Varina, Lich Queen
Legendary Creature — Zombie Wizard
Whenever you attack with one or more Zombies, draw that many cards, then discard that many cards. You gain that much life.
, Exile two cards from your graveyard: Create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BUW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $32.03
- EDHREC rank
- #5813
Varina, Lich Queen turns every Zombie attack into card draw, life loss, and graveyard fuel simultaneously — she does three jobs at once and demands an answer before combat step two. Pair her with Altar of Dementia and she mills opponents while generating the tokens that feed the mill; Temmet, Naktamun's Will shows up in over 64% of decks running her precisely because that token production is worth building around.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Temmet, Naktamun's Will
Temmet, Naktamun's Will turns the Zombie tokens Varina, Lich Queen generates into unblockable threats, closing games that Varina's card draw and lifegain engine sets up.
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist runs Varina, Lich Queen as a recursive draw engine — the consistent card flow and graveyard stocking keep Hashaton's mummy-tribal synergies topped off every combat.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Varina, Lich Queen belongs — a four-mana 4/4 with a triggered engine is exactly what a 100-card singleton environment rewards, and Esper gives her access to the best Zombie support across three colors. Legacy and Vintage are technically legal, but tribal midrange at four mana doesn't compete in those formats; she won't see a maindeck there. Oathbreaker is an option in theory, but her power level sits comfortably above most oathbreaker battlefields and she's better served at the head of a Commander table where the game goes long enough to abuse her draw engine.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Varina, Lich QueenAltar of DementiaAshnod's AltarAnointed Procession
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Varina, Lich QueenAltar of DementiaAshnod's AltarMondrak, Glory Dominus
Infinite self-mill; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
No single card fully replicates what Varina, Lich Queen does — her draw, discard, and token generation are bundled into one four-mana body — but Zombie tribal players on a budget often lean on Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver as a draw-and-token engine at a fraction of the price. Wilhelt sacrifices the lifegain and the Esper color identity, locking you into Dimir, but the token generation and card flow are comparable enough that he's the default fallback when $32 is too steep.
Price Context
Current price
$32.03 premium tier
At $32.03, Varina, Lich Queen sits in the premium tier — justified by her role as the go-to Esper Zombie commander in a format where four-mana engines with this much text don't rotate. That price has stayed stable because she's a casual staple with no competitive demand pulling it up or down, so expect it to hold.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.