MarduLegendary Creature — Vampire SoldierLicia, Sanguine Tribune
Mana value8Rank#14,196
The Commander
This spell costs 
less to cast for each 1 life you gained this turn.
First strike, lifelink
Pay 5 life: Put three +1/+1 counters on Licia. Activate only during your turn and only once each turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Gain life early to slam Licia for as little as one mana, then turn her into a fast-growing lifelink threat that closes games through commander damage. You ramp her counters by paying life, swing with first strike/lifelink to refuel, and protect her so the clock keeps ticking.
Strengths
- Lifelink + first strike makes her a safe, recurring attacker that gains huge life
- Her cost reduction lets you deploy a commander-damage threat shockingly early
- Mardu colors give access to the best protection, removal, and recursion
- Self-sustaining: attacks gain life to power her own counter ability
Weaknesses
- Voltron strategy is fragile to a single removal spell, board wipe, or bounce
- Commander tax stacks up fast on repeated recasts despite the lifegain discount
- Pay-5-life ability can backfire against burn or aggressive life-loss strategies
- No inherent evasion beyond first strike, so chump blockers and fogs slow her down
Key Cards
- Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh — Not relevant; instead lean on lifegain enablers—see archetypes.
- Soul Warden — Cheap repeatable lifegain that slashes Licia's cost and triggers turn after turn.
- Sunbond — Converts gained life directly into +1/+1 counters, snowballing Licia into a one-hit kill.
- Whip of Erebos — Grants lifelink and indestructible-style recursion while pushing damage through.
- Rite of Consumption — A finisher that throws Licia's huge toughness at a player's face for a kill.
- Berserkers' Onslaught / Rancor — Double strike and trample turn first-strike commander damage into lethal swings.
- Swiftfoot Boots — Hexproof and haste protect your Voltron threat and let her attack the turn she lands.
Upgrade Path
Tighten the lifegain package (Soul Warden, Heliod, Children of Korlis, Aetherflux Reservoir) so Licia consistently costs 1–3 mana, then layer evasion and protection—Whispersilk Cloak, Berserkers' Onslaught, Rancor, and instant-speed protection like Heroic Intervention. Add a backup combo finish such as Aetherflux Reservoir or Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond so removal-heavy tables can't simply pick Licia off, and run efficient Mardu removal and ramp to stay ahead.
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
- ▸Commander damage via first strike/double strike haste swings
- ▸Sunbond/Cathars' Crusade style counter explosions plus trample for one-shots
- ▸Throwing Licia's massive toughness with Rite of Consumption or Soul's Fire
- ▸Mardu life-drain finishers like Aetherflux Reservoir or Sanguine Bond combos
Archetypes
- Voltron — Licia grows herself with counters and lifelink, making commander-damage kills her primary plan.
- Lifegain — Her cost reduction and ability both reward stacking incidental lifegain triggers.
- Aristocrats — Mardu drain effects feed lifegain to cheapen Licia while attacking opponents' totals.
- Aggro Midrange — BRW removal and efficient threats back up an early, evasive Licia beatdown.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BRW), by popularity.
