Commander is all about good vibes: playing your favorite cards with your favorite people. It’s an excellent format for fun and casual play. Sure, there’s a competitive EDH scene where players play broken cards and insanely powerful combos, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Nope, today is all about casual Commander and the most fun commanders to lead your deck!
If you want to play a deck that’s fun for everyone (and doesn’t turn your playgroup into your former playgroup), you should start with a creative, entertaining commander. Of course, fun is subjective, so instead of just rattling off a Top 10 list, I’ve picked two commanders for each color identity, starting from colorless and going all the way to five colors. Let’s get into it!
Colorless
Honorable Mention #1: Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
This awesome construct from Dominaria is one of the most unique cards in Magic. Traxos delivers a powerful punch early in the game, coming in as a four-mana 7/7. Its only drawback is entering the battlefield tapped and not untapping during the untap step. However, this is mitigated by its ability to untap whenever you cast a historic spell.
This makes Traxos decks heavily focused on artifacts—one of the most beloved archetypes in Magic. Alternatively, you can build it as a Voltron deck centered on equipment. Whichever route you choose, here are some fun cards to include in your build:
Unwinding Clock lets you untap all artifacts during other player’s untap steps, which makes it possible to create many fun synergies with tapped artifacts.
All Is Dust is a must in a colorless deck. It wipes the board of threats while leaving your permanents untouched.
All the swords:
- Sword of Truth and Justice
- Sword of Sinew and Steel
- Sword of Light and Shadow
- Sword of Fire and Ice
- Sword of Feast and Famine
- Sword of War and Peace
- Sword of Body and Mind
These iconic equipment cards are among the most powerful ever printed in Magic’s history. Although they can be pricey, they’re almost essential for a deck like this. You can cast Traxos as early as turn two, and with the right setup, equipping a Sword on turn three can be game-changing!
Honorable Mention #2: Kozilek, the Great Distortion
The power of this card is undeniable. Kozilek packs an incredible amount of value, making it one of the most popular inclusions in the 99. As a commander, it sees some play but isn’t as commonly built around.
This deck revolves around colorless cards, artifacts, and the mighty Eldrazi. The main strategy is to ramp aggressively until you have enough mana to cast Kozilek. Once on the battlefield, you can dominate your opponents by controlling the board and smashing through defenses with Kozilek’s colossal 12/12 body.
Some of the most fun cards in the deck are:
Mystic Forge lets you use your library as your hand, being able to cast any of your cards from the top. A crucial piece in any colorless deck.
Ugin, the Ineffable is also a true powerhouse for this deck. It reduces the cost of your colorless spells by 2 mana, which quickly adds up. Its +1 ability provides card advantage, while its -3 ability lets you exile any colored permanent your opponents control, giving you an edge in almost any situation.
Mono Color
Picking the best mono-colored commanders wasn’t easy. There are just too many good ones! But after a lot of thinking, I chose two awesome commanders that will make your games exciting and fun for everyone.
#10 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
Goreclaw is here to show off everything green does best—huge creatures and smashing faces! This deck is all about playing the biggest monsters you can, as quickly as possible.
Goreclaw’s not-so-secret weapon? It makes your big creatures cost less and gives them a boost of +1/+1 and trample when it attacks. That means your creatures hit harder and can’t be chump blocked.
Fun cards to play with Goreclaw:
- Soul of the Harvest: This card is a true draw machine! Every time you play a creature, you get another card. And since this deck is packed with creatures, you’ll never run out of cool stuff to play.
- God-Eternal Rhonas: Want to make even stronger attacks with your already massive creatures? Rhonas can make your creatures twice as strong when it enters the battlefield. Swing with everything, and your opponents will have a really hard time.
- Heroic Intervention: Don’t let your board get wiped! This card makes sure all your creatures stay safe when someone tries to destroy them.
#9 Braids, Conjurer Adept
Braids is super fun and one of the most interesting commanders in the game! Her ability lets everyone put a big permanent onto the battlefield for free.
Of course, you can turn that to your advantage. First by including more powerful, expensive permanents in your deck. And second, you can make deals with your opponents to keep them off your back while you build up a crazy board.
Braids adds a ton of strategy and drama to every game. If you love playing politics and making big moves, she’s the perfect commander for you.
Here are a couple of cards that’ll play nicely alongside Braids:
Stormtide Leviathan makes most creatures useless unless they can fly or have islandwalk. It’s the perfect way to keep yourself safe while Braids does her thing.
Scourge of Fleets can be a one-sided board wipe, as you’ll have plenty of Islands in your mono blue deck. If you already have a solid board state, it can certainly be a game ender.
Two Color
These two commanders bring excitement, chaos, and a whole lot of fun to the table! Whether you love making deals or playing with your graveyard, there’s something here for you.
#8 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
Available in: Nature’s Vengeance
Xantcha is all about politics and chaos! She costs just 3 mana for a 5/5, which is already a great deal. But the unusual part? You don’t keep her — one of your opponents does! They do have to attack every turn with it, but can’t attack you, so some chaos is about to happen.
Her ability is wild too — anyone can pay mana to draw a card, but they’ll also make the player who controls Xantcha lose 2 life. It’s fun, interactive, and keeps everyone involved.
Here are a couple of fun cards to include:
Put Curse of Opulence on the player, who’s a big threat and watch the chaos unfold! Everyone will gang up on them for the Treasure tokens, leaving you free to develop your plans further. Plus, it’s also kinda good for fixing your mana, and not just for causing trouble.
Captive Audience is hilarious. Give it to an opponent, and they’ll have to make some painful choices. It’s like handing them a ticking time bomb. Really fun, unless you’re on the receiving end!
#7 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Jarad is the ultimate Golgari commander. He’s all about filling up your graveyard and using it for your advantage. With his ability, you can sacrifice your biggest creatures to deal damage to all opponents. This deck is perfect for players who love combos, graveyard tricks, and big, explosive turns.
Some fun cards you can play in this deck are:
Lord of Extinction can be one of the most important cards in the deck (if not the most important one). With Jarad out and a full graveyard, you can typically sacrifice it and win the game on the spot.
Underrealm Lich keeps the engine running by letting you pick the best cards and toss the rest into your graveyard. Plus, it’s tough to get rid of thanks to its indestructible ability. (You do need to pay 4 life for it, but hopefully, that won’t be a big deal.)
Finale of Eternity does it all. It’s either an early game removal or a late-game finisher. Clear the biggest threats, then bring your own creatures back to finish the job.
Jared, Golgari Lich Lord is also available in the Golgari Guild Kit. Grab it, if you love graveyard shenanigans, as you’ll get quite a few cards that you can fit in the 99.
Tri-Color
Tri-color decks are very fun! They combine three colors, giving you more variety, power, and flexibility. Thus, it’s not a big surprise that 3-color Commander decks are among the most popular ones.
Picking the best 3-colored decks was tough, but I’ve chosen two that bring loads of fun and excitement to your games.
I wanted to highlight a Mardu deck, as that combination is one of my favorite one. A honorable mention in that category would be Queen Marchesa, which adds the monarch mechanic to the game. That always makes the game fun and engaging, but finally I decided to go with:
#6 Kaalia of the Vast
Kaalia is certainly an icon of Commander. It was one of the strongest options in the early days of the format, and still sees play nowadays.
Her ability lets you cheat some of the coolest and most powerful creatures in Magic straight onto the battlefield when she attacks.
You may choose to build your deck around any of the three creatures types: Demons, Dragons, or Angels, or you could play all of them. No matter which way you decide to go, the following inclusions will likely fit into the deck nicely:
Rune-Scarred Demon is one of the most powerful demon cards in MTG. It’s a 6/6 flying creature, that draws you the perfect card from your deck. Whether you need and answer, a finisher, or an utility card, this Demon got you covered. Plus, it was recently reprinted in Foundations, which slightly reduced its price.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope is a game changer. What else can be said about an 8/8 flying, vigilant, indestructible Angel, which gives all your other creatures indestructible? Cheating it into play with Kaalia feels amazing.
Hellkite Tyrant stealing effect is insanely powerful against some players. Sure, it can be a bit hard for it to survive a turn cycle and deal combat damage, but with Kaalia it becomes much more doable.
#5 Haldan, Avid Arcanist & Pako, Arcane Retriever
This dynamic duo from Commander 2020 is pure fun. Haldan and Pako are partners that work perfectly together. Pako, the goodest boy, is all about attacking and exiling cards from everyone’s deck (yes, everyone’s!). Haldan then lets you play those exiled cards, turning your opponents’ strategies into your own.
Together, they’re both hilarious and effective. Plus, the flavor is spot-on. A wizard and their loyal spell-stealing pup. What’s not to love?
A couple of cards to play alongside them would be:
Stolen Strategy Because why stop at Pako and Haldan’s ability? This enchantment lets you grab even more cards from your opponents each upkeep.
Bear Umbra allows you to use mana in your first phase, then untap all your lands on your attack. This gives you the opportunity to play even more cards, exiled with Pako in your second main phase!
You can find Haldan and Pako in Arcane Maelstrom deck.
Four Color
Four-color decks are rare and exciting! You get access to a ton of powerful cards, making them versatile and unique. For this category, I picked one classic four-color commander and one pair of partner commanders.
When choosing a four color commanders, the first that came to mind was Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice. It’s one of the most popular commanders ever, but perhaps not the most fun one. So, instead I decided to go with:
#4 Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis
Kynaios and Tiro are all about spreading the love! Instead of just helping yourself, these two let everyone draw cards or play extra lands. It’s a “feel-good” commander that allows everyone to hit their lands drops or additional resources. Often enough, playing such commander can win you favors from other players.
They’re a unique choice compared to more popular four-color commanders like Atraxa. An excellent option if you’re looking for something fun an unusual.
Here are a couple of cool cards to include:
With Tempt with Discovery everyone gets to ramp, but you often come out ahead. Plus, it gets the table discussing what they want to do, which is always fun.
Propaganda prolongs the game for you, by keeping you safe from attacks. Kynaios and Tiro can be responsible for dangerous creatures coming into play faster, and Propaganda can help you stay safe from them.
#3 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist & Tymna the Weaver
This partner combo is all about dealing damage, gaining life, and drawing cards. Ludevic encourages everyone to attack by rewarding players with cards for dealing damage. Tymna lets you turn life into even more card advantage, making this duo a blast to play.
The deck thrives on aggression and clever resource management. Whether you’re swinging with creatures or casting burn spells, you’ll love the dynamic gameplay these two bring.
You might also add the following two cards to the mix:
Kambal, Consul of Allocation punishes opponents for casting non-creature spells while gaining life for Tymna’s ability. It’s a double whammy.
Queen Marchesa, as previously mentioned, makes an excellent commander herself. However, in this deck it introduces the Monarch mechanic, which almost assures you that at least one of your opponents will be dealt damage.
Five Color
Five-color decks are the ultimate playground in Commander! You can include any card in Magic history, making them versatile, powerful, and super creative. Let’s check out the top picks for five-color fun!
#2 Morophon, the Boundless
Morophon is the champion of flexibility. As a Shapeshifter, it can lead any tribal deck—be it Dragons, Cats, Pirates, Gods, or even something wild like Squirrels! With access to all five colors, the possibilities are endless.
On top of that, you also have the benefit of accessing all 5 Magic colors. The only limitation is your imagination. The deck can be incredibly fun and powerful. Some of the most fun and synergistic cards essential to this deck are:
Fist of Suns is insanely powerful with Morphon’s second ability. You get to cast cards of the chosen creature type for free! (You could also use Jodah, Archmage Eternal for this effect.)
Vanquisher’s Banner doesn’t just pump your creatures, but it also draws you a card whenever you cast one of your chosen tribe. Perfect for keeping the fun going!
#1 Najeela, the Blade-Blossom
Najeela is the queen of combat. She makes Warrior tokens every time you attack and can give you extra attack phases with her second ability. Now your creatures will also get trample, haste, and lifelink on top of it all. Without a doubt, Najeela is a powerfull combination of aggression and synergy.
With access to all colors, you can include any Warrior or synergistic card you want. There’s certainly a lot to like here, but if you want even more fun, you can add these cards to her deck:
Druids’ Repository is insane in this deck. Attack, get mana. Attack some more, get even more mana. This card can create infinite attacks when combined with Najeela’s second ability. Just don’t lose all your creatures in combat!
Mindblade Render turns your Warrior damage into card draw. Attack for profit!
Champion of Lambholt grows bigger as more creatures join your side, eventually making all your creatures unblockable.
Conclusion
Commander is about having a blast—whether you’re smashing faces, politicking, or just trying to make everyone laugh, thanks to your janky combos. These commanders are all about the fun factor, so pick one that suits your vibe and go wild!
Got a favorite fun commander? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook or Instagram for more memes, deck techs, and MTG goodness.
As you’re probably a Commander aficionado, here’s more article that you might enjoy:
Now go build your dream deck, shuffle up, and have an amazing time at the table!
Kalia is my favourite deck, I’m happy it’s included!! Amazing deck to play!
the list is, in my opinion, to small. id love to see more commanders like Haldan and Pako, that only partner with each other
We’re actually planning to do an update to this article in a couple of weeks or so. So check back then to see some new options.