Graphic by author and Nick Wolf
It's March! That means all you sports nerds and gambling addicts are suddenly interested in college basketball, with your sweet sixteens and your Cinderella stories and whatnot.
I don't actually know anything about sports, but I do know Commander.
So this year EDHREC is getting in on the March Madness action. But rather than looking at college basketball, we're looking to see who is the "best" new commander of the last five years. And you get to decide the winner.
EDHREC March Madness Premise
Our March Madness tournament takes the 64 most popular new commanders from the years 2021 - 2025 and throws them in a bracket-style contest. The commanders have been seeded based on their number of decks.
For each matchup, readers - that's you - will vote to pick the winner. The winner of each match will move on to the next round.
Here are the commanders fighting for the championship title:
| Commander | Seed |
| Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed | 1 |
| Pantlaza, Sun-FavoredPantlaza, Sun-Favored | 1 |
| Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord | 1 |
| Lathril, Blade of the ElvesLathril, Blade of the Elves | 1 |
| The Wise MothmanThe Wise Mothman | 2 |
| Giada, Font of HopeGiada, Font of Hope | 2 |
| Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower | 2 |
| Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier | 2 |
| Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier | 3 |
| Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale | 3 |
| Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One | 3 |
| Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm | 3 |
| Ulalek, Fused AtrocityUlalek, Fused Atrocity | 4 |
| Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker | 4 |
| Valgavoth, Harrower of SoulsValgavoth, Harrower of Souls | 4 |
| Fire Lord AzulaFire Lord Azula | 4 |
| Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General | 5 |
| Hakbal of the Surging SoulHakbal of the Surging Soul | 5 |
| The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom | 5 |
| Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree | 5 |
| Bello, Bard of the BramblesBello, Bard of the Brambles | 6 |
| Mr. House, President and CEOMr. House, President and CEO | 6 |
| Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist | 6 |
| Frodo, Adventurous HobbitFrodo, Adventurous Hobbit & Sam, Loyal AttendantSam, Loyal Attendant | 6 |
| Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage | 7 |
| Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor | 7 |
| Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver | 7 |
| Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER | 7 |
| Flubs, the FoolFlubs, the Fool | 8 |
| Cloud, Ex-SOLDIERCloud, Ex-SOLDIER | 8 |
| Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender | 8 |
| Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter | 8 |
| Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger | 9 |
| Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed | 9 |
| Shorikai, Genesis EngineShorikai, Genesis Engine | 9 |
| Glarb, Calamity's AugurGlarb, Calamity's Augur | 9 |
| Obeka, Splitter of SecondsObeka, Splitter of Seconds | 10 |
| Ygra, Eater of AllYgra, Eater of All | 10 |
| Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin | 10 |
| Voja, Jaws of the ConclaveVoja, Jaws of the Conclave | 10 |
| Ghyrson Starn, KelermorphGhyrson Starn, Kelermorph | 11 |
| Tom BombadilTom Bombadil | 11 |
| Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll | 11 |
| Ezio Auditore da FirenzeEzio Auditore da Firenze | 11 |
| Eriette of the Charmed AppleEriette of the Charmed Apple | 12 |
| Henzie "Toolbox" TorreHenzie "Toolbox" Torre | 12 |
| Sidar Jabari of ZhalfirSidar Jabari of Zhalfir | 12 |
| Atraxa, Grand UnifierAtraxa, Grand Unifier | 12 |
| Captain N'ghathrodCaptain N'ghathrod | 13 |
| Zinnia, Valley's VoiceZinnia, Valley's Voice | 13 |
| Urza, Chief ArtificerUrza, Chief Artificer | 13 |
| Helga, Skittish SeerHelga, Skittish Seer | 13 |
| Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror | 14 |
| Urtet, Remnant of MemnarchUrtet, Remnant of Memnarch | 14 |
| Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw | 14 |
| Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender | 14 |
| Ureni of the UnwrittenUreni of the Unwritten | 15 |
| Marneus CalgarMarneus Calgar | 15 |
| Stella Lee, Wild CardStella Lee, Wild Card | 15 |
| Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper | 15 |
| Aminatou, Veil PiercerAminatou, Veil Piercer | 16 |
| Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer | 16 |
| Felothar the SteadfastFelothar the Steadfast | 16 |
| Choco, Seeker of ParadiseChoco, Seeker of Paradise | 16 |
The EDHREC March Madness Bracket
Here's the bracket:
EDHREC March Madness 2026 Full Bracket
To print one out for yourself so you can fill out your predictions, head here for a PDF.
The contest begins on Monday, March 9th. Each match or set of matches will have its own article right here on EDHREC, and those articles will contain the voting polls. Each poll will stay open for about 45 hours from when the article is posted.
Why?
This is just for fun. If you fill out your bracket perfectly, your prize will be bragging rights. Who doesn't love bragging rights?
#RECMadness
You can follow along with the tournament updates on Bluesky and Instagram using the hashtag #RECMadness. You can also use this hashtag to share your bracket picks with your friends or chat about the tournament and who you think should win.
Tournament Schedule (Subject to Change)
We'll update this with links as the tournament progresses.
March 9th - North and South 1st round
March 10th - East and West 1st round
March 11th - North 2nd round
March 12th - South 2nd round
March 13th - East 2nd round
March 16th - West 2nd round
March 17th - North and South 3rd round
March 18th - East and West 3rd round
March 19th - North and South 4th round
March 20th - East and West 4th round
March 23rd - North vs South
March 24th - East vs West
March 26th - Championship
March 30th - Winner announced
So make sure to check back on Monday, March 9th to start submitting your votes! You get one vote per match.
Andy Zupke
Andy's the editor in chief for the EDHREC blog content. He's been playing Magic on and off since Fallen Empires. He loves to travel, drink, eat, and spend time with family and friends.
Your opinions are welcome. We love hearing what you think about Magic! We ask that you are always respectful when commenting. Please keep in mind how your comments could be interpreted by others. Personal attacks on our writers or other commenters will not be tolerated. Your comments may be removed if your language could be interpreted as aggressive or disrespectful. You may also be banned from writing further comments.