Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 1

Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 2

If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 3

Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 4

If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 5

Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional {2} the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won't usually be a creature anyway).

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 6

If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 7

An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion — ruling 8

You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

If you would put one or more counters on a creature or planeswalker you control or on yourself, put that many plus one of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead. Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)

Complete guide

Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion is a powerhouse for any deck focused on growth and progression. As a legendary Gith Warrior, she ensures that every time you distribute counters, your forces grow even stronger than anticipated. Whether you are bolstering your creatures or empowering your own planeswalkers, Lae'zel provides an extra boost to every single instance of counter placement.

Scaling Your Strength

Lae'zel's primary ability is a replacement effect. It watches for any event where you would put one or more counters on a creature you control, a planeswalker you control, or yourself. Instead of the original number, you put that many plus one of each of those kinds of counters. This applies to +1/+1 counters, loyalty counters, and even player-based counters like experience or poison. Note that this only applies to permanents you control; it will not increase counters placed on an opponent's creatures.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When an effect or rule attempts to place counters, Lae'zel modifies that event before it happens. First, an effect is cast or a triggered ability is put on the stack. As that effect resolves, if it specifies a number of counters to be placed, Lae'zel's replacement effect intervenes. The game recalculates the amount by adding one to the total, and then the counters are physically placed on the permanent or player. This does not use the stack and cannot be responded to once the original effect begins resolving.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion is how Lae'zel interacts with multiple creatures. If an effect tells you to put a counter on each creature you control, Lae'zel adds one additional counter to every single one of those creatures because each one is a separate permanent receiving counters. However, if an effect puts multiple types of counters on a single creature at once (such as a +1/+1 counter and a lifelink counter), she adds one of each type. Remember that she does not affect permanents that are not creatures or planeswalkers, such as artifacts or enchantments, unless they are also creatures.

When to Play Lae'zel

Lae'zel is most effective in decks that use +1/+1 counter synergies or Superfriends strategies featuring many planeswalkers. Because she also modifies counters placed on you, she is excellent in decks utilizing the Experience mechanic or Energy. Her 'Choose a Background' ability allows for great flexibility in the command zone, letting you pair her with a color that best supports your specific counter-based strategy.

Interaction examples

Standard Recruitment

Solemn Simulacrum

If you control Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion and cast an effect that places a +1/+1 counter on Solemn Simulacrum, Lae'zel's replacement effect triggers. Instead of one counter, Solemn Simulacrum receives two +1/+1 counters. If you were to use an effect that places two counters, it would receive three.

Doubling Down on Types

Roaming Throne

If you control Lae'zel and have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Gith' or 'Warrior' chosen, Roaming Throne's ability does not double Lae'zel's effect. This is because Lae'zel's ability is a static replacement effect, not a triggered ability (it does not start with 'When', 'Whenever', or 'At'). However, any triggered abilities from other Gith or Warriors that place counters will trigger twice, and Lae'zel will add an extra counter to every single one of those resulting instances.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won't usually be a creature anyway).
No other card is named in this ruling.
#6June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#7June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#8June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#9June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
If a card refers to a commander creature you own, a Background won't usually be counted or included for that effect. If another spell or ability causes your Background to become a creature, however, it will be included. Any effect that refers to your commander or a commander you own or control without specifying creature will apply to a Background that is your commander, as appropriate.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#10June 10, 2022· Wizards of the Coast
If you control a Background that grants an ability to commander creatures you own, and you own more than one commander creature, each of them will have that ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.