Princess Lucrezia 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

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Complete guide

Princess Lucrezia is a classic legendary creature from the early days of Magic: The Gathering, hailing from the realm of Legends. Despite her high mana cost, she serves as a stable mana producer and a flavorful addition to blue and black decks. Let's dive into how this royal Wizard functions on the battlefield and how she interacts with your other cards.

What It Does

Princess Lucrezia is a 5/4 Legendary Creature with a simple but effective mana-producing ability. By tapping her, you add one blue mana to your mana pool. Unlike many modern mana creatures that cost one or two mana, the Princess has a significant presence on the board with her power and toughness, while still providing utility for your more expensive spells.

How It Resolves

Using Princess Lucrezia's ability follows the standard rules for activated abilities. First, ensure she does not have summoning sickness (unless she gained Haste). You declare you are activating her ability and pay the cost by tapping the card. Because this is a mana ability, it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to; you simply receive the blue mana immediately to spend on spells or other abilities.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is forgetting that Princess Lucrezia is a Legendary permanent. If you control one and attempt to play another, the 'Legend Rule' will apply, forcing you to choose one to keep and put the other into the graveyard. Additionally, players often overlook her high mana cost; she is an expensive source of ramp, so she is best used when her 5/4 body is also relevant to combat.

When to Play It

Princess Lucrezia is best played in Commander or casual formats where you need consistent blue mana and want to increase your devotion counts. Because she is both Blue and Black in her mana cost, she contributes to devotion for both colors, making her a functional piece in decks that care about the specific mana symbols on your permanents.

Interaction examples

Boosting Devotion

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

When Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield, it checks your devotion to black. Even though Princess Lucrezia primarily produces blue mana, her mana cost includes one black mana symbol. This means she will contribute 1 to the X value for the Merchant's life-drain ability, helping you drain your opponents for more health.

Fueling the Mill

Syr Konrad, the Grim

If you have Syr Konrad, the Grim on the battlefield, you can tap Princess Lucrezia to add blue mana. While this mana cannot pay for Konrad's black mana requirement, it can cover the generic portion of his activation cost. You can use the blue mana from the Princess to help pay for Konrad's ability to mill cards, potentially triggering his damage ability if creatures are put into graveyards.

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