Legendary Creature — Human Soldier

Lavinia, Azorius Renegade

Mana value2EDHREC#3,104

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The Commander

Each opponent can't cast noncreature spells with mana value greater than the number of lands that player controls.

Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.

Guide

Gameplan

Lavinia is a stax/tempo commander who locks opponents out of free spells and big noncreature haymakers while you build an efficient board and grind value. You deploy early disruption, keep land counts low for opponents via taxes and denial, and close with creatures or a controlling lock. Turn to turn you're trading resources unfairly, punishing greedy mana bases and free-cast cheavy decks.

Strengths

Free, body-as-commander hatebear that hard-counters cascade, free spells, and ritual-fueled cheats
Caps opponents' big noncreature plays based on their land count, neutralizing many bombs and board wipes
Cheap two-drop that pressures and disrupts simultaneously
Excellent in metas full of cEDH staples like Force of Will, Dockside, and cascade

Weaknesses

Doesn't stop creature spells or activated/triggered abilities at all
Easily removed two-drop that opponents will prioritize killing
Symmetrical-ish strategy can leave you mana-light if you over-commit to stax
UW lacks fast ramp and big closing power without dedicated wincons

Key Cards

Grand Abolisher — Protects your stax pieces and stops opponents interacting on your turn, reinforcing the lock.
Smothering Tithe — Generates mana to fuel your taxes and counterspells while punishing opponents.
Drannith Magistrate — Stacks with Lavinia to lock opponents out of casting from anywhere but hand, crippling commander-reliant decks.
Cyclonic Rift — A one-sided blowout that closes games once you've stabilized behind Lavinia's lock.
Teferi, Time Raveler — Forces sorcery-speed casting and bounces threats, layering with Lavinia's restrictions.

Upgrade Path

Lean into fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond) and stack more taxing pieces like Thalia, Heretic Cathar and Archon of Emeria to make your lock airtight. Add a tight wincon such as Thassa's Oracle plus Demonic Consultation or an infinite combo so you don't durdle, and protect it with Grand Abolisher, Teferi, and free interaction like Mana Tithe and Swords to Plowshares. Tighten the curve and add card advantage engines (Esper Sentinel, Rhystic Study) to keep pace in cEDH pods.

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

▸Grind to a controlling lock and win with efficient creatures or planeswalkers
▸One-sided Cyclonic Rift followed by an alpha strike
▸Combat damage from hatebears and tokens while opponents are locked out
▸Compact combo like Thassa's Oracle/Demonic Consultation or Approach of the Second Sun under protection

Archetypes

Stax — Lavinia's land-based noncreature cap and free-spell counter form the backbone of a resource-denial shell.
Control — UW counters, removal, and Lavinia let you dictate the game and protect a few wincons.
Tempo/Hatebears — Cheap disruptive creatures pair with Lavinia to apply pressure while taxing opponents.