Lich 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
As this enchantment enters, you lose life equal to your life total. You don't lose the game for having 0 or less life. If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead. Whenever you're dealt damage, sacrifice that many nontoken permanents. If you can't, you lose the game. When this enchantment is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you lose the game.
How it works : Lich
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The last ability will cause you to lose the game even if you somehow manage to have a life total greater than 0 at the time the Lich is put into the graveyard or if some other effect would prevent you from losing for having 0 life. If, on the other hand, some effect such as that from Platinum Angel says that you can't lose the game then even the last ability of the Lich cannot cause you to do so. The ability will just resolve and the game will continue as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The last ability will cause you to lose the game even if you somehow manage to have a life total greater than 0 at the time the Lich leaves the battlefield or if some other effect would prevent you from losing for having 0 life. If, on the other hand, some effect such as that from Platinum Angel says that you can't lose the game then even the last ability of the Lich cannot cause you to do so. The ability will just resolve and the game will continue as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Note that usually you will have 0 or less life at the time Lich leaves the battlefield causing you to lose as a State-Based Action before the last ability can even go on the stack.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If an opponent steals control of Lich and no other effect prevents you from losing with a life total of zero, you will lose the game due to a zero life total as a State-Based Action before you can take any actions. The last sentence doesn't apply in this case since the Lich didn't leave the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If you have multiple Lich cards on the battlefield, you must sacrifice a permanent for each damage done to you for each Lich. This is because the sacrifice is a triggered ability. But you only draw one card for each life gained regardless of how many Liches you have. This is because the draw is a replacement effect and not a triggered one. You lose if any one of the Liches leaves the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
You can lose life and take damage, and thereby have a negative life total, while Lich is on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an opponent steals control of Lich, their life total does not change. The life total changes for a player only when it enters under that player's control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If you take more than one damage at a time, sacrifice the permanents for that damage simultaneously. This allows you to sacrifice both a creature and any Aura that is on it all at once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
You can't pay life, just like any player at less than one life can't pay life. You can pay zero life if you want.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Lich + Repay in Kind
- 1Cast Lich by paying
. - 2Lich entering the battlefield, causing you to lose life equal to your life total.
- 3Cast Repay in Kind by paying
, causing each player's life total to become equal to the lowest life total among all players.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Lich
- 1Draw a card.
- 2Sheoldred's first ability triggers, causing you to draw two cards due to Lich.
- 3Repeat step 2.
Ad Nauseam + Lich
- 1Cast Ad Nauseam by paying
. - 2Resolve Ad Nauseam, revealing the top card of your library, putting that card into your hand and losing life equal to that card's mana value.
- 3Repeat the process in step 2 as many times as desired.
Lich + Soul Conduit
- 1Activate Soul Conduit by paying
and tapping it, causing your life total to be swapped with target opponent's life total. - 2Lich causes your life total to stay the same, and instead draw cards equal to the opponent's life total when Soul Conduit resolved.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Lich + Axis of Mortality
- 1At the beginning of your upkeep, Axis of Mortality triggers, causing your life total to be swapped with target opponent's life total.
- 2Lich causes your life total to stay the same, and instead draw cards equal to the opponent's life total when Axis of Mortality resolved.
- 3The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Queza, Augur of Agonies + Lich
- 1Draw a card.
- 2Queza triggers, causing target opponent to lose 1 life and you to draw a card due to Lich.
- 3Repeat step 2.
Shabraz, the Skyshark + Lich
- 1Draw a card.
- 2Shabraz triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on itself and causing you to draw a card due to Lich.
- 3Repeat from step 2.
Faith of the Devoted + Skirge Familiar + Lich
- 1Activate Skirge Familiar by discarding a card, adding .
- 2Faith of Devoted triggers, causing you to pay
to cause each opponent to lose 2 life, and you to draw two cards due to Lich. - 3Repeat.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Lich.
Flash Flying Ebondeath enters tapped. You may cast this card from your graveyard if a creature not named Ebondeath, Dracolich died this turn.
Hexproof You can't lose the game. Whenever you gain life, draw that many cards. Whenever you lose life, for each 1 life you lost, exile a permanent you control or a card from your hand or graveyard. When Lich's Mastery leaves the battlefield, you lose the game.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Lich
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.