Liliana Vess is basically the face of "it's complicated." Most people look at her and see a necromancer in a purple dress, someone who raises zombies and makes deals with demons because she's selfish. That's the surface level. If you've been following Magic: The Gathering for a while, you know she’s actually one of the most layered, tragic, and honestly frustrating characters Wizards of the Coast ever designed.
She isn't just a villain. She isn't just a hero either. She’s a survivor who has spent over two centuries trying to outrun her own mistakes, only to find out the multiverse has a very long memory.
Why Liliana Magic the Gathering Is More Than Just Zombies
If you want to understand Liliana, you have to go back to Dominaria. Specifically, the Caligo Forest. She started as a healer. She wasn't born with a shovel in her hand looking for corpses; she was trying to save her brother, Josu. The Raven Man—this mysterious, flickering entity that has haunted her for her entire life—tricked her into using "darker" medicine. She turned her brother into a lich. Her spark ignited from the trauma, and she spent the next couple hundred years trying to make sure nobody could ever hurt her like that again.
That's the core of her character. Every "evil" thing she's done—the four demonic pacts, the use of the Chain Veil, even working for Nicol Bolas—was motivated by a desperate, almost pathetic need for autonomy. She traded her soul piece by piece just to stop being a pawn, only to realize she’d become the ultimate pawn in Bolas’s game during War of the Spark.
The Professor Onyx Pivot
Lately, we’ve seen a massive shift. After Gideon Jura sacrificed himself to save her (a debt she can never repay), she went into hiding on Arcavios. She took the name Professor Onyx. She wasn't raising armies; she was teaching kids at Strixhaven how to not mess up their lives with necromancy like she did.
It was a redemption arc that actually felt earned. She dropped the "Onyx" alias eventually and just went by Professor Vess, choosing to face her past rather than hide from it. But just when you think she’s settled into a quiet life of grading essays and drinking tea, the lore takes a sharp turn.
What’s Happening Now: The White Liliana Mystery
If you’ve been keeping up with the Lorwyn Eclipsed story that wrapped up recently, things just got weird. Like, really weird. There’s a scene where Liliana is in her office at Strixhaven and hears a knock. She opens the door and finds... herself. But not the Liliana we know.
This version is wearing a tailored white gown. She’s smiling a "warm, sisterly smile" and looks like she’s never seen a graveyard in her life. This "White Liliana" is the centerpiece of the upcoming Reality Fracture leaks we’ve been seeing for the late 2026 sets.
- The Theory: Jace Beleren is currently messing with the multiverse’s foundations.
- The "What If": Rumors suggest we’re getting color-shifted versions of iconic walkers.
- The Leak: A white-aligned healer version of Liliana (possibly a creature, not a walker) who represents what she might have been if she’d saved Josu instead of cursing him.
It’s a fascinating look at the character's duality. We've spent eighteen years with the necromancer. Seeing a version of her that uses light instead of rot is going to flip the script for a lot of Commander players.
Essential Liliana Cards for Your Deck
You can't talk about Liliana without talking about the cardboard. She has some of the most oppressive, game-warping cards in the history of the game. If you're building a deck, these are the ones that actually matter.
Liliana of the Veil
This is the gold standard. For three mana ($$2B$$), she shreds hands and forced sacrifices. She was the queen of Modern for a decade for a reason. She doesn't care about your feelings; she cares about card advantage.
Liliana, Dreadhorde General
The ultimate top-end for any Zombie tribal or aristocrats deck. Her passive ability—drawing a card whenever a creature you control dies—is basically a cheat code in Commander. You wipe the board, everyone else loses their stuff, and you draw twenty cards.
Professor Onyx
People slept on this card at first because it’s six mana, but in a "Spellslinger" deck? She’s lethal. Her Magecraft trigger drains opponents for 2 life every time you cast or copy an instant or sorcery. Pair her with Chain of Smog and you just win the game on the spot. It’s a bit of a "jerk move" in casual pods, but hey, that’s Liliana for you.
The Truth About the Chain Veil
One of the biggest misconceptions is that Liliana is "all-powerful" because of the Chain Veil. In reality, the Veil is a curse. It’s an artifact created by the Onakke (an extinct race of ogres) that amplifies magic but slowly kills the user. Every time she used it to melt a demon or blow up a Dreadhorde, it was literally carving lines into her skin and mind.
In the current 2026 lore, she’s mostly moved away from it, but that power-hungry itch is part of her DNA. You can see it in her most recent cards where she’s less about "destroying everything" and more about "controlling the graveyard."
How to Actually Play Liliana in 2026
If you're sitting down at a table today, playing Liliana isn't just about mono-black goodstuff. It’s about timing.
- Don't jam her on curve. Most Liliana planeswalkers have high "threat resonance." If you drop Liliana, Waker of the Dead on turn four without a board, she’s going to die before you untap. Use her as a follow-up to a board wipe.
- Focus on the Graveyard. Cards like Liliana, Death's Majesty are better than they look because they provide a recursive engine. You don't want to just kill things; you want to bring them back.
- Embrace the Discard. Liliana of the Veil and Liliana, Heretical Healer reward you for having an empty hand or a full graveyard. Build your deck to take advantage of the symmetry.
Honestly, the best way to respect the character's history is to build a deck that feels like a struggle for power. Use cards that cost life. Use "reckless" draw spells. Liliana is at her best when she's backed into a corner and has to do something "questionable" to win.
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The future of Liliana Vess looks... bright? Which is terrifying for a mono-black fan. Whether the "White Liliana" from the Reality Fracture leaks is a temporary illusion or a permanent shift in the timeline, she remains the most compelling character in the game's history.
Next Steps for Your Collection
Check your local game store for the Foundations reprints of Liliana; they’re currently the most affordable way to get high-power versions of her for your Commander decks. If you're a lore nut, keep a close eye on the Secrets of Strixhaven story drops scheduled for April—that’s where we’ll likely see the "conversation" between the two Lilianas play out.