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Empress Galina
Legendary Creature — Merfolk Noble
{U}{U}, {T}: Gain control of target legendary permanent. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)
1 / 3
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“Steal legends forever with Empress Galina's permanent theft ability.”
Control
Intermediate
Combat damage, Commander damage
Control, Theft, Artifacts
Strategy
Empress Galina is all about stealing your opponents' best legendary permanents and never giving them back. Her ability transforms those stolen legends into your own resources, and since the effect is permanent, you're essentially acquiring your opponents' best threats one by one. The deck plays a controlling game where you tap Galina repeatedly to strip away enemy commanders, planeswalkers, and key legendary creatures while you protect yourself with blue's typical suite of countermagic and tempo spells.
Your win condition is straightforward: swing in with your accumulated stolen legends, or use them to generate value (activated abilities, card draw, mana production, etc.). Since you're in mono-blue, you'll want cheap ways to untap Galina so you can steal multiple permanents per turn—cards like Umbral Mantle and Sword of Feast and Famine turn her into a theft engine. You can also lean into artifacts and control elements to buy time while you systematically dismantle your opponents' strategies.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip pricey mana rocks like Mox Diamond; use Cultivate, Wayfarer's Bauble, and signets instead. Replace Sword of Feast and Famine with Freed from the Real or Wirewood Symbiote for untap effects.
Signature Cards
Inclusion = % of Empress Galina decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
Community Decks
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Art Variants
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