Shared Animosity You could add Land Tax to help mana fix

Last_Laugh on Edgar's Festivities in Blood

2 months ago

Nice deck. I do have a few suggestions for you though.

First is the ULTIMATE way to push the gas pedal and keep it floored turn after turn. Reconnaissance allows you to swing with EVERY creature safely, deal combat damage in most situations, and have EVERY one of those creatures untapped and ready to block/deter attacks by the end of combat. It untaps to avoid bad blockers (only situation you don't deal combat damage), it untaps after combat damage is dealt, and it can even untap after first strike but before normal combat damage( This is especially broken with Stromkirk Captain/Stensia Masquerade, Drana, Liberator of Malakir, and Captivating Vampire). Creatures are considered 'attacking' until the end of combat step ends. During this step (and after first strike) priority passes around the table, giving you a window to untap).

Second is Scapegoat. It pseudo dodges hard to dodge wraths like tuck, exile, -X-X, sacrifice, etc. If you ever decide to run Purphoros, God of the Forge (who domes all opponents for 4 for every vamp you cast) it also pulls double duty as a finisher. Boros Charm/Flawless Maneuver are worth running also imo. As you stated, this deck folds pretty hard to wipes.

Last but not least, run more draw. Necropotence, Dark Prophecy, and even Greed will ensure you've got gas even after a boardwipe. You're doing the whole black = life for resources... offset it with Exquisite Blood, Sorin, Solemn Visitor, and plenty of lifelinkers.

Feel free to check out my list for ideas. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated. Edgar's Dega Vampires

MTGBurgeoning on Edgar & Eminence: A Love Story

2 months ago

I think if I re-evaluate a portion of the 99 for the purposes of strengthening the life-drain theme a bit, I may be able to reconcile the inclusion of a Dark Prophecy-like effect in the deck. Maybe. I'm usually sensitive to the "don't-add-anything-to-the-deck-that-can-kill-you" mantra of brewing. Perhaps that old-school thought pattern will be challenged in this instance...

I didn't even know Scapegoat existed. Not only do I want to include it in this deck, but I want to add it to my Athreos, God of Passage - Shadowborn Apostle deck. Pairing Purphoros, God of the Forge with Scapegoat is a an amazing win condition. Where has Scapegoat been?!

I did actively choose to pass on Purphoros, God of the Forge in this deck. I have him as a win condition in a slew of other EDH decks like Saskia the Unyielding creature tokens, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain enchantments matter and Muxus, Goblin Grandee Goblin tribal. I wanted to try different avenues. However, I may need to rethink that path after conversing with you and reviewing your deck list. I am absolutely sold on Reconnaissance. I know all about its power level just through its interaction with keeping Kaalia of the Vast alive. A lot of players either choose to skip right through each combat damage step or are unaware of how to really exploit them with interactions like Drana, Liberator of Malakir's first strike ability and Reconnaissance. Drana's synergy already was amazing in a deck like this, but Reconnaissance only makes it stronger. I'm looking forward to enhancing the 99!

bignickenergy7 on Olivia’s League of Demon Himbos

2 months ago

Oh and I didn’t add Drana, Liberator of Malakir because budget, but she is one of the cards I’m definitely putting in if I upgrade this deck.

I didn’t put in Chaos Warp as I have horrible luck. Just god awful. Knowing me I’d bounce a Sanguine Bond to shut down an Exquisite Blood combo, but then hit Vito,Thorn of the dusk rose with it. Also, it’s $2.50.

multimedia on Olivia’s League of Demon Himbos

2 months ago

Hey, well done, you have good card sense on a budget. Nice Master of Cruelties and interesting Demon theme.

Board wipes are very popular in multiplayer Commander and a single board wipe really wrecks you unless you can protect a legendary Vampire from being removed. Consider some budget cards to give Olivia or another legendary Vampire indestructible?

• Gift of Doom: cast it as a morph for three mana and then morph it even at instant speed for no mana cost just sacing a creature.
• Tyrite Sanctum: land that can be a repeatable way to put a +1/+1 counter on any legendary creature you control and after doing so you can sac it at instant speed to give that creature indestructible.
• Daring Fiendbonder: discard it and then exile it from your graveyard for two mana.
• Professor's Warning: instant for one mana until end of turn.

Some other cards to consider adding:

• Buried Alive: very good card to setup reanimation. It can get Master of Cruelties and two other Demons.
• Vile Entomber: Entomb with a deathtouch body to reanimate with Olivia.
• Drana, Liberator of Malakir: legendary Vampire who triggers when she does combat damage to an opponent.
• Goblin Bombardment: powerful sac outlet.
• Falkenrath Aristocrat: sac outlet that has flying to reanimate.
• Viscera Seer: one drop sac outlet.
• Chaos Warp: instant can remove any permanent which is very helpful in Rakdos.

Many of these suggestions to consider are sac outlets that way you can take advantage of sacing and then reanimating the same creatures with Olivia especially Master of Cruelties.

If interested I offer more advice including cuts to consider. Good luck with your deck.

zapyourtumor on Amass Effect (Grixis Amass)

6 months ago

I would run Fatal Push over Moment of Craving , plus 1-2 Dreadbore s (or Bedevil ) to get rid of bigger creatures or problematic walkers.

Angrath, Captain of Chaos and Jace, Cunning Castaway don't seem that great, and even if you decide to keep them I don't think three copies of each is justified. Liliana, the Last Hope is both recursion and removal, plus her ultimate also synergizes if you ever fire it off.

Have you considered a playset of Thoughtseize ? You don't have a single turn one play in the entire deck, and I think this card would be a great way to gain information and disrupt their gameplan.

Drana, Liberator of Malakir might be a nice card to try out for more +1/+1 counters.

Also, your mana costs are pretty demanding so you should definitely cut some basics and add in more Blood Crypt , along with some Drowned Catacomb , and Steam Vents . Fabled Passage could also be used to trigger revolt on Push.

All in all these are the changes I would make:

• -2 Angrath, Captain of Chaos

• -2 Jace, Cunning Castaway

• +2 Liliana, the Last Hope

• -4 Moment of Craving

• +4 Fatal Push

• +2 Dreadbore

• +4 Thoughtseize

• -1 Skyship Plunderer

• -1 Widespread Brutality

• +1 Steam Vents

• +1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

• -4 Island

• -3 Swamp

• +1 Blood Crypt

• +2 Drowned Catacomb

lagotripha on Bordello of Blood

6 months ago

There are two builds for vamps as far as I am aware - go wide with Drana, Liberator of Malakir , and this type of 'sacrifice drain and grind' list.

A card worth considering as a 1-of in all those vampire brews - Blade of the Bloodchief . This equipment is a lot better than it looks in the tribe due to the way it works with lifelink to push out of burn range and lets you spread threats over smaller vampires in stalled board states.

In most of my time playing vamps, Kalistra highborn has been really clunky - keeping the mana up for it disrupts the deck a lot. Its fine when the game grinds out, but even then paying 1 whenever you sac hurts.

Aetherborn doesn't have straightforward synergies beyond vampire, but lifelink/deathtouch means it trades up with a lot of creatures and strategies. Valentin, Dean of the Vein  ^Flip deserves consideration, as does Yahenni, Undying Partisan .