Liliana's Scorn 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
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.
Complete guide
Liliana's Scorn is a powerful sorcery that combines removal with a specialized tutor effect. It serves as the perfect bridge to bring your flagship planeswalker, Liliana, Death Mage, onto the battlefield to secure control of the game.
What It Does
Liliana's Scorn has two main effects: it destroys a target creature and allows you to find a card named Liliana, Death Mage from your library or graveyard. Even if the creature survives the destruction effect (for example, if it has indestructible), the search effect still happens as long as the target was legal when the spell resolved.
Resolving the Spell Step by Step
First, you choose a legal target creature as you cast the spell. Upon resolution, the game checks if the target is still legal. If it is, the creature is destroyed. Then, you choose whether to search your library, your graveyard, or both for Liliana, Death Mage. If you choose to search your library, you must shuffle it afterward, even if you did not find the card.
Common Pitfalls
The most important thing to remember is that Liliana's Scorn requires a target creature to be cast. If your opponent gives the creature protection from black or hexproof in response, the entire spell fails to resolve (fizzles). In this scenario, you do not get to search for Liliana, Death Mage.
When to Play It
This spell is best utilized when you need to stabilize the board while ensuring you have a follow-up play for the next turn. Since it can pull Liliana, Death Mage from the graveyard, it is also a great way to recur your planeswalker after it has been defeated by combat or other removal spells.
Interaction examples
Liliana, Death MageIf Liliana, Death Mage is already in your graveyard because she was destroyed earlier, casting Liliana's Scorn allows you to destroy an opponent's threat and return your planeswalker directly to your hand to be cast again.
If you target a creature with indestructible, the creature will not be destroyed. However, because the target was legal, the rest of the spell still resolves, allowing you to search your library or graveyard for Liliana, Death Mage.
DamnationAfter you clear the board with Damnation, you might find yourself without a win condition. If your opponent plays a new creature, you can use Liliana's Scorn to remove it and search your library for Liliana, Death Mage to begin pressuring their life total.
Living DeathIf Living Death has swapped the creatures on the field with those in the graveyard, you can use Liliana's Scorn to pick off the most dangerous threat that returned to the battlefield while tutoring for your planeswalker to provide long-term advantage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Liliana's Scorn
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Liliana's Scorn tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. You won't search for Liliana, Death Mage. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), you do search for Liliana.
Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Liliana's Scorn
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.