EDH Optimizer
Llawan, Cephalid Empress
Legendary Creature — Octopus Noble · 3U
Color identity: Blue
Llawan, Cephalid Empress is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When Llawan enters, return all blue creatures your opponents control to their owners' hands.
Your opponents can't cast blue creature spells.
Reference price of the card: €0.72
Average lands in decks for Llawan, Cephalid Empress: 34
ControlColor HackStaxBounceComboBlinkBlue MoonSea Creatures
Build your Llawan, Cephalid Empress deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Llawan, Cephalid Empress 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Llawan, Cephalid Empress deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (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: B+ (78/100)
- Consistency58
- Speed65
- Interaction100
- Resilience91
- Closing79
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (6 nonbasic, 28 Island)
Sol Ring · Shifting Sky · Painter's Servant · Counterspell · Sapphire Medallion · Sway of Illusion · Arcane Signet · High Tide · Alter Reality · Sleight of Mind · Glamerdye · Mind Bend · Wash Out · Fabricate · Grindstone · Muddle the Mixture · Mystic Remora · Spectral Shift · Tribute Mage · Blind Seer · Swirl the Mists · Brainstorm · Thought Vessel · Hullbreaker Horror · Distorting Lens · Rhystic Study · Douse · Harbinger of the Seas · Insight · Tidal Visionary · Scuttlemutt · Sea Kings' Blessing · Swan Song · Cyclonic Rift · Hibernation · Ponder · Propaganda · Whim of Volrath · Arcane Denial · Chill · Isochron Scepter · Archaeomancer · Mana Drain · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Back to Basics · Indigo Faerie · Mystical Tutor · Thassa, Deep-Dwelling · Mind Stone · Stormtide Leviathan · Kira, Great Glass-Spinner · Preordain · Sky Diamond · Deadeye Navigator · Ghostly Flicker · Negate · Trinket Mage · Swiftfoot Boots · Defiler of Dreams · Merchant Scroll · Pongify · Archmage Emeritus · Crystal Spray · Blue Elemental Blast · Frantic Search · Mystic Sanctuary · Reliquary Tower · Academy Ruins · Otawara, Soaring City · Myriad Landscape · Urza's Saga
🃏 Recommended cards for Llawan, Cephalid Empress
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Llawan, Cephalid Empress, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Shifting Sky | 76% | +75% |
| Painter's Servant | 75% | +74% |
| Sway of Illusion | 62% | +61% |
| Alter Reality | 59% | +58% |
| Sleight of Mind | 55% | +54% |
| Mind Bend | 54% | +53% |
| Glamerdye | 54% | +52% |
| Grindstone | 52% | +50% |
| Wash Out | 54% | +49% |
| Spectral Shift | 46% | +46% |
| Blind Seer | 45% | +45% |
| Swirl the Mists | 45% | +45% |
| Distorting Lens | 41% | +41% |
| Tidal Visionary | 40% | +40% |
| Douse | 40% | +39% |
| Tribute Mage | 46% | +39% |
| Insight | 40% | +39% |
| Sea Kings' Blessing | 38% | +38% |
| Scuttlemutt | 38% | +37% |
| Hibernation | 37% | +37% |
| Chill | 35% | +35% |
| Whim of Volrath | 37% | +34% |
| Muddle the Mixture | 48% | +34% |
| Indigo Faerie | 33% | +33% |
💰 The best cards for your Llawan, Cephalid Empress 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.
- Shifting Sky
- Sway of Illusion
- Alter Reality
- Sleight of Mind
- Mind Bend
- Glamerdye
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Grindstone
- Sea Kings' Blessing
- Chill
- Whim of Volrath
- Fabricate
- Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Painter's Servant
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
- Mystical Tutor
- Spellseeker
- Displacer Kitten
- Thassa's Oracle
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Llawan, Cephalid Empress
- 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
- 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
- Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake + Archaeomancer → Infinite blinking, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of lands you control
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Llawan, Cephalid Empress's color identity?
Llawan, Cephalid Empress 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 Llawan, Cephalid Empress come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Llawan, Cephalid Empress deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 34 % of the time and floods 21 %. Deck health: B+ (78/100).
How many lands should a Llawan, Cephalid Empress deck run?
Real Llawan, Cephalid Empress decks run 34 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 Llawan, Cephalid Empress?
The three highest-synergy cards are Shifting Sky, Painter's Servant, Sway of Illusion. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Llawan, Cephalid Empress decks.
What combos does Llawan, Cephalid Empress have?
Llawan, Cephalid Empress 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 Llawan, Cephalid Empress deck cost?
You can start cheap: Shifting Sky, Sway of Illusion, Alter Reality 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.