Liliana, Death Mage — ruling 1

If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Liliana's second ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. No player loses 2 life. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller does lose 2 life.

Liliana, Death Mage : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Liliana, Death Mage 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

+1: Return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. −3: Destroy target creature. Its controller loses 2 life. −7: Target opponent loses 2 life for each creature card in their graveyard.

How it works : Liliana, Death Mage

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1June 23, 2020· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Liliana's second ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. No player loses 2 life. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller does lose 2 life.
No other card is named in this ruling.

Popular combos

Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.

#1
Fauna Shaman + Timestream Navigator + Liliana, Death Mage
Infinite turnsLock
1Activate Timestream Navigator by paying , tapping it, and putting it from the battlefield onto the bottom of your library, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
2Activate Liliana's first ability by putting a loyalty counter on it, returning a creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
3Activate Fauna Shaman by paying , tapping it and discarding a creature card, searching your library for Timestream Navigator and putting it into your hand.
4Cast Timestream Navigator by paying .
5Repeat each turn.

#1
Fauna Shaman + Timestream Navigator + Liliana, Death Mage
Infinite turnsLock
1Activate Timestream Navigator by paying , tapping it, and putting it from the battlefield onto the bottom of your library, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
2Activate Liliana's first ability by putting a loyalty counter on it, returning a creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
3Activate Fauna Shaman by paying , tapping it and discarding a creature card, searching your library for Timestream Navigator and putting it into your hand.
4Cast Timestream Navigator by paying .
5Repeat each turn.

Interactions with other cards

These cards' text mentions Liliana, Death Mage.

Liliana's Scorn

Destroy target creature. You may search your library and/or graveyard for a card named Liliana, Death Mage, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you search your library this way, shuffle.