How to play MTG Commander

2024-04-05

Tabletop GamingMagic: The GatheringHow to play MTG CommanderWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast / Dmitrty Burmak)

Art from the MTG Commander card Zaffai, Thunder Conductor

Jump to:What is it?Best CommanderHow to buildFAQs

Learning how to play MTG Commander feels like an obvious next step for a newbie Magic player.After all, Commander is the most popular casual format of Magic: The Gathering. With MTG being considered in the upper echelons of thebest card gamesand Commander being such a popular format, you’d be hard-pressed to go to your local games store and not come across a group ready to invite you to a Commander game.If you’re keen to join the fun but don’t know where to start, you’re in luck. Below you’ll find a crash course in Commander that gives you everything you need to get started with the format.

What is Magic: The Gathering Commander?

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast / Todd Lockwood)

Angel of Despair Magic The Gathering card Commander legal

How to choose the best Commander

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

A badger with an eyepatch crushes a skeleton in Bloomburrow

To play MTG Commander, you’ll need to have a Commander in your 100-card deck. Your Commander can be any card that is a legendary creature or non-legendary card that specifies it can be used as your Commander. If your creature card is legendary, it will say so to the left of where it details their creature type.In some rare cases, you can have two creatures as your Commander provided you have cards with the Partner ability. However, this isn’t the only keyword that allows for two Commanders. There have been a couple of re-flavorings of this ability over the years, one example being the Doctor Companion keyword from theMagic: The Gathering Doctor Who set.

The strength of your Commander can be measured in several ways. Some Commanders offer raw power and have features like Deathtouch or Indestructible, so they can be relied upon to cut down creatures and damage opponents. However, most play a more strategic role and assist you with things like buffing creatures or creating Tokens.

How to build a Commander deck

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast / Cristi Balanescu)

Art from the Eyes of Gitaxias card from Magic: The Gathering

The two main methods you can choose to construct a Commander deck. The first is a Commander-forward approach. This way, you first decide which card will front your deck. This could be based on their value, a particularly interesting mechanic or hey, you could just really like the art. It’s up to you. Once you’ve made your decision, you can then go about choosing cards that can work to support the Commander’s mechanics.The second place you can start from is with your overarching strategy or theme. Then you can go on to choose a Commander that suits that. For example, you could decide you want to build a Zombie tribal deck and collect some of your favorite Zombie cards that work well together. With that theme in place, you could benefit from choosing a Zombie-focused Commander like The Scarab God, who lets you reduce your opponent’s life total and scry for each Zombie you control.Either way, it’s best to have synergy between your Commander and the other 99 cards in your deck. This way you can maximize the efficacy of both and create some killer combos.If that all sounds a bit too complicated, you can just purchase a pre-constructed Commander deck and tweak it to your liking. Pre-cons already have an established mechanical focus, so it’s easy to swap out a couple of cards and create an upgraded, customized deck.Each Magic: The Gathering set has its own set of new pre-constructed Commander decks, so it’s worth checking outeverything you need to know about Outlaws of Thunder Junctionfor the latest pre-cons to be released.

Magic: The Gathering Commander FAQs

Can I have a Planeswalker as my MTG Commander?

Not usually. Planeswalkers don’t fit the requirement of being a legendary creature. However, some Planeswalkers can be used as Commanders if this is explicitly stated on their card.

How many lands should I have in an MTG Commander deck?

Having around 36 land cards is standard for a Commander deck. However, this will vary from deck to deck. You’ll want to figure out the mana curve of your deck is; that is to say how many cards of each mana value your deck has. This will help you decide how many land cards you need to put your plans in motion.

Do I need a MTG Commander deck box?

Yes. If you have standard Magic: The Gathering deck boxes already, they likely only have a 60-card capacity. To safe store your MTG Commander deck, you’ll want to get a deck box designed to hold 100 cards. Most manufacturers will specify how many cards their deck boxes hold.When comparing the size of deck boxes relative your deck, make sure to factor in the added bulk of card sleeves. A sleeved deck will take up almost double the amount of space that an unsleeved deck will. If you’re opting of the extra protection of double or triple sleeving, be sure to consider that too.

As you’re getting more in Magic: The Gathering, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with theMTG banlist.Looking for more tabletop fun? Give some of thebest board gamesa go. Or if character sheets and d20s are more your thing, check out thebest tabletop RPGs.

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