Commander, as officially titled by Wizards of the Coast (also known as Elder Dragon Highlander or EDH), is a casual multiplayer format for Magic: the Gathering. It is a Highlander-variant eternal format with specific rules centered around a legendary creature called the commander.[1][2] Show
Description[]Created and popularized by fans,[3] the Commander variant is usually played in casual Free-for-All multiplayer games, although two-player games are also popular. Each player starts at 40 life, and each player's deck is headed by a legendary creature designated as that deck's commander. A player's choice of commander determines which other cards can be played in the deck (while except for basic lands, each card in the deck must have a different name). An official banned list for the Commander format is maintained by the Commander Rules Committee at MTGCommander.net, not by Wizards of the Coast, though Wizards does approve of any changes made to it by the rules committee. The 1v1 Commander format on Magic Online used to follow the same banned list[4], but it now has its own.[5] A player's commander works differently from other cards in the game. Before the game begins, each player sets their commander aside in a special zone, the command zone. You may cast your commander from the command zone for its normal costs plus an additional for each previous time it has been cast from the command zone this way. If your commander moves to the graveyard or exile, you may choose to put it into the command zone as a state-based action upon it entering said zone; therefore, abilities that trigger when a creature dies or is exiled work as normal when a commander dies or is exiled, but the commander will still end up in the command zone.[6] If your commander moves to a hidden zone (one that is not visible to all players, such as your hand or library), you may choose to put it back into the command zone as a replacement effect. In addition to the normal Magic loss conditions, if a player is dealt 21 points of combat damage from a single commander over the course of the game, that player loses the game. This combat damage total is kept track of separately for each player's commander, and does not reduce if a player gains life. This format was created in the early days of Magic. Its originators used commanders only from the Legends set, especially the Elder Dragons, such as Chromium and Nicol Bolas, hence the original name for the format, Elder Dragon Highlander. Over time, the format grew in popularity, especially among judges, who would play it following days officiating at Pro Tours or Grand Prix events. It soon became mainstream and is now a favorite format of casual playgroups everywhere, from the kitchen table to Magic Online to Wizards of the Coast headquarters.[7] Philosophy[]Principles of typical commander games are focused on fun, friendship, social interaction within the game (including those that affect gameplay decisions, known as "politics"), and decks and plays that let players express their creativity and allow all players to enjoy themselves. It's not traditionally very competitive, allowing players a lot of flexibility in what kind of decks and strategies to use. "Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander", abbreviated cEDH, is an alternate style of playing Commander that uses the exact same rules, but expects that players will play optimally with the intention of winning. Due to that pressure for high performance, a more distinct metagame exists for this style with a smaller selection of decks working better than others, just as in other competitive formats.[8] Deckbuilding rules[]
Rules[]From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (October 7, 2022—Unfinity) Commander1. A casual variant in which each deck is led by a legendary creature. See rule 903, “Commander.”2. A designation given to one legendary creature card in each player’s deck in the Commander casual variant.From the Comprehensive Rules (October 7, 2022—Unfinity)
Obsolete terminology[]Commander damage[]A player that has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses the game. This is an additional state-based effect. Note that gaining life won't affect this total in any way. Summary[]
Banned list[]While cards may be banned or allowed by specific playgroups or tournament organizers, in most games, MTGCommander.net's banned list is used as it is considered the most well-known banned list for the format. This list is used by WotC when making their Commander-related products. There is no hard enforcement of this, however, due to the format not being DCI-sanctioned, leaving tournament organizers the option to make their own banned lists for events. MTGCommander.net's banned list contains the following cards:[9]
In the past, there was a separate list that banned cards from being used as the deck commander. This rule was abolished by MTGCommander.net on September 12, 2014. As a celebration of the release of Unstable, silver-bordered cards were made legal From December 1, 2017, until January 15, 2018, by MTGCommander.net. An additional banned list, as well as a list of cards that are not banned, but not recommended (or at least must be used carefully as to avoid trouble) was also created for those cards.[10][11][12] The list is continued for Silver-bordered commander when silver border were made legal in sanctioned events. Lutri, the Spellchaser from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths was banned in Commander the day it was spoiled (even before release).[13][14] On June 10, 2020, in conjunction with a Wizards of the Coast statement,[15] the Rules Committee banned seven cards considered to have racist connotations.[16] Events and venues[]A number of commander-focused events have been organized by Wizards of the Coast to promote and/or provide a way for people to play Commander. Promo[]A special Sol Ring Commander promo (foil and non-foil) with new art by Mark Tedin was released at Grand Prix Las Vegas, just before the release of Commander 2019.[17] It was also available at several other Commander events at MagicFests in 2019, as well as some events in 2020.[18] Magic Online[]May 10, 2017, Magic Online launched tournament play for 1v1 Commander consisting of two-player queues and a Friendly Constructed League, and created a separate banned list for Magic Online's Commander format.[19] 1v1 Commander received a starting life total of 30, but multiplayer remained at 40. Both formats share this banned list. Commander Nights[]Commander Nights is a WPN-organized weekly Commander league with rotating rules and achievement-based prizes. Commander Party[]A WPN-organized event introduced in 2021. It is a one-day event where players are immersed in a story affected by their in-game choices. External links[]
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How many lands should a Commander deck?The equivalent land count in Commander is 30 lands, so if you're running 30 lands, you'll only hit your fifth land drop about one out of every three games. You'll hit your fourth a little more than half the time. Look what happens if you up your Commander land count to 40, or 24 in a 60-card deck.
How many lands should a 100 card Commander deck have?One of the first questions player's have when approaching a 100-card deck is, “how many lands do I need?” In a Commander deck, 36 to 38 lands is generally recommended. Of course, decks that include mana dorks and cheap mana rocks might include less.
Can you have multiple lands in a Commander deck?A constructed deck may contain any number of basic land cards and no more than four of any card with a particular English name other than basic land cards. In EDH/Commander you can only have one copy of any card other than basic lands.
Are Commander decks 100 cards or 101?A Commander deck must contain exactly 100 cards, including the commander.
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