EDH Optimizer
Empress Galina
Legendary Creature — Merfolk Noble · 3UU
Color identity: Blue
Empress Galina is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
{U}{U}, {T}: Gain control of target legendary permanent. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)
Reference price of the card: €6.59
Average lands in decks for Empress Galina: 35
TheftControlClonesLegendsCounterspellsArtifactsComboMerfolk
Build your Empress Galina deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Empress Galina 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Empress Galina deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency45
- Speed49
- Interaction100
- Resilience82
- Closing52
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (9 nonbasic, 26 Island)
Sol Ring · Counterspell · Sapphire Medallion · Leyline of Singularity · Bribery · Control Magic · Arcane Signet · Blatant Thievery · High Tide · Agent of Treachery · Propaganda · Lightning Greaves · Swiftfoot Boots · Desertion · Thieving Skydiver · Vedalken Shackles · Rhystic Study · Blue Sun's Twilight · Corrupted Conscience · Ioreth of the Healing House · Kira, Great Glass-Spinner · Invoke the Winds · Sower of Temptation · Thought Vessel · Mana Drain · Patriar's Seal · Aura Thief · Cyclonic Rift · Negate · Treachery · Beguiler of Wills · Brainstorm · Archmage's Charm · Clever Impersonator · Acquire · Roil Elemental · Arcane Denial · Thada Adel, Acquisitor · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Thousand-Year Elixir · Confiscate · Mind Flayer · Mystic Remora · Mass Manipulation · Memnarch · Ponder · Pongify · Thalakos Deceiver · Illusionist's Bracers · Phyrexian Metamorph · Aetherize · Mind Control · Aphetto Alchemist · Keiga, the Tide Star · Marvin, Murderous Mimic · Mind Stone · Thran Dynamo · Dramatic Reversal · Fierce Guardianship · Inevitable Betrayal · Callous Oppressor · Harbinger of the Seas · Sakashima of a Thousand Faces · Sky Diamond · Reliquary Tower · Minamo, School at Water's Edge · Mystic Sanctuary · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Arcane Lighthouse · Detection Tower · Myriad Landscape · Otawara, Soaring City · Castle Vantress
🃏 Recommended cards for Empress Galina
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Empress Galina, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Leyline of Singularity | 73% | +72% |
| Control Magic | 66% | +64% |
| Bribery | 66% | +62% |
| Blatant Thievery | 61% | +58% |
| Agent of Treachery | 60% | +56% |
| Desertion | 54% | +52% |
| Thieving Skydiver | 52% | +48% |
| Vedalken Shackles | 50% | +48% |
| Corrupted Conscience | 48% | +47% |
| Kira, Great Glass-Spinner | 48% | +45% |
| Blue Sun's Twilight | 48% | +45% |
| Invoke the Winds | 47% | +45% |
| Ioreth of the Healing House | 48% | +45% |
| Sower of Temptation | 47% | +45% |
| Patriar's Seal | 44% | +42% |
| Aura Thief | 42% | +41% |
| Treachery | 42% | +41% |
| Beguiler of Wills | 41% | +41% |
| Acquire | 39% | +38% |
| Minamo, School at Water's Edge | 51% | +38% |
| Roil Elemental | 39% | +37% |
| Thada Adel, Acquisitor | 38% | +36% |
| Arcane Lighthouse | 38% | +36% |
| Confiscate | 35% | +34% |
💰 The best cards for your Empress Galina deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Leyline of Singularity
- Control Magic
- Blatant Thievery
- Desertion
- Thieving Skydiver
- Corrupted Conscience
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Bribery
- Agent of Treachery
- Vedalken Shackles
- Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
- Patriar's Seal
- Aura Thief
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Treachery
- Minamo, School at Water's Edge
- Thousand-Year Elixir
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Gilded Drake
- Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Empress Galina
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Peregrine Drake + Deadeye Navigator → Infinite blinking, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite mana lands you control can produce
- Tidespout Tyrant + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Empress Galina's color identity?
Empress Galina is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Empress Galina come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Empress Galina deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 95 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 35 % of the time and floods 15 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Empress Galina deck run?
Real Empress Galina decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Empress Galina?
The three highest-synergy cards are Leyline of Singularity, Control Magic, Bribery. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Empress Galina decks.
What combos does Empress Galina have?
Empress Galina has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Empress Galina deck cost?
You can start cheap: Leyline of Singularity, Control Magic, Blatant Thievery are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.