Art: Jesper Ejsing · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root

Legendary Creature — Vampire Warlock · from $0.93

Menace, lifelink If a nontoken creature an opponent controls would die, exile it instead. When you do, you may pay {2}. If you do, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life." Whenever you gain life, you may pay {1}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control and those creatures gain trample until end of turn.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

54 of 100 at $5 or less · 34 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
7	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
8	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
9	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
10	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
11	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
12	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
13	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
14	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
15	Bojuka Bog	Land	0	$1.12
16	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
17	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
18	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
19	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
20	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
21	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
22	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
23	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
24	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
25	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
26	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
27	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
28	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
29	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
30	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
31	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
32	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
33	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
34	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
35	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
36	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
37	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
38	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
39	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
40	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
41	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
42	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
43	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
44	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
45	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
46	Overgrown Tomb	Land	0	$8.00
47	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
48	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
49	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
50	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
51	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
52	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
53	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
54	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
55	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
56	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
57	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
58	Deadly Rollick	Instant	4	$26.52
59	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
60	Woodland Cemetery	Land	0	$0.62
61	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
62	Vampiric Tutor	Instant	1	$48.13
63	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
64	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
65	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
66	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
67	Assassin's Trophy	Instant	2	$1.01
68	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
69	Black Market Connections	Enchantment	3	$10.78
70	Victimize	Sorcery	3	$0.57
71	Deadly Dispute	Instant	2	$0.29
72	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
73	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
74	Llanowar Wastes	Land	0	$0.59
75	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
76	Blood Artist	Creature	2	$2.78
77	Delighted Halfling	Creature	1	$25.91
78	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
79	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
80	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
81	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
82	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
83	Worldly Tutor	Instant	1	$26.58
84	Undergrowth Stadium	Land	0	$5.20
85	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
86	Return of the Wildspeaker	Instant	5	$1.51
87	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
88	Night's Whisper	Sorcery	2	$0.23
89	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
90	Hardened Scales	Enchantment	1	$1.85
91	Tireless Provisioner	Creature	3	$2.33
92	Doubling Season	Enchantment	5	$29.62
93	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
94	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10
95	Buried Ruin	Land	0	$0.38
96	Phyrexian Tower	Land	0	$29.06
97	Thran Dynamo	Artifact	4	$1.94
98	Mosswort Bridge	Land	0	$0.21
99	Fell the Profane // Fell Mire	Instant	4	$5.80
100	Cabal Coffers	Land	0	$20.77

Curve of these staples

Combos with Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root

The 10 most popular of 44 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Basking Broodscale + Essence Warden + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basking Broodscale + Prosperous Innkeeper + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basking Broodscale + Bogwater Lumaret + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basking Broodscale + Spike Feeder + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basking Broodscale + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root + Virulent Emissary
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Devoted Druid + Spike Feeder + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Basking Broodscale + Social Climber + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Crystalline Crawler + Spike Feeder + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Ashnod's Altar + Herd Baloth + Spike Feeder + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite colorless mana · Infinite creature tokens · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Ashnod's Altar + Scurry Oak + Spike Feeder + Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root
Infinite colorless mana · Infinite creature tokens · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders