Some Magic cards, like great artists, are unappreciated in their time. They’ll either fly completely under the radar or receive some hype at first but fail to deliver on release. Then, sometimes years later, a new deck or interaction will emerge that finally puts them in the spotlight. It’s a tale as old as time. This classic MTG fable played out once again this week, with Demilich in the starring role.
Released as part of D&D: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms back in 2021, Demilich did catch the eyes of many players initially. That potential never really blossomed into something more, however, and it was consigned to the bargain bin, until today. With Faithless Looting now fair game in Modern again, it seems this lovable lich has finally found a home.
A Long-Buried Hidden Gem
- Mana Value: UUUU
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Type: Creature – Skeleton Wizard
- Stats: 4/3
- Card Text: This spell costs U less to cast for each instant and sorcery spell you’ve cast this turn.
Whenever Demilich attacks, exile up to one target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard. Copy it. You may cast the copy.
You may cast Demilich from your graveyard by exiling four instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard in addition to paying its other costs.
Despite its hefty quadruple blue mana cost, in a dedicated Spellslingers deck, Demilich is often a surprisingly cheap 4/3. This isn’t exactly game-winning, but it’s not too shabby either. What could be game-winning is Demilich’s second ability. The restrictions on this are, admittedly, huge. It only triggers on attack, not on entry, for starters, and it also asks you to pay for the spell you exile and copy. It’s essentially a much less flexible Snapcaster Mage in most scenarios. If Demilich were printed today, outside of a powered-down D&D set, I expect this ability would be tuned up a bit.
Demilich also has a strange kind of reverse-Delve ability. You can cast it from your graveyard by exiling a whopping four instants and/or sorceries as an additional cost. This echoes the infamous Skaab Ruinator from original Innistrad. Demilich, however, is significantly better as it doesn’t demand you exile cards when casting it from hand. It also gets to use its cost reduction when coming out of the graveyard, too.
It’s a better card overall, then, though it still wasn’t good enough to see consistent play anywhere. The odd copy here or there was trialed in Standard, and occasionally in Modern or Pioneer, but it never really stuck. That changed rather suddenly this Monday, however.
Demilich In MTG Modern
In case you somehow haven’t already heard, this Monday saw some huge bannings and unbannings in Modern. One of the unbannings was Faithless Looting, the key card behind several degenerate graveyard strategies from Modern’s past. Be it Hogaak, Dredge, or Bridgevine, Faithless Looting enabled all manner of shenanigans for just a single red mana.
It was also a central pillar of Izzet Phoenix, a deck dedicated to the titular Arclight Phoenix. In the wake of the unbanning, this is the Looting list that most Modern players have gravitated towards first. The above list from ShadowLoom is just one of many that have landed a 5-0 League finish since Monday. For the most part, these decks are classic Izzet Phoenix with cheap cantrips, loot/rummage cards, and Phoenix as the finisher. Interestingly, a number of these decks are also running four Demilich.
Conceptually this makes perfect sense. Demilich is at its best in a spellslinger deck that can get its cost down as quickly as possible. Its other abilities also reward you for putting a large number of spells in your graveyard. As a graveyard-based spellslinger deck, Izzet Phoenix covers both of those bases. Typical Phoenix turns involve you playing at least three spells to bring your Arclights back during combat. This means Demilich will often cost one or even zero to cast, making it a kind of ‘free roll’ in the deck.
It also shares the huge advantage that Hogaak had as it can be cast from your graveyard. In a deck like this, where you draw and discard cards often, getting to use a card you pitch is essentially drawing an extra card. Subsequently discarding Demilich to your Faithless Looting makes perfect sense since you’ll likely be able to cast it from the ‘yard for free later that turn anyway.
The Real Deal?
It’s great to see a card like Demilich, with so much unrealized potential, finally see some real play in a real MTG format. The card’s price has responded to this newfound attention, too. What was once a sub-$1 bulk mythic is now sitting comfortably around the $13 range. If it solidifies its position in Izzet Phoenix, that value should continue to climb.
The key question here is whether or not this will be the case. Though the card is seeing play in good numbers in a powerful deck right now, Modern is also in an experimental phase. Players are trying out new decks with the unbanned cards, and Izzet Phoenix is just one strong list among many. It may prove less effective as things settle into place over the coming weeks, or it may just drift away from the Demilich plan.
While the card is certainly well-suited to Phoenix, it is just a free 4/3 most of the time. It doesn’t get any real value until it attacks, and it likely won’t get to attack due to its very removable body. This may result in the card being cut for something that furthers Phoenix’s gameplan more in the future. As it stands, it feels more like a nice bonus than a vital piece in the deck. It also isn’t seeing play beyond Phoenix, nor is it likely to. Izzet Murktide is its other potential home, but that makes too much use of its graveyard to accommodate Demilich.
As always, time will tell whether Demilich will secure its place or sink back into the bargain bin. In any case, the fact that it’s seeing play at all is great news for Modern. Perhaps the scars left on the format by successive Modern Horizons sets are finally healing
