Tired of competitive 1v1 games when playing Magic: the Gathering? Well, here’s a Format and some products you may find more to your liking.
Commander, or EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), is a 100-card, singleton, casual, constructed format for multiple players. Groups of 4 are optimum, but larger or smaller groups work too.
Preconstructed decks (Precons) usually consist of a Commander, 59-69 unique cards, 30-40 basic lands, and any tokens needed for play. These decks are ready to play straight out of the box. Precons are a great place to start for new and old players alike. They are great for both starting a collection and adding to one.
Below, you’ll find a gathering of Commander decks from many of the sets of the past year. From the Horror-filled corridors of Duskmourn to the deepest caverns of Ixalan, from the sun-scorched masa of Thunder Junction to Fallout, Doctor Who and Warhammer 40,000 of the Universes Beyond sets and more besides.
Top Picks for 2024
Beginner Decks
Just starting your commander journey? Here are a few that we would recommend:
-Token Triumph: Fill your board with lots of different token creatures, then Convoke your way into your bigger threats.
-Draconic Destruction: Ramp into large draconic treats and turn them sideways. Beat down your opponents with heavy-hitting Dragons.
-Chaos Incarnate: Control the flow of battle by Goading your opponents' creatures. Keep them fighting each other whilst building yourself up for the win.
-Grave Danger: Fill your graveyard to fuel your reanimation efforts and flood the board with Zombies.
-First Flight: Soar over your opponents' creatures whilst trying to stay ahead with card advantage. Buff your own Flying creatures for the win.
Advanced Decks
Already an MTG veteran? Here are our favourites over the last year:
-Duskmourn - Endless Punishment: Whittle your opponents' health away whilst reaping the benefits. With Demons and Horrors, trigger life-loss as often as possible and punish your opponents for playing the game.
-Bloomburrow - Squirreled Away: Make food, make squirrels. Build your army, then run roughshod over your opponents, or sacrifice and forage your way to victory.
-LOTR Elven Council: Assemble the members of your Secret Council and vote your way to victory. Go wide, with tokens, or tall, with +1/+1 counters. Don’t hold back – There are many ways to victory in this deck.
-LOTR Food and Fellowship: Partner up with friendly Hobbits for Elevensies! Make food, gain life, and make token creatures. Beware; there is lots going on in this deck, and those Hobbits aren’t as friendly as they first appear.
-LOTR The Hosts of Mordor: Become the Dark Lord and wield your Orc army. Keep the army protected whilst disrupting your opponents' plays.
-LOTR Riders of Rohan: Swarm the board with human tokens whilst Dashing key pieces into combat for some extra damage before they return to the safety of your hand.
Commander Deck Buying Guide
Ready to sleeve and play straight from the box? Any new commander deck is only a few minutes away from being playable. Grab your favourite sleeves (Dragon Shields are our preferred and recommended brand) to keep your new cards from getting tattered during play. Store your new deck away safely in an Ultimate Guard Boulder or Sidewinder, which is capable of holding 100+ sleeved cards.
Starter Commander Decks
New player? How about one of the Commander Starter decks? Take to the skies with First Flight. Decimate your foes with Dragon’s fire in Draconic Destruction. Form a token army to fight for you with Token Triumph. Keep a constant presence by reanimating your lost creatures in Grave Danger. Manipulate your opponents into dancing to your tune with Chaos Incarnate. ‘More simple and less complicated’ is how I’d best describe these decks, especially compared to some decks out there. Ideal for new and young players. Whilst these decks are simpler and easier to play and understand than other precons, they aren’t lacking when it comes to theme, flavour or power. Overcomplexity sometimes takes away from the fun of the game, and whilst these decks may be considered ‘boring’ by some more experienced players, we have had regulars to our local games store (LGS) swear by these decks and still use them in one form or another.
Set Decks
Are you a more experienced player? Do you know that WOTC releases at least two new commander decks with every set release? All new releases are themed to the set with which they are released, making that your first port of call for any potential upgrades. Set decks are usually well-balanced when played against other decks from the same set. Upgrades may be required to compete against custom or highly tuned decks.
