Lavinia wants a deck that plays small creatures that make life hard for opponents. It also suits a deck that answers everything its opponents play, then wins late.
Mana cost
White, Blue ()
Power / toughness2 / 2
RarityRare
Each opponent can't cast noncreature spells with mana value greater than the number of lands that player controls.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.
Picked for what they do in Lavinia's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Lavinia's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Lavinia works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast19 Mar 2021
Effects that modify or replace the cost to cast a spell (such as flashback or casting a spell without paying its mana cost due to suspend) don't affect the spell's mana value, so they won't change whether Lavinia's first ability restricts that spell from being cast.
Wizards of the Coast19 Mar 2021
For spells with {X} in their mana costs, use the value chosen for X to determine the spell's mana value.
Wizards of the Coast19 Mar 2021
If an effect allows a player to cast a spell without paying its mana cost, that player can't choose to cast it and pay its mana cost unless another rule or effect allows that player to cast it that way. However, if that spell also has additional costs that require mana, paying that mana will stop Lavinia's last ability from triggering.
Wizards of the Coast19 Mar 2021
Players may cast spells that they know Lavinia's second ability will counter. Any abilities that trigger when spells are cast will trigger and resolve if appropriate, and any effects that count spells cast will count those spells if appropriate.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWUPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, U for blue. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.HatebearsHatebears decks play cheap creatures that each carry a rule making life harder for opponents, such as spells costing more. Each one is small, but together they slow the whole table down while they attack.Open the Hatebears pageHatebearA cheap creature, costing 3 mana or less, with a rule that slows everyone else down. Spells cost more, things enter tapped, or players cannot do something. It is the community's word for it, and a deck of them is a Hatebears deck. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Drannith Magistrate, Collector OupheOpen the Hatebear pageCounterspell - HardCancels a spell outright, with no way for its caster to pay to save it. The most reliable kind of counterspell. CounterspellOpen the Counterspell - Hard pageStax/TaxMakes the game more expensive or more restrictive for everyone: taxing spells and attacks, or stopping permanents from untapping. Propaganda, Ghostly Prison. Many groups dislike playing against it, so check what your table expects first.Open the Stax/Tax pageCounterspellCancels a spell or ability while it is waiting on the stack, so it never takes effect. The countered spell goes to its owner's graveyard without doing anything. CounterspellOpen the Counterspell pageControlControl decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of removal, spells that cancel other spells, and extra card draw.Open the Control pageStack InteractionActs while a spell is waiting to take effect: countering it, changing what it targets, or copying it. When someone casts a spell it waits on the stack, and every player gets priority, a chance to respond, before it happens. Counterspell, NegateOpen the Stack Interaction pageStaxStax decks slow the whole game down with cards that make spells cost more, stop lands from untapping, or limit what players can do each turn. The deck is built so those limits hurt it least. Many groups dislike playing against it, so check with your table first.Open the Stax page
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