Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat 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
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, target creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is that spell's mana value. Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)
Complete guide
Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat is a powerful Dragon Shaman that turns your spells into raw strength. By harnessing the mana of your noncreature spells, she provides massive temporary power boosts to any creature on the battlefield. As a commander with the Choose a Background ability, she offers incredible flexibility in deck building and color identity.
Harnessing Arcane Energy
Livaan features a triggered ability that activates whenever you cast a noncreature spell. This includes artifacts, enchantments, instants, sorceries, and planeswalkers. When the ability triggers, you target a creature and it gains +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the mana value of the spell you just cast. Note that the mana value is determined by the total amount of mana in the upper right corner of the spell, not how much you actually paid to cast it.
The Timing of the Boost
The ability triggers and goes on the stack immediately after you finish casting a noncreature spell, but before that spell actually resolves. You must choose a target for Livaan's ability at this time. If the spell you cast is countered, Livaan's ability still remains on the stack and will resolve normally. The boost lasts until the end of the current turn, making it ideal for aggressive combat phases.
Choose a Background Mechanics
Livaan allows you to start the game with a second commander if that commander is a legendary Background enchantment. This combines their color identities for deck construction. Throughout the game, commander tax is tracked separately for each. If an effect refers to your commander, you choose which one of the two it applies to. Even if Livaan loses this ability during the game, she remains your commander.
Strategic Considerations
To maximize Livaan, focus on spells with high mana values or ways to cast multiple noncreature spells in a single turn. Since she can target any creature, you can use the bonus on herself to threaten commander damage or on a creature with trample or flying to ensure the damage gets through. Remember that artifact creatures like Solemn Simulacrum do not trigger Livaan because they are creature spells.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield and you choose 'Dragon' or 'Shaman', Livaan's ability will trigger twice whenever you cast a noncreature spell. If you cast a spell with mana value 5, the targeted creature will receive two separate +5/+0 bonuses for a total of +10/+0.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen you cast Solemn Simulacrum, Livaan's ability does not trigger. Even though the Golem is an artifact, it is still a creature spell. Livaan specifically requires a 'noncreature' spell to activate her power-boosting ability.
With Livaan on the battlefield, you cast a sorcery spell with a mana value of 4. Livaan's ability triggers, and you choose Livaan as the target. Livaan becomes a 6/4 creature until end of turn. The sorcery then resolves, and Livaan is ready to attack with her increased power.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· 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.
- #2· 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.
- #3· 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.
- #4· 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.
- #5· 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.
- #6· 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.
- #7· 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.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· 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.
- #10· 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.
Legal formats
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