Top 10 Fun Commanders

The Commander format is at its essence all about having fun playing with your favorite cards with your favorite people. It’s great for casual play. Sure, there’s a competitive EDH scene with broken combos and overpowered cards, but that’s not what I’m talking about today. Today it’s all about casual Commander and the most fun commanders.

The beauty of Commander is in the freedom it gives the player to build any deck they want, with any card they want, as long as they follow the color and quantity requirement. So there are plenty of ways of building different kinds of decks and archetypes.

If you want to build a really fun Commander deck, that your whole playgroup will enjoy, you should start with a fun and original general / commander. 

However, fun can be pretty subjective, so instead of the classic Top 10 list, I did two of each color requirement from colorless to five-color and ordered them in the same order.

Colorless

Honorable Mention #1: Traxos, Scourge of Kroog 

This awesome construct from Dominaria is one of the most unique cards out there. It packs a great punch from early on by being a four mana 7/7. Its only drawback is entering tapped and not being able to untap on during the untap step, but it has the ability of being able to untap anytime you cast a historic spell.

This makes this deck all about artifacts, which is one of my favorite archetypes in Magic. It can also be built as a Voltron deck, focusing on equipment. However, you choose to build it, here are some of the most fun cards found in this deck: 

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 lets you clear the board entirely of any threat whilst letting you keep everything on yours.

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 are some of the most powerful equipments ever printed in Magic’s history. Although their price can be quite high, they are almost a must in a deck like this. You can play Traxos as early as turn two and play and equipping a Sword on turn 3 is amazing.

Honorable Mention #2: Kozilek, the Great Distortion

The power of this card is not unknown. It packs an insane amount of value, which makes it one of the most popular cards to play in the 99. As a commander, it sees some play, but it is not very common.

This deck is all about colorless cards, artifacts, and Eldrazi. The goal is to ramp until you have enough mana to cast Kozilek. After this, it is all about controlling your opponents and smashing faces with this massive 12/12.  

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.

Ugin, the Ineffable lets you play all your colorless spells for 2 less, which is great in a deck like this. The plus 1 gives you card advantage, and the minus 3 lets you destroy any colored permanent your opponents control. 

Mono Color

This was one of the hardest color requirements to fill due to the great amount of mono color generals available to choose from. I had to filter down my choices until I found two unique commanders that will for sure make everyone in your playgroup have fun. 

#10 Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma

Goreclaw represents the best of the best Green has to offer. It plays big creatures with big effects. You want to ramp up to play the biggest monsters in green.

The bear’s ability makes all creatures with power 4 or greater cheaper, and gives all of them +1/+1 and trample, when it attacks.

Some of the fun cards that can be fun in this deck are:

Soul of the Harvest can be one of the most powerful cards in the deck. It is a card draw engine with a body. The whole build revolves around big creatures or ramp creatures, which makes this card insane.

God-Eternal Rhonas is basically a one turn kill if you have set up your board in the right manner. This card has as its ETB trigger to double the power of all your creatures, which in a deck with high power hitters is a deadly blow to your opponents.

Heroic Intervention is a staple in all decks with green, but here it’s even more important. This deck is prone to attract the attention of board wipes, and having this card as a response is a game changer.

#9 Braids, Conjurer Adept

This is probably one of the most interesting cards in Magic. Its effect is powerful that it has to help a whole table to be balanced.

What makes this card so fun to play is its political power. Braids brings the social aspect of the game and elevates it to another level. Because of its high power, the card is an excellent target for removal. However, with good deals made with other players, the dynamic of the game becomes way more interesting.

Some of the most fun inclusions are:

Stormtide Leviathan can make most creatures that your opponents get with Braid’s ability unable to attack unless they have flying or islandwalk. This is a good defensive maneuver against any threats that may have been put on the board after Braids activation. 

Scourge of Fleets can be a one-sided board wipe, as you’ll have plenty of Islands in your mono blue deck. With combination with a solid board state, it is a game ender. 

Two Color

#8 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

Available in: Nature’s Vengeance

This deck uses the aspect of social interaction as the main game plan. Xantcha is a unique card in this aspect. She is just 3 mana for a 5/5 which makes her highly easy to cast.

The fact that one of your opponents gains control of her and needs to attack each turn, makes political alliances and deals prevalent in games where she is played. As such, it really brings out the fun of social interaction in commander games.

Her last ability is also an interesting one. Any player can activate it to draw a card and make Xantcha’s controller lose 2 life. In general, it is a really fun and engaging card for everyone in the game. 

Here are a couple of fun cards to include: 

Curse of Opulence makes social dynamics fascinating. You’ll usually play it on one of your opponents who is a threat. That will hopefully make all other players team up against that player and take the attention away from you. This card is also a way of fixing up mana or just getting back at one of your opponents.

Captive Audience is one of the most fun cards to come out of Ravnica Allegiance. It follows the theme of giving your cards to your opponents. All choices are incredibly impactful to the game. In ways, this card is a death sentence to one of your opponents if they can’t remove it. 

#7 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

This general is the perfect representation of a Golgari card. It is all about putting creatures in your graveyard and bringing them back, while sacrificing big creatures for damage with Jarad’s ability. This deck makes for unexpected combos, graveyard shenanigans, and 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). Most of the time, if played right, it can grant you a one turn win. Just play it when there are a ton of creatures in the graveyards — if your commander is out, you can win the game by sacrificing it with Jarad.

Underrealm Lich is a milling engine for the deck. Without being able to dump cards into your graveyard, this deck can’t take off. Lich gives you card selection, while at the same time filling up your graveyard. The indestructible ability, for 4 life, makes this card especially difficult to deal with. 

Finale of Eternity is one of the most versatile cards in the deck. It can serve as an early removal for small creatures with important abilities, it can also be used as a late game winner by destroying your opponent’s biggest threats and bringing back all creatures from your graveyard.

You can find Jared, Golgari Lich Lord in the Golgari Guild Kit. (Get it on Amazon.)

Tri-Color

One of the most common and powerful mana combinations in commander is tri-color. This type of deck allows you to play with three different colors, which gives both variety and power to the deck. Without a doubt, these were the hardest decks to pick. 

I wanted to explore a deck which used the Mardu colors, as these types of decks are usually the aggressive type, playing powerful spells and creatures. One honorable mention which deserves to be mentioned is Queen Marchesa, whose ability allows you to introduce the monarch mechanic to the game, which is always fun and engaging. I decided, instead, to go for: 

#6 Kaalia of the Vast

Kaalia was just reprinted in Double Masters and is one of the most powerful generals in the format. Not only is she extremely powerful with her attack ability, but she also allows you to play with the three most cool and powerful creatures types in magic.

You may choose to build your deck around any of the three creatures types: Demons, Dragons, or Angels, or you may choose to build her to incorporate the best out of the three. Any way you choose to build her, here are some fun inclusions from the three different creature types: 

Rune-Scarred Demon is one of the most powerful demon cards in MTG. When you cast it, you won’t just get a 6/6 flying creature, you get to tutor for any card in your deck. This way you can the right answer for the right threat, a finisher, or a utility card. 

Avacyn, Angel of Hope What else can you say about an 8/8 flying, vigilant, indestructible angel, which gives all your other creatures indestructible as well? This card is just insanely powerful, and the fact that it is an angel makes it even better.

Terror of the Peaks is a new addition from Core Set 2021. Every creature that comes in play, on your side, can deal damage equal to its power to any target. What more can you ask from a 5/4 flying dragon?

#5 Haldan, Avid Arcanist & Pako, Arcane Retriever

New partner commanders printed in Commander 2020 have some of the most interesting and fun mechanics. The flavor of the cards is amazingly crafted. The art, the name, their abilities are all crafted to make sense and compliment each other.

These two cards are not only fun to play together, but they are also powerful as commanders. Pako is an aggressive card, that does more than just attack. It also exiles the top card of each player’s deck, which can disrupt your opponent’s plans in the process.

Haldan, on the other hand, perfectly compliments this ability by allowing you to play the cards exiled with Pako. This giving you extra cards from your opponent’s decks to aid you. In general, this duo is incredibly fun to play with, while also engaging to play against.

Here are some of the most fun cards found in this deck:

Stolen Strategy This card basically gives you the same effect as the two commanders – at the beginning of your 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. (Find it on Amazon.)

Four Color

For the four color decks, I had the choice of picking two pairs of the partner commanders or two different generals from the four color commanders. I decided to pick one of each. So, here are my picks for the most fun commanders in this category. 

#4 Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis

When choosing one of the four color commanders, the first that came to mind was Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice, which is one of the most powerful commanders ever. She gives you the ability to play around with counters, which means voltron, counters, or planeswalker themes. I chose instead to feature one of the least played commanders that came out of that set. 

Kynaios and Tiro are one of the most interesting cards in Magic. It basically goes against the common strategy to have a game plan focused around helping yourself get ahead and disrupt your opponents in the process. Instead, it chooses to help your opponents at the same time as helping yourself.

This is basically a feel-good commander, allowing everyone to get their land drops or additional resources. This card will for sure gain you some favors from your opponents and extreme gratitude from any player who you helped get back into the game.

Here are a couple of cool cards to include:

Tempt with Discovery is another great card that brings interaction to a Commander game. It basically helps you and your opponents ramp up, while you often come up ahead.

Propaganda is a Commander staple that allows you to be somewhat safe from unwanted attacks. Kynaios and Tiro facilitate the casting of dangerous creatures, which might be hurtful to your game plan. Propaganda can help you deal with this.

#3 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist & Tymna the Weaver

This 4 color pairing is one of the most interesting ones among the partner commanders. The deck is all about: dealing damage, gaining life, and drawing cards. Ludevic-Tymna pairing wants you to play aggressively with ground creatures or to cast spells that deal damage.

So what makes the two generals work is damage. Ludevic rewards everyone for dealing damage to your opponents. Tymna rewards you by turing your life into card advantage.

Some of the most fun cards in the deck are:

Kambal, Consul of Allocation is an excellent card to give you the life needed to use for Tymna’s ability and at the same time deal damage to your opponents to activate Ludevic. In general, this card punishes your opponents for playing non-creature spells at the same time as helping you gain life. 

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

Finally, one of the most complex and complete color combinations to play in Commander is five color. This color combination basically gives you access to any card in Magic history. 

#2 Morophon, the Boundless

This card perfectly represents versatility, not only because it’s a Shapeshifter, but also because its ability lets you have any tribe as its main theme.

You can build around this general with any tribe in mind. You can make it about shapeshifters, constructs, humans, dogs, cats, elementals, demons, dragons, pirates, vampires, gods, etc.

That’s with the added benefit of it giving you access to all 5 Magic colors. The only limitation is your imagination and play style. The deck can be incredibly fun and powerful. Some of the most fun and synergistic cards essential to this deck are:

Fist of Suns basically makes Morphon’s second ability, making any card of the chosen type free to cast. Another card similar to this is Jodah, Archmage Eternal, but I diodn’t highlight it, because it is a human creature. Fist of Suns has the same effect, but it’s an artifact, which is way better. Its ability basically tells you: “Play everything you have for free”, which is, as you know, pretty good.

Vanquisher’s Banner allows you to draw a card each time you play a creature of the chosen type, besides it also serves as an anthem effect all chosen creatures +1/+1. 

#1 Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

This deck is aggro at its finest. Najeela rewards you for attacking with warriors by giving you more warriors. Her second ability allows you to have a second attack phase and give all your creatures trample, haste, and lifelink. This ability is incredibly powerful and fun.

The access to all the colors means that you are able to play any creature with synergizes with her. Some examples of fun cards are: 

Druids’ Repository is insane in this deck. Each of your attacking creatures gives you mana. If you have Najleela in play, and you attack with five or more creatures, you basically get infinite attacks and infinite mana. (If your creatures don’t die in combat, of course.)

Mindblade Render makes excellent use of Najeela’s first ability, which makes warriors. Damage dealt by warriors is now also card draw. 

Champion of Lambholt gets +1/+1 for every creature that enters the battlefield under your control, and if you manage to get her big enough, all your creatures become practically unblockable. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Commander is a game made to have fun. These presented fun commanders are just some example of cards you can build around to have fun. As always, there are many play styles, play groups, and commanders, so build the deck that best fits your situation.

Do you have a particularly fun Commander that you like to build around? You can share it in the comments below.

As you’re probably a Commander aficionado, here’s more article that you might enjoy:

• How to Build Your First Commander Deck
• Is White Really THAT Bad in Commander
• List of All Commander Precons
• Best Deck Boxes for Commander

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That’s all about best fun commanders. Have fun building and playing with your new Commander deck!