13+ of the best cards for Commander in MTG

Commander is Magic: the Gathering’s largest and most popular format. It’s a format that’s all about self-expression, community and having a good fun time. But the card pool in commander is absolutely massive, and if you’re new to the game or the format, then it’s very easy to get overwhelmed when building a deck. If that’s you, don’t fret since we’re ranking the top 15 Best MTG Cards for Commander.

We’re going to include cards from all colors, including lands and artifacts. There’s so many cards to look at and by no means is this an exhaustive list, but we’re going to boil this list down to the 15 most essential cards that you should look to play. We’re not going to include some of the obvious staples like Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, or Commander Tower, as these should be in just about every commander deck. We also aren’t taking price into account as well and these are in no particular order.

If you’re just starting out with the format, check out our guide to the best MTG Commander Precons you can buy right now. With that, let’s get started.

15. Rhsytic Study

For our first best MTG cards for commander, we have Rhystic Study. If you’re playing blue in your deck, you’re always going to be wanting more cards, and Rhystic Study is one of the best ways to draw cards. It makes your opponents have to pay a tax to cast their spells, or you get to draw. It’s a bit pricey at around $30, but some reprints have brought that down significantly.

14. Cyclonic Rift

Next up, we have Cyclonic Rift. The beauty in this card is that it can deal with a single target, but also be an absolute blowout in the late game if your opponents get too far ahead. It has offensive capabilities too, if you’re going for the win but need to clear the way, Cyclonic Rift has your back. It’s also pretty pricey, coming in at $25 but you’re going to win enough games off the back of this card that it’s worth it.

13. Chaos Warp

The first best MTG cards for commander Red card is Chaos Warp. This is a great removal option that can deal with any permanent, which makes it very powerful. You run the risk that your opponent may find a better permanent on top of their library, but it could also be a spell that they don’t get to cast right away. This is the kind of card that can stop a game plan in its tracks and is one of the best Red removal options availalbe.

12. Jeska’s Will

Number 12 is Jeska’s Will. One of the things that red creature decks can struggle with is getting access to extra cards during their turn. Jeska’s Will help a ton with that. You ideally want to cast this with your commander, and you more than likely will generate more mana than it cost to cast the spell. Then on top of you get to look at three cards off the top of your deck. Even if you’re not a creature deck, this card is great.

11. Teferi’s Protection

Next up, our best MTG cards for commander White card, we have Teferi’s Protection. In a multipilayer game, it’s very easy to draw too much attention to yourself. And most of the time, you might just lose on the spot before being able to do much of anything. Well Teferi’s Protection is your savior. Effectively phasing out of the game is insanely powerful, as you can dodge a killing blow and give yourself an extra turn to come back or save your creatures from board wipes, leaving you in a really good position.

10. Generous Gift

White has access to some of the best removal options in the game, but often times it comes with conditions. Generous Gift doesn’t care about what kinds of card you target. This card can take out anything, even a land. It leaves the controller of that permanent with a 3/3 elephant, but more than likely, the card you killed is more valuable than the body so it’s great for you.

9. Beast Within

For our first best MTG cards for commander Green card, we have Beast Within. The original version of Generous Gift, this card is spectacular in green decks for the same reasons that Generous Gift is great in white decks.

8. Heroic Intervention

In a very similar fashion to Teferi’s Protection, Heroic Intervention is a saving grace kind of card. It’s used in a similar way to Teferi’s Protection, but it won’t save you from being taken out of the game. It will save your permanents from board wipes though, so it’s definitely worth keeping around.

7. Toxic Deluge

For our first Black card, we have Toxic Deluge. Obviously there’s plenty of board wipes in black such as Damnation, but often times, you’ll run into indestructible creatures, which Damnation can’t deal with. Giving an indestructible creature -x/-x to reduce it to zero toughness will kill it. Life isn’t a huge concern in Commander since you start with 40, so this is a great way to deal with a lot of creatures.

6. Demonic Tutor

Tutors often are a seriously overlooked aspect of deckbuilding, and black has access to the best one, Demonic Tutor. Two mana to put any card in your hand is so important, especially if you have key payoff cards. It’s a bit expensive at around $30, but it’s the cheapest it’s been in a long time due to reprints, and it’s a stellar addition to any deck.

5. Reliquary Tower

Our first land on the list is Reliquary Tower. It’s a land that often goes overlooked, but having no maximum hand size is very powerful. Even if you’re not drawing a ton of cards, there’s cards like Cyclonic Rift that put many of your permanents back into your hand. Normally you’d have to discard to seven, but with this, you can keep everything.

4. Homeward Path

Our next land is Homeward Path. It’s a land that many may not even know exists, because it doesn’t have many printings, with the most recent one being printed in 2016. At worst, it’s a colorless land, but at best, it can hard stop decks that want to steal your permanents.

3. Lightning Greaves / Swiftfoot Boots

For our first artifact, we have a two for one. Lighting Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots are very important includes especially if your deck is built around having your commander in play. Both of these artifact give your Commander targeted protection, and they’re very inexpensive. Swiftfoot Boots is less than a dollar, and Greaves can be had for around four, so it’s easy to add these in.

2. Thought Vessel

For similar reasons to Reliquary Tower, Thought Vessel is another way to gain no maximum hand size. It also is a mana rock, which makes it great for pushing your tempo forwards and casting your bigger spells a little bit sooner.

1. Solemn Simulacrum

And our number 1 best MTG cards for commander that you should use in any and every commander deck is Solemn Simulacrum. Generally, turn five is an inflection point in most games as this is where more powerful spells are going to be cast. Being able to accelerate to or above five mana is really important to being able to establish your board position in the game. On top of that it draws you a card when it dies, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

And that’s our list! As we mentioned, this list is not exhaustive, and there’s so many awesome cards that you can play in your decks, but these best MTG cards for commander are definitely a solid jumping off point if you’re looking to build your very first Commander deck. If you’re just getting to the format, check out our guide on how to play Commander. If you’re looking to build a Commander deck from the new Wilds of Eldraine set, then check out our guide for the best Wilds of Eldraine Commanders. Also check out our best Commander decks guide to see what our picks for the top dogs are.