COMMANDER GUIDE

THE BASIC RULES

• 100 cards: Your deck is exactly 100 cards, including your commander. The century pact is sacred.
• Singleton: Except for basic lands, you can only have one copy of each card in your deck. Uniqueness is the law.
• Commander: One legendary creature (or card that says it can be your commander) leads your deck. It starts in the Command Zone, not in your deck — a being beyond the battlefield.
• Color Identity: Your commander's mana symbols determine which colors you can use in your deck. If your commander is red and white, you can only play red, white, and colorless cards. The colors you choose will define your path.
• 40 life: Each player starts at 40 life instead of 20. A longer ritual demands greater endurance.
• Multiplayer: Usually 4 players in a free-for-all. Last player standing wins. Politics will make or break you.

THE COMMAND ZONE

Your commander starts in the Command Zone — a sacred liminal space outside the game. You can cast it from there whenever you could normally cast a creature. If your commander would go to the graveyard, exile, or your hand, you can choose to put it back in the Command Zone instead. They are eternal, bound to your will.

Commander Tax: Each time you cast your commander from the Command Zone, it costs 2 more mana than the previous time. First cast: normal cost. Second cast: +2. Third cast: +4. This prevents you from just recasting it over and over. Even the most powerful beings must pay tribute to the laws of magic.

COLOR IDENTITY

Your commander's color identity is determined by all mana symbols on the card — not just the casting cost. This includes:

• The mana cost (top right)
• Any colored mana in the rules text (abilities, activated costs)
• Color indicators or color-defining characteristics

Example: Kenrith, the Returned King has a white mana cost, but his abilities use all five colors. His color identity is five-color (WUBRG), so you can play any land or card in those colors. Such is the burden of a true monarch.

THE BRACKET SYSTEM

Commander decks are categorized into five power level brackets to help players build balanced decks and find appropriate games. Understanding brackets helps you build toward a specific power level and communicate your deck's strength to other players. The spirits of magic recognize five distinct tiers of power.

What determines your bracket? Four main factors:

• Tutors: Cards that search your library for specific cards. More tutors = more consistency = higher bracket.
• Fast Mana: Mana rocks and rituals that accelerate your game plan. Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Dark Ritual.
• Game Changers: Cards that fundamentally alter the game state (infinite combos, mass land destruction, game-ending board wipes).
• Interaction: Counterspells, removal, and board wipes that stop opponents.

Why brackets matter: Communicating your deck's bracket helps you find balanced games. Bringing a Bracket 5 deck to a Bracket 2 pod is unfair to everyone. Know your deck, respect the balance of power.

THE BANLIST

Commander has its own banned list — cards deemed too powerful or format-warping for the format. About 30 cards are banned, their power too great for mortal hands. Notable bans include:

• Primeval Titan — fetches two lands every time it attacks
• Flash Hulk — infinite combo enabler
• Necropotence — draws too many cards for too little cost
• Leovold, Emissary of Trest — locks opponents out of the game

Check the official banned list at mtgcommander.net before building your deck. Some doors should remain closed.

HOW TO WIN

The most common way to win is by dealing 40 combat damage to each opponent. But many decks win through alternative means — the paths to victory are as varied as the mages who seek them:

• Infinite combos: Two or three cards that create an infinite loop (infinite damage, infinite tokens, etc.)
• Alternate win conditions: Cards like Thassa's Oracle or Laboratory Maniac that win the game through non-combat means
• Political victory: Convincing the table you're not a threat while you assemble your win. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

BUILDING YOUR DECK

CHOOSE YOUR COMMANDER

Your commander is the heart of your deck. They should either:

• Enable a strategy: Arahbo, Roar of the World makes cats bigger. Marath, Will of the Wild can do anything. Choose a leader whose vision aligns with yours.
• Be a value engine: The Gitrog Monster draws you cards. Korvold, Fae-Cursed King gets bigger when you sacrifice things. Some beings grow stronger through loss.
• Represent a theme: Zur the Enchanter fetches enchantments. Saskia the Unyielding wants creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects. Build around what calls to you.

Beginner tip: Start with a preconstructed deck from Wizards of the Coast. They're affordable, well-designed, and teach you the format. Then upgrade from there. Even the greatest archmages started with simple incantations.

UNDERSTAND SYNERGY

Synergy is when cards work better together than apart. This is the soul of Commander deck building — the difference between a pile of cards and a true grimoire.

Ask yourself: "What is my deck trying to do?" Every card should advance that goal. If you're playing a +1/+1 counters deck, don't include cards that don't care about counters. The spirits of the cards must harmonize.

MANA BASE AND RAMP

Ramp is how you accelerate your mana — playing lands or artifacts that produce extra mana. This is crucial in Commander because games go long and you want to cast expensive spells. Mana is power, and power is everything.

How much ramp? Run 10-14 ramp sources in most decks. You want to be casting spells ahead of curve consistently. The early rituals set the pace for everything that follows.

THE MANA BASE

Your mana base is the lands in your deck. A good mana base produces the right colors consistently. Here's the priority:

1. Fetch lands (e.g., Wooded Foothills) — find any land of two types
2. Shock lands (e.g., Overgrown Tomb) — enter untapped if you pay 2 life
3. Dual lands (e.g., Command Tower, Path of Ancestry) — produce your commander's colors
4. Basic lands — can't be fetched by opponents' Blood Moon effects

How many lands? Run 36-38 lands in most decks. Adjust based on your curve and how much ramp you run. The foundation must be solid, or the entire structure crumbles.

THE MANA CURVE

Your mana curve is the distribution of mana costs in your deck. A smooth curve means you have something to do every turn. The rhythm of your spells matters as much as their power.

Aggro decks: Lower curve (more 1-3 drops)
Control decks: Higher curve (more board wipes, card draw)
Combo decks: Whatever the combo needs

WIN CONDITIONS

Every deck needs a way to close out the game. Don't just play powerful cards and hope — have a plan. Know your victory condition as you know your own name.

How many win cons? Run 3-5 different ways to win. This makes you resilient to disruption and lets you adapt to different tables. Multiple paths to victory ensure you're never without options.

INTERACTION

Interaction is how you stop your opponents from winning before you do. Don't skip this — even the most synergistic deck needs answers. Sometimes the best offense is a well-timed defense.

How much interaction? Run 8-12 interaction pieces in most decks. More if you're in blue or white. Less if you have a fast combo deck. Know when to strike and when to hold.

CARD DRAW

Card advantage is how you keep your hand full while your opponents run out of gas. In a 100-card singleton format, consistency is key. Knowledge is power, and power is victory.

How much card draw? Run 8-12 card draw spells in most decks. More if you're in blue. Less if you have other ways to generate value. The well-trained mage never runs dry.

DECK BUILDING CHECKLIST

1. Choose a commander you like (theme, colors, playstyle)
2. Identify your deck's core synergy (what makes it unique?)
3. Add 10-14 ramp sources
4. Add 36-38 lands (adjust for your curve)
5. Add 3-5 win conditions
6. Add 8-12 interaction pieces (removal, counterspells, board wipes)
7. Add 8-12 card draw spells
8. Fill the rest with synergy pieces that advance your game plan
9. Test the deck, then tweak based on what works

Remember: There's no "perfect" deck. Commander is about creativity, expression, and having fun with friends. Build what excites you, and the wins will come. May your draws be ever in your favor, and may your commander always find their way back to the battlefield.