EDH Optimizer
Varina, Lich Queen
Legendary Creature — Zombie Wizard · 1WUB
Color identity: Black · Blue · White · Esper
Varina, Lich Queen is Esper (black, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever you attack with one or more Zombies, draw that many cards, then discard that many cards. You gain that much life.
{2}, Exile two cards from your graveyard: Create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Reference price of the card: €2.41
Average lands in decks for Varina, Lich Queen: 36
ZombiesTokensReanimatorDiscardComboGraveyardAristocratsLifegain
Build your Varina, Lich Queen deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Varina, Lich Queen 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Varina, Lich Queen 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: B (71/100)
- Consistency49
- Speed63
- Interaction51
- Resilience87
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 1 Plains, 2 Island, 7 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Wayward Servant · Gravecrawler · Diregraf Captain · Death Baron · Rooftop Storm · Diregraf Colossus · Corpse Knight · Undead Augur · Cryptbreaker · Lord of the Accursed · Temmet, Naktamun's Will · Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver · Necroduality · Swords to Plowshares · God-Eternal Oketra · Zombie Master · Zul Ashur, Lich Lord · Zombie Apocalypse · Bone Miser · The Scarab God · Undead Warchief · Talisman of Dominance · Cemetery Reaper · On Wings of Gold · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Hashaton, Scarab's Fist · Headless Rider · Talisman of Hierarchy · Champion of the Perished · Endless Ranks of the Dead · Lost Monarch of Ifnir · Lord of the Undead · Dimir Signet · Hordewing Skaab · Midnight Reaper · Ratadrabik of Urborg · Cryptcaller Chariot · Path to Exile · Carrion Feeder · Damn · Orzhov Signet · Counterspell · Noxious Ghoul · Victimize · Archfiend of Ifnir · Gisa and Geralf · Plague Belcher · Anguished Unmaking · Living Death · Prophet of the Scarab · Gleaming Overseer · Reanimate · Kindred Discovery · Liliana, Death's Majesty · Mikaeus, the Unhallowed · Warren Soultrader · Relentless Dead · Renewed Solidarity · Void Rend · Binding Mummy · Grave Titan · Command Tower · Path of Ancestry · Arcane Sanctum · Unholy Grotto · Isolated Chapel · Exotic Orchard · Drowned Catacomb · Watery Grave · Godless Shrine · Sunken Hollow · Caves of Koilos · Hallowed Fountain · Underground River · Raffine's Tower · Accursed Duneyard · Glacial Fortress · Prairie Stream · Polluted Delta · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Adarkar Wastes · Bojuka Bog · Field of the Dead · Marsh Flats · Morphic Pool · Flooded Strand · Vault of Champions
🃏 Recommended cards for Varina, Lich Queen
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Varina, Lich Queen, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Wayward Servant | 82% | +76% |
| Gravecrawler | 81% | +75% |
| Diregraf Captain | 77% | +73% |
| Death Baron | 76% | +72% |
| Rooftop Storm | 76% | +71% |
| Diregraf Colossus | 74% | +70% |
| Undead Augur | 69% | +64% |
| Cryptbreaker | 68% | +61% |
| Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver | 64% | +61% |
| Corpse Knight | 70% | +60% |
| Temmet, Naktamun's Will | 64% | +60% |
| Lord of the Accursed | 65% | +60% |
| Necroduality | 63% | +59% |
| Zul Ashur, Lich Lord | 60% | +56% |
| Zombie Apocalypse | 58% | +55% |
| God-Eternal Oketra | 61% | +55% |
| Zombie Master | 60% | +54% |
| Undead Warchief | 57% | +54% |
| Bone Miser | 57% | +52% |
| Unholy Grotto | 57% | +51% |
| The Scarab God | 57% | +50% |
| Cemetery Reaper | 54% | +49% |
| Headless Rider | 50% | +48% |
| Gray Merchant of Asphodel | 52% | +47% |
💰 The best cards for your Varina, Lich Queen 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.
- Wayward Servant
- Gravecrawler
- Diregraf Captain
- Death Baron
- Rooftop Storm
- Undead Augur
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Diregraf Colossus
- Necroduality
- Undead Warchief
- The Scarab God
- Headless Rider
- Lord of the Undead
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
- Bone Miser
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
- Field of the Dead
- Relentless Dead
- Warren Soultrader
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Varina, Lich Queen
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Gravecrawler + Rooftop Storm + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count, Infinite death triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Varina, Lich Queen's color identity?
Varina, Lich Queen is Esper (black, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors 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 Varina, Lich Queen come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Varina, Lich Queen deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.2 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 31 % of the time and floods 9 %. Deck health: B (71/100).
How many lands should a Varina, Lich Queen deck run?
Real Varina, Lich Queen decks run 36 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 Varina, Lich Queen?
The three highest-synergy cards are Wayward Servant, Gravecrawler, Diregraf Captain. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Varina, Lich Queen decks.
What combos does Varina, Lich Queen have?
Varina, Lich Queen has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. 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 Varina, Lich Queen deck cost?
You can start cheap: Wayward Servant, Gravecrawler, Diregraf Captain 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.