Commander is one of the most popular formats that Magic: The Gathering has to offer, and there's no better time than the present to get into it. With numerous new upcoming Commander products on the horizon, it's an exciting time to be a Commander player. However, with nearly 1,000 potential commanders to choose from, entering the format can often be daunting for new players. So today, we're going to discuss many of the most beginner-friendly commanders that the format has to offer.
Whether you're a seasoned player of other formats looking to dip your toe into the format, or a newcomer to Magic entirely, these are powerful commanders who can help players successfully start enjoying the Commander format.
Updated August 8, 2022 by Paul DiSalvo: As new legendary creatures are constantly being added to Magic with the release of every set, new potential commanders are always popping up.
While some new commanders add new and exciting deck-building possibilities to the Commander format, others help create a bridge for beginning players to more easily start playing the game.
20 Azami, Lady Of Scrolls
When it comes to blue tribal commanders, Azami, Lady of Scrolls is simultaneously among the most powerful and the most simple to understand, making it an excellent commander option for newer players. A 0/2 Human Wizard for five mana, Azami allows you to tap Wizards you control at any time in order to draw a card. This allows Azami to function as a creature-focused deck capable of drawing a significant number of cards, helping to teach new players the strength of card draw within the Commander format, as you'll never run out of spells to cast.
19 Volo, Guide To Monsters
Volo, Guide To Monsters is a simplistic yet flexible commander that is a great commander option for new players, as it doesn't pigeonhole players into any single type of strategy or archetype. A Simic (blue/green) 3/2 Human Wizard for four mana, Volo states that whenever you cast a creature that doesn't share a type with another creature you control, you can immediately make a token copy of it. As free token copies effectively double the value of each of your creatures, Volo can offer significant combative or utility-based value based on the types of creatures you choose to run. Volo decks allow newcomers to the game to get substantial mileage out of their favorite card, only really demanding that a player doesn't include too many creatures of a single given card type.
18 Giada, Font Of Hope
Like Azami, Giada, Font of Hope is a simple yet incredibly powerful tribal commander. For the low cost of two mana, Giada is a white 2/2 Angel with flying and vigilance that can be tapped to produce one white mana that may only be spent to cast angel spells. In addition to serving as efficient white mana ramp, Giada states that whenever an angel enters the battlefield under your control, you put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number of other angels you control. This means that by simply including a sizable number of angels in your deck, you can gain access to increasingly dangerous threats that are difficult for opponents to block due to angels' characteristic access to flying.
17 Nekusar, The Mindrazer
Nekusar, the Mindrazer is a powerful Grixis (black/blue/red) commander option that features an easily digestible strategy that still offers a high skill ceiling for more experienced players. For five mana Nekusar is a 2/4 Zombie Wizard that causes each player to draw an additional card during their respective draw steps. While this may initially appear to help your opponents in addition to benefiting yourself, Nekusar's most integral ability states that whenever an opponent draws a card, they lose one life. As many decks aim to draw a substantial number of cards throughout a game, this can be incredibly punishing for these decks. Furthermore, as this damage is only dealt to opponents, Nekusar decks are capable of utilizing efficient cards that offer universal card draw to each player, dealing significant damage to opponents while reaping the benefits with no drawback.
16 Fynn, The Fangbearer
Fynn, the Fangbearer is a cheap, two mana green commander that allows you to turn rather innocuous creatures with deathtouch into substantial threats. A 1/3 Human Warrior with deathtouch itself, Fynn states that whenever a creature with deathtouch you control deals combat damage to a player, that player gains two poison counters. As gaining ten or more poison counters causes you to immediately lose the game and creatures dealt damage by creatures with deathtouch are immediately destroyed, Fynn decks are able to easily force opponents into lose-lose situations in which they must choose to sustain poison counters or sacrifice their creatures to prevent a loss.
15 Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
Straightforward yet incredibly powerful, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain is an Izzet (blue/red) commander for four mana that allows its controller to draw a card whenever they cast a historic spell.
As historic spells include all legendary spells, sagas, and artifacts, Jhoira can make for an incredible commander for artifact decks and legendary-heavy decks alike, making sure its controller always has more cards to play. This allows a player to play a wide range of spells without ever running into the issue of having nothing left in their hand to play.
14 Sythis, Harvest's Hand
Printed in Modern Horizons II, Sythis, Harvest’s Hand is a Selesnya (green/white) commander with a great deal in common with Jhoira.
While Jhoira allows its controller to draw cards whenever they cast a historic spell, Sythis allows them to draw a card whenever they cast an enchantment. While this effect is slightly more narrow, Sythis notably only costs two mana, meaning a Sythis deck can get its ball rolling as early as turn two.
13 K'rrik, Son Of Yawgmoth
For those looking to build an open-ended yet powerful mono-black commander, K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth may be for you. K’rrik essentially turns all black mana symbols in costs paid by its owner into Phyrexian mana. This means that rather than paying that mana, its controller may pay two life instead, allowing incredible black cards to be played much earlier.
While this may drain its owner’s life, not only does K’rrik have lifelink, but it receives a +1/+1 counter whenever its controller plays a black spell.
12 Lathril, Blade Of The Elves
Tribal decks are often some of the most straightforward decks for new players to build, as they provide a built-in roadmap of what kind of cards to include.
Released as the commander of a Khaldheim Commander Deck, Lathril, Blade of the Elves is an excellent Golgari (black/green) elf tribal commander that is quite easy to use. Creating elf tokens whenever it deals combat damage to an opponent, these elves can be used by Lathril’s activated ability that allows ten elves to be tapped to drain each opponent for ten life! This provides an elf player with not only a means of creating additional elves, but an additional outlet in which to use them.
11 Torbran, Thane Of Red Fell
Burn is a traditionally mono-red strategy that aims to deal direct damage to one’s opponents in order to win. Due to the high life totals of the Commander format, Burn hasn’t had the best history. However, Torbran, Thane of Red Fell is the perfect commander to make the strategy work.
A red dwarf for four mana, Torbran causes all red sources its owner controls to deal an additional two damage. Not only does this help scale the damage of burn spells, but it helps smaller aggressive creatures pose more of a long term threat.
10 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
As a format with larger life totals and deck sizes, a player's ability to provide themselves with incremental advantages over the course of a game is paramount.
A Simic commander, Tatyova, Benthic Druid accomplishes this in what is possibly the most straightforward and effective way possible. Whenever a land enters the battlefield under Tatyova's owner's control, that player draws a card and gains one life. This helps to keep that player's hand full of options and responses, also increasing the value and potency of mana ramp and cards that put additional lands into play like Wood Elves. Tatyova's nature also lends itself to being rather open-ended and gives deck builders a great deal of creative liberty.
9 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
For players interested in dealing large sums of direct damage and utilizing instant speed shenanigans, Niv-Mizzet, Parun may be the commander for you.
Possessing abilities that synergize with each other incredibly well, Niv-Mizzet can deal one damage to any target when its controller draws a card. This damage can be dealt to players or be used as removal to deal with pesky threats controlled by opponents.
Additionally, whenever any player casts an instant or sorcery, Niv-Mizzet draws its controller a card. This both converts spells into direct damage as well as additional answers, making Niv-Mizzet an excellent option for a control or burn commander.
8 Tuvasa The Sunlit
For those interested in playing enchantment-based Commander decks, if you'd like to access three colors of mana rather than two, Tuvasa the Sunlit is a great alternative to Sythis. As a Bant (blue/green/white) commander, Tuvasa gives its controller access to many of the strongest enchantments in the game when building their deck.
Additionally, Tuvasa's abilities each incentivize playing numerous enchantments, drawing its controller a card when they cast the first enchantment of a given turn, and providing Tuvasa with +1/+1 for each enchantment they control. This means that in addition to keeping your hand stocked, Tuvasa can also serve as a solid offensive threat.
7 Phenax, God Of Deception
Mill, or the practice of putting the cards of a player's deck directly into their graveyard, is often a popular choice of strategy for those seeking to utilize an alternative win condition that is not simply dealing damage to opponents.
Phenax, God of Deception is the most reliable and powerful option players have when constructing a mill-based Commander deck. Possessing the indestructibility and the "not a creature" clause found on all gods of Theros, Phenax is incredibly difficult for opponents to remove from play, meaning its controller will almost always have access to it once it's cast.
Phenax provides all of its controller's creatures with the ability to tap and mill a player an amount of cards equal to their respective toughness. This allows you to have very reliable mill engines and the ability to repurpose high toughness creatures, giving them a means of taking the offensive.
6 Edgar Markov
One of the strongest options players have when seeking to build a quick and aggressive Commander deck is the vampire-tribal commander Edgar Markov.
Possessing the incredibly powerful Eminence ability that triggers even if Edgar Markov is not in play, Edgar Markov creates a 1/1 vampire token whenever his owner casts a vampire spell. This allows an Edgar player to create a massive vampiric brood incredibly early into a game.This also means that as long as you're casting vampires, Edgar is helping support your strategy, even if it hasn't been cast.
Once Edgar is cast, he synergizes in potent fashion with the brood his controller has established, possessing haste and the ability to put a +1/+1 counter on each vampire under his owner's control whenever Edgar attacks.
5 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Easily the most simplistic commander on this list, Ghalta, Primal Hunger is an optimal commander for those still becoming comfortable with the rules of Magic.
A massive 12/12 Elder Dinosaur with trample for the cost of twelve mana, Ghalta's mana cost is reduced by an amount of mana equal to the total amount of power under its owner's control. This incentivizes straightforward yet effective strategies that prioritize the use of large and offensive green creatures. Ghalta decks can help to teach elements of Magic such as mana curve and the elements of combat whilst remaining a viable deck option that benefits like staples of commander such as heavy amounts of mana ramp.
4 Muldrotha, The Gravetide
A very impressive yet open-ended commander, Muldrotha, the Gravetide is a flexible option for a graveyard-based commander that provides a great deal of freedom and experimentation in the process of deck construction.
Muldrotha allows for its controller to play one permanent of each type from their graveyard each turn. This ability allows for a player to have consistent graveyard access, which synergizes with numerous strategies ranging from self mill, reanimation, to even artifact decks that make use of artifacts that sacrifice themselves.
Additionally, being a black, green, and blue Sultai commander means that Muldrotha decks have access to the vast majority of power graveyard-oriented cards that have been printed throughout Magic's history.
3 Karametra, God Of Harvests
Another open-ended commander who works well with a myriad of strategies, Karametra, God of Harvests is a reliable commander who like the other gods of Theros, is incredibly difficult for opponents to deal with once it's played.
Karametra's ability allows its controller to search their library for a forest or plains and put it directly into play each time they cast a creature spell. This means that each time a creature is cast, Karametra is accelerating any strategy being employed, allowing for bigger and better spells to be cast earlier in a game. Whether a player wants to play an aggressive creature based strategy, or one that utilizes enchantment synergies, Karametra is always a viable option.
2 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
Like Edgar Markov, Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is a commander that benefits its controller even when it isn't in play. Causing its controller to gain two life at the beginning of its controller's upkeep, regardless of whether or not it's in play, Oloro is a consistent means of ensuring its controller will always have a stable life total.
Additionally, whenever Oloro's controller gains life (something they will be doing each turn regardless), they can pay one mana to draw a card.
Oloro is a flexible and choice option for numerous strategies that benefit from high life totals or even those that utilize many spells that require their caster to pay life. Oloro also makes for a quite powerful control commander whose ability serves as insurance that its controller will be able to stay afloat regardless of the number of creatures they control.
1 Krenko, Mob Boss
When it comes to self-explanatory commanders, Krenko, Mob Boss is king. The optimal choice for a goblin-tribal commander, Krenko is capable of tapping in order to create an amount of 1/1 red goblin tokens equal to the number of goblins under his owner's control. This means that every turn, Krenko is doubling the number of goblins in play.
Few commanders are capable of creating a mammoth army as quickly and consistently as Krenko. Krenko decks also leave a great deal of room for creativity within deck construction, as these tokens can be utilized in a variety of ways, and as long as goblins are being utilized, Krenko will always continue to do his thing.