<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/burmak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dmitry Burmak</a></em></span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/humans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Humans</a>. They're just like us. And they're one of the staple creature types in Commander! But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Humans? And how do Humans win in Commander?</p>
<p>This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Humans-textless.png

<p>Humans are one of the most numerous creature types in <em>Magic,</em> both from a mechanical count of creatures with the Human type as well as narratively in terms of population.</p>
<p>However, up until the <em>Mirrodin</em> set, Humans didn't exist! At least, not mechanically. Up until that point, every creature that featured humans in its art was denoted as their class, such as Knights and Scouts and Wizards. That changed with the introduction of the race/class model, which overhauled most creatures to include both a race (or species) as well as their class (their job or role).</p>
<p>This led to an incredible influx of Human creatures being grandfathered into the game, though it wasn't until later sets such as the <em>Innistrad</em> block that they started to be supported as a creature type.</p>
<p>Since then, Humans have featured prominently in nearly every set and are the characteristic creature type for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. This has been pushed even further with the implementation of Universes Beyond content, where non-<em>Magic</em> intellectual properties feature Humans prominently.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Advance Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonds of Faith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aang, at the Crossroads"></div></div>


<h2>You Have No Color Restrictions</h2>
<p>Despite being characteristic of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Humans are numerous throughout every color. The most common Human-oriented support tends towards <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, but very powerful Humans can be found in any color. Certain colors have different preferences in how they interface with Humans, though this tends towards reinforcing the strengths and weaknesses of each color independent of the Human involvement.</p>
<p><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> favors sacrificing your Humans, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> favors Humans that give you effects such as card draw, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> loves its mana production, while <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> enjoys some powerful Humans with combat abilities.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dakmor Sorceress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avalanche of Sector 7"></div></div>
<p>There is no single defining stereotype that Humans fall into, even if their color associations follow archetypes quite closely. This means Humans, moreso than any other creature type, can simply be slotted into another deck without much disruption.</p>
<h2>Powerful Effects</h2>
<p>Humans in <em>Magic</em> play host to a number of extremely powerful effects that justify their inclusion in a deck, even without high stats. From incredible mana production to preventing you from losing the game via conventional means, Humans run the gambit of utility!</p>
<p>Many Humans "only" support the statlines of your other creatures, but even that adds up quite quickly. There are simply so many Humans that there are some with incredibly powerful abilities, others whose value is incremental and intended to be stacked, and others reliant on niche edge cases.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, King of Gondor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ali from Cairo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div></div>
<p>When constructing your deck, you have more than enough options and many of them will be fine choices indeed.</p>
<h2>There Are Always More</h2>
<p>Due to the sheer number of Human cards, there's a great deal of flexibility you can have in your deckbuilding. But aside from that, there's also many cards that simply create more Humans!</p>
<p>Human token generation is quite common even from non-Human creatures, which means you can invest in both quantity and quality quite easily. These Humans usually are 1/1 tokens, but there's enough in-type support that they'll be able to more than compensate for their weak base stats.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General&#039;s Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jirina Kudro"></div></div>
<p>On top of this, the sheer variety of Humans you can cast will allow for many cheaply-costed creatures. Paired with your token generation, you won't be hurting for blockers.</p>


<h2>They're Only Human</h2>
<p>Humans, by and large, don't have fantastic stats. Exceptional creatures might have a 4/4 or higher, but even then they tend to be significantly more expensive than they're worth.</p>
<p>As a result, many Humans fail the <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Vanilla#Vanilla_Test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vanilla test</a>, a quick assessment to test a creature's value in a deck. If their converted mana cost is equal to or greater than their stat line, it's generally considered too expensive to justify including. Though this can always be offset by abilities.</p>
<p>Which, luckily, Humans have plenty of! And given their numbers, plenty of Humans such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pass the test just fine. On average, though, not every Human does.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, the Uniter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Éomer, King of Rohan"></div></div>
<h2>Anti-Human Sentiments</h2>
<p>There are quite a few cards that specifically target Humans, such as the aptly named <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Human Frailty" href="#" target="_blank">Human Frailty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The cards are mostly <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, with less-specific anthrophobic cards providing protection against or destroying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>Humans are common enough it's reasonable to prepare countermeasures against such cards, but outside of specific Human-oriented sets they aren't enough of a concern as to avoid running Humans entirely.</p>
<p>In most cases, such cards will involve destroying one or two of your important Humans that you can reclaim later.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Human Frailty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mikaeus, the Unhallowed"></div></div>


<p>Some of the most popular Human commanders don't actually care that much about Humans! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, is a Human who supports Angels, Demons, and Dragons. As a result, this guide will be focusing on Human commanders that have synergy with Humans or are otherwise not specific to supporting a non-Human archetype.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kenrith, the Returned King"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th most played commander</a> at the time of this guide's writing. And that's because he does it all!</p>
<p>At a quite reasonable five-mana 5/5 stat line, Kenrith allows you to spend your mana on any of the different colors' archetypal functions:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives a creature haste and trample, a fantastically cheap way of ensuring value the same turn you play heavy hitters.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature, which is comparatively poor value but still has its place.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> allows a player to gain five life, which is just a large enough value it can reasonably save you in a pinch.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> allows a player to draw a card, which while quite expensive, is always useful.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> returns a creature to the battlefield from a graveyard, doubling or tripling the value of your creatures.</li>
</ul>
<p>Kenrith's core competency is flexibility, leaning into the archetype of every color and granting you access to almost every playstyle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jodah, the Unifier"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves legendary creatures, of which Humans number many. All of them gain +X/+X where X is the number of legendary creatures you control. This means that, baseline, your other legendary creatures will receive +2/+2 from Jodah as well as themselves.</p>
<p>But that isn't even the most powerful effect of Jodah. What people play Jodah for is the fact it effectively gives your legendary spells cascade, granting the ability to cast further legendary cards from the top of your deck for free. Not only is this free value, getting to cheat out another creature while rushing through your deck, but it also feeds into the first ability.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isshin, Two Heavens as One" href="#" target="_blank">Isshin, Two Heavens as One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isshin, Two Heavens as One"></div></div>
<p>Triggering abilities more than once is a reliable strategy, only dependent on including worthwhile triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isshin, Two Heavens as One" href="#" target="_blank">Isshin, Two Heavens as One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> simply existing on the board doubles your effectiveness as a result. This can then be paired with creatures that provide multiple combat phases in a turn in order to quadruple on-attack abilities.</p>
<p>Notably, this doubles the triggering of abilities from permanents you control, independent of who controls the attacking creatures.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor" href="#" target="_blank">Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor" href="#" target="_blank">Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> continues the trend many Human commanders have of granting fantastic flexibility across multiple colors.</p>
<p>Whenever you attack, you can sacrifice a creature - with Human token generation, this will be easy. This allows you to choose two options from: creating two 1/1 Soldiers with haste that are attacking, drawing a card and losing a life, and dealing damage equal to the number of creature tokens you control.</p>
<p>Creating more tokens feeds the sacrifice cost while playing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> means you should be able to draw without fearing for your life.</p>
<p>This ability also procs every time you attack, meaning getting multiple combat phases allows for additional choices.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, the Uniter"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another iteration of "playing each color in accordance with its archetype." Playing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells makes tokens, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells let you scry, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells deal damage, and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives a creature +4/+4 until end of turn.</p>
<p>While this unfortunately leaves out <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, none of these are once per turn. You will therefore get massive value from playing multiple cheap, multicolored spells in order to maximize your commander's abilities.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden"></div></div>
<p>At its face, 5/4 with first strike is not a bad stat array for five mana. Access to <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives some powerful Human support, most notably in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> utility effects and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-rw" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> duelists.</p>
<p>But the star is the ability to create two 2/2 Humans with trample and haste at the beginning of your combat each turn. Given how numerous and generally low-costed Humans are, you should have no problem triggering this each turn.</p>
<p>Then on top of that, you can draw a card if you control six or more Humans! The order here is important, given this triggers after creating the two tokens. This means you only need three Humans in addition to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for this to trigger!</p>
<p>Further, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not trigger her own ability but it can be triggered the same turn she enters the battlefield.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fun inversion on a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> build, where you put all of your power onto a single creature. Kylar gains +1/+1 counters based on how many Humans enter the battlefield under your control, but then also shares that with the rest of your Humans. The more Humans you have, the stronger Kylar gets which in turn makes your Humans stronger.</p>
<p>This +1/+1 also extends to other counters, so if you have a method of providing things such as oil counters to Kylar that will also count!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coppercoat Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Coppercoat Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coppercoat Vanguard"></div></div>
<p>For only two mana, giving all of your Humans +1/+0 and ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is a good value! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coppercoat Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Coppercoat Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't a powerhouse, but Humans are designed to be played en masse. This means a tide of 1/1 Human tokens become 2/1 Human tokens and your more valuable utility Humans gain some light protection.</p>
<p>This is a cheap, early-game buff that will keep you protected from anything but focused retaliation.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lossarnach Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Lossarnach Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lossarnach Captain"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lossarnach Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Lossarnach Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offsets its low toughness with first strike and gives some temporary control by tapping your opponents' creatures every time a Human enters the battlefield under your control. Then, it creates a 1/1 Human token.</p>
<p>At minimum, when played it taps a creature and if it survives a turn it taps another creature. That can put a blocker out of commission or prevent a creature from activating an ability. Then add on the utility of creature generation with a mid-range blocker and this card works for you quite nicely.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kudro of Drannith" href="#" target="_blank">General Kudro of Drannith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kudro of Drannith"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kudro of Drannith" href="#" target="_blank">General Kudro of Drannith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes your Humans slightly more powerful, which is a running theme with the creature type, and can sacrifice your Humans to destroy large creatures. In supporting a token-generation Human deck, this allows you to effectively deal with creatures that would otherwise be a wall.</p>
<p>Then on top of this, Kudro allows you to exile cards from an opponent's graveyard which can be devastating to certain archetypes. And given that this triggers whenever a Human enters the battlefield under your control, it can burst through a number of key cards an opponent was hoping to reclaim.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Gondor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is all about spamming out Human creature tokens. When you play it, you get a 1/1. Then you can spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to gain as many 1/1 Human Soldier tokens as you have Humans. This stacks, this is repeatable, and this can overwhelm a board if not taken care of soon.</p>
<p>Played with no other Humans on the field, it will only give you one token with its activation. It is therefore at its most powerful supporting an already existing force that it can double in size.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows at Willow Hill" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows at Willow Hill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gallows at Willow Hill"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows at Willow Hill" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows at Willow Hill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to take tokens that struggle to make an impact and have them indirectly destroy problematic creatures. This is fairly expensive for removal, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to play the artifact then another <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and three tapped Humans to activate it, but destruction is destruction.</p>
<p>You're going to have the Humans to spare, and giving the opponent a 1/1 flying Spirit is not the worst trade. It's just a matter of ensuring you have a means of dealing with that new flier.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick"></div></div>
<p>Given the reliance Humans have on numbers, a single board wipe can disrupt their entire strategy. That's why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s value comes not from being a 3/3 with vigilance and lifelink, but rather from its ability to make all of your Humans indestructible for a turn.</p>
<p>This involves exiling Paladin Danse, meaning timing is key, but it is a free counter to anyone attempting to remove your board.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oath of Eorl" href="#" target="_blank">Oath of Eorl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oath of Eorl"></div></div>
<p>Humans don't hurt for token generation, but staggered generation is a useful means of getting around explosive reprisals. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oath of Eorl" href="#" target="_blank">Oath of Eorl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> leans into this, giving a respectable force of weak Human tokens that nonetheless add up over time. Then, it both makes you the monarch, affording you card draw at the end of your turn, and makes one of your Humans indestructible.</p>
<p>This would ideally be applied to your commander or another high-value card, though if you have no other options an indestructible 2/2 with trample and haste isn't the worst choice. So long as you have some other Human support, be it a +1/+0 or +2/+2, that will be a fine enough option.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaws&#039; Merriment" href="#" target="_blank">Outlaws&#039; Merriment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outlaws&#039; Merriment"></div></div>
<p>As a randomly-selected effect, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaws&#039; Merriment" href="#" target="_blank">Outlaws&#039; Merriment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> relies on the consistency of Human-centric enter the battlefield (ETB) effects to have value. All of the options are fine individually, but getting a free Human with haste on your upkeep is what matters.</p>
<p>The chance to gain life or the chance to deal damage on ETB are both useful, but ultimately secondary to token generation.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Lockdown" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Lockdown</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanctuary Lockdown"></div></div>
<p>The incremental buffs to Humans keep coming with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Lockdown" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Lockdown</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> granting a flat +1/+1 to them. But then, it allows you to spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and tap two Humans to tap an opponent's creature. This doesn't have a per-turn limit, so as long as you have the mana and the creatures, you can shut down an opponent's entire force!</p>
<p>This doesn't even need a full token board state, as simply tapping the key defenders an opponent controls can allow the rest of your force to advance without major resistance. You may lose a few tokens, but that's a sacrifice you should be willing to make.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Coppercoats" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Coppercoats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Call the Coppercoats"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Coppercoats" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Coppercoats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to respond perfectly to the threats you find yourself facing. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you can gain a number of 1/1 Humans equal to the number of creatures that opponent has. And you can choose additional opponents for only <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> each! So it's actually cheaper for every opponent past the first while allowing you to choose which are the most valuable targets.</p>
<p>As mentioned multiple times previously, Human token generation is a beautiful thing. But as an instant, this is a perfect response to an incoming attack or a supplement to ETB triggers.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass Appeal" href="#" target="_blank">Mass Appeal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mass Appeal"></div></div>
<p>Card draw is one of the most powerful force multipliers in <em>Magic,</em> so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass Appeal" href="#" target="_blank">Mass Appeal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give great returns. It requires at least two Humans to give positive card advantage, as with a single Human it will draw only a single card and "pay for itself."</p>
<p>At three mana it isn't the best value, given you'll likely be drawing more cards than you can keep in your hand at the end of the turn. This pairs best with decks that can produce a large quantity of mana to get one monstrous turn.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forth Eorlingas!" href="#" target="_blank">Forth Eorlingas!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forth Eorlingas!"></div></div>
<p>After a fixed cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you can pay any amount of mana to gain that many 2/2 Human Knights. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forth Eorlingas!" href="#" target="_blank">Forth Eorlingas!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is fantastic value, swarming the board with creatures that can attack this turn and trample past 1/1 blockers.</p>
<p>With any amount of power supplements, you can very reasonably get a mid-range trample board that can rush past most defenses.</p>
<p>The ability to become the monarch upon dealing combat damage is a nice addition, as that will give you an extra card draw at the end of the turn without any real chance of it being taken.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is most valuable as a recursive token generator, spending her final loyalty counter to boost two of your creatures attacking before escaping back onto the field. Life gain is nice and boosting your creatures' stats is useful, but her ability to trigger ETB effects and enhance your board is what matters.</p>
<p>Her escape cost allows her to be used more than once, though with how expensive it is, this is more of a "nice to have" than a core to her utility. In the late game it can allow you to get a small push, but won't be the primary focus of your strategy.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon, Ally of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon, Ally of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> unfortunately doesn't create Human tokens, he only creates Knight Ally tokens. However, he can become a Human which will gain the benefits of existing Human enhancements. This doesn't count as entering the battlefield, but it does mean you get an indestructible 5/5 that gains any number of benefits from your field.</p>
<p>A +1/+1 emblem is nice, but Gideon is at his most valuable acting as a creature and supporting your field.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon Jura" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon Jura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon Jura"></div></div>
<p>A slightly more expensive planeswalker, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon Jura" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon Jura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a similar strategy of becoming an indestructible 6/6 Human. His ability to destroy tapped creature synergizes nicely with many Humans' abilities, though his ability to force opponents to attack him is his standout feature.</p>
<p>If you target an opponent with any untapped utility creatures, you can easily destroy them. This puts pressure on opponents to spend resources immediately as opposed to planning for the future. Further, it's easier for you to thin out an opponent's board when you can choose which defenders block what attackers, giving you the tactical advantage.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Castle Ardenvale" href="#" target="_blank">Castle Ardenvale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Castle Ardenvale"></div></div>
<p>As a nonbasic land, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Castle Ardenvale" href="#" target="_blank">Castle Ardenvale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to enter untapped so long as you control a Plains is so easy it almost won't come up. Giving <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is fine, and creating a 1/1 Human for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is simply not that worth it most times. However, it might be!</p>
<p>It's a good backup, for when you're lacking cards to play or have an excess of mana. Don't expect to use it regularly, but this is purely a potential benefit atop what is almost a basic Plains.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Westvale Abbey" href="#" target="_blank">Westvale Abbey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Westvale Abbey"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Westvale Abbey" href="#" target="_blank">Westvale Abbey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit of a different story. Adding a colorless mana is fine, nothing wrong with that. <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and a life for a 1/1 Human Cleric falls into the same category as previously mentioned of "useful if you have nothing else to do." It won't come up often, but a land being able to produce creature tokens ensures you won't be hurting for them.</p>
<p>If you want to play a Human/Demon cross-typal deck, this is for you. A corruption theme works perfectly with many Orzhov (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) Humans, and even without that there's nothing stopping you from fielding a Demon in your Human deck.</p>


<p>Humans support Humans, much like other "quantity over quality" creature types.  That being said, there's quite a few powerhouses among their number.</p>
<p>The biggest thing with Humans is incremental and cumulative stat boosts. A +1/+1 here, a +1/+0 there. Pair this when the generation of many 1/1 or a handful of 2/2 creature tokens, and suddenly you can get a very large board.</p>
<p>While Humans can certainly be explosive in their generation, they generally require some setup in their growth. You'll need time for the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to grow. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart" href="#" target="_blank">Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> needs an existing force to support. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda and Lier" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda and Lier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> need a backlog of instants and sorceries.</p>
<p>While they can certainly surprise your opponents, they'll need a turn to convert that potential energy into kinetic energy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Gondor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>


<p>Due to being so incredibly numerous, Humans have quite a few synergies with other creature types!</p>
<p>Just about every class has a major Human subtheme, with Clerics, Knights, and Warriors being some of the most prominent. Clerics tends towards <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Knights being <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-wu" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and Warriors sticking to <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-rw" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. But <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-ub" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Ninjas and Rogues have plenty of Humans just as <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Wizards do.</p>
<p>But Humans also support the dominant supernatural species across the various planes they inhabit, from Angels to Demons to Dragons. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the sixth most played commander at the time of this guide's writing, and that's a Human that doesn't even support other Humans!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaalia of the Vast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toph, the First Metalbender"></div></div>
<p>They're at their strongest choosing a creature type to support, which may or not be Human. No matter the choice, Humans can find their way to support just about any style of play.</p>


Humans in Commander

EDHREC Guide to Humans in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodbond Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodbond Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.annasteinbauer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Steinbauer</a> | <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Furyblade Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Furyblade Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lius Lasahido</a> | Edgar Markov | Art by <a href="https://baga.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Volkan Baga</a></em></span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/vampires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vampires</a> are one of the staple creature types in Commander. They show up everywhere! But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Vampires? And how do Vampires win in Commander?</p>
<p>This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Vampire-Guide-textless.png

<p>Having haunted the night since the days of <em>Alpha,</em> Vampires are a regular sight in any black deck. Which makes sense, given they're a characteristic creature of the color.</p>
<p>Historically, they've run the gambit across all Mardu colors <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> with an anchor in black <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Each different color's Vampires has a difference specialty to reflect their color while retaining the same basic traits.</p>
<p>Black <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires tend to have flying and sacrifice your own creatures. Red <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires tend to have madness and deal with Blood tokens. White <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Vampires most often have lifegain, usually via lifelink.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Markov Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forerunner of the Legion"></div></div>
<p>Vampires across all colors possess flying and +1/+1 counter generation, and a fair few are transformation cards. And while most of them have middling stat lines, particularly for their cost, there are some incredible heavy-hitters among them.</p>


<h2>You Have Options With Vampires</h2>
<p>In no small part due to their prominence across all of <em>Magic's</em> sets and planes, Vampires have a fantastic range of options available to them.</p>
<p>You'll have large beatsticks that can deal big damage, utility pieces that change the way the game is played, solid commanders, and fearsome planeswalkers.</p>
<p>Vampires can't support every playstyle, though they can do most of them very well. And even if you aren't running a Vampire deck, including even a few will rarely not work out for you. There's even a large overlap with other creature types, like Knights, Clerics, and Demons that can lead to interesting strategies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sengir Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Henrika Domnathi"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Rebirth"></div></div>
<p>That's due to the fact that, while Vampires do support one another, they are quite comfortable as solitary pieces. Many Vampires increase the power and toughness of your other Vampires or can interact with specifically other Vampires, though many others still are agnostic on creature type interactions, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bishop of Rebirth" href="#" target="_blank">Bishop of Rebirth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Making More "Vampires"</h2>
<p>As befits their folkloric origins, Vampires have multiple ways of inflicting vampire-like traits on other creatures you control. This can manifest in something as simple as converting its creature type to Vampire or something more roundabout.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mark of the Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Mark of the Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for instance, doesn't actually turn a creature into a Vampire. Just a vampire-like.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mark of the Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Captivating Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mephidross Vampire"></div></div>
<p>There are many ways for this to happen, meaning what in-type support Vampires do have for one another will be able to spread to other creatures. And this also allows for non-Vampire creatures that remain non-Vampires to gain keywords or abilities that help them fit mechanically or narratively into your deck.</p>
<h2>Sustain</h2>
<p>It's actually quite difficult to remove Vampires.</p>
<p>Their lifegain makes it so that anyone playing Vampires will be around for a while. Vampires are sometimes cheap enough and often numerous enough you can field them faster than your opponents can rush you. Even sacrificing Vampires tends to give you some recursion or benefit from returning them to the field.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ichor Drinker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vampire Nighthawk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodsworn Squire"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichor Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Ichor Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such example. It's cheap, it has lifelink, and you can exile it from your graveyard to gain an Incubator token. That means you have a cheap blocker that can gain you some life, act as sacrifice-fodder, and then come back as a small artifact creature.</p>


<h2>Relying On Abilities</h2>
<p>Many Vampires fail the "vanilla test," which is a benchmark of quality to judge a card's value. It's a quick assessment to see if a card's power and toughness are equal to or greater than its cost.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timothar, Baron of Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Timothar, Baron of Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fails the test as a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> 4/4. Assuming this card was "vanilla" and had no abilities or keywords, it would need to be a 6/6 to be worth considering in most decks due to its costs.</p>
<p>However, due to its ward and Bat summoning ability, Timothar can be a worthwhile inclusion in Vampire decks despite not passing the test.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timothar, Baron of Bats"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mathas, Fiend Seeker"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mathas, Fiend Seeker" href="#" target="_blank">Mathas, Fiend Seeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> passes the test. As a 3/3, that's equal to the cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and therefore would be worth considering without its keywords and abilities. But on top of that, Mathas also has menace and its bounty counters, meaning it has additional value atop its stats.</p>
<p>Many Vampires don't make the vanilla test, though they usually have flying, lifelink, or some ability to make up for it. The vanilla test is just a brief, easy way to appraise a card's general value. Failing it doesn't make a card bad, particularly with some of the abilities Vampires have.</p>
<p>But just be aware, many Vampires need a bit of work to see their full potential.</p>
<h2>Spread Too Thin?</h2>
<p>Though this may be "suffering from success," Vampires aren't particularly focused as a creature type. They're incredibly numerous, meaning there are many fantastic Vampires, but many more that fail to meet the mark.</p>
<p>Vampires from <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Ixalan_(plane)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ixalan</a> focus on white-aligned lifegain and teamwork. <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Innistrad_(plane)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Innistrad</a> Vampires tend more towards black and thereby engage in sacrificing and creature destruction.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar, Charmed Groom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div></div>
<p>These differing focuses compliment one another when used in tandem, but Vampires aren't close to a monolith. They are fractured across various sets and planes, with their strategies being idiosyncratic to wherever they find themselves.</p>
<p>You can reliably get a +1/+1 to all of your Vampires almost anywhere, so you at least have cohesion.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar Markov"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second most played commander in the game</a> at the time of this guide's writing.</p>
<p>A 4/4 with first strike and haste who puts a +1/+1 on each of your Vampires after he attacks? That's good. But his <em>eminence</em> ability is why he's one of the most played commanders out there.</p>
<p>Eminence as a keyword means that the ability still is active even if the card it's tied to is in the command zone. That means that whenever you cast another Vampire spell, even if you've never cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the game, you create a 1/1 black Vampire token.</p>
<p>If you're playing Vampires, that gives you more Vampires. If you're casting Edgar, his haste allows him to attack and strengthen your Vampires. It feeds both into itself as well as into the archetype, which is why it's so commonly played!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clavileño, First of the Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Clavileño, First of the Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clavileño, First of the Blessed"></div></div>
<p>This commander turns your Vampires into Demon Vampires, which, aside from being cool, also gives them a death trigger to draw a card and create a 4/3 flying Vampire Demon.</p>
<p>This isn't quite as reliant on having a Demon subtheme as you might expect, given card draw is always useful and 4/3 flyers are nice to have. Even in a strictly Vampire deck, this just gives you some extra coverage on flyers and allows for your dead Vampires to get another enter-the-battlefield (ETB) trigger with their Demon.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strefan, Maurer Progenitor" href="#" target="_blank">Strefan, Maurer Progenitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> enjoys poking and pinging opponents, which red has in spades. At the end of your turn, create a Blood token for each player who lost life. Including you! So if you ping all of your opponents with a red spell and then spend some life on something black, you're creating four Blood tokens.</p>
<p>Next turn, you can sacrifice two of them to get a free Vampire from your hand tapped and attacking with temporary indestructability. This is the main reason you'll play Strefan, as Blood tokens aren't really useful enough to invest in on their own. They provide card draw at the cost of discarding a card, but both red and black have better ways to access cards than that.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda, the Dusk Rose"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rides a nice line between being required to grow over time and being a threat on her own. She will grow quickly and even provide value when destroyed, even if her initial cost seems a bit steep.</p>
<p>Elenda's largest weakness is being taken out early, as focusing on her before destroying any other creature will allow opponents to stop any +1/+1 counters on her. Luckily, Elenda creates Vampires equal to her power, so there will almost always be at least one. But she'll need some protection, either in the form of white protection or black creature destruction.</p>
<p>After all, she gains counters whenever <em>any</em> other creature dies! Not just yours.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div></div>
<p>Despite his high cost, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is flexible enough to make up for it. Boasting both deathtouch and lifelink, he'll scare larger attackers away while being able to get extra value from blocking smaller attackers. Then at your end step, you get to either force an opponent to lose life or you can gain life.</p>
<p>Depending on what your deck is built around, this can be quite oppressive. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Soul Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a rush of tokens can easily get into the double digits of life gained, not to mention lifelink on your Vampires.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia Voldaren" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia Voldaren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Olivia Voldaren"></div></div>
<p>The ability to convert creatures into Vampires is always fun, as it allows you to slot in some creatures into your Vampire deck that otherwise wouldn't fit the synergies. The fact it makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Olivia Voldaren" href="#" target="_blank">Olivia Voldaren</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gain a +1/+1 counter just adds to her strength, primarily due to the fact it helps her not die. If you have the mana to spare, you can cast her and then use her first ability multiple times to pump her stats.</p>
<p>But the fun starts when you convert your opponents' creatures to Vampires and then take control of them. The creature doesn't need to take damage to become a Vampire, meaning Olivia can steal some absolutely heinous creatures that <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> ago were a threat to you.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda and Azor" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda and Azor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elenda and Azor"></div></div>
<p>Depending on your mana production, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda and Azor" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda and Azor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant you some explosive potential. Not only does it have fair stats with ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to keep it on the field, but you can get scaling card draw. Then after that, you can use the cards you drew to create 1/1 Vampire Knights.</p>
<p>It isn't the most complicated commander, but a solid means of getting card advantage as well as board advantage is rarely a bad thing. And if you have a board wipe or two, you'll find it quick enough and be able to occupy the now empty battlefield.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Dark Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Dark Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Master of Dark Rites"></div></div>
<p>With how expensive many Vampires are and how easy it is to get tokens of them, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of Dark Rites" href="#" target="_blank">Master of Dark Rites</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic inclusion. It's classic black, with short-term gains at the expense of burning through your resources. But that's exactly what Vampires need: a jumpstart to help them fill out their board and set up their plans.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malakir Bloodwitch" href="#" target="_blank">Malakir Bloodwitch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malakir Bloodwitch"></div></div>
<p>A great way to drain the life of your opponents and keep yourself alive, this is made even more powerful if you have the ability to bring it back from the graveyard. With flickering and recursion, you could set <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malakir Bloodwitch" href="#" target="_blank">Malakir Bloodwitch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> up to win you the game. Though that would take quite a few spells and many Vampires.</p>
<p>Still, even just dropping it down when you have a handful of Vampires will give you a vitality boost and a deceptively durable blocker.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div></div>
<p>Your Vampires are going to die a lot, usually self-inflicted by sacrifice effects. Therefore, draining opponents' life while healing yourself is just an efficient use of your time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is cheap and convenient to just throw down behind a wall of Vampires, though it's likely going to be targeted quite quickly.</p>
<p>It's a part of multiple three-card infinite combos, meaning cautious players might not allow it to stay out for long.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Fountain"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap, disposable artifact meant to assist Rakdos <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks to build up their Blood token supply and ensure the value of their creatures. It's a useful boost to decks that care about Blood tokens and the ability to return some creature cards to your hand is quite nice.</p>
<p>It won't win games, but it has its place.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glass-Cast Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Glass-Cast Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glass-Cast Heart"></div></div>
<p>Creating even more Blood tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glass-Cast Heart" href="#" target="_blank">Glass-Cast Heart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> actually gives you something to do with all this blood. While it does allow you to create tokens with lifelink, which, due to requiring tapping, is a bit slow but not unwelcome, its main feature is its third ability.</p>
<p>Will you regularly achieve thirteen or more Blood tokens? Probably not, unless your deck is built around them. And even then, thirteen life is good but needs support to finish the job. That being said, as a late-game strike or in a deck already generating many Blood tokens, this gives some minor token generation and an explosive finish in your back pocket.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of the Bloodchief" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of the Bloodchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blade of the Bloodchief"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blade of the Bloodchief" href="#" target="_blank">Blade of the Bloodchief</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is good on non-Vampires, but even better on Vampires, allowing continuous growth on specific creatures you control. It's cheap enough you can swap it around easily, meaning you can either invest heavily in a single striker or divide the growth between multiple different Vampires..</p>
<p>With how many creatures will be dying, the counters will add up faster than you'd think. Particularly when you start sacrificing your own.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div></div>
<p>Vampires have so many ways of gaining life that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just adds some punch to what you're already good at. Many Vampires even already drain opponents while gaining life. This just enhances that further, ensuring you're an active participant in the match.</p>
<p>Also, it makes a two-card combo with cards that gain you life when opponents lose life, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stensia Masquerade" href="#" target="_blank">Stensia Masquerade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stensia Masquerade"></div></div>
<p>Giving your creatures first strike is good; your Vampires gaining +1/+1 counters upon dealing damage to an opponent is great! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stensia Masquerade" href="#" target="_blank">Stensia Masquerade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some nice buffs, with the added benefit that you can cast it when it gets discarded.</p>
<p>First strike and deathtouch is an evergreen combo, meaning some Vampires will be even better fits for this enchantment than others. And if you have any support for +1/+1 counters on your Vampires, this also feeds into that further.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="March of the Canonized" href="#" target="_blank">March of the Canonized</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="March of the Canonized"></div></div>
<p>Spawning in a mass of tokens gives great potential for explosive damage or life gain, alongside the fact the tokens created by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="March of the Canonized" href="#" target="_blank">March of the Canonized</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have lifelink. The Vampire Demons don't, though a passive creation of a flying 4/3 each turn isn't bad by any means.</p>
<p>This card supports a more aggressive, assertive style of play. Vampires like draining, pinging, and building before striking, whereas this card is played before a rushdown. It might not be at the end of the game, but it's certainly not something to play and let the moment pass.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Blood" href="#" target="_blank">New Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="New Blood"></div></div>
<p>Another means of converting creatures into Vampires, just in a different way than the rest. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="New Blood" href="#" target="_blank">New Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains control of a creature and replaces all instances of one creature type with "Vampire."</p>
<p>It's not the same as just making a creature into a Vampire, as it also impacts what abilities they have, leading to some incredibly powerful interactions if used on the right creature.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crackling Doom"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackling Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Crackling Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an effective ping of damage whose primary value comes from forcing each opponent to sacrifice their most powerful creatures. Vampires innately don't have many ways to deal with threats they aren't more powerful than, outside of those with deathtouch. And even then, many Vampires have flying and may be unable to take out a cautious player's biggest creature.</p>
<p>The ability to remove the biggest threats your opponents have available frees you up to either counterattack or continue building your forces to hide behind while draining your opponents.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruinous Ultimatum"></div></div>
<p>An expensive, simple one-sided board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is devastating if not countered, and you'll be set up in a strong position after playing it not simply due to clearing the opponents' boards.</p>
<p>Playing Vampires, you'll have both numbers and strength. You may not have the ability to finish off every opponent, depending on when you play the Ultimatum. However, you can consistently remove one or even two players should you have a developed board state. That means it will be one or two players rebuilding their board as your tokens with +1/+1 counters, flying, and/or lifelink prepare for another attack.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord"></div></div>
<p><a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Sorin_Markov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sorin</a> has many cards depicting him as a planeswalker, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is useful in a facilitative sense. Its first ability not only grants temporary deathtouch and lifelink to a creature, but also gives it a +1/+1 counter if it's a Vampire. And sacrificing a Vampire to deal three damage to any target and gain three life isn't bad either, considering the benefits you can get from death triggers and recursion.</p>
<p>Being able to play a Vampire for free is the kicker, though. Vampires are generally expensive, and black's mana production isn't very sustainable. Neither is red's or even white's.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Lord of Innistrad" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Lord of Innistrad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin, Lord of Innistrad"></div></div>
<p>Creating lifelink Vampires with an emblem that's a flat +1/+0 are both good. Neither are gamebreaking, but neither are going to hurt you, either. Being able to destroy up to three target creatures and potentially gain control of them is nice, but it's fairly expensive what <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Lord of Innistrad" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Lord of Innistrad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can achieve.</p>
<p>This incarnation of Sorin is most valuable as just a token generator, with the ticking clock of destroying your opponents' creatures pressuring them to devote resources to taking him out. Vampires don't quite swarm, though they do hunt in packs, so any bit helps.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Grim Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Grim Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin, Grim Nemesis"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorin, Grim Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Sorin, Grim Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some free, revealed card draw that also drains life from your opponents based on its mana cost. And based on the cost of some of your Vampires, that's not something to ignore!</p>
<p>This Sorin can then deal however much damage you need to a creature or planeswalker and get you some life or spam the field with as many creatures as your opponents have life. Potentially even more than that, assuming you'd been gaining life yourself.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Duneyard" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Duneyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Accursed Duneyard"></div></div>
<p>The ability to regenerate your Vampires can be incredibly powerful, particularly considering how much Vampires enjoy +1/+1 counters. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Accursed Duneyard" href="#" target="_blank">Accursed Duneyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should only be used on your most important Vampires, as black has enough means of returning creatures from the graveyard and white has enough ETB effects that most other Vampires simply aren't worth the trouble.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vault of the Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Vault of the Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vault of the Archangel"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vault of the Archangel" href="#" target="_blank">Vault of the Archangel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another example of a land reinforcing what Vampires are good at, rather than adding a new mechanic. Some of them have deathtouch while many have lifelink. This means that, outside of being thematic, adding these keywords to other Vampires that don't have them will allow them to engage with in-type support.</p>
<p>Plenty of Vampires already give benefits from gaining life, meaning granting lifelink to one that doesn't already have it will perpetuate the Vampire strategy further.</p>


<p>Vampires are mid-range creatures that are good in numbers, clusters, and when supported by external spells. A lot of Vampire tactics will involve sustaining themselves by doing drain damage, gaining life, and building up a force of +1/+1 boosted tokens.</p>
<p>However, most Vampires have an end goal of just poking at their opponents until they keel over.</p>
<p>The tokens and +1/+1 counters, even with how many flying Vampires there are, just don't compare to how much support there is for ability-oriented methods of taking down your opponents. They can still absolutely win via traditional swinging for direct attacks, but that's not the Vampire's preferred strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Astarion, the Decadent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anje, Maid of Dishonor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sorin of House Markov"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astarion, the Decadent" href="#" target="_blank">Astarion, the Decadent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an example of how you can turn life gain into life loss, which is not hard to get into lethal or near-lethal levels. Vampires excel at doing direct life loss to your opponents while gaining life for a long enough time that they just outlast everyone.</p>


<p>Vampires have a few 2-3 card combos, whose validity and efficacy will change dependent on which <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bracket</a> you're playing in.</p>
<p>Something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> requires a single point of life to be gained or lost and suddenly you win the game. Combos oriented around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tend to take more cards that involve destroying a creature that can freely come back or come back at the cost of life, which is regained by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Then, of course, there's winning via stampeding your opponents with an army of flying tokens saddled with lifelink and +1/+1 counters, though that feels a bit improper to classify as an alternate win condition to their normal strategy. It is viable, though!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exquisite Blood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blood Artist"></div></div>


Vampires in Commander

EDHREC Guide to Vampires in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves|gn3|101" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.rahnart.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rahn</a></em></p>
<p>Elves are one of the staple creature types in Commander. They show up everywhere! But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Elves? And how do Elves win in Commander? This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


<p>Elves are the characteristic creature type of green, meaning they appear in almost every single set and are native to nearly every plane. In fact, they've been around in <em>Magic</em>'s history ever since <em>Alpha.</em></p>
<p>Elves have always had ties to nature, specifically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, which has led to them being associated with producing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Despite their long lifespans, they're quite numerous, oftentimes being second only to humans across the planes they inhabit.</p>
<p>Overwhelmingly, Elves have low costs, power, and toughness, but make up for this in incredible utility and synergies together. While there are individual Elves that have respectable statlines through their own merit, rare is the Elf that can stand on its own.</p>
<p>Being green-aligned but with ties to every other color, Elves can do just about anything cheaply and en masse, from gaining life to dealing death.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galadriel of Lothlórien"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dionus, Elvish Archdruid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eladamri, Lord of Leaves"></div></div>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Elves"></div></div>
<h2>MANA! MANA! MANA!</h2>
<p>No color can acquire mana better than green, and Elves are a large part of that. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may just be the most famous mana dork in the game. That is to say, the most famous creature whose sole value lies in granting you mana.</p>
<p>You don't play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in order to have them attack your opponent. You could, though it would be inadvisable. Their value is in getting you extra mana production, particularly in the early game. At a cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, they're a force-multiplier, particularly if you can drop them turn one.</p>
<p>They're so good, in fact, that multiple reprints of the exact same card with different names have been made over the years. And then there's more weighty options if you're willing to have more expensive Elves for later in the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Mystic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fyndhorn Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heritage Druid"></div></div>
<h2>Swarm Tactics</h2>
<p>Elves like making other Elves. Elves like scaling off of how many Elves you have. Elves also like enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects that activate whenever a new creature enters the battlefield under your control. Not even excluded to Elves!</p>
<p>That last feature shows up most often under the <em>Alliance</em> keyword, which often involves gaining life and/or assigning +1/+1 counters as an ETB, which makes sense, given just how many different Elves there are!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great example of a way Elves build off their numbers. Most of your Elves and Elf tokens will be 1/1, so bumping that up to 2/2 is a fine start. That being said, being able to scale your mana production off of your board state while only tapping a single creature is where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shines.</p>
<p>Weak on its own but with great synergies, as with most Elves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Archdruid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lys Alana Huntmaster"></div></div>
<h2>+1/+1 Counters</h2>
<p>Elves rarely have base stats larger than 3/3. To compensate, or likely due to their prominence across most major set releases, they have many ways to increase that power. Being overwhelmingly green, Elves have a deep-seated love for +1/+1 counters and have a number of ways to apply them.</p>
<p>However, Elves tend to recognize their strength is in their numbers and don't usually stack many +1/+1 counters on a single target. Rather, they offer the choice of placing counters on multiple creatures, which is a great bit of flexibility!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elrond, Master of Healing" href="#" target="_blank">Elrond, Master of Healing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such example. Not only does it grant +1/+1 counters to creatures when you scry, it then gives you card draw when these creatures become the target of a spell or ability. That's utility combined with power scaling off utility!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elrond, Master of Healing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn and Arwen, Wed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boss&#039;s Chauffeur"></div></div>


<h2>You're All In</h2>
<p>Extremely tuned decks or powerful cards might allow a skilled player to sweep with a lone Elf, but broadly speaking Elves require the entire deck to be built around them. Elves have a fair bit of synergy with Warriors, Druids, and Rangers, as well as many of the various animals and plants of the forests, such as Beasts. However, much like how many of the cards draw strength from other Elves, those same cards are weak without them.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drizzt Do&#039;Urden" href="#" target="_blank">Drizzt Do&#039;Urden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ignores this, a lone warrior whose value is unrelated to being an Elf. Yes, he benefits from being an Elf if you have support, but he doesn't require other Elves. In other words, it's certainly possible to have non-typal Elves, but it's not common.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Drizzt Do&#039;Urden"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elturgard Ranger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arwen Undómiel"></div></div>
<h2>You're Annoying</h2>
<p>Elf decks tend to be more annoying than threatening, at least to any opponent that has an answer. You're spamming tokens, gaining life, giving them +1/+1 counters, building your force until you can rush down any opponent you choose.</p>
<p>Then one board wipe or a sufficient horde of blocker tokens shuts you down.</p>
<p>Elves aren't weak, far from it. But they're a synergistic creature type that relies on many small creatures working in tandem, often on the backs of tokens. It takes time to get to ridiculous power levels, which means opponents can stop you from getting there if they see it coming, which is why you need to be comfortable attacking before you're at that ridiculous level of +1/+1 counters and tokens, supplementing your urgency with some support, like with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar the Bellicose" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar the Bellicose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tyvar the Bellicose"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abomination of Llanowar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ezuri, Renegade Leader"></div></div>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ninth most played commander in the game</a> at the time of this guide's writing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div></div>
<p>With a weak statline compared to its cost, even menace feels like it can't compensate for its power. However, menace actually makes Lathril's ability of summoning Elves much easier, and since Elves love +1/+1 counters, Lathril won't stay 2/3 for long.</p>
<p>The most interesting part of Lathril is its activated ability, requiring tapping ten other Elves. This of course synergizes with with creating tokens upon dealing combat damage, but Elves may as well spontaneously manifest in your deck. You will have enough.</p>
<p>It should be noted that this ability causes your opponents to each <em>lose</em> 10 life: Lathril does not <em>deal</em> 10 damage to each opponent, so if you have an effect that procs off of dealing damage, Lathril's activated ability won't proc that effect.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voja, Jaws of the Conclave" href="#" target="_blank">Voja, Jaws of the Conclave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Not even an Elf, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voja, Jaws of the Conclave" href="#" target="_blank">Voja, Jaws of the Conclave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows for a perfect fusion of Elf and Wolf.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voja, Jaws of the Conclave"></div></div>
<p>With how many Elves you can get even with only a subtheme in an otherwise non-Elf deck, you will get great scaling rapidly because this procs every time Voja attacks, not upon dealing damage. Plus, ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is an amazing protection to have on a commander you want staying on the field.</p>
<p>Drawing a card for each Wolf you control is amazing value, given it will be at a minimum of one. Multiple Elves create Wolves, and Wolves as a creature type similarly beget more Wolves, meaning Voja can comfortable invest in a dual-typal deck.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadriel, Light of Valinor" href="#" target="_blank">Galadriel, Light of Valinor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadriel, Light of Valinor" href="#" target="_blank">Galadriel, Light of Valinor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does almost everything Elves love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galadriel, Light of Valinor"></div></div>
<p>She has an effect when a creature enters the battlefield where you can choose one of three options, with no repeats within a turn. Those effects are: add <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, all of your creatures get +1/+1, and scry 2.</p>
<p>The only thing missing here is some lifegain; then Galadriel would cover every aspect of what makes Elves great.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marwyn, the Nurturer" href="#" target="_blank">Marwyn, the Nurturer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Although slow to grow, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marwyn, the Nurturer" href="#" target="_blank">Marwyn, the Nurturer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic payoff for Elf players that want to build around a central figure.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marwyn, the Nurturer"></div></div>
<p>While only a 1/1, your Elves gain an ETB to give Marwyn a +1/+1 counter. Then, Marwyn can gain <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> equal to its power.</p>
<p>The value of this will diminish over time as Marwyn is destroyed and your commander tax increases. Every time Marwyn is removed, it's back to a 1/1 for higher costs and less tapped mana. However, you won't be hurting for mana, and you'll have to risk your commander one way or another. That's what green's built-in protections, such as applying hexproof, are for.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar the Bellicose" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar the Bellicose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar the Bellicose" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar the Bellicose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> excels at making your weak mana dorks actually a formidable fighting force.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tyvar the Bellicose"></div></div>
<p>The +1/+1 counters are nice for building weak Elves into mid-range fighters, but the main event is granting your attacking Elves deathtouch.</p>
<p>Even just sending a handful of tokens can disrupt an opponent's board state, and that's before you get into enhanced low-cost Elves!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhys the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Rhys the Redeemed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhys the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Rhys the Redeemed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to create Elf tokens. Lots of them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhys the Redeemed"></div></div>
<p>The value of Rhys is somewhat diminished by how uncommon Elf tokens that have an effect are, but that's a non-issue. With how many <em>Alliance</em> abilities Elves have, simply adding creatures to the board provides value in multiple avenues. Then they act as support for other effects, be it deathtouch or scaling +1/+1 counters or lifegain.</p>
<p>If you can get your tokens to have activated abilities, Rhy becomes a nightmare.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf" href="#" target="_blank">Nath of the Gilt-Leaf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf" href="#" target="_blank">Nath of the Gilt-Leaf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an incredibly disrespectful commander to run, be warned.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf"></div></div>
<p>Every turn, you can force an opponent to discard a card, then you create a 1/1 Elf. It's less a declaration of war and more so a slap on the face, so why the big deal?</p>
<p>Nath is partially a black-aligned commander. Black as a color has access to many, <em>many</em> forms of forced discard. You can then leverage green spells to form more tokens, acting as sacrificial fodder for black spells. Often, this feeds into more discard.</p>
<p>The value of Nath as a commander is reliant on the temperament of your opponents, where if they can suffer the odd forced discard you will be able to flourish. For vindictive playgroups? Best to stay away.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as I mentioned earlier, is a must-have in any Elf deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Elves"></div></div>
<p>By itself, it won't win you games. However, the ethos behind low-costed Elves that grant you mana is to stimulate your mana production.</p>
<p>Mana production and card draw cannot win the game by themselves, but they are the bottlenecks through which any value from your deck is going to flow, so making mana production easier makes anything else you want to do easier.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arbor Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Arbor Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>For a similar reason, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arbor Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Arbor Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another way to generate mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arbor Elf"></div></div>
<p>However, it actually allows a bit more flexibility in multicolored decks.</p>
<p>While it does rely on targeting a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forest" href="#" target="_blank">Forest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, meaning you'll most often be getting <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> all the same, there are nonbasic lands that are still considered Forests; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overgrown Tomb" href="#" target="_blank">Overgrown Tomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such example.</p>
<p>Or if you cast an enchantment such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Guidance" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Guidance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a Forest, you can tap it for X mana and then untap it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arbor Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Arbor Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get another X mana.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trelasarra, Moon Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Trelasarra, Moon Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trelasarra, Moon Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Trelasarra, Moon Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a win condition in Elf decks oriented around gaining life.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trelasarra, Moon Dancer"></div></div>
<p>Not only does it scale in strength and power every time you gain life, which is readily accessible in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, but it allows you to scry. Scrying looks at the top card of your deck and allows you to put it on either the top or bottom of your deck.</p>
<p>This means that Trelasarra is both a beatstick that grows over time that also allows you to sculpt your deck, and with lifegain from the <em>Alliance</em>-oriented Elf creature type, it can rapidly restructure what you'll be drawing.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary" href="#" target="_blank">Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Your Elves are cheap and readily give you additional <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary"></div></div>
<p>With the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary" href="#" target="_blank">Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, every time you cast a creature spell you can pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to draw a card. This, in all likelihood, will give you more Elves to allow you to draw more cards and so on and so forth until you have no more Elves. Or, rarely, until you have no mana.</p>
<p>The fact it allows you to scry during your upkeep means you can even work towards ensuring you draw additional Elves, and certain Elves have abilities that proc when you scry.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar" href="#" target="_blank">Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>While it's specific to black-aligned Elf decks, the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar" href="#" target="_blank">Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an easy inclusion in any deck that's willing to risk its Elves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar"></div></div>
<p>You can gain life easily. Many Elves have ETBs. This means you're doubling or even tripling the value of an individual Elf because when it dies, it's exiled. You can then play it from exile. Then it dies again, gets exiled, and you can play it again.</p>
<p>So long as you have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar" href="#" target="_blank">Serpent&#039;s Soul-Jar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and life to spare, your Elves can keep coming back. And since you're already in black, low-costed Elves make for great sacrifice fodder for other effects.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn-Blessed Pennant" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn-Blessed Pennant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dawn-Blessed Pennant" href="#" target="_blank">Dawn-Blessed Pennant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some additional lifegain when you play Elves and acts as an emergency panic button to grab one from the graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dawn-Blessed Pennant"></div></div>
<p>By itself, it won't change games. But that's useful!</p>
<p>While yes, it might be annoying for your opponents if you're constantly gaining life, that isn't a threat. Therefore, they likely won't target the artifact, which means you have a (nearly) unimpeded recursion for your linchpin Elf.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Venom" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Venom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>As I've mentioned a few times now, Elves are good at making more Elves. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elderfang Venom" href="#" target="_blank">Elderfang Venom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes those many Elves deadly. Literally!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elderfang Venom"></div></div>
<p>Deathtouch means that anytime your Elves deal damage to a creature, that creature dies, so anytime you attack with a 1/1 Elf, anything blocking it is likely going to die, even if it has higher stats. Some things get around this, such as first strike, but overwhelmingly creatures with deathtouch are a headache to deal with, which is good for you!</p>
<p>And it doesn't stop there, since after dying in a deathtouch charge, your Elf tokens deal ping every opponent for 1 and gain you 1 life. Of course, this isn't constrained to tokens, but that's where you'll find the most value.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prowess of the Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Prowess of the Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prowess of the Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Prowess of the Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works towards keeping your side of the board full of Elves.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prowess of the Fair"></div></div>
<p>Every time a nontoken Elf dies, create a 1/1 Elf.</p>
<p>This triggers ETB <em>Alliance</em> effects. This counts towards your total number of Elves. These are bodies to block and be thrown forward for pressure. There are very few issues with this inclusion in an Elf deck if you can manage it.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elven Chorus" href="#" target="_blank">Elven Chorus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elven Chorus" href="#" target="_blank">Elven Chorus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> facilitates doing more of what Elves already wanted to.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elven Chorus"></div></div>
<p>Looking at the top card of your deck and allowing you play creature spells allows you to access more Elves, potentially even drawing into one another.</p>
<p>While some of your Elves may already have the ability to tap for one or more <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, giving every creature you control the ability to tap for any color is an improvement. It expands the flexibility you have in multicolored decks and includes non-mana-oriented Elves in on the fun.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadhrim Ambush" href="#" target="_blank">Galadhrim Ambush</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadhrim Ambush" href="#" target="_blank">Galadhrim Ambush</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and similar cards that have nearly the same effect, doubles how many Elves you have.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galadhrim Ambush"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Promenade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elven Ambush"></div></div>
<p>Some have differences, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galadhrim Ambush" href="#" target="_blank">Galadhrim Ambush</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also protecting your creatures from your opponents' damage, but the end result is the same. Your board is flooded with Elves, each of which trigger <em>Alliance</em> abilities and can then be empowered further with the myriad of other spells you have.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scarblade&#039;s Malice" href="#" target="_blank">Scarblade&#039;s Malice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scarblade&#039;s Malice" href="#" target="_blank">Scarblade&#039;s Malice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great, cheap spell to throw on a weak attack defended by a large blocker. This gains you a negligible amount of life, kills the blocker, and then grants you a replacement token. This one at a base of 2/2!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scarblade&#039;s Malice"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trystan&#039;s Command" href="#" target="_blank">Trystan&#039;s Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>While expensive, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trystan&#039;s Command" href="#" target="_blank">Trystan&#039;s Command</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a collection of effects that give you fantastic flexibility.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trystan&#039;s Command"></div></div>
<p>You can copy an Elf you control, return some permanents you lost to your hand, destroy a creature or enchantment, or give an entire board +3/+3 and untap them.</p>
<p>That last one will serve you most frequently, with how many tokens and low-stated Elves you'll have. Then you can either destroy a troublesome blocker or enchantment like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, copy a non-legendary Elf to double effects, or just reclaim some permanents for later.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Despite being labeled a brawler, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler" href="#" target="_blank">Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is actually best suited for facilitating mana generation.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler"></div></div>
<p>It can be used to ensure you always have your strongest Elf untapped, though it also has the ability to untap your Elves with mana abilities. Tyvar's passive lets you activate such mana abilities as if they had haste, meaning you can play a mana dork, tap it for mana, untap it with Tyvar, then tap it again.</p>
<p>This can get you incredible ramp in the beginning of the game.</p>
<p>Tyvar's second ability lets you return a creature card straight to the battlefield which, while constrained in cost, again lets you get even more mana. Alternatively, cheap scalers can be given a second chance if removed early.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury" href="#" target="_blank">Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you additional mana generation, artifact or enchantment destruction, and massive card draw.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freyalise, Llanowar&#039;s Fury"></div></div>
<p>Freyalise isn't a terrible choice as your commander, but excels as support to push forward an otherwise externally-motivated machine. This is a planeswalker that makes your plans go off smoother, not alter your battle strategy. Which is a good thing!</p>
<p>Not every card in your deck needs to be a showstopper, a good few should play support. That's the philosophy of Elves in a nutshell.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nissa, Steward of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Nissa, Steward of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nissa, Steward of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Nissa, Steward of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't directly feed into a standard Elf playbook, but is useful nonetheless.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nissa, Steward of Elements"></div></div>
<p>In an Elf deck, you should have no problem playing Nissa with a large amount of loyalty counters. And if you can't, scry 2 is not a bad option to invest in at all. However, her best ability isn't even converting lands into Elementals.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do with Nissa is give her a decent collection of loyalty counters, then with scrying from other Elves ensure you can play cards for free. Even if most of your Elves are cheap to begin with, cheating out cards like this is a fantastic extra bit of utility.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wirewood Lodge" href="#" target="_blank">Wirewood Lodge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wirewood Lodge" href="#" target="_blank">Wirewood Lodge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a simple, Elf-oriented land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wirewood Lodge"></div></div>
<p>It gives <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> or untaps an Elf for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. And given many Elves can tap for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, it really just gives you a great bit of flexibility in ensuring which of your creatures are tapped.</p>
<p>Or with dozens of tokens and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lathril, Blade of the Elves" href="#" target="_blank">Lathril, Blade of the Elves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the field, you can deal twenty damage to each opponent in a single turn.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oran-Rief, the Vastwood" href="#" target="_blank">Oran-Rief, the Vastwood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oran-Rief, the Vastwood" href="#" target="_blank">Oran-Rief, the Vastwood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you the ability to grant a +1/+1 counter to every green creature that entered the battlefield this turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oran-Rief, the Vastwood"></div></div>
<p>With how explosive you can get in creating Elves, this is yet another means of turning your 1/1 tokens into legitimate threats.</p>
<p>Paired with other effects like like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just builds and builds until eventually your standard token rivals the nontoken creatures of your opponents.</p>


<p>Elves love three things: Elf creature tokens, +1/+1 counters, and putting +1/+1 counters on Elf creature tokens.</p>
<p>Despite the power behind some of the legendary Elves' abilities, the main fighting force of the majority of Elf decks are the unnamed creature tokens that fill the board. Depending on what token generation support you're running, be it <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or populate-spam, you will be able to get an unreasonable amount of tokens.</p>
<p>Then, use the various spells and abilities of your deck to increase their power by +1/+1 at a time. Soon enough, you'll have twenty 9/9 Elf Warrior creature tokens or forty 4/4 Elf creature tokens with deathtouch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lathril, Blade of the Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ezuri, Renegade Leader"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tyvar the Bellicose"></div></div>


<p>Elves can feed into multiple different win conditions, from the direct to the indirect.</p>
<p>With how much deathtouch you can get your Elf tokens, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fynn, the Fangbearer" href="#" target="_blank">Fynn, the Fangbearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a natural way to rush down an opponent with poison counters. You can even proliferate both the poison counters and +1/+1 counters with Elves such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres" href="#" target="_blank">Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Simic Ascendancy" href="#" target="_blank">Simic Ascendancy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is reliant on +1/+1 counters, which Elves already love grabbing. In-built mana production means you don't even have to rely on other sources for counters, though Elves rarely grant <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. That means you'll have to be able to produce enough blue mana to facilitate its in-built counter generation, but otherwise you can rush this through in a single turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fynn, the Fangbearer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Simic Ascendancy"></div></div>


Elves in Commander

EDHREC Guide to Elves in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of the Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of the Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://jimmurrayart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Murray</a></em></p>
<p>Dragons are among the most popular creature types in Commander. But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Dragons? And how do Dragons win in Commander? This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


<p>Throughout <em>Magic's</em> history, there have always been Dragons. Ever since <em>Alpha,</em> the skies haven't been safe and red decks had a not-so-secret weapon. Here there be Dragons, from <em>Magic</em><em>'s</em> beginning to <em>Magic's</em> end.</p>
<p>In fact, they're responsible for the formation of Commander!</p>
<p>Initially, it was an unofficial format called Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), based around the five legendary Dragons from the <em>Legends</em> set back in the 1990s. It grew more popular with time and soon enough divorced itself from its Elder Dragon roots.</p>
<p>But Dragons continued to be prominent across future sets, being recognized as the iconic creature of the red color. They have changed to adapt to the zeitgeist of the game at any given time and are regularly some of the most powerful cards printed.</p>
<p>Despite that, they overwhelming are mid- to high-stat creatures with flying that are intended to be showstoppers. Some things never change.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Piru, the Volatile"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nicol Bolas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcades Sabboth"></div></div>


<p>To put it plainly, Dragons are good! They're the iconic creature type of red for a reason. They're powerful, surprisingly flexible, and have wicked art.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Furnace Hellkite"></div></div>
<h2>Giant Flying Lizards</h2>
<p>By and large, they tend to fail the "vanilla test," but their abilities almost always compensate for this. The vanilla test is a quick assessment to judge a card's value by seeing if its power and toughness are equal to or greater than its cost.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestor Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestor Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an example of a card that fails this test. As a 5/6, it is not worth playing for six mana unless its other abilities make it worthwhile. The flying keyword helps, though it's the ability to gain life whenever your creatures attack that offsets the stat deficit.</p>
<p>So while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestor Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestor Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> wouldn't be worth playing if it had no abilities, the abilities it has make it worth including in decks where gaining life is important.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Silver Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Silver Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Dragon that passes the vanilla test. As an 8/8, that by itself would be worth considering in a deck for eight mana. Flying as a keyword yet again adds some spark to the card. But the ability to roll a d20, draw that many cards, and also have no maximum hand size?</p>
<p>Flying colors, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Silver Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Silver Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! More than worth it.</p>
<p>These two creatures really exemplify Dragons best: giant flying lizards. They're high-statted flying bricks which are begging to be thrown at your enemy. They often have additional combat effects such as trample or the ability to increase their stats. Those that don't come with other utility.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancestor Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Silver Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Incinerator of the Guilty"></div></div>
<h2>Surprisingly Tricky</h2>
<p>Not every Dragon is intended to be a magical fighter jet. And yet, even those that focus on other aspects of the game still have great stats!</p>
<p>Take <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstealer Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstealer Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who allows you to exile the top cards of your opponents' libraries and play them. And on top of that, they lose life every time you play their cards. Or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hypersonic Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Hypersonic Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which lets you cast sorceries as if they were instants.</p>
<p>In either case, the Dragon still has decent stats. They're fliers which can deal repeated, solid damage to an opponent. But they have additional tricks to give them utility outside of a frontal assault.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brainstealer Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hypersonic Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Broodcaller Scourge"></div></div>
<h2>Whelps, Hatchlings, and Dragonkin</h2>
<p>There's quite a few low-costed Dragons that aren't proper Dragons at all. Outside of Drakes, which are a completely separate creature type, whelps, hatchlings, and various forms of dragonkin all feature to occupy the low-cost Dragon niche.</p>
<p>Most have some ability to make their low stats more worth it, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Firespitter Whelp" href="#" target="_blank">Firespitter Whelp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Others like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Hatchling" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Hatchling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are just cheap Dragons that, with a bit of mana, can hold their own. And others still have some proper utility, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadaar, Selfless Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Nadaar, Selfless Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>These creatures aren't standouts, but they're not meant to be. They're chaff that synergize with your Dragon-affinity spells and give you the breathing room to reach further down the mana curve.</p>
<p>And they do a good job with it!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firespitter Whelp"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Hatchling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadaar, Selfless Paladin"></div></div>


<p>Not every Dragon is worth including in your deck. Some are too expensive for their value while others just don't synergize well with other Dragons.</p>
<p>To be clear, Dragons don't have a single, glaring weakness. It's just that, like all creature types, they can't do everything. Only most things.</p>
<h2>You Are a Threat</h2>
<p>Somewhat temperamental based on your play group, but Dragons are one of those archetypes that has left quite a few people burned.</p>
<p>There are oppressive, game-ender Dragons out there. Two-card infinite combos. Even to a new player, seeing someone play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will indicate its controller is a threat.</p>
<p>And then there's Dragons that just get under players' skin, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh" href="#" target="_blank">Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>As a result, playing Dragons will mark you as a high-value target to be taken out until someone else makes a move. More experienced players won't be as inclined to assume you're the end-all be-all of the game. But with no information, Dragons are almost always a safe bet to prioritize first.</p>
<p>Dragons are not subtle. So they prevent you from playing them as such.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthquake Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund"></div></div>
<h2>You Are Vulnerable</h2>
<p>It takes quite a while for a Dragon deck to get going. It's sluggish and unresponsive, despite red's propensity for haste. Red doesn't have the sustainable mana-flow to keep up with the rapid deployment of Dragons. It certainly can grab temporary mana, but this is quite bursting and not conducive to building a board state.</p>
<p>You have your dragonkin to act as screening blockers to begin with. Once you can play a few Dragons, you'll have solid defenders that can fly.</p>
<p>But how will you deal with deathtouch? Removal? Targeting key Dragons that rarely have built-in protection? Not to mention, how you can deal with high-powered defenders or anything indestructible.</p>
<p>Most Dragons are sledgehammers. Some aren't! But not every problem can be solved by hitting it harder.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Summon: Bahamut"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ureni, the Song Unending"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossal Grave-Reaver"></div></div>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most played commander in the game</a> at the time of this guide's writing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Ur-Dragon"></div></div>
<p>Its <em>eminence</em> ability allows your other Dragons to be cast for less, which is effectively a permanent discount of one colorless off of all your creatures. Then its second ability gives you card draw <em>and</em> playing a card for free.</p>
<p>There's a reason it's at the top of the list, even as expensive as it is. It can support any playstyle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm" href="#" target="_blank">Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Not quite as regularly played as the previous commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm" href="#" target="_blank">Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is still a force to be reckoned with, and the most popular commander in Temur (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) colors.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm"></div></div>
<p>Already passing the vanilla test, it has a cheeky bit of protection with ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. But of course, that's not why you play this commander. This commander lets you create a token duplicate of every nontoken Dragon you play, ignoring the Legend Rule.</p>
<p>That is to say, you can even duplicate legendary Dragons.</p>
<p>And it doesn't require it to be from your hand, mind you. It just has to be a nontoken Dragon entering the battlefield under your control. That means any recursion from the graveyard or flickering off-of and back onto the battlefield will trigger this as well.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiamat" href="#" target="_blank">Tiamat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><em>D&amp;D</em>'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tiamat" href="#" target="_blank">Tiamat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't disappoint when it comes to her moniker: the Queen of Dragons. A five-headed monstrosity representing the different colors of evil chromatic Dragons.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tiamat"></div></div>
<p>And she's an on-par 7/7 that gets you five unique Dragons and puts them in your hand. That is horrifying to watch happen and incredible to incorporate into your deck.</p>
<p>The utility on top of her stat-line is hard to beat! Her strength relies in getting you Dragons you need, which is a very frightening thing to contend with.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rivaz of the Claw" href="#" target="_blank">Rivaz of the Claw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>Despite not being a Dragon, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rivaz of the Claw" href="#" target="_blank">Rivaz of the Claw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes fielding other Dragons cheaper and easier. Which, for a three-mana commander, isn't bad at all!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rivaz of the Claw"></div></div>
<p>The core of Rivaz is allowing you to return Dragons cheaply from your graveyard, meaning anything with an enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effect can now activate twice. Heavy hitters can come back and on-death triggers can happen again.</p>
<p>This is a great reminder that your commander doesn't always need to be your ace!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atarka, World Render" href="#" target="_blank">Atarka, World Render</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atarka, World Render" href="#" target="_blank">Atarka, World Render</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is probably the purest distillation of what most new players conceptualize a Dragon to be. She's a bit weak for her cost but flying and trample soften the blow. And she also gives double strike to all of your attacking Dragons.</p>
<p>That is <em>very</em> good given Dragons' stat-lines.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atarka, World Render"></div></div>
<p>This won't change traditional Dragon beatdown strategies. Double strike is a fantastic keyword, but it's not unbeatable. It sure is painful to deal with, though!</p>
<p>And of course, it makes her significantly harder to kill via combat while also ensuring she always hits for massive damage. She's not a bad option to try and win via commander damage!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silumgar, the Drifting Death" href="#" target="_blank">Silumgar, the Drifting Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silumgar, the Drifting Death" href="#" target="_blank">Silumgar, the Drifting Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a quite tanky choice for a commander, focused entirely on not dying.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silumgar, the Drifting Death"></div></div>
<p>Natural hexproof is amazing to see on a commander. While its stats aren't anything impressive, seven toughness is quite a lot.</p>
<p>Then there's the main event, assigning -1/-1 to a player's board on attack. This will kill many tokens and some utility creatures, not to mention compensate for Silumgar's lacking power. It keeps your commander alive longer and helps the rest of your board advance, which is a surprisingly slick maneuver!</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dromoka, the Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Dromoka, the Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dromoka, the Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Dromoka, the Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a mid-range all-rounder. A 5/5 with flying and bolster 2, Dromoka assists your frailest creatures by building them up with +1/+1 counters.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dromoka, the Eternal"></div></div>
<p>This feels slow to build, and it is! However, might I direct you to its colors, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>These are the colors that <em>thrive</em> off counters. Therefore, one more means of adding counters will snowball far quicker than you'd think.</p>
<p>So long as it isn't a token-spam deck and you're careful not to have too much chaff, you can support a strike force of incredible power with only a handful of creatures.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonspeaker Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonspeaker Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonspeaker Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonspeaker Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes your expensive creatures cheaper. That is almost never a bad thing, and with Dragons in particular, it's a necessity!</p>
<p>With red's love of impulse draw (exiling cards and being able to play them the turn they're exiled), it needs mana to capitalize on opportunities. Nothing's worse than accidentally exiling an incredible card, so marginal cost reduction adds up over time.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonlord&#039;s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonlord&#039;s Servant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another such example.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragonspeaker Shaman"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragonlord&#039;s Servant"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scourge of Valkas" href="#" target="_blank">Scourge of Valkas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scourge of Valkas" href="#" target="_blank">Scourge of Valkas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a creature that loves scaling. On its own, it's a midweight Dragon that can increase its strength for mana. Nothing atypical for a Dragon, but useful nonetheless.</p>
<p>But that's not why you play the Scourge. It has an ETB it grants to all other Dragons to deal scaling damage to any target. Ironically, this disincentivizes attacking with it in favor of keeping it alive for the utility, but the mixed abilities give it great flexibility.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scourge of Valkas"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utvara Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Utvara Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>An absolute monster, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utvara Hellkite" href="#" target="_blank">Utvara Hellkite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will have your board get out of control fast. Any Dragon you control that attacks creates a 6/6 Dragon token... Which can then attack to create more Dragon tokens.</p>
<p>The fact it's a bit too expensive for its stats is inconsequential. After all, you're likely getting a handful of 6/6 tokens out of the deal. And that's before you get into other ETB effects for your Dragons!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Utvara Hellkite"></div></div>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Fire Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Fire Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>There's a range of artifacts that decrease the cost of red spells and all of them are fantastic inclusions, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Fire Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Fire Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes with additional benefits. It grants haste and the ability to copy your Dragons, which can be downright oppressive depending on the boardstate.</p>
<p>Even if you have no ETB effects, getting a 6+ power creature with flying for a turn will put in work. It's mid-costed, but you're already running a high-costed deck. If anything, this feels cheap by comparison.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fire Crystal"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fist of Suns" href="#" target="_blank">Fist of Suns</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fist of Suns" href="#" target="_blank">Fist of Suns</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> really only works with a commander like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that's already all five colors. However, strictly speaking, it's a cheaper alternative to most of your Dragons.</p>
<p>Assuming you have a means of getting mana of any color, which is a necessity for five-color decks, this is a much more convenient cost for your heavy-hitter Dragons. While situational, it can act as an alternative to other forms of cost reduction and/or if you have a subtheme in your deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fist of Suns"></div></div>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Tempest" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Tempest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Tempest" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Tempest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives a stacking ETB to all your Dragons, dealing progressively more damage the larger your board is. Not only does this scale with how many Dragons you have, it's also <em>any</em> target! So you can take out key creatures, deal ping damage to opponents, or reduce the loyalty of a planeswalker.</p>
<p>Then on top of that, it gives all your flying creatures haste. All for two mana!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Tempest"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dracogenesis" href="#" target="_blank">Dracogenesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dracogenesis" href="#" target="_blank">Dracogenesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card whose usage is entirely dependent on your opinion of its value. Eight mana to make all your Dragons free.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dracogenesis"></div></div>
<p>That effect is very powerful and intended for the late-game, and its cost reflects that. Red isn't known for its ability to protect its enchantments, so there's always the risk of investing all of your mana into an enchantment that immediately gets removed.</p>
<p>To mitigate this, make sure you have a high-costed Dragon or two in your hand, ideally exceeding eight mana in value to cover the cost. But with that contingency in place, this is an essential card for Dragon decks. Particularly if you pair it with card draw to maximize the burst potential of playing multiple Dragons at a time.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crucible of Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Crucible of Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crucible of Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Crucible of Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes your big creatures bigger. Your Dragons were already flying over most creatures and likely winning exchanges with those that could defend against them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crucible of Fire"></div></div>
<p>But if you can get trample? You're attacking uncontested? Perhaps you need a bit more survivability?</p>
<p>Your Dragons are simply <em>better,</em> which makes it hard not to include.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk&#039;s Uprising" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk&#039;s Uprising</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk&#039;s Uprising" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk&#039;s Uprising</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> functions similarly to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temur Ascendancy" href="#" target="_blank">Temur Ascendancy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though instead of haste it grants trample. Both give you ETB card draw from your Dragons and are worthwhile inclusions if they align with your commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk&#039;s Uprising"></div></div>
<p>But as an additional benefit, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk&#039;s Uprising" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk&#039;s Uprising</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also lets you draw a card immediately if you meet its conditions, paying for itself. Though any enchantment that grants card draw based on your creatures' power will get the job done!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crux of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Crux of Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crux of Fate" href="#" target="_blank">Crux of Fate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has the potential to wipe out your Dragons, certainly. But as board wipes go, being able to remove every creature other than your own is a pretty good deal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crux of Fate"></div></div>
<p>It's fairly expensive, but that just means you'll wait until later in the game to cast it. Which, of course, is after you can establish your board presence with some expensive Dragons and capitalize on the empty board.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p>There isn't much to say about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>You're running Dragons? Put it in your deck! It's a relatively cheap way to ensure you get the Dragon you need into your hand.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sarkhan&#039;s Triumph"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fearsome Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Fearsome Awakening</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fearsome Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Fearsome Awakening</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives you some fairly expensive recursion. However, it strengthens your Dragons. You're already running an expensive deck, so relying on this really is a gamble.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fearsome Awakening"></div></div>
<p>However, a fair few cards give your Dragons ETBs. You get to trigger those, have a powerful creature that's now even more powerful, potentially with haste?</p>
<p>Suddenly, it's worth it.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan Unbroken" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan Unbroken</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan Unbroken" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan Unbroken</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a staggeringly good suite of abilities for a Dragon deck. Draw a card and gain mana? That's utility in a deck that is starved for it. Get a 4/4 flying red Dragon token? More creatures that scale with your enchantments and abilities!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sarkhan Unbroken"></div></div>
<p>Search your library for <em>any</em> number of Dragons and put them onto the battlefield? Now that's just a win condition.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that Dragons don't have many built-in protections. You may be able to give them all haste, but make sure they don't fall victim to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just to be discarded down to your hand limit at turn's end.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sivitri, Dragon Master" href="#" target="_blank">Sivitri, Dragon Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sivitri, Dragon Master" href="#" target="_blank">Sivitri, Dragon Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offers some protection in the form of taxing attacking creatures, though this won't be very useful to you once you have your Dragons set up. It certainly can give you the flexibility to not worry about leaving blockers, meaning you can go all-out on the offense, though that's not why you run her.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sivitri, Dragon Master"></div></div>
<p>Tutoring Dragons and destroying all non-Dragons, those are what we want. The protection is, at best, a niche "nice to have." You'll have to work to get that board wipe, and that's not always what your goal should be.</p>
<p>A board wipe is scary, meaning your opponents may target Sivitri. That means paying her tax and exposing themselves. Depending on the experience of your group, that may be even more valuable.</p>
<p>Or they just hit her with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero&#039;s Downfall" href="#" target="_blank">Hero&#039;s Downfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; can't help that.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan the Masterless" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan the Masterless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sarkhan the Masterless" href="#" target="_blank">Sarkhan the Masterless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is more of a gimmick inclusion, though certainly not useless. His passive is the real star, dealing damage to creatures attacking you equal to your number of Dragons. Which, in all likelihood, will be more than a handful.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sarkhan the Masterless"></div></div>
<p>That removes the threat of low-power creatures that can't be blocked and whittles down giant stat-lines which could normally tank your Dragons.</p>
<p>Sarkhan's ability to convert your planeswalkers to 4/4 flying Dragons is fine, it's not the reason you'd run him. And creating a single 4/4 Dragon for over half his starting loyalty is simply not worth it.</p>
<p>But if you're running Superfriends, an archetype oriented around including many planeswalkers, he's not the worst inclusion!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crucible of the Spirit Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Crucible of the Spirit Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crucible of the Spirit Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Crucible of the Spirit Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't initially seem to be very useful, given it's a 1:1 trade of mana. But in multicolored Dragon decks, and particularly with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">The Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it's exactly the flexibility you'll need to pivot between Dragons.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crucible of the Spirit Dragon"></div></div>
<p>It's slow and requires you build it up over time, which luckily you'll probably have at least a single mana remaining at the end of each turn to spend on it. In its least convenient, you're effectively saving mana between turns, which is never a bad thing.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arena of Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Arena of Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arena of Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Arena of Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets you push forward more active aggression, assuming you're managing to keep up with your Dragons' costs. It allows you to spend a mana and exert it to gain two mana and give haste to a creature spell you cast with it. Exerting a permanent means its doesn't untap during your next untap step.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arena of Glory"></div></div>
<p>There's plenty of removal in commander, so it makes sense that your big, scary creatures are going to be targeted with them. After all, few other archetypes can effectively fight Dragons directly. So haste is just one more way to get value from them before they're removed.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Wolf Run" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Wolf Run</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Wolf Run" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Wolf Run</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives a creature trample for a turn. Certainly, it makes them stronger, but Dragons can be shut out by any chump-blocker with flying or reach.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kessig Wolf Run"></div></div>
<p>This not only enhances their power but gives them the ability to hit through that. Which, with high-powered cards like Dragons, is really useful!</p>


<p>Dragons love flying up to your opponents and reducing their life to 0. They also love dealing 21 commander damage.</p>
<p>When running a Dragon deck, you can really take your pick!</p>
<p>Their big stats and flying gives them great positions to accomplish this, with their largest obstacle really just being the speed at which they can accomplish it. Very few opponents won't respond to your slowly-building draconic ranks with removal or blockers of their own.</p>
<p>But if you're able to defend your board and continue the attack, you will be able to simply wear down opponents directly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chaos Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lightning Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ganax, Astral Hunter"></div></div>


<p>Perhaps the most famous Dragon-related infinite combo is Niv-Mizzet dealing damage when you draw a card and multiple enchantments allowing you to draw a card when dealing damage. There are multiple variations of this combination on both the creature and enchantment front, but the core principle is the same.</p>
<p>As a two-card infinite combo, this is restricted to higher brackets and won't see much casual play. Further, it's such a well-known strategy that any attempt to play its components will likely lead to them being shut down.</p>
<p>However, so long as you have cards to draw you have ammo to fuel Niv-Mizzet's fire! So fire away.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niv-Mizzet, Parun"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curiosity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind"></div></div>


Dragons in Commander

EDHREC Guide to Dragons in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Most Dangerous Gamer" href="#" target="_blank">The Most Dangerous Gamer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.aaronjriley.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron J. Riley</a></em></p>
<p>I played 311 games of Commander in 2025. I kept a spreadsheet, which keeps track of my wins and losses, how many players were in the pod, and if there was an infinite combo. I got pretty lazy with it so I'm sure I missed a game here and there.</p>
<p>Anyway, I've played approximately 0.85 games a day. Here is what I learned from all that gameplay in 2025.</p>
<h2>Rando Calrissian</h2>
<p>I've played <em>a lot</em> of games online and in person with random people. I'm on <em>Magic</em> Twitch streams often and am a Commander gremlin so I'm always looking for games when my usual pod isn't available.</p>
<p>I have had every bad rando interaction: lying about your deck's power, misrepresenting how a card works to your advantage, social <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/the-top-four-commander-faux-pas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faux pas</a>, hygiene concerns, and just angry salty behavior.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Foul Imp"></div></div>
<p>As much as I'd love to say that's all I experienced, there were some really lovely games and new friends made. I don't think we should give up on rando games because of the roll of the dice. Your new play pod could be formulated from a random person at the LGS. Risk it! I have, and it was worth it.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Icetill Explorer" href="#" target="_blank">Icetill Explorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <em>Is</em> That Good</h2>
<p>I don't need to get into detailed research about why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Icetill Explorer" href="#" target="_blank">Icetill Explorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is such a powerful card. It definitely feels like the power creep of a set of landfall cards has been topped.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Icetill Explorer"></div></div>
<p>This card is so much better than so many previous additional land drop cards. It seems to go almost infinite with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, the Balanced Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, the Balanced Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That's an exaggeration, but it feels so good in some decks that it's astounding. I feel this way with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traveling Chocobo" href="#" target="_blank">Traveling Chocobo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as well.</p>
<p>Some cards printed lately feel so much better than a couple of years ago. I'm not sure if this is a problem or more like an observation. I learned to keep my eye open for new sets, even if the theme doesn't fit me, which is exhausting with seven sets next year.</p>
<h2>Wombo Combo</h2>
<p>I have always been a certified hater of combos. When I first built <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tivit, Seller of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Tivit, Seller of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I took the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deadeye Navigator" href="#" target="_blank">Deadeye Navigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out because I didn't like the combo. I felt less guilty winning with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Sieve" href="#" target="_blank">Time Sieve</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because it was sort of not infinite, but whenever anyone saw it, the game would be over.</p>
<p>However, after playing a ton of games where combat and ping damage is mitigated, I had to get creative. I learned what my partner had been preaching for a long time: Always have a combo in your back pocket.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deadeye Navigator"></div></div>
<p>It doesn't have to be a two-card combo with your commander, but you need to be able to set up an alternative way to win if locked out of your initial strategy. I've won some very difficult games by having a hidden infinite in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dihada, Binder of Wills" href="#" target="_blank">Dihada, Binder of Wills</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. Sometimes you hit an attrition situation against a player and need a way out.</p>
<p>Combo is actually an okay way to win. I've come around. It used to make me so salty to lose against it, but not anymore. I even play them now. It seems as reasonable as a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Bracket 3.5 Titania</h2>
<p>It's so brutal having to explain that <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Bracket system</a> is a <em>guideline</em> for conversations about power levels, not strict rules. It's hard because when you have a deck that is too strong for Bracket 3 but too weak for Bracket 4, you're in a nasty predicament.</p>
<p>I have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titania, Protector of Argoth" href="#" target="_blank">Titania, Protector of Argoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck that is too strong for Bracket 3, constantly winning, but always losing in Bracket 4 because it just can't accelerate fast enough.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Titania, Protector of Argoth"></div></div>
<p>I tend to avoid it, if I'm honest. It's such a cool deck but it does a lot of nothing in Bracket 4 and too much in Bracket 3. It's hard to place it, even with conversations trying to sculpt the perfect scenario.</p>
<p>This isn't shade on the Bracket system. It's helped immensely in identifying this problem with the deck and allowing me more freedom in explaining it. But what I've learned is that I just haven't found a good time to play it. I need to find it's niche, play it more in higher Brackets to understand it's lines.</p>
<p>Maybe in 2026 it'll become a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hearthhull, the Worldseed" href="#" target="_blank">Hearthhull, the Worldseed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck? Unlikely.</p>
<h2>Precons? More like Procons</h2>
<p>Please laugh at my joke. We've all played against the <em>Edge of Eternities</em> precons and thought, "Hm, this is way too strong to be a precon." We have these weird expectations of the power in precons. It's even evident in the initial concept for the Bracket System. We believe that precons should be weak. However, it's not really a requirement for a precon.</p>
<p>And notably it's not the first time precons have been so insane out of the box. I'm looking at <em>Bloomburrow</em>. I'm looking at <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan</em>.</p>
<p>These decks stand out as being very exceptional. <em>Edge</em> is no exception. However, I have come to learn that precons should be allowed to be broken. It's the skill to pilot them that we're cultivating with a precon, not its ability to win. Hence, why I encourage people to stop saying their decks aren't powerful because they're precon commanders or their deck is only slightly upgraded.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hearthhull, the Worldseed"></div></div>
<p>Anyway, I wonder if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hearthhull, the Worldseed" href="#" target="_blank">Hearthhull, the Worldseed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is too confusing to play. That's the bigger, more important concern with modern precons. In the grand scheme of how confusing Commander can be, I don't know if I'd say the deck is that confusing, but that's not what the gauge is here. Is a new player going to find it difficult to pilot and understand? I'm sure there are confusing bits like stationing for the first time and the fact that your commander isn't always a creature, and isn't a creature on the stack.</p>
<p>I'm sure that might create some learning pains for players, but I think we're looking at it from the perspective of people who know the game already. We think this deck is particularly unique. To a new player it might be all they know and learning it that way might set up bad expectations, or stretch their learning early on. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, or even difficult when compared to an enfranchised player sifting from crew and other mechanics.</p>
<p>Maybe I'll write a whole article about this, but in summary, for right now I don't know.</p>
<h2>Scalping UB Isn't Going to Work Out</h2>
<p>So when we saw the sealed prices of <em>Final Fantasy</em> and how crazy the market was, I was really worried that sealed Universes Beyond products would be lost forever to those with wallets that could crush a full grown person. Then I saw <em>Marvel's Spider-Man</em>. Lots of scalpers bought a lot of product and couldn't move it. I was wondering if it was because of the lack of success for <em>Spider-Man</em> that led to the decline. But then <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender</em>, a set that did well, had hikes in sealed but then came down.</p>
<p>Maybe that means scalping has proven too be too risky in this fickle market. I'm not sure. I'm not an economist, but it seems like we might be okay for a few sets coming up.</p>
<h2>Three Is Better Than Five</h2>
<p>This is desperately biased, but I played 70 games in three-man pods this year out of 311 games. I crave four-person pods. It's perfectly balanced as all things should be. Some decks like Tivit and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, the Radiant Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, the Radiant Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> struggle to win in pods with fewer players (I play both). Three-person games were weirdly balanced.</p>
<p>The few games that I played with more than four players were so incredibly miserable and long that I couldn't manage it. I actively played fewer games of Commander to avoid five-person pods. I already knew my feelings on this kind of game, but I wanted to highlight it again.</p>
<p>My mind hasn't changed: three and five bad, four good.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zimone, Mystery Unraveler" href="#" target="_blank">Zimone, Mystery Unraveler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Has Too Many Triggers</h2>
<p>I've played 31 games with Zimone, and I won nine of them. Not too bad. However, the board state and the triggers were always so difficult to parse. Sometimes I'm resolving a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Threats Undetected" href="#" target="_blank">Threats Undetected</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Field of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Zimone, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kodama of the East Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Kodama of the East Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> triggering all at the same time.</p>
<p>It was a messy board state, but my biggest lesson here was to take it one at a time. Isolate my triggers and reassess my board state.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zimone, Mystery Unraveler"></div></div>
<p>My turns were long, but at least I didn't miss anything. It's important because missing triggers has cost me the game so many times. I also play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prosper, Tome-Bound" href="#" target="_blank">Prosper, Tome-Bound</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is for some reason easier to track triggers for.</p>
<p>It might just be that I've played a lot of Prosper since it came out. It's important to learn your deck to the point that efficiency in resolving triggers is first and foremost, and the speed will come later.</p>
<h2>I Salt Out, Too</h2>
<p>Before the last year or so, I'd been the kind of player who never <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-do-we-salt-out-in-commander" target="_blank" rel="noopener">salted out in a game</a>. I didn't win very often in general. I imagine I didn't really get a taste for it until recently. I've been winning more and more lately, feeling stronger and more confident in my abilities.</p>
<p>It was a double-edge sword. Now I can get let down when I get close to winning and lose. It was weird, learning how to salt out at first. I felt overwhelmed with all this negative emotion after a loss that I didn't know what to do with, how to cope with. I became explosive and then demure, quiet and avoidant, and then sassy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tears of Rage"></div></div>
<p>Sometimes I would cry. Let's be honest, I cried a lot about losing games of Commander. I felt like losing made me a loser, you know? I didn't want to be a loser. All of these feelings, I've learned - and advocate in defense of - are normal. It's normal to invest time, money, thought, and creativity into something to see it fail and feel poorly about it. It's all about how we treat others.</p>
<p>If you need a moment, take a moment. If you need to scoop because you want out of the game, ask politely. Cry if you need to. I like to pretend to get a snack and knock out a one-minute power cry in the bathroom. It is relieving.</p>
<p>Losing games of <em>Magic</em> doesn't make us losers. It makes us better, more thoughtful, more critical, more careful players. It's why I think I'm such a good player now, crying and all.</p>
<h2>I Lost 17 Games with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coram, the Undertaker" href="#" target="_blank">Coram, the Undertaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> This Year, and I Keep Playing</h2>
<p>My biggest lesson learned this year is that losing can be fun! I love my Coram deck. I get to put stuff in the graveyard, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reanimate" href="#" target="_blank">Reanimate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, use rad counters, mill, swing for tons of damage, play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chandra&#039;s Ignition" href="#" target="_blank">Chandra&#039;s Ignition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Black Market Connections" href="#" target="_blank">Black Market Connections</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and do the Jund Graveyard shenanigans.</p>
<p>What more could I ask for? Well, winning would be nice.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coram, the Undertaker"></div></div>
<p>Of the 20 games with Coram, I managed three whole wins. One win was extremely lucky. The second was in a three-person pod where no one really understood how my deck won. A win is a win, nonetheless. But what I noticed was that, while I often take decks apart for their poor performance, I was enamored with how fun Coram is to play that I play it knowing I'll probably lose. I learned to just enjoy the journey again.</p>
<p>This is huge for me, a perfectionist. And a lesson we all need to learn again and again.</p>
<p>Tell me what you've learned! I'm <a href="https://linktr.ee/strixhavendropout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@strixhavendropout on everything</a>.</p>


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