The Commander
Flying, vigilance
Activated abilities of creatures your opponents control can't be activated.
Drana and Linvala has all activated abilities of all creatures your opponents control. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate those abilities.
Guide
Gameplan
Drana and Linvala lands as a 4-mana flier with vigilance that simultaneously shuts off every opponent's creature activated abilities while stealing them for itself. You play a midrange/control game using her static lock to neuter mana dorks, sac outlets, and combo creatures, then beat down or close with stolen abilities and a focused removal/protection package.
Strengths
- Powerful asymmetric hatebear effect that disables opponents' mana dorks, sacrifice outlets, tutoring creatures, and creature-based combos
- Evasive vigilant body that pressures life totals while staying back to block
- Can hijack opponents' best activated abilities (and pay with any color of mana) for value or to combo off
- Strong colors for removal, board wipes, and recursion to grind out long games
Weaknesses
- Only a 4/4 with no built-in protection; dies to spot removal and resets the lock
- The ability-theft is situational and useless if opponents lack relevant activated abilities
- Does nothing against noncreature engines, planeswalkers, or instant/sorcery-based combos
- Telegraphs hate and draws removal, making her fragile and a priority target
Key Cards
- Swords to Plowshares — Premier cheap removal to keep the board clear while your lock-piece commander does the rest.
- Anguished Unmaking — Flexible BW answer to any nonland permanent threatening Drana and Linvala or your plan.
- Smothering Tithe — Generates ramp and treasure to fuel stolen activated abilities across colors.
- Teferi's Protection — Saves your commander and board from wipes, preserving the lock on critical turns.
- Lightning Greaves — Haste and shroud protect a removal-magnet commander from spot removal.
- Cathars' Crusade — In token builds, snowballs your board into an evasive beatdown engine.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana and protection (Mana Crypt, Swords to Plowshares already in, plus Mother of Runes, Lightning Greaves, Teferi's Protection) so your fragile lockpiece sticks. Tighten the curve toward efficient interaction and a clean wincon—either a Voltron equipment suite or a token/anthem package—rather than relying on the inconsistent ability theft. Lean into the stax angle with Thalia, Drannith Magistrate, and Smothering Tithe to translate the static lock into a true prison strategy.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Evasive commander damage from a buffed or equipped Drana and Linvala
- ▸Grinding opponents out with removal, board wipes, and superior card advantage
- ▸Stealing and abusing an opponent's combo or value activated ability
- ▸Going wide with tokens behind anthem effects
Archetypes
- Hatebears/Stax — Her static ability is itself a powerful prison piece against creature-centric decks, pairing naturally with taxing and lock pieces.
- Midrange Control — BW removal, wraths, and recursion let you grind while the commander suppresses key opposing creatures.
- Voltron — A 4/4 flier with vigilance is a fine equipment/aura carrier that also denies opponents blockers' abilities.
- Aristocrats — You can win the race on the ground while shutting off opposing sac outlets and life-drain creatures.
Combos
- Drana and Linvala + Kormus Bell + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
→ Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control, Lock, Mass Land Denial
- Drana and Linvala + Living Plane
→ Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control, Lock, Mass Land Denial
- Drana and Linvala + Nature's Revolt
→ Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control, Lock, Mass Land Denial
- Drana and Linvala + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Life and Limb
→ Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control, Lock, Mass Land Denial
- Drana and Linvala + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Living Lands
→ Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control, Lock, Mass Land Denial
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BW), by popularity.
