How to Choose a Commander: Finding the Perfect Leader for Your Deck

There are over 2,000 legendary creatures in Magic. Choosing one as your commander is the most important decision in deck building. Here's how to approach it.

Start With What You Enjoy

Don't start with "what's the best commander." Start with "what do I enjoy doing?"

• - Love drawing cards? Look at blue commanders with card draw abilities.
• - Love big creatures? Green commanders that ramp and grow.
• - Love political games? Commanders that give opponents choices.
• - Love combo? Commanders that enable or tutor for pieces.
• - Love chaos? Red commanders that randomize or break rules.

Consider Your Budget

Some commanders are cheap to build around. Others demand expensive staples to function. A mono-color commander needs zero dual lands. A five-color commander needs an expensive mana base.

Budget-friendly approach: start mono-color or two-color. You can always build more complex decks later.

Check EDHREC

Look up any commander on EDHREC to see: - How many decks are registered (popularity) - Average deck price - Most common cards (the deck "builds itself") - Synergy picks (unique to that commander) - Salt score (how annoying opponents find it)

Try Before You Commit

Use Tapped Decks to generate a deck with any commander. The AI builds a complete list in under a minute. Playtest it in our browser-based playtester. If it clicks, buy the cards. If not, try another commander — you've lost nothing.

Commanders to Avoid as a Beginner

• - Five-color commanders — Expensive mana base, complex decisions
• - Stax commanders — You'll make enemies at the table
• - Combo-only commanders — Requires format knowledge to execute
• - Commanders with a reputation — Some cards (Korvold, Urza, Golos) get targeted on sight regardless of your build

Our Recommendation

Pick something that makes you excited to play. The best commander is the one that makes you want to build around it, not the one that wins the most on paper.