Vampire Scrivener

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Alchemy Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Brawl Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planechase Legal
Pre-release Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Standard Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Vampire Scrivener

Creature — Vampire Warlock

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

Hey, good latest update, really nice additions of Archivist of Oghma and Bolas's Citadel. Don't forget Caves of Koilos, it's in the precon and an Orzhov dual land that enters the battlefield untapped.

You're right you want more draw and you could cut several lesser creatures for more draw. Use life to get draw by either drawing when you gain life or when you pay life. Well of Lost Dreams is another four drop that like Greed once you get onto the battlefield it can draw a ton of cards because of Liesa's lifelink. Sigarda's Splendor can draw an extra card at your upkeep if your life total changed and it's another source of repeatable life gain from casing white spells.

Dawn of Hope each time you gain life you can pay 2 mana to draw a card. Eye of Vecna draws a card when it enters the battlefield and then it can be repeatable at your upkeep for 2 mana + 2 life.

Fell Stinger can sac itself for it's exploit to have interaction with Liesa, Forgotten Archangel and other reanimation or recursion that you could add such as Sun Titan, Witch of the Moors, Apprentice Necromancer, Priest of Fell Rites. When your Commander has flying then Mask of Memory can be consistent repeatable draw as well as discard to fuel reanimation or recursion.

Court of Grace makes you the monarch for repeatable draw a card at your end step. If you're the monarch at your upkeep then you create a 4/4 Angel or if you're not the monarch a 1/1 Spirit. Palace Jailer makes you the monarch, it also exiles an opponent's creature and that creature never returns to the battlefield unless you lose the monarch which can only happen if an opponent does combat damage to you or plays a card that makes them the monarch.


Some cards to consider cutting for more draw, reanimation, recursion.

  • Killian, Ink Duelist: you have very few cards that have a single target to reduce the mana cost.
  • Vampire Outcasts: the lifelink is nice, but that's all it does for a four drop creature, no other abilities, can do better for four mana.
  • Dawnhart Geist: there's very few enchantments here and it only triggers for your enchantments, can gain more life from other cards.
  • Vampire Scrivener: I know you like this card, but it's too slow and doesn't do anything for five mana. You have Necropolis Regent at one more mana than Scrivener who can put the counters on Liesa the same turn it enters the battlefield. Putting counters on Liesa will do more because she has lifelink.
  • Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts: not a fan of this seven drop, could replace it with Sun Titan.

Well of Lost Dreams or Sigarda's Splendor could replace Vampire Outcasts. Dawn of Hope or Eye of Vecna could replace Killian, Ink Duelist. Mask of Memory is a good swap for Malefic Scythe. Mask can give you repeatable draw where as Scythe isn't doing much because it only triggers when equipped creature dies.

Fell Stinger is an easy swap for Dawnhart Geist. Vampire Scrivener could be cut for more reanimation Witch of the Moors, Apprentice Necromancer, Priest of Fell Rites. Sun Titan could replace Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts. Court of Grace or Palace Jailer could replace Heron of Hope. Heron's ability is fine to gain a little more life, but more draw would help more.

multimedia on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

Hey, you're welcome. Nice, those are good changes to make :)

Think bigger when it comes to your gameplan and card quality? Gideon's Avenger and Vampire Scrivener are low power level creatures who need other cards to make them good and to fit with the deck's strategy. Their game impact is very low. Vampire Scrivener being a five drop 2/2 flier is worse because it doesn't do anything for five mana. Which is not good when you have other five drops like Liesa, Stinging Study, Liesa, Forgotten Archangel, casting + equipping Sword of Feast and Famine, etc. can impact the game for five mana right away.

Your best attacker and life gaining is Liesa since she has flying, lifelink and she's your Commander meaning she does Commander damage. If you need a blocker then give Liesa vigilance which is what Loyal Unicorn does and it's a good card to keep for this reason. I don't think attacking with lots of creatures or building creatures to be attackers should be your game plan here. Liesa as attacker yes, but instead the creatures you play should support the life gaining strategy for value, draw, protect Liesa, make Liesa a better attacker, be sacrificed to keep Leisa alive, etc. Creatures with lifelink are preferred since if they get to attack they might gain life, but think of that as a bonus.

Liesa, Forgotten Archangel is your second best attacker/life gaining and her other abilities are excellent. Markov Purifier is a good example of a quality budget support creature with Liesa since he can be repeatable draw and if you get to attack with him then he might gain life, but you really play him because of his repeatable draw not because he may do combat damage to gain life.


You have a lot of budget filler creatures here who you don't need to play because they aren't helping gameplay enough to take up a deck spot. As a lesson in Commander deck building try to limit to only quality creatures here. This is not about adding/upgrading creatures, except a few that are in the precon, but instead about choosing only the quality creatures you're currently playing.

What we are looking for in creatures is how they interact or support with the deck strategy. If they're good enough support keep them, but if not then cut them. Even budget filler creatures such as Infantry Veteran can be quality, Veteran is not quality.

This list I've made below is not a knock on your deck building, you're using cards you have available to you, that's great and everyone has this same start. This advice is to how to improve the cards that you play to fill in the rest of the deck spots to have a full deck. Filler cards can also be quality, but you first have to know which cards are not as good as others so that you can improve them within budget.

I have reduced the creature base down to 11 of the quality creatures your currently playing. We are looking for good impact from creatures to make when they are played the first turn which means they have some kind of helpful abilities. Less high end creatures because both Liesa are your best high end creatures who are five drops.

If you're still interested I can continue with advice in another comment. Shall I continue?

ThinMargin on Liesa, Liesa, they so flying...

1 year ago

multimedia great feedback! All of those cards were on the maybe list for me for sure. The deck was feeling a little creature heavy.

There are a few mechanics I would like to keep though. I am using Gideon's Avenger and the Vampire Scrivener to counter up and give them life link with one of the 3 enchants I have for that. Makes them good blockers or attackers and a tempting removal burn to keep Liesa out longer. They fit in line with the punishment theme of Liesa. If I had something that did both, that would be better. If Liesa is out, each combo costs me 4 life. It is a side road I need to consider if I can get my Loyal Unicorn out and haven't found my Victory's Herald .

Also, it pains me to let go of my infi-chump blocker. Blinking Spirit is one of my favorite cards for watching peoples heads explode, it probably should have been blue, really. But I can see the sense in getting rid of a recasting creature in a Liesa deck. Good call.

What do you think of this:

I appreciate the help! Cheers!

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