Lazav, the Multifarious
MKC · mythic · Released 2024-02-09
Power
Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell). The score (-8 to 19) is a rank signal derived from tier + kind + atoms; browse by it on the cards page.
Derived from the 7 atoms below.
above rate
minor value alone
needs a shell
can take over a game
multiple modes
broadly useful
easily answered
Commander Bracket
Archetypes
Roles
Risks
Mechanics
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Typal
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Structural
Rationale
Lazav is a 2cmc 1/3 shapeshifter that mills himself into value: ETB surveil seeds the graveyard, then his {X} activated ability lets him copy any creature card there with MV=X, retaining the ability and his legendary status. This makes him a self-contained self-mill payoff and combo piece — he can become any creature in a stocked graveyard (evasive threat, combo enabler, or utility creature) for the appropriate X mana. Signature in self-mill and graveyard-matters shells; can enable cEDH combo lines by shapeshifting into key combo creatures in the yard.
Learnings (3)
Lazav retains his activated ability when copying a creature, so he can chain into different graveyard creatures mid-game as your mana grows — he's not locked into one copy target for the rest of the game.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Lazav copies the card in the graveyard at instant speed, meaning you can respond to removal by becoming a creature with hexproof or indestructible already in your graveyard, potentially saving him from targeted interaction.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Because Lazav only needs MV=X to copy a creature, filling the graveyard with low-MV evasive or utility creatures (MV 2-4) is far more efficient than chasing high-MV bombs — prioritize density of good cheap creatures over raw power of expensive ones.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Popularity
- EDHREC rank: #8,080