Magic: The Gathering's Commander format allows players to construct diverse and flavorful decks around selected legendary creatures. There are many iconic and beloved commander options that most Commander players are more than familiar with. However, there are currently nearly one-thousand potential commanders that players can use to spearhead their decks.
With such sheer quantity, there are numerous useful legendary creatures that have flown under players radars. Whether these commanders have been seemingly lost to time or have been forgotten for other reasons, they don't get the love the deserve. So today, we're going to examine ten useful commanders that are stronger than most players would believe!
10 Sedris, the Traitor King
A Grixis commander for six mana, Sedris, the Traitor King is an incredibly flexible option for players looking to get the most out of their graveyard. Bestowing each creature in its controller's graveyard with Unearth, players can spend three mana to return creatures from their graveyard until the end of turn, giving them haste.
The beauty of Sedris is the open-ended nature of his ability. Players can build Sedris as a self-mill strategy, putting massive-high costed threats into play with Unearth, or they can make the most out of repeated enter the battlefield and death triggers of their creatures!
9 Kaervek, the Spiteful
Recently printed in Core Set 2021, Kaervek, the Spiteful is a mono-black commander with an ability that is as useful as it is straightforward. A 3/2 for four mana, as long as Kaervek is in play, all other creatures get -1/-1.
This ability can be a huge thorn in the side of token decks as well as decks that aim to utilize smaller creatures. As for a Kaervek deck, there are numerous approaches that could be taken, such as the use of many creatures that have abilities that trigger whenever other creatures die. A Kaervek deck could even utilize low toughness creatures with potent death triggers in order to immediately capitalize on their abilities!
8 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist
One of the partner commanders from Commander 2016, Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist is an often slept on Izzet commander that can be used alongside other powerful partners such as Vial Smasher the Fierce. Ludevic has an ability reminiscent of that of Edric, Spymaster of Trest, as he incentivizes players to attack eachother.
However, while Edric allows players to draw a card whenever they attack an Edric player's opponents, Ludevic lets that player draw a card at the end of their turn if one of its controller's opponents lost life that turn. While the incentive is less enticing than that provided by Edric, it has a significantly lower chance of backfiring by letting opponents draw excessive amounts of cards.
7 Ertai, the Corrupted
Ertai, the Corrupted is a unique commander option from Planeshift that can spearhead a hybrid control aristocrats deck.
An Esper 3/4 for five mana, Ertai can be tapped at the cost of one mana, sacrificing a creature or enchantment to counter any target spell. While consistent access to counters is quite powerful in its own right, the cost of sacrificing a creature can be made into an upside when sacrificing self-recurring creatures or those with noteworthy death triggers!
6 Greven, Predator Captain
Greven, Predator Captain is an Aggressive Rakdos commander that is able to turn its controller's loss of life into an upside. A 5/5 for five mana, Greven gains +X/+0 where X is equal to the amount of life its controller has lost on a given turn.
When paired with a card such as Wall of Blood that allows its controller to pay life at any time, Greven can become lethal at a moment's notice. Additionally, whenever Greven attacks, its controller can sacrifice a creature, drawing an amount of cards equal to its power and losing an amount of life equal to its toughness!
5 Sachi, Daughter of Seshiro
One of the most consistently beneficial things a player can do in Commander is accelerate their mana production. Games of Commander are often won based on which player was able to generate the most mana the quickest.
Appearing in Champions of Kamigawa, Sachi, Daughter of Sachiro is a Snake Shaman who provides shamans under its owners control the ability to tap, generating two green mana. As the Commander of a shaman tribal deck, Sachi is capable of generating absurd amounts of mana by simply utilizing numerous shamans.
4 Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero
The color combination of Boros has long been viewed as one of the weakest color identities in Commander. Despite this, Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero is an often ignored Boros commander who can essentially make board-wipes such as Wrath of God completely one-sided.
This is because when Gerrard dies, it can be exiled, the returning all artifacts and creatures under its owner's control that had died that turn! When used in conjunction with numerous board-wipes, Gerrard can keep one's creatures safe while making it impossible for opponents to establish a board presence.
3 Lord of Tresserhorn
Printed way back in Alliances, Lord of Tresserhorn is a highly underrated option for an aggressive aristocrat or graveyard focused deck in Grixis colors. An impressive 10/4 for four mana, it can regenerate itself at the cost of one black mana.
Lord Tresserhorn's most notable drawback is that when it enters the battlefield, its controller must pay two life, sacrifice two creatures, and allow target opponent to draw two cards. While the two drawn cards is rough, sacrificing creatures such as Gravecrawler can make the toll much more forgiving. Once in play, Lord Tresserhorn can be the perfect recipient of powerful auras and equipment that allow it to take down an opponent quickly.
2 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
While often overshadowed by Sram, Senior Edificer, Danitha Capashen, Paragon is a worthwhile commander option for players looking to play a mono-white Voltron deck.
Danitha is a 2/2 for three mana with the impressive combination of first strike, vigilance, and lifelink. Additionally, Danitha reduces the costs of all auras and equipments cast by its controller. Pairing this cost reduction with her slew of keywords, Danitha can be easily suited up with numerous powerful auras and/or enchantments, making her even more of a threat!
1 Patron of the Orochi
Like the previously mentioned Sachi, Patron of the Orochi is a Commander capable of generating great quantities of mana. A 7/7 for eight mana, while Patron of the Orochi's mana cost may appear steep, it has "snake offering" allowing a snake to be sacrificed when casting it, reducing its mana cost by an amount equal to the cost of the sacrificed creature.
Once in play, the Patron can be tapped to untap all forests and all green creatures. Not only can this ability effectively double the amount of mana a player produces each turn, but it can allow green creatures with tap abilities to be used again as well!