Commander Win Conditions: 10 Ways to Actually Win a Game

The hardest part of Commander isn't building a deck — it's actually winning with it. With 3 opponents starting at 40 life each, you need 120 points of damage. Or a better plan entirely.

Combat Damage

1. Commander Damage (21) Only 21 combat damage from your commander kills a player. Equipment, auras, and double strike make this viable. Voltron commanders like Uril or Rafiq specialize in this.

2. Going Wide (Tokens) Make 20+ tokens and swing at everyone. Craterhoof Behemoth, Triumph of the Hordes, or Overrun effects turn a swarm into a kill.

3. Going Tall (Big Creatures) One massive creature with trample. Xenagos doubles power. Pathbreaker Ibex pumps your whole team based on the biggest creature.

Combo

4. Infinite Damage Niv-Mizzet + Curiosity = draw your deck, deal damage equal to your library size. Dozens of two-card combos exist across all colors.

5. Infinite Mana Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth = infinite colorless mana. Pair with any X-spell to end the game.

6. Infinite Turns Time Warp + Archaeomancer + a way to blink = take every turn. Tedious but effective.

Alternative Win Conditions

7. Approach of the Second Sun Cast it twice and you win. Simple, telegraphed, but hard to stop.

8. Thassa's Oracle Empty your library, cast Thassa's Oracle. You win. The compact competitive combo finish.

9. Revel in Riches Create 10 treasure tokens and you win on your upkeep. Pairs with board wipes and sacrifice effects.

10. Damage Drain Aristocrats strategy — sacrifice creatures to drain life. Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, and a sacrifice engine kill the whole table simultaneously.

Which Win Condition Is Right for You?

• - Casual tables: Combat damage, tokens, commander damage
• - Mid-power: Combo finishes with 3+ card combos
• - High-power: Two-card combos, Thassa's Oracle lines
• - Any power level: Whatever your group agrees is fun

Our AI builder includes appropriate win conditions based on your commander and playstyle selection.