The Best Dwarf Combo Cards in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/maniaks">Slawomir Maniak</a></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Best At, Worst At</em>. In this series, we look at some of Commander's most popular strategies, see which legendary creatures lead the most decks for them, and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those cards. After we analyze a strategy's most popular commander, we'll look at another commander that fills in some of their weak spots.</p>
<p>In today's edition, we'll be looking at <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/dwarves">Dwarf decks</a>. These little guys are the 48th-most popular creature type to build a deck around, with 1,866 decks to their name at the time of writing. This creature type rocks, so let's dig a bit deeper into it.</p>
<h2>Why Play Dwarves?</h2>
<p>Dwarves tend to be centered around a few key themes. They often care about artifacts in one way or another, whether they're making Treasure tokens or making Equipment even better!</p>
<p>Among the most popular Dwarves are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dwarven Recruiter" href="#" target="_blank">Dwarven Recruiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to fetch up more of its kin), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Digsite Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Digsite Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to make some fearsome "Karnstructs"), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seven Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Seven Dwarves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (for the fairy tale fans among us).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dwarven Recruiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Digsite Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seven Dwarves"></div></div>
<h2>Who's the Most Popular Dwarf Commander?</h2>
<p>The most popular commander for this creature type is, by far, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. There are 1,094 Magda decks tagged as being Dwarf typal, comprising nearly 60% of all decks built around the type.</p>
<p>For <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-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Magda is a 2/1 Dwarf with several super strong abilities. First, she gives all of our Dwarves +1/+0. Then, whenever one of our Dwarves becomes tapped, we get to make a Treasure. Finally, we can sacrifice five Treasures at any time to fetch an artifact or Dragon from our library directly onto the battlefield.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, Brazen Outlaw"></div></div>
<h3>What Makes Magda So Powerful?</h3>
<p>Magda turns all of our creatures into Treasure making machines, providing the fuel we'll need to fetch up a steady stream of game-altering artifacts onto the battlefield.</p>
<p>There are tons of cheap Dwarves from throughout <em>Magic</em>'s history that Magda decks can make good use of. There are also some easy ways to tap those creatures, which makes this two-mana commander into an absolute powerhouse. Vehicles like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flywheel Racer" href="#" target="_blank">Flywheel Racer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and mana rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Honor-Worn Shaku" href="#" target="_blank">Honor-Worn Shaku</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are useful in some builds of this commander.</p>
<p>Best of all, the majority of Commander-legal Dwarves and Commander-legal artifacts are playable in mono-<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> decks! Magda pilots will never be starved for options.</p>
<h3>What's in a Magda Deck?</h3>
<p>To quote a famous Magda pilot, "Magda goes in Magda." That's to say that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, the Hoardmaster" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, the Hoardmaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great inclusion for the 99 of OG Magda decks. Sometimes, we'll have extra Treasures on hand and no good reason to search through our library with our commander's tutor ability. This Berserker lets us turn those artifacts into on-board advantage!</p>
<p>Another powerful Dwarf, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Glóin, Dwarf Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can augment our Treasure production even further. He makes more tokens when we cast artifact spells, and can even tap himself to trigger our commander's ability! Finally, for Magda decks that operate at the <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">highest power levels</a>, one-mana creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dwarven Trader" href="#" target="_blank">Dwarven Trader</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be stellar.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magda, the Hoardmaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glóin, Dwarf Emissary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dwarven Trader"></div></div>
<p>Once we've got more Treasures than we know what to do with, it's time to fetch up some powerful artifacts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue" href="#" target="_blank">God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can lock our opponents out of the game while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Portal to Phyrexia" href="#" target="_blank">Portal to Phyrexia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us the burst we need to leap ahead! There are other artifacts that can provide us with some great value over time, too, like <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>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Portal to Phyrexia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Fire Crystal"></div></div>
<p>Magda decks are also known for their infinite combos, the majority of which involve <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clock of Omens" href="#" target="_blank">Clock of Omens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This commander even sees cEDH play, with a combo finish often capping off this mono-colored list's turn.</p>
<div id="486-1486-1651" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p>Here's Magda's average deck list, according to EDHREC. Please note that this isn't a cEDH list, and will have some significant differences when compared to what's popular in top-level play.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Mad Magda" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Careening Mine Cart
*1 Clock of Omens
*1 Clown Car
*1 Cursed Mirror
*1 Firdoch Core
*1 Flywheel Racer
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Statue
*1 High-Speed Hoverbike
*1 Lifecraft Engine
*1 Liquimetal Coating
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Portal to Phyrexia
*1 Sculpting Steel
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Unlicensed Hearse
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Adaptive Automaton
*1 Axgard Cavalry
*1 Barkform Harvester
*1 Bloodfire Dwarf
*1 Bloodline Pretender
*1 Dwarven Armorer
*1 Dwarven Bloodboiler
*1 Dwarven Grunt
*1 Dwarven Miner
*1 Dwarven Scorcher
*1 Dwarven Trader
*1 Enslaved Dwarf
*1 Gimli of the Glittering Caves
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Hellkite Tyrant
*1 Liberated Dwarf
*1 Magda, the Hoardmaster
*1 Metallic Mimic
*1 Plundering Barbarian
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*6 Seven Dwarves
*1 Spark Mage
*1 Three Tree Mascot
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Vault Robber
*1 Xorn
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Blood Moon
*1 Sticky Fingers
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Big Score
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Galvanic Blast
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Return the Favor
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Untimely Malfunction
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Seize the Spoils
*1 Strike It Rich
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Dwarven Mine
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Holdout Settlement
*1 Mines of Moria
*23 Mountain
*1 Mutavault
*1 Survivors&#039; Encampment
*1 Treasure Vault
*1 Volatile Fault
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>What Are Magda's Shortcomings?</h3>
<p>Magda's biggest shortcoming lies in her color identity. While she's a fantastic card that enables some wacky play patterns, she's still mono-<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Her abilities are strong enough to elevate her mono-colored supporting cast beyond the heights they can normally reach, but <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is among the weaker colors to play alone in Commander.</p>
<p>This leads to a distinct lack of card advantage and removal. While we can alleviate these problems by fetching specific artifacts with Magda, other colors would provide access to what we're looking for much more easily.</p>
<h2>How Can We Shore Up Magda's Weaknesses?</h2>
<p>To brighten things up a bit, let's take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Depala, Pilot Exemplar" href="#" target="_blank">Depala, Pilot Exemplar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Just like Magda, this Dwarf cares about artifacts and provides an anthem to our creatures. But, Depala focuses on Vehicles instead of Treasures.</p>
<p>For <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-r" 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>, Depala is a 3/3 Dwarf Pilot that gives +1/+1 to our Dwarves and crewed Vehicles. Plus, when she's tapped, we get to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-x" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to dig through our library in search of more Dwarves and more cars for them to drive.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Depala, Pilot Exemplar"></div></div>
<p>We've got some new Dwarves to play with, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tataru Taru" href="#" target="_blank">Tataru Taru</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duergar Hedge-Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Duergar Hedge-Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These creatures both provide some excellent value, and are only available because we've added <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to our color identity!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tataru Taru"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duergar Hedge-Mage"></div></div>
<p>We can even play with some super powerful Vehicles, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parhelion II" href="#" target="_blank">Parhelion II</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">The Prydwen, Steel Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. These two make for excellent curve-toppers, but we've got value lower down on the mana curve in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aerial Surveyor" href="#" target="_blank">Aerial Surveyor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unidentified Hovership" href="#" target="_blank">Unidentified Hovership</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Prydwen, Steel Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unidentified Hovership"></div></div>
<p>We've got access to more card advantage and removal, too! This color combination provides us with access to draw engines like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Astor, Bearer of Blades" href="#" target="_blank">Astor, Bearer of Blades</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while also letting us play some top-shelf removal like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dispatch" href="#" target="_blank">Dispatch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dispatch"></div></div>
<p>Here's Depala's average decklist. While there are some commonalities with Magda decks, like the inclusion of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifecraft Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Lifecraft Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and tons of Dwarves, this <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" 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> deck is certainly unique! It's also important to note that Magda is absolutely more powerful than Depala. This series, however, gives us an interesting opportunity to look at a different commander for a well-trodden strategy!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="De Paul!" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aerial Surveyor
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Colossal Plow
*1 Consulate Dreadnought
*1 Cultivator&#039;s Caravan
*1 Fleetwheel Cruiser
*1 Hoard Hauler
*1 Lifecraft Engine
*1 Mechtitan Core
*1 Mighty Servant of Leuk-o
*1 Nautiloid Ship
*1 Parhelion II
*1 Peacewalker Colossus
*1 Raiders&#039; Karve
*1 Reaver Titan
*1 Reckoner Bankbuster
*1 Salvation Engine
*1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
*1 Smuggler&#039;s Copter
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Surgehacker Mech
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Untethered Express
*1 Weatherlight
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Responder
*1 Aeronaut Admiral
*1 Aethershield Artificer
*1 Astor, Bearer of Blades
*1 Digsite Engineer
*1 Duergar Hedge-Mage
*1 Dwarven Recruiter
*1 Fairgrounds Warden
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Gearshift Ace
*1 Glóin, Dwarf Emissary
*1 Hangar Scrounger
*1 Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
*1 Kolodin, Triumph Caster
*1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
*1 Plundering Barbarian
*1 Renegade Wheelsmith
*1 Restoration Specialist
*1 Speedway Fanatic
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Stoic Farmer
*1 Toolcraft Exemplar
*1 Veteran Motorist
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Pia&#039;s Revolution
*1 Siege Modification
*1 Tempered Steel
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Armed and Armored
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Built to Last
*1 Dispatch
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Chandra, Spark Hunter
[/Planeswalkers]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 From Father to Son
*1 Reckless Crew
*1 Start Your Engines
*1 Wake the Past
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dwarven Mine
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Mech Hangar
*9 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*11 Plains
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Temple of Triumph
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Dwarves may not be the most popular creature type in Commander, but they do have some neat commanders! Magda is obviously incredibly powerful, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Lady of Otaria" href="#" target="_blank">The Lady of Otaria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giott, King of the Dwarves" href="#" target="_blank">Giott, King of the Dwarves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can provide an interesting deckbuilding prompt too.</p>
<p>Do you have a Dwarf commander that holds a special place in your heart? Will <em>The Hobbit </em>make you consider Dwarves more closely? Let me know in the comments, and I'll be back soon for more <em>Best At, Worst At</em>!</p>


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