Dominaria Remastered returns many legends to the forefront of Magic: The Gathering. From Wizards to Druids, Dragons to Angels, and more — every archetype is ready to command new decks for a new age. Who are the best Commanders to build around?
Naturally, the best Commander decks focus on the leader’s core ability, working every spell around its engine of repeatable effects. Classic Legendary Creature reprints wield the advantage of effortlessly fitting into strategies, combos, and metas they once introduced. Build your own Commander strategies with these remastered legends from across MTG’s history.
12 Arcanis, The Omnipotent
“Omnipotence” in Magic means tapping to draw three cards. And why shouldn’t it? Heavy card advantage turns into a kind of godhood. Arcanis, the Omnipotent casts himself as a flagship commander for a mono blue drawing strategy. With an engine of free Brainstorms and an ability to protect himself when board wipes start dropping, this Wizard Legend unpacks as many options as a blue mage needs.
Surround Arcanis with cards featuring alternative draw-based win conditions, such as Labratory Maniac or Triskaidekaphile. Be sure to include as many “untap target creature” abilities as you can, and don’t forget your Reliquary Tower and Psychosis Crawler.
11 Chainer, Dementia Master
Chainer, Dementia Master makes for a fine graveyard recursion commander. Black mana provides nearly limitless options when it comes to filling graveyards with destroy and sacrifice effects. From there, it just comes down to chaining creatures back from the grave and sending them against their former masters.
The most important factor with a Chainer Commander strategy is protecting him and his Nightmares. Any creatures “exiled” marks them as irretrievable, so make sure to fill your battlefield with free sacrifice effects, such as from Ashnod’s Altar and Altar of Dementia. Ensuring your prime Chainer targets remain in graveyards is a key nuance to unlocking this Minion Legend’s full power.
10 Kamahl, Fist Of Krosa
There are few things more fun than researching and building a big green Commander deck. Choose Kamahl, Fist of Krosa for a commander and you have an Overrun with legs! Fill your deck with Forest-based mana ramp (the best in the business), token generators, and giant monsters that want to trample. Kamahl can do the rest.
Avenger of Zendikar, Kalonian Twingrove, and Oracle of Mul Daya make for great generals in the Fist of Krosa’s army. Make this MTG legend proud by activating his Overrun two or three times in one turn — with bonus points if you cast Awaken the Woods the turn before.
9 Rith, The Awakener
Rith, the Awakener is one of the five primeval Dragons from Dominaria and features a breath attack of lashing vines. In-game, this Dragon Legend breathes out green 1/1 tokens with each instance of combat damage and three mana paid. Left in the sky, Rith can quickly get out of hand.
Importantly, she produces green Saproling tokens — which means that every successful attack following the first should probably be green for the permanent of choice. For some meteoric synergies, Pair the Naya (Red/Green/White) champion Rith with powerful token enchantments like Parallel Lives, Impact Tremors, and Inspiring Leader.
8 Lyra Dawnbringer
Lyra Dawnbringer is certainly not the only Angel you could choose for a mono white Commander build. But she is one of the best. For five mana, this mini-Akroma gets a trio of keywords fitting her station as a battle Angel. Most saliently, she gives every other Angel you control +1/+1 and lifelink.
Drop Lyra on a board already filled with Angels and watch your opponents’ eyes light up in righteous fear. Peruse the ever-expanding halls of historic Angels and pick your favorites. Angels now have tons of impressive tribal boons and ways of protecting each other, such as with Giada, Font of Hope, Angelic Accord, and Aegis Angel.
7 Pashalik Mons
By turning every dead Goblin into a bomb, Pashalik Mons is indeed “the thunderhead that leads in the storm.” Like many Goblin leaders, this Goblin Warrior wants as many on the battlefield as possible, ready to die in glorious violence. Pashalik’s principal creature companion is Krenko, Mob Boss and his favorite enchantment should be Goblin Bombardment. The strategy spells itself out: make and launch Goblins!
Goblin King and Goblin Chieftain, among others, make for great tribal lords. Siege-Gang Commander and Goblin Lookout provide other avenues for big sacrifice plays. It’s also worth focusing on red mana production to take full advantage of Pashalik Mons’ own Goblin doubling ability.
6 Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse produces Cats for every second card drawn each turn. Fortunately, green is filled with creatures and enchantments that consistently draw you that extra card. Construct your jungle of 2/2 Cats, fill up your hand, and prepare for battle with Jolrael’s six-mana finisher.
To secure the Cat summons, Beast Whisperer and Toski, Bearer of Secrets reward the green player with extra cards for constant creature usage. Also utilize versatile card-drawing enchantments like Glorious Sunrise and Rites of Flourishing. And at last, the regal Feline Sovereign gives all your Cats +1/+1, protection from Dogs, and the ability to knock enchantments off of tables.
5 Valduk, Keeper Of The Flame
Valduk, Keeper of the Flame let’s you build a red Voltron (i.e. put all your Auras, equipments, and buffs onto one core creature). At first glance, a Valduk deck only needs him and a ton of Aura and Equipment spells. Supply him with his weapons and armor, and watch as a small army of 3/1 red Elemental tokens continue to materialize around him.
But that’s only on offense and on your turn, so you need to make sure that your turns are huge. Use mass power boosters like Ogre Battledriver, Heraldic Banner, and Incandescent Soulstoke to make your Elementals even more fatal. You should have a blast choosing among the very best equipment in the game, which are mostly colorless anyway. And bring a Brass Squire along to boot.
4 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Tatyova, Benthic Druid features the three main dopamine-inducing effects in the game of Magic — all gathered in one card! Playing lands, gaining life, drawing cards. The Simic (Green/Blue) library of cards is filled with synergies for each of the above.
Tatyova wants a land-based deck, with them dropping early and more than once per turn. Then, you need to make sure your land drops activate an entire board of powerful effects, on as many of your permanents as possible. Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, Ancient Greenwarden, Rampaging Baloths, and Roil Elemental represent just a few of Tatyova’s potential best friends.
3 Zur The Enchanter
Zur the Enchanter is a classic creature with a Commander build that speaks for itself. Search for every enchantment with a mana value three or less in Esper (White/Blue/Black) colors and go all-in. This Human Wizard can quickly become surrounded with general purpose enchantments, as well Auras that can equip directly to him.
Keep attacking to snatch cards like Gift of Immortality, Steel of the Godhead, Necropotence, and even the master enchantment in all of Commander, Rhystic Study, right out of your deck and onto the battlefield. Zur’s taste for perfection means getting every enchantment out of your deck and onto the ice.
2 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician gives us an evil renaissance man whose mastery over life and death will lead to multiversal monstrosities. Naturally, the king of Phyrexia demands a wicked build filled with death triggers, Undying allies, and enemies riddled with -1/-1 counters.
Proliferate is the key power of Phyrexia. Being able to activate one ability that can trigger any number of permanents means it can be exploited for victory. Deliver +1 counters to your permanents and -1 counters to your opponents’ en masse and Yawgmoth will see his will be done.
1 Urza, Lord High Artificer
Urza, Lord High Artificer is a versatile card, with seemingly endless possibilities within it. Mono blue but with colorless artifacts at your disposal, what may you build? Artifact lands and token generators, check. Creature bounce and return effects that produce new Constructs, check. A deck full of cards you would never mind seeing off the top of the deck, ready to cast: Check, check.
Urza’s first two abilities feel like his true power. But what of the repeatable, instant speed, five colorless mana ability to produce free but unknowable spells from your deck? How best to take advantage of this, given you must shuffle beforehand and cannot scry or tutor specific cards there? Don’t worry, one of the greatest minds in MTG is now on it — you!