Commander is a widely popular Magic: The Gathering format that allows for players to utilize a wide variety of strategies. While many players seek to build focused and pinpointed decks that revolve around a specific card or mechanic, some players seek a more well-rounded approach. Sometimes referred to as simply "good stuff" decks, these decks seek to not put all of their eggs in one basket and use a plethora of powerful cards with numerous uses.
Not all potential commanders are well equipped to be used as the centerpiece for such a deck, so today we're going to dive into ten commanders flexible enough to lead a "good stuff" commander deck.
10 Kambal, Consul Of Allocation
Costing only three mana, Kambal, Consul of Allocation is an excellent Orzhov Commander who will make an impact on a game regardless whether or not a deck is built around him.
Once he's on the battlefield, Kambal drains opponents two life and gains two life for his controller whenever they happen to cast a noncreature spell. This can subtly cause life totals to fluctuate in a Kambal player's favor over the course of the game with a very small investment of mana. Due to the nature of his ability, Kambal can be used in conjunction with numerous strategies ranging from control, to aristocrats.
9 Ruric Thar, The Unbowed
Similarly to Kambal, Ruric Thar, the Unbowed is a commander who requires little support from the rest of its respective deck, effectively deterring opponents from casting noncreature spells.
For six mana, Ruric Thar is a 6/6 with vigilance and reach who causes players to lose six life each time they cast a noncreature spell. This damage can accumulate very quickly whilst making players hesitant to play non-creature spells.
8 Nicol Bolas, The Ravager
An excellent choice for those who want access to the three colors that make up Grixis is Nicol Bolas, the Ravager.
This incarnation of Bolas has the distinction of entering the battlefield as a creature, possessing the ability to flip, becoming a Planeswalker later into a game.
Once this card flips and becomes Nicol Bolas, the Arisen, it gains access to numerous powerful abilities such as the abilities to draw cards, deal direct damage to creatures, and reanimate creatures from opponent's graveyards. While Bolas itself it a strong commander, it requires little support and can be back up by nearly any strategy a player would seek to employ.
7 Anafenza, The Foremost
Low costed and providing its controller with access to three colors, Anafenza functions similarly to an enchantment due to the nature of her ability. As long as Anafenza is in play, if a card would be put in an opponents graveyard from anywhere, it is exiled instead.
The Commander format is brimming with decks and strategies that seek to manipulate one's graveyard, and Anafenza puts the breaks on any such strategy with minimal effort from her controller. This allows the Anafenza player to interfere with opponents while using any and all cards they see fit.
6 Zacama, Primal Calamity
Enormous and splashy, the three-headed Elder Dinosaur, Zacama, Primal Calamity is a powerful and flexible commander that provides a player of its respective deck with access to red, white, and green.
Though costly at nine mana, upon entering the battlefield, Zacama untaps all lands under its owners control. This allows the spell to essentially pay for itself once its controller has enough lands in play.
Additionally, Zacama possesses three useful abilities that can be used in numerous situations, allowing the dino to deal direct damage to creatures, destroy pesky artifacts and enchantments, and even gain life in a pinch.
5 Karametra, God Of Harvests
Karametra, God of Harvests is one of those commanders who once played, can make an enormous impact on a game by having its controller simply play cards they'd already want to be playing.
For five mana, Karametra tutors its controller's library for a land and puts it into play whenever they cast a creature spell. This ability is incredibly important, and is capable of accelerating the resources of its controller very quickly.
As if this weren't enough, Karametra is a god of Theros. This means that it comes along with indestructibility and a clause stating that it is not a creature unless a devotion-based threshold is made, making Karametra very hard to remove.
4 Mogis, God Of Slaughter
Another god of Theros like the previously mentioned Karametra, Mogis God of Slaughter is a Commander who can have a notable impact on opponents even when not being built around.
At the cost of a reasonable four mana, Mogis constantly makes prods at opponents resources, dealing two damage during each player's upkeep unless they sacrifice a creature. Many opponents will repeatedly take the two damage, passing it off as negligible, but over time it can accumulate.
Furthermore, if Mogis's controller ever possesses devotion to red and black greater than or equal to seven, Mogis can be used as an undercosted 7/5 with indestructible that only required an investment of four mana.
3 Queen Marchesa
A potent commander who creates an interesting political dynamic within a game of Commander, upon entering the battlefield, Queen Marchesa's controller becomes the monarch. This allows them to draw an extra card during the end of their turn. However, the monarch mechanic states that if the monarch is dealt combat damage, the player that dealt said damage becomes the monarch.
Marchesa offsets this by creating a 1/1 assassin token with deathtouch and haste at the beginning of each of upkeep in which her controller is not the monarch. This allows for Marchesa's owner to both build up card draw and creatures to ensure that her controller remains the monarch, all whilst allowing for flexibile deck construction.
2 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Two things that any player would want in a given game of commander are to draw cards, and play lands.
Whilst simplistic, Tatyova Benthic Druid is a commander that allows its controller to draw a card and gain one life each time they play a land. This gives lands a significant amount more value, as they immediately replace themselves in a Tatyova player's hand, constantly making sure they have answers and spells to cast.
Tatyova is a very open ended commander with numerous deck possibilities that rewards both veterans and newcomers alike.
1 Damia, Sage Of Stone
While Damia, Sage of Stone's ability may not be one that can easily be built around, it is one that nearly any commander deck could benefit from having access to.
A Sultai commander for seven mana, while Damia may be a decently sized mana investment, her payoff is well worth it.
Damia skips her controller's draw step, instead drawing an amount of cards during her controllers upkeep until they have seven cards in their hand. This ability ensures that under any scenario, a Damia player will always have access to a full hand of cards to cast, and that they'll never run out of gas.