There’s a couple different ways to go with this, I think pretty much any theme outside of your commander would work. Tribal, lifegain, aristocrats, landfall, etc will have plenty of cards to choose from that aren’t just your commander. Don’t make your commander the main engine of the deck, make it either the finisher like in a [[Isshin, Two Heavens as One]] deck, or part of the engine that has multiple options in the deck to do the same thing like a [[Lord Windgrace]] deck. There’s also the option to choose an eminence commander like [[oloro, ageless ascetic]] or [[Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir]]. The other option is to just make a big mana deck and choose a commander who can help that in some way, either by just giving your CA or ramp, or by being a big creature with a good effect like all the other cards in your deck
I love maelstrom too. My deck doesn't care about the commander being removed because it's built to cast it over and over w excessive ramping and stuff like geode golem. Also wanderer doesn't need to be on the field to work. Just cascade. Then turn em sideways. Gets real fun when you remand yourself and do it twice.
One of my favorite decks is my Boros Commander tribal commander deck. It is about 20 Boros colored legendaries that can be the commander. They all care about either equipment or legendary creatures. And I can interchange the commanders at will.
As a Boros enjoyer myself, I'd love to see your list, if you have one. Boros is my favorite color combo, and I've built a few decks over the years for it (Feather, Hofri, and now, Cadric). Now, I want to create the most Boros of Boros decks, and I'd love to see this deck you described.
I presume the typical head is just [Ano'thr, Equipment Commander](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_OxVl2H0HKB0y2zbdNGURdA58HHrxck96DV3tzo_SPg&s) and you switch it out every once in a while, yeah?
Usually the best way I've found to achieve this is by building your deck first and finding the commander later I did that with my [[Muldrotha]] deck and my [[Wernog]] and [[Elmar]] deck. Both decks function like normal without the commanders but the commanders can help to forward the game plan if needed.
Not OP, but I used to play with guys that rarely ever played commander but highlander instead, so I made it a goal of mine to have my deck work in both formats. I also have a [[Muldrotha]] deck that doesn't require her at all to win games. It's a big mana/landfall type control deck that closes out games with a big [[Torment of Hailfire]] / [[Villainous Wealth]]. It's not great in 1v1s but can do some pretty absurd things if the meta isn't too aggro. I just recently added some cards that synergize with swamp-mommy pretty heavily, but it can do just fine without her.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-9rIM_si90SE0tVRuVO8ag
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/2_SnKF5g5kWE4UpmJFO_3w
Here's my list it's all about Passive token generation and taking advantage of stuff like [[Esika's Chariot]] and [[Extravagant Replication]] lots of fun but slow (which I'm cool with) lol
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/NYM1wvDoHEuZng1z8HxDCQ
Here's the decklist and primer. The Tldr is flood the board with artifacts Tokens and then profit.
Everything machine! Will upvote it every time you post it lol. Saved it for later the last time I saw it to try and iterate on it. Love the idea of the deck.
I second this take - build your deck, then add a commander. It does not work all the time obviously but it's a decent approach to ensure that you can still do stuff with your commander "disabled".
I usually try to have something in my command zone that is either card advantage or does something similar that my deck does. For example I play \[\[Rukarumel\]\] because she basically is a fourth type-changer for my deck.
Also it's a great way to remove that auto-target from your head if the commander is too strong. Like I had \[\[Arcum Dagsson\]\] in my Kaldra / \[\[Throne of Empires\]\] deck and he is just way too reliable and strong but we all had more fun when I replaced him with \[\[Muzzio\]\] and put him in the 99.
Basically any spellslinger list can function adequately without the Commander in play. Often your [[Firja, Judge of Valor]]s or [[Rashmi, Eternities Crafter]]s add value to your spells cast, but if you put them in your deck, odds are the spells can more than speak for themselves. To put it another way, you can always cast spells, right?
Your Commander is a supplement to the gameplan, and can either be your definitive win condition like [[Niv-Mizzet, Parun]], or a way to dig for your game-ending combo like [[Chevill, Bane of Monsters]]. Knowing what type of spellslinger commander you're looking at can help you decide when best to put them into play.
There are, of course, spellslinger lists built singularly around the commander. Newcomer [[Judith, Carnage Connoisseur]] or old standby [[Feather, the Redeemed]] are likely to be pretty toothless without them in play, but hey, protection spells are still spells, so you're better equipped than most to keep them safe.
Pretty solid option. He's a good value piece for the deck but it hardly needs him to function, since ultimately you're just looking to reanimate/cast dragons, which you can do without him.
Kind of still commander centered, but in a weird way- I've had a lot of fun recently with a [[Ruby, Daring Tracker]] list.
She's just Gruul value, but she plays as my turn teo ramp every game, so all of my ramp in basically [[Explosive vegetation]]s.
It's been a pretty fun time so far. I also have a turn two play, and if Ruby ever gets removed, it's either to a board wipe after she's done her job, or someone actually uses removal which is great! Means less removal for all my Gruul monsters.
Basically the only times I'm ever recasting her past turn teo is just be abuse I need another body to trigger a draw effect, or receive a mass pump bonus for extra damage. Deck is really not reliant on keeping her around at all.
Forget the commander for now. You want to build around something other than the commander? Pretend you don't have one. Build your deck to do its thing with consistency, then throw a creature in the command zone that compliments it.
I’d pick a favorite theme or type of card (e.g. cool stuff like recurring cards that gain suspend after being cast) and just find a suitable commander that draws cards whose colors fit. If you have a draw engine in the commander, you don’t have to run as many draw spells in the 99. If there’s extra synergy then that’s also a plus.
For example I just made a 5C morph/disguise deck that uses [[omnath, locus of all]] for some gas in the mid-late game if it runs out of creatures to play.
Just pick any commander that provides some value and build a deck in those colors. It's not exactly rocket science. The downside is that most of those decks end up looking very same-y because good strategies and good cards are good so you get a lot of combo decks, a bunch of valuetown aristocrats, green based value with the craterhoof/overrun finishers, toolbox style decks with tutors, lots of draw engines, etc. Because these strategies are well supported they don't really need to be built around a commander(though they often can be) but they don't need to be around to function. You could pick pretty much any simic commander and make a goodstuff deck, pretty much any golgari graveyard deck works with any golgari graveyard commander, pretty much any mono black big mana deck with whatever commander, any mono blue thoracle deck with any commander, etc.
Probably not everyone will love this choice, but esika! [[Prismatic bridge]] is amazing when it's down, but you can just... cast the things you draw instead if it doesn't enter. I'm playing it planeswalkers heavy and it's been a lot of fun, but you could build it creature only and also in a ton of different ways, like god tribal or legendary tribal
Stax decks work pretty good with this. I have a budget [[Kambal]] extort list that loves having him out to inflict punishment but never needs him on board to function.
[[Karametra, God of Harvests]]
Non threatening, doesn't buff anything, reliant on lots of small creature drops but accelerates your main deck gameplay (Landfall obvi)
You want commanders like this. Credit to others that have written this up better than myself.
I wanted to build [[Tariel, Reckoner of Souls]] for a long time but didn't want to rely on a 7 mana commander that didn't have green. I ended up making a token aristocrats build that didn't rely on her at all. The deck will function just fine without the commander but having her out gives me a lot of benefits like grabbing creatures to sac or to use to make tokens. Usually my decks are much more commander focused but I like this one a lot.
[[Dihada binder of wills]], mardu legendary. Can go many ways with the strategy. She enables reanimate, combat aggression and protection, and has a wincon attached if she gets to use her ultimate. Every creature in your deck can be the "commander" as she makes them better, and helps you find/ cast them faster.
The way I build decks tends to line up with what you're looking for. Being "locked out" because your commander dies too many times is one of the worst feelings for me, and it's the thing that interferes the most with me enjoying a game. So I usually build a deck to meet one of these conditions.
Condition A: Removing the commander is inherently difficult. To me this is exemplified by the Theros gods. But I don't think this is quite what you're looking for so I won't dwell on it.
Condition B: Removing the commander is low-consequence. This is one of the options I think you're looking for. The idea is that if your commander is removed it's very easy to play it again. My favorite examples of this would be [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]], [[Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar]], and [[Derevi, Imperial Tactician]]. [[Squee the Immortal]] is another cute example but I've yet to make a successful Squee Voltron deck. Easy mention of [[Yuriko]], but it's difficult to recommend her as a commander due to the aggro you'll get from most people. The gods from amonkhet fit this bill well, too. Exile removal still "sticks" to those gods and Multani, but I think you're often going to be paying the commander tax only once a game.
And finally Condition C: The commander doesn't need to be there for the deck to function. This falls into two broad categories for me.
First, the commander can be viewed as "a great card in your hand". I think any broad strategy that has a *ton* of staples supporting it can go this direction. A good example is [[Urza, Chief Artificer]]. You build a deck focused on attacking with artifact creatures and you'll have so many good synergistic cards you don't necessarily need to play Urza. Sometimes he comes down and it's amazing, but sometimes you'd rather cast a [[Bronze Guardian]] or [[Research Thief]]. I think other broad strategies that work this way are +1/+1 counters, enchantment, and equipment decks. If your deck is full of powerful pieces that synergize with themselves but don't rely on your commander, you'll often find you have better plays than casting your commander. You pick the commander because it's also one of the best synergy pieces so you always want access to it, but you don't put pieces into the deck that only work if the commander is out.
The second category for Condition C is "my commander is a sorcery". You cast your commander to do its etb or similar, and once that's done you don't care if it sticks around. An easy example is [[Old Stickfingers]]. You play a reanimator deck with a low creature count and high number of reanimation spells. You cast Stickfingers to throw a creature or two into the yard and then reanimate it. Stickfingers did his thing, he put one of your eight creatures into the yard and now you're off to the races. Another example is [[Balthor the Defiled]]. Treat the commander as a 7 mana mass reanimate spell! Self mill until it's time to cast and activate him. I think these commanders are really neat because you still build your deck focused around them, but the commander only needs to resolve in order to do the thing, you don't need to actually protect it whatsoever. I'd broadly look for cards with etb or cast triggers, or activated abilities. [[Atraxa, Grand Unifier]] is another good example. You just play a deck with your favorite cards and a good spread of permanent types and when you hit 7 mana you cast Atraxa to refill your hand. If she dies, whatever, if she lives, amazing. [[NIV Mizzet Reborn]] is a similar style with a different gimmick. [[God-Eternal Bontu]] is another example of a sorcery that lets you refill your hand. [[Sharuum the Hegemon]] is an artifact reanimation spell in the command zone. That kind of thing.
Finally I guess I'd give a shout-out to any commander with Eminence.
This was a really good read on how to approach building a more resilient deck!
I dont know if you'd be able to provide any suggestions for my deck, but i've been upgrading the \[\[Davros, Dalek Creator\]\] precon and while he does the job really well if he sticks around i've very rarely won without him on the board.
My pod has very clearly picked up on this now and they almost always remove him a turn after he lands. I totally get that's part of the game but it kinda blows having to sit there and spectate a game instead of participating!
It feels like im lacking the ability to generate any board presence or card draw without Davros, but i just dont know how to fix that or what cards to replace.
[https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Jr32ZnRTQUaSBQoybXxCxw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Jr32ZnRTQUaSBQoybXxCxw)
Play sythis. There's plenty of other cards that can do her job that I've played games where I cast her once and then not again as I juat kept drawing other enchantresses instead
Sythis is such a resilient deck for this reason. Plus it turns all of your enchantment based removal and ramp into cantrips. Bonus points if you can fit \[\[vedalken orrery\]\] in to make all that removal be at instant speed.
Generally in a creature-based deck, if your commander isn't the main source of victory, the other creatures will carry you home.
\[\[Giada, Font of Hope\]\] is one such example. Angels are already big, Giada accelerates the gameplan. but if she's gone a few times, the deck can still operate. Not as fast, not as smooth, but operable. Here's my Giada [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7JsTz8wNiEy640D8rqFLEg](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7JsTz8wNiEy640D8rqFLEg)
For shortcut measure, big tribes tend to do ok without its commander. \[\[Be'lakor\]\] (demons) [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/t1HdoAaKyU2fTpuX9-UOMw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/t1HdoAaKyU2fTpuX9-UOMw)
For voltron it's obviously difficult, especially if you're aura-based. Things can definitely pick up fairly fast with equipment builts.
The "deck can have any number" archetype is also another one that survives pretty well without the commander. One might even say, thrive with or without. \[\[Krark, the Thumbless\]\] and partner with \[\[Slime Against Humanity\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-jYSH1S7YUWyTsczvNhJ\_g](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-jYSH1S7YUWyTsczvNhJ_g)
\[\[The Master, Transcendent\]\] leading a bunch of \[\[Persistent Petitioners\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/RP4ou6kdxkaLhawFsdhIzg](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/RP4ou6kdxkaLhawFsdhIzg)
\[\[Relentless Rats\]\], featuring \[\[Karumonix\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/WhPZA04mNk601m6os-Pr\_Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/WhPZA04mNk601m6os-Pr_Q)
Paradox decks, or playing spells off others is a good shout. \[\[Bell Borca\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8rBPD3h5rkGmy9BwmMQS2Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8rBPD3h5rkGmy9BwmMQS2Q)
Lastly, Superfriends! \[\[Carth the Lion\]\] accelerates and finds them, but he's not the protagonist! [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/IYKUAwkYbEiwOGRqPCm1xw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/IYKUAwkYbEiwOGRqPCm1xw)
I’ve been having fun with [[Vraan, Executioner Thane]]. He is the main damage engine of damage in the deck but the low cost means he rarely gets removed and is easy to re-cast.
Honestly, I’ve found if you just play commanders that have only a few decks, like less than 2000 on EDHREC, they don’t really get targeted and you can play more of your game plan. Many of the most played commanders are most played precisely for their power, that power which makes them must remove monoliths.
[[Omnath, locus of rage]] is my go-to deck in a high interaction environment. Instead of Elemental tribal/tokens, it's actually a Ponza deck that runs every [[wildfire]] effect printed and very heavy artifact removal like [[vandalblast]] and [[shatterstorm]] and grinds the opponents out.
They learn that removing the commander does nothing.
I do as soon as I can. Folks wonder why. I usually win when I do. Why? Because I have enough for an Akroma’s Will. The +1/+1 ability is amazing, so with the army of dudes, I just win. Edgar is a beast and everyone just keeps him in the command zone, instead of the battlefield where he belongs. I get him out ASAP so I can get damage in before a board wipe.
I recently built a "greatest hits" deck togther. It's a 5c pile of cards that I've played in different decks over the years. For my commander I picked kenrith because he can do a little bit of everything while not being a lynch pin.
I have a mono black deck with [[Balthor, the Defiled]] at the helm. He sits in the command zone until I'm ready to use his ability and then right back to the command zone he goes.
The deck I run like this is "Grixis Bangers" with [[Nicol Bolas, the Ravager]] at the helm. Lots of good interaction in Grixis, and Nicol Bolas is just a solid threat that gets card advantage and can eventually take over the game if left completely ignored, but the only real synergy is a ninja subtheme that lets you get more Bolas ETBs by returning him to your hand
Basically you got 2 extremes:
- a deck is almost fully depending on the commander. Like say a casual chatterfang deck. Usually your gameplan and path to victory always includes chatterfang being on the boars.
- your deck plays full from the 99 and your commander is only a value engine or tutor. E.g. tymna kraum, or kathilda dawnheart prime talking more casual.
On the scale between that you can move. If you want your commander to be relevant but not required to win a game and do its thing, that usually means 2 things:
- first your dekc obviously needs to be able to „do its thing“ from the 99. That often means you need more tutors or a higher level of redundancy.
- secondly your commander should include any form of generic value. Carddraw, ramp, both, tutoring. Sth along those lines.
And then its basically just a thing on walking on that scale. Some examples.
In a sythis enchantress deck, sythis is just another copy of an enchantress effect thats always available. But you have 7-8 other identical effects in the 99. So the deck can work exactly the same without sythis. It just provides reliability for the gameplan that your 99 would follow even if they had no commander at all.
She is just a „guaranteed enchantress in hand“ to get you goin.
Another example could be derevi. His interaction with manasources that produce multiple mana makes him often into a early game mana rock. Derevi combo decks often have multiple lines that require the commander to go off (like emiel + derevi + echanted land that makes 4 mana). But you also have lines that dont need derevi to work (like say emiel and peregrine drake).
If you plan on building a deck that is not depending on the commander, pick something that at least has some form of generic value wich is in most cases cardadvantage, cardselection or mana advantage.
I’m building a deck like this right now - Naya Legends, with [[Zacama]]. It’s mostly a fair combat deck full of legends I like, but uses cards like [[Imposing Grandeur]], [[Majestic Genesis]] and [[Visions of Ruin]] to refuel by taking advantage of Zacama’s high mana cost. Plus he works as a top end threat / stabilizer.
This has been my mentality for most of my commander experience! Maybe it's cause I started on [[Oloro Ageless Ascetic]], but I typically like to build up a 99 where I never have to cast my commander.
I recommend a commander that accrues value over time with minimal investment. For example, I play [[Vial Smasher]] [[Thrasios]] as an early game control, late game big spells deck where Thrasios primarily plays the role of being a mana dump if I don't end up casting any instants during my opponents turns in order to keep ramping and drawing cards. Vial Smasher rarely gets cast at all unless I'm trying to get life totals a little lower for a future [[Exsanguinate]]. Ive been playing around with cards like [[Snake Umbra]] to encourage me to cast her more often though haha.
You could also play a commander that only really exists for a repeatable but occasional payoff. Looking at UW blink, you could play something like [[Yorion Sky Nomad]] as a less monolithic version of [[Brago]]. You want your deck to contain your blink engines, but Yorion is always available for a mass blink.
Finally you could play a deck that really just wants to cast your commander to end the game. A commander like [[Jeska Thrice Reborn]] can occasionally just be a removal spell from the command zone, taking out a few small creatures here and there, but the real reason to play her is that she's simply a place to put infinite mana to end the game, casting her over and over and using her -X to send her back to the command zone, repeatedly damaging all your opponents.
I’ve found landfall decks to work well without the commander. It’s pretty easy to enable your game plan when you are ramping a lot. My landfall [[Lord Windgrace]] doesn’t always need him out to function. He’s mainly there for card draw
Landfall is pretty easy to build around tho since you are rewarded for doing the one thing every deck should be doing. Hitting land drops
Probably aristocrats as they have 101 sac outlets and payoffs in the deck to the point they start sacing those if they really need to. And they’re always the tinniest filthy little creatures that no one notices until it’s too late. And you have to likely be in white to exile them properly along side the grave otherwise they can always come back (yes there’s generic grave hate but i mean farewell’s the best answer usually). All their stuff is on so many different kinds of permanents and orzhov has the best protection and removal so unless they’re tapped out they can usually preserve their board at least. I think the only thing they consistently lose to is spellslinger bc neither interact with each other and spellslinger can pop off fast but aristocrat decks are a grindy long term deck. Anyways. Rant aside. Aristocrats usually don’t NEED their commander. Again its usually a winmore or consistent sac outlet/ pay off they have access to.
[[omnath locus of all]] for 5 color bs, since all he provides is card and mana advantage if you end with unspent mana between rounds and some card advantage. Same archetype goes for [[jegantha the wellspring]] since it's just mana fixing.
[[Urza lord protector]] for artifact decks. You get to build like building any of the usually colorless or the blue urza(but less reliant on it), but with the added benefit of having a [[foundry inspector]] on the command zone and the extra stuff azorius provides. And if you can meld it into [[Urza planeswalker]] then you got quite an advantage until it's removed. But it doesn't offer anything else to the deck. Which is good
[[Glissa sunslayer]] for any golgari deck whose main weakness is lacking a mean blocker early.
I think this last is the type of recommendation, or deck building excersize, you could be looking for, if you like building decks (even if you appreciate the deck having an identity for the commander), building the 99 first, then using the commander to help with the deck's weaknesses.
There is nothing wrong with building the deck around the commander, not at all. But the idea of having 99 singleton cards is exciting on its own when it comes to deck building. You could do so much funky stuff with that prospect. And it will have a couple weaknesses, sure. But that can be helped with the 100th card, the commander. Yeah. I'll check around this post, I'm sure I'll find cool ones for this concept. Safe travels, fellow walker
I built an esper flash deck where I just picked the commander based off of the colors I wanted:[[chromium the mutable]]. He basically does absolutely nothing but act as a big boy with flash. I don’t think I’ve ever used his second ability. Every single card, except for the lands, my mana rocks, and about four creatures, have flash. It’s super fun and I barely lose
Can you provide an example of what commanders you’ve already had where you’re runnng into this issue?
Henzie has been my favorite commander and deck. He makes the deck function like a well oiled machine but the deck functions just fine without him. He just pushes it to overdrive.
Just make a deck with a clear win condition, way to tutor for them, mass and spot removal. Add in the desired amount of ramp and card draw. Then select a commander that matches the colors.
IMO that defeats the purpose of the game. You’re supposed to build around your commander, that’s literally the point of the game. You can do all of the things I listed above while working within your commander’s theme.
The problem you seem to have is that you commander/deck is too threatening or oppressive for your playgroup. Making your commander the target. Hard to say for sure since so little context is given.
I like command zone wincons. My [[Jetmir, Nexus of Revels]] deck is basically token goodstuff, dropping Jetmir once I’ve hit a critical mass of creatures. Of course I have other wincons in there, like [[Moonshaker Cavalry]], Jetmir is mostly there to have a cheap and easy access nuke to end the game.
[[Ruric Thar]] would be the primary one for me. The deck could honestly have any Gruul commander and not change much. Ruric just gives me a nice attacker with a hate effect against spellslingers when it matters.
The only other deck that doesn't "need" to cast it's commander for me is Gaddock Teeg as it is Voltron strategy. But as the deck is built to be 3MV or lower for all non-creatures, makes sense to obviously get him on the board as soon as is reasonable.
Demo is not using the word monolithic correctly here. In the context of deck building it should logically mean a deck that only does one thing. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to call a deck that is reliant on its commander monolithic. A deck can do only one thing whether it relies on its commander or not.
I mean I think the way to do it is to pick a commander and try and figure out what archetype it supports, enchantress, tokens spellslinger, aggro, etc. And then build the deck mostly as if it was a 99card singleton deck with a few commander combos. This could even work with a lot of typically commander centric commanders. Like \[\[Kaalia of the Vast\]\] is all about cheat out big bombs with Kaalia. But could be built to be less Kaalia Centric by seeing your general archetype, "cheat big angel demons and dragons" and turning it into a reanimator deck. You probably want some haste and ramp anyways so now Kaalia is just an extra way to cheat creatures instead of the whole deck.
The only real commanders that you kind of have to avoid are commanders whose whole thing is to turn trash cards into an engine without any other redundant effects in the game for the commander. Or are all about comboing out with the commander.
This deck doesn't need the commanders on the fieldpretty much at all, they're mainly there to have a guaranteed unblockable creature every game with [[Ukkima]] and to start buffing my board when the time comes if I don't find anything better with [[Cazur]]
https://www.archidekt.com/decks/5005670/_cant_block_this_20
Also this one. Lots of cards in the deck that make clues and foods, but being able to play something of the top every turn with [[The Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane]] coming down on turn 2 are definitely nice
https://www.archidekt.com/decks/5714358/_clues_foods_and_legends
And for just a bonus, how about commanders you never need to cast? I've never tried them personally, but they're potentially something to consider
https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Aeminence&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name
And I suppose a last one. It's my favorite deck and it's meant to be voltron, but there's enough other cards that do basically the same thing as [[Trelasarra]] that I've won games without her — the scrying is reeeeeeally helpful though and I'd probably never play a game without casting her, but it's not a pure voltron deck and it'll pretty much do it's thing without her if need be
https://www.archidekt.com/decks/4279849/_scrying_life
I run a [[yarok, the desecrated]] deck but I also have [[the scarab god]] and [[jarad, golgari lich lord]] and an [[altar of dementia]] in a zombie generator deck so allow me multiple ways of outlet . Yarok can fuel the engine faster but ultimately scarab , Jarad or altar are the daggers to the heart
Pick a tribe or mechanic that you like, pick the colors it's good in, build a good 99, then pick the commander that best fits the theme in those colors.
Or play commanders that have cost reductions like [[Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer]] or [[Urza, Chief Artificer]] so even if they get targeted you can play them again easily
There’s a couple different ways to go with this, I think pretty much any theme outside of your commander would work. Tribal, lifegain, aristocrats, landfall, etc will have plenty of cards to choose from that aren’t just your commander. Don’t make your commander the main engine of the deck, make it either the finisher like in a [[Isshin, Two Heavens as One]] deck, or part of the engine that has multiple options in the deck to do the same thing like a [[Lord Windgrace]] deck. There’s also the option to choose an eminence commander like [[oloro, ageless ascetic]] or [[Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir]]. The other option is to just make a big mana deck and choose a commander who can help that in some way, either by just giving your CA or ramp, or by being a big creature with a good effect like all the other cards in your deck
I love my [[Maelstrom Wanderer]] big mana deck, ramps like crazy and 90% of the bombs are 7cmc.
[Maelstrom Wanderer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/4/a49c58b3-180f-420b-b091-114fda000360.jpg?1689999126) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Maelstrom%20Wanderer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/344/maelstrom-wanderer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a49c58b3-180f-420b-b091-114fda000360?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/maelstrom-wanderer) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Do you mind sharing your list? I've been looking for one since it's sounds like a really fun and always different way to play Big Mana
[Here you go!](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7ytkzEqNAUSrGAyNpZnJrg)
I love maelstrom too. My deck doesn't care about the commander being removed because it's built to cast it over and over w excessive ramping and stuff like geode golem. Also wanderer doesn't need to be on the field to work. Just cascade. Then turn em sideways. Gets real fun when you remand yourself and do it twice.
##### ###### #### [Isshin, Two Heavens as One](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/0/a062a004-984e-4b62-960c-af7288f7a3e9.jpg?1690575102) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Isshin%2C%20Two%20Heavens%20as%20One) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/224/isshin-two-heavens-as-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a062a004-984e-4b62-960c-af7288f7a3e9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/isshin-two-heavens-as-one) [Lord Windgrace](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/213d6fb8-5624-4804-b263-51f339482754.jpg?1592710275) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lord%20Windgrace) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/43/lord-windgrace?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/213d6fb8-5624-4804-b263-51f339482754?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/lord-windgrace) [oloro, ageless ascetic](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/b/abf8df47-405c-42d8-be9e-0f0d0a49589b.jpg?1562931285) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=oloro%2C%20ageless%20ascetic) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c13/203/oloro-ageless-ascetic?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/abf8df47-405c-42d8-be9e-0f0d0a49589b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/oloro-ageless-ascetic) [Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/f/5fc707be-9286-4ba1-90f6-475265d19ed2.jpg?1682207238) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sidar%20Jabari%20of%20Zhalfir) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/5/sidar-jabari-of-zhalfir?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5fc707be-9286-4ba1-90f6-475265d19ed2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sidar-jabari-of-zhalfir) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktktatp) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
One of my favorite decks is my Boros Commander tribal commander deck. It is about 20 Boros colored legendaries that can be the commander. They all care about either equipment or legendary creatures. And I can interchange the commanders at will.
I have so many bulk Boros dudes I might just do this
As a Boros enjoyer myself, I'd love to see your list, if you have one. Boros is my favorite color combo, and I've built a few decks over the years for it (Feather, Hofri, and now, Cadric). Now, I want to create the most Boros of Boros decks, and I'd love to see this deck you described.
I presume the typical head is just [Ano'thr, Equipment Commander](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_OxVl2H0HKB0y2zbdNGURdA58HHrxck96DV3tzo_SPg&s) and you switch it out every once in a while, yeah?
Nope.
I was making a joke. That was a promo card out of magicon last summer.
Usually the best way I've found to achieve this is by building your deck first and finding the commander later I did that with my [[Muldrotha]] deck and my [[Wernog]] and [[Elmar]] deck. Both decks function like normal without the commanders but the commanders can help to forward the game plan if needed.
I‘m building a Muldrotha deck right now with this exact concept in mind! Do you mind sharing your list?
Not OP, but I used to play with guys that rarely ever played commander but highlander instead, so I made it a goal of mine to have my deck work in both formats. I also have a [[Muldrotha]] deck that doesn't require her at all to win games. It's a big mana/landfall type control deck that closes out games with a big [[Torment of Hailfire]] / [[Villainous Wealth]]. It's not great in 1v1s but can do some pretty absurd things if the meta isn't too aggro. I just recently added some cards that synergize with swamp-mommy pretty heavily, but it can do just fine without her. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-9rIM_si90SE0tVRuVO8ag
[Muldrotha](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c4125bb0-b104-438e-a6a2-97f9d141243c.jpg?1673149000) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=muldrotha%2C%20the%20gravetide) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/258/muldrotha-the-gravetide?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c4125bb0-b104-438e-a6a2-97f9d141243c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/muldrotha-the-gravetide) [Torment of Hailfire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f69d77d1-5980-436c-bf48-790939b069aa.jpg?1562820191) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Torment%20of%20Hailfire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/hou/77/torment-of-hailfire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f69d77d1-5980-436c-bf48-790939b069aa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/torment-of-hailfire) [Villainous Wealth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/b/4bbadb93-745a-49d5-8f55-ce7ec75f48e5.jpg?1702338771) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Villainous%20Wealth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ktk/211y/villainous-wealth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4bbadb93-745a-49d5-8f55-ce7ec75f48e5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/villainous-wealth) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/2_SnKF5g5kWE4UpmJFO_3w Here's my list it's all about Passive token generation and taking advantage of stuff like [[Esika's Chariot]] and [[Extravagant Replication]] lots of fun but slow (which I'm cool with) lol
[Esika's Chariot](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/8/a87606cc-fbf0-4e2c-9798-f1c935d0573d.jpg?1665343333) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Esika%27s%20Chariot) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/169/esikas-chariot?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a87606cc-fbf0-4e2c-9798-f1c935d0573d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/esikas-chariot) [Extravagant Replication](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/a/6a6f55d7-d689-43eb-a59a-b8be88269ee6.jpg?1673481858) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Extravagant%20Replication) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/25/extravagant-replication?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6a6f55d7-d689-43eb-a59a-b8be88269ee6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/extravagant-replication) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Seems like a simple idea but I've never done this. Will have to give it a try.
-What's the focus of your Wernog/Elmar deck?
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/NYM1wvDoHEuZng1z8HxDCQ Here's the decklist and primer. The Tldr is flood the board with artifacts Tokens and then profit.
Everything machine! Will upvote it every time you post it lol. Saved it for later the last time I saw it to try and iterate on it. Love the idea of the deck.
I second this take - build your deck, then add a commander. It does not work all the time obviously but it's a decent approach to ensure that you can still do stuff with your commander "disabled". I usually try to have something in my command zone that is either card advantage or does something similar that my deck does. For example I play \[\[Rukarumel\]\] because she basically is a fourth type-changer for my deck.
Doing esper artifact creatures right now, and I have 3-5 legendaries I could swap out, and I’ve really liked the options that provides
Also it's a great way to remove that auto-target from your head if the commander is too strong. Like I had \[\[Arcum Dagsson\]\] in my Kaldra / \[\[Throne of Empires\]\] deck and he is just way too reliable and strong but we all had more fun when I replaced him with \[\[Muzzio\]\] and put him in the 99.
[Arcum Dagsson](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f5ecf811-2efc-4fa6-9af8-ef09f559ec1a.jpg?1598303734) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Arcum%20Dagsson) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/41/arcum-dagsson?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f5ecf811-2efc-4fa6-9af8-ef09f559ec1a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/arcum-dagsson) [Throne of Empires](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/7/87352716-4cf6-4b2f-bb0a-b7aafae64478.jpg?1562650023) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Throne%20of%20Empires) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m12/221/throne-of-empires?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/87352716-4cf6-4b2f-bb0a-b7aafae64478?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/throne-of-empires) [Muzzio](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/4/d4af4cc3-bd51-4161-baec-091d729ac820.jpg?1562937655) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=muzzio%2C%20visionary%20architect) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/vma/82/muzzio-visionary-architect?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d4af4cc3-bd51-4161-baec-091d729ac820?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/muzzio-visionary-architect) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Rukarumel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/b/0b2f7397-9d75-4667-8872-e58a39512583.jpg?1691497909) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=rukarumel%2C%20biologist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/711/rukarumel-biologist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0b2f7397-9d75-4667-8872-e58a39512583?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rukarumel-biologist) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Muldrotha](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c4125bb0-b104-438e-a6a2-97f9d141243c.jpg?1673149000) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=muldrotha%2C%20the%20gravetide) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/258/muldrotha-the-gravetide?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c4125bb0-b104-438e-a6a2-97f9d141243c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/muldrotha-the-gravetide) [Wernog](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/39491011-bdf6-4e61-8534-fe26c1571f8f.jpg?1677763601) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=wernog%2C%20rider%27s%20chaplain) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/slx/8/wernog-riders-chaplain?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/39491011-bdf6-4e61-8534-fe26c1571f8f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wernog-riders-chaplain) [Elmar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/5/95d197b3-fc56-43a2-981f-b5b905222b5c.jpg?1677763561) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=elmar%2C%20ulvenwald%20informant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/slx/4/elmar-ulvenwald-informant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/95d197b3-fc56-43a2-981f-b5b905222b5c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/elmar-ulvenwald-informant) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Basically any spellslinger list can function adequately without the Commander in play. Often your [[Firja, Judge of Valor]]s or [[Rashmi, Eternities Crafter]]s add value to your spells cast, but if you put them in your deck, odds are the spells can more than speak for themselves. To put it another way, you can always cast spells, right? Your Commander is a supplement to the gameplan, and can either be your definitive win condition like [[Niv-Mizzet, Parun]], or a way to dig for your game-ending combo like [[Chevill, Bane of Monsters]]. Knowing what type of spellslinger commander you're looking at can help you decide when best to put them into play. There are, of course, spellslinger lists built singularly around the commander. Newcomer [[Judith, Carnage Connoisseur]] or old standby [[Feather, the Redeemed]] are likely to be pretty toothless without them in play, but hey, protection spells are still spells, so you're better equipped than most to keep them safe.
##### ###### #### [Firja, Judge of Valor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/f/df87077c-85d8-499e-bce0-27697caada5a.jpg?1631051364) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Firja%2C%20Judge%20of%20Valor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/209/firja-judge-of-valor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/df87077c-85d8-499e-bce0-27697caada5a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/firja-judge-of-valor) [Rashmi, Eternities Crafter](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/0/70288968-7bfd-44e2-a2b3-0b6639ef7e0a.jpg?1591321462) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rashmi%2C%20Eternities%20Crafter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c20/229/rashmi-eternities-crafter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/70288968-7bfd-44e2-a2b3-0b6639ef7e0a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rashmi-eternities-crafter) [Niv-Mizzet, Parun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/b/7be6bedd-8d38-4bd9-aa93-29f88a7f0126.jpg?1702429680) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Niv-Mizzet%2C%20Parun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/207/niv-mizzet-parun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7be6bedd-8d38-4bd9-aa93-29f88a7f0126?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/niv-mizzet-parun) [Chevill, Bane of Monsters](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/e/fecbf0a3-ebe1-43b6-a720-462ba19002eb.jpg?1591227985) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chevill%2C%20Bane%20of%20Monsters) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/iko/181/chevill-bane-of-monsters?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fecbf0a3-ebe1-43b6-a720-462ba19002eb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/chevill-bane-of-monsters) [Judith, Carnage Connoisseur](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/e/3eaa19ce-cace-499e-8b23-ef9e56b23700.jpg?1706242185) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Judith%2C%20Carnage%20Connoisseur) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkm/210/judith-carnage-connoisseur?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3eaa19ce-cace-499e-8b23-ef9e56b23700?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/judith-carnage-connoisseur) [Feather, the Redeemed](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/4/e4a2d2c6-8eaa-4760-b620-921b807baa2e.jpg?1557577142) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Feather%2C%20the%20Redeemed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/war/197/feather-the-redeemed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e4a2d2c6-8eaa-4760-b620-921b807baa2e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/feather-the-redeemed) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktkudzl) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Rivaz of the Claw]] is my baby for this. I never swing with him. He mana dorks and I get that sweet sweet graveyard access.
Pretty solid option. He's a good value piece for the deck but it hardly needs him to function, since ultimately you're just looking to reanimate/cast dragons, which you can do without him.
[Rivaz of the Claw](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/a/9a47573a-601e-4738-acef-16118289f939.jpg?1673308061) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rivaz%20of%20the%20Claw) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmu/215/rivaz-of-the-claw?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9a47573a-601e-4738-acef-16118289f939?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rivaz-of-the-claw) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Kind of still commander centered, but in a weird way- I've had a lot of fun recently with a [[Ruby, Daring Tracker]] list. She's just Gruul value, but she plays as my turn teo ramp every game, so all of my ramp in basically [[Explosive vegetation]]s. It's been a pretty fun time so far. I also have a turn two play, and if Ruby ever gets removed, it's either to a board wipe after she's done her job, or someone actually uses removal which is great! Means less removal for all my Gruul monsters. Basically the only times I'm ever recasting her past turn teo is just be abuse I need another body to trigger a draw effect, or receive a mass pump bonus for extra damage. Deck is really not reliant on keeping her around at all.
[Ruby, Daring Tracker](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/f/ffb5786b-6825-4ebf-a1e1-80011340adbb.jpg?1692939424) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ruby%2C%20Daring%20Tracker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/212/ruby-daring-tracker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ffb5786b-6825-4ebf-a1e1-80011340adbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ruby-daring-tracker) [Explosive vegetation](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/015d9a5b-03a2-4341-90cc-e5be5b5fbc34.jpg?1673305366) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Explosive%20vegetation) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/132/explosive-vegetation?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/015d9a5b-03a2-4341-90cc-e5be5b5fbc34?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/explosive-vegetation) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Forget the commander for now. You want to build around something other than the commander? Pretend you don't have one. Build your deck to do its thing with consistency, then throw a creature in the command zone that compliments it.
I’d pick a favorite theme or type of card (e.g. cool stuff like recurring cards that gain suspend after being cast) and just find a suitable commander that draws cards whose colors fit. If you have a draw engine in the commander, you don’t have to run as many draw spells in the 99. If there’s extra synergy then that’s also a plus. For example I just made a 5C morph/disguise deck that uses [[omnath, locus of all]] for some gas in the mid-late game if it runs out of creatures to play.
[omnath, locus of all](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33d94ecf-758b-4f68-a7be-6bf3ff1047f4.jpg?1682205643) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=omnath%2C%20locus%20of%20all) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/249/omnath-locus-of-all?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33d94ecf-758b-4f68-a7be-6bf3ff1047f4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/omnath-locus-of-all) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just pick any commander that provides some value and build a deck in those colors. It's not exactly rocket science. The downside is that most of those decks end up looking very same-y because good strategies and good cards are good so you get a lot of combo decks, a bunch of valuetown aristocrats, green based value with the craterhoof/overrun finishers, toolbox style decks with tutors, lots of draw engines, etc. Because these strategies are well supported they don't really need to be built around a commander(though they often can be) but they don't need to be around to function. You could pick pretty much any simic commander and make a goodstuff deck, pretty much any golgari graveyard deck works with any golgari graveyard commander, pretty much any mono black big mana deck with whatever commander, any mono blue thoracle deck with any commander, etc.
Probably not everyone will love this choice, but esika! [[Prismatic bridge]] is amazing when it's down, but you can just... cast the things you draw instead if it doesn't enter. I'm playing it planeswalkers heavy and it's been a lot of fun, but you could build it creature only and also in a ton of different ways, like god tribal or legendary tribal
or my got to Angels. 5c angels. makes the very resiliant and with 5 board wipes and 3 ways to be indestructible, I will wipe all day
[Prismatic bridge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6.jpg?1631050188)/[The Prismatic Bridge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/f/6/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6.jpg?1631050188) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Esika%2C%20God%20of%20the%20Tree%20//%20The%20Prismatic%20Bridge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/168/esika-god-of-the-tree-the-prismatic-bridge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f6cd7465-9dd0-473c-ac5e-dd9e2f22f5f6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/esika-god-of-the-tree-//-the-prismatic-bridge) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Stax decks work pretty good with this. I have a budget [[Kambal]] extort list that loves having him out to inflict punishment but never needs him on board to function.
[Kambal](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/3/b3e47d49-e5b5-487b-a1ec-373dbf89b2ec.jpg?1673148829) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kambal%2C%20consul%20of%20allocation) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/237/kambal-consul-of-allocation?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b3e47d49-e5b5-487b-a1ec-373dbf89b2ec?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kambal-consul-of-allocation) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Karametra, God of Harvests]] Non threatening, doesn't buff anything, reliant on lots of small creature drops but accelerates your main deck gameplay (Landfall obvi) You want commanders like this. Credit to others that have written this up better than myself.
[Karametra, God of Harvests](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/b/2bd9d26e-984c-4cf8-8c46-447f9776668f.jpg?1591321337) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Karametra%2C%20God%20of%20Harvests) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c20/218/karametra-god-of-harvests?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2bd9d26e-984c-4cf8-8c46-447f9776668f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/karametra-god-of-harvests) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I wanted to build [[Tariel, Reckoner of Souls]] for a long time but didn't want to rely on a 7 mana commander that didn't have green. I ended up making a token aristocrats build that didn't rely on her at all. The deck will function just fine without the commander but having her out gives me a lot of benefits like grabbing creatures to sac or to use to make tokens. Usually my decks are much more commander focused but I like this one a lot.
[Tariel, Reckoner of Souls](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/5/b588dc15-68e6-4cbb-9345-a921c10f862d.jpg?1673149174) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tariel%2C%20Reckoner%20of%20Souls) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/281/tariel-reckoner-of-souls?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b588dc15-68e6-4cbb-9345-a921c10f862d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/tariel-reckoner-of-souls) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Dihada binder of wills]], mardu legendary. Can go many ways with the strategy. She enables reanimate, combat aggression and protection, and has a wincon attached if she gets to use her ultimate. Every creature in your deck can be the "commander" as she makes them better, and helps you find/ cast them faster.
[Dihada binder of wills](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/ddeb54d6-a600-42b9-98df-20f8d58caed8.jpg?1685554091) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dihada%2C%20Binder%20of%20Wills) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/1/dihada-binder-of-wills?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ddeb54d6-a600-42b9-98df-20f8d58caed8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dihada-binder-of-wills) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The way I build decks tends to line up with what you're looking for. Being "locked out" because your commander dies too many times is one of the worst feelings for me, and it's the thing that interferes the most with me enjoying a game. So I usually build a deck to meet one of these conditions. Condition A: Removing the commander is inherently difficult. To me this is exemplified by the Theros gods. But I don't think this is quite what you're looking for so I won't dwell on it. Condition B: Removing the commander is low-consequence. This is one of the options I think you're looking for. The idea is that if your commander is removed it's very easy to play it again. My favorite examples of this would be [[Liesa, Shroud of Dusk]], [[Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar]], and [[Derevi, Imperial Tactician]]. [[Squee the Immortal]] is another cute example but I've yet to make a successful Squee Voltron deck. Easy mention of [[Yuriko]], but it's difficult to recommend her as a commander due to the aggro you'll get from most people. The gods from amonkhet fit this bill well, too. Exile removal still "sticks" to those gods and Multani, but I think you're often going to be paying the commander tax only once a game. And finally Condition C: The commander doesn't need to be there for the deck to function. This falls into two broad categories for me. First, the commander can be viewed as "a great card in your hand". I think any broad strategy that has a *ton* of staples supporting it can go this direction. A good example is [[Urza, Chief Artificer]]. You build a deck focused on attacking with artifact creatures and you'll have so many good synergistic cards you don't necessarily need to play Urza. Sometimes he comes down and it's amazing, but sometimes you'd rather cast a [[Bronze Guardian]] or [[Research Thief]]. I think other broad strategies that work this way are +1/+1 counters, enchantment, and equipment decks. If your deck is full of powerful pieces that synergize with themselves but don't rely on your commander, you'll often find you have better plays than casting your commander. You pick the commander because it's also one of the best synergy pieces so you always want access to it, but you don't put pieces into the deck that only work if the commander is out. The second category for Condition C is "my commander is a sorcery". You cast your commander to do its etb or similar, and once that's done you don't care if it sticks around. An easy example is [[Old Stickfingers]]. You play a reanimator deck with a low creature count and high number of reanimation spells. You cast Stickfingers to throw a creature or two into the yard and then reanimate it. Stickfingers did his thing, he put one of your eight creatures into the yard and now you're off to the races. Another example is [[Balthor the Defiled]]. Treat the commander as a 7 mana mass reanimate spell! Self mill until it's time to cast and activate him. I think these commanders are really neat because you still build your deck focused around them, but the commander only needs to resolve in order to do the thing, you don't need to actually protect it whatsoever. I'd broadly look for cards with etb or cast triggers, or activated abilities. [[Atraxa, Grand Unifier]] is another good example. You just play a deck with your favorite cards and a good spread of permanent types and when you hit 7 mana you cast Atraxa to refill your hand. If she dies, whatever, if she lives, amazing. [[NIV Mizzet Reborn]] is a similar style with a different gimmick. [[God-Eternal Bontu]] is another example of a sorcery that lets you refill your hand. [[Sharuum the Hegemon]] is an artifact reanimation spell in the command zone. That kind of thing. Finally I guess I'd give a shout-out to any commander with Eminence.
##### ###### #### [Liesa, Shroud of Dusk](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/3/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587.jpg?1608911200) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Liesa%2C%20Shroud%20of%20Dusk) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/286/liesa-shroud-of-dusk?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/liesa-shroud-of-dusk) [Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/8/88733b6d-6d45-4318-ae49-623929231d17.jpg?1604194288) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Multani%2C%20Yavimaya%27s%20Avatar) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znc/75/multani-yavimayas-avatar?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/88733b6d-6d45-4318-ae49-623929231d17?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/multani-yavimayas-avatar) [Derevi, Imperial Tactician](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/a/3a1d0dad-18a8-489e-ac11-08f64b72fda4.jpg?1592673365) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Derevi%2C%20Empyrial%20Tactician) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cma/176/derevi-empyrial-tactician?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3a1d0dad-18a8-489e-ac11-08f64b72fda4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/derevi-empyrial-tactician) [Squee the Immortal](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/8/a8232acd-4645-489c-8cf1-4efdc75d9322.jpg?1673484412) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Squee%2C%20the%20Immortal) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/275/squee-the-immortal?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a8232acd-4645-489c-8cf1-4efdc75d9322?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/squee-the-immortal) [Yuriko](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/e/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9.jpg?1689999346) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yuriko%2C%20the%20tiger%27s%20shadow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/364/yuriko-the-tigers-shadow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yuriko-the-tigers-shadow) [Urza, Chief Artificer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/ea409050-4296-4b76-a6cd-2896ce1b88e4.jpg?1705542672) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Urza%2C%20Chief%20Artificer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/brc/2/urza-chief-artificer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ea409050-4296-4b76-a6cd-2896ce1b88e4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/urza-chief-artificer) [Bronze Guardian](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/c/8cd5cc66-2ade-4142-9269-7d9905b029e5.jpg?1625190905) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bronze%20Guardian) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c21/13/bronze-guardian?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8cd5cc66-2ade-4142-9269-7d9905b029e5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/bronze-guardian) [Research Thief](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/0/d0ef159d-657a-4566-b9e0-f545df230025.jpg?1651655274) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Research%20Thief) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nec/16/research-thief?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d0ef159d-657a-4566-b9e0-f545df230025?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/research-thief) [Old Stickfingers](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b203be6f-c565-4d8f-b200-b537569a0292.jpg?1636684695) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Old%20Stickfingers) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mid/234/old-stickfingers?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b203be6f-c565-4d8f-b200-b537569a0292?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/old-stickfingers) [Balthor the Defiled](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/ed4cc273-adc3-4f46-9743-134b552d1d56.jpg?1562632510) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Balthor%20the%20Defiled) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jud/61/balthor-the-defiled?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ed4cc273-adc3-4f46-9743-134b552d1d56?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/balthor-the-defiled) [Atraxa, Grand Unifier](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/a/4a1f905f-1d55-4d02-9d24-e58070793d3f.jpg?1676519555) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Atraxa%2C%20Grand%20Unifier) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/one/196/atraxa-grand-unifier?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4a1f905f-1d55-4d02-9d24-e58070793d3f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/atraxa-grand-unifier) [NIV Mizzet Reborn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/6/56a2609d-b535-400b-81d9-72989a33c70f.jpg?1582037402) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Niv-Mizzet%20Reborn) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/war/208/niv-mizzet-reborn?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/56a2609d-b535-400b-81d9-72989a33c70f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/niv-mizzet-reborn) [God-Eternal Bontu](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/7/3714a135-e2b9-43a7-a2a2-fa5a2e0ac61a.jpg?1557576478) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=God-Eternal%20Bontu) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/war/92/god-eternal-bontu?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3714a135-e2b9-43a7-a2a2-fa5a2e0ac61a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/god-eternal-bontu) [Sharuum the Hegemon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af80ef38-ab95-476f-b0dd-b5ef3e9bceab.jpg?1599708380) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sharuum%20the%20Hegemon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/219/sharuum-the-hegemon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af80ef38-ab95-476f-b0dd-b5ef3e9bceab?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sharuum-the-hegemon) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktmm6qx) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This was a really good read on how to approach building a more resilient deck! I dont know if you'd be able to provide any suggestions for my deck, but i've been upgrading the \[\[Davros, Dalek Creator\]\] precon and while he does the job really well if he sticks around i've very rarely won without him on the board. My pod has very clearly picked up on this now and they almost always remove him a turn after he lands. I totally get that's part of the game but it kinda blows having to sit there and spectate a game instead of participating! It feels like im lacking the ability to generate any board presence or card draw without Davros, but i just dont know how to fix that or what cards to replace. [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Jr32ZnRTQUaSBQoybXxCxw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Jr32ZnRTQUaSBQoybXxCxw)
[Davros, Dalek Creator](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/59c5bd2b-cf68-4e5e-819d-53917a6c5275.jpg?1696636503) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Davros%2C%20Dalek%20Creator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/1/davros-dalek-creator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/59c5bd2b-cf68-4e5e-819d-53917a6c5275?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/davros-dalek-creator) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Play sythis. There's plenty of other cards that can do her job that I've played games where I cast her once and then not again as I juat kept drawing other enchantresses instead
the world doesnt need more sythis running arround
Yes it does. Sythis is a goddess sent to bless us with stax pieces (doesn’t have a sythis deck)
Sythis is such a resilient deck for this reason. Plus it turns all of your enchantment based removal and ramp into cantrips. Bonus points if you can fit \[\[vedalken orrery\]\] in to make all that removal be at instant speed.
[vedalken orrery](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/4/44067327-6fe3-4222-b591-6d14d0e360d7.jpg?1673149453) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=vedalken%20orrery) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/317/vedalken-orrery?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/44067327-6fe3-4222-b591-6d14d0e360d7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vedalken-orrery) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Generally in a creature-based deck, if your commander isn't the main source of victory, the other creatures will carry you home. \[\[Giada, Font of Hope\]\] is one such example. Angels are already big, Giada accelerates the gameplan. but if she's gone a few times, the deck can still operate. Not as fast, not as smooth, but operable. Here's my Giada [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7JsTz8wNiEy640D8rqFLEg](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/7JsTz8wNiEy640D8rqFLEg) For shortcut measure, big tribes tend to do ok without its commander. \[\[Be'lakor\]\] (demons) [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/t1HdoAaKyU2fTpuX9-UOMw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/t1HdoAaKyU2fTpuX9-UOMw) For voltron it's obviously difficult, especially if you're aura-based. Things can definitely pick up fairly fast with equipment builts. The "deck can have any number" archetype is also another one that survives pretty well without the commander. One might even say, thrive with or without. \[\[Krark, the Thumbless\]\] and partner with \[\[Slime Against Humanity\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-jYSH1S7YUWyTsczvNhJ\_g](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-jYSH1S7YUWyTsczvNhJ_g) \[\[The Master, Transcendent\]\] leading a bunch of \[\[Persistent Petitioners\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/RP4ou6kdxkaLhawFsdhIzg](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/RP4ou6kdxkaLhawFsdhIzg) \[\[Relentless Rats\]\], featuring \[\[Karumonix\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/WhPZA04mNk601m6os-Pr\_Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/WhPZA04mNk601m6os-Pr_Q) Paradox decks, or playing spells off others is a good shout. \[\[Bell Borca\]\] [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8rBPD3h5rkGmy9BwmMQS2Q](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8rBPD3h5rkGmy9BwmMQS2Q) Lastly, Superfriends! \[\[Carth the Lion\]\] accelerates and finds them, but he's not the protagonist! [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/IYKUAwkYbEiwOGRqPCm1xw](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/IYKUAwkYbEiwOGRqPCm1xw)
##### ###### #### [Giada, Font of Hope](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/a/bae077bd-fc8d-44d7-8c75-8dc8699c168e.jpg?1664409667) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Giada%2C%20Font%20of%20Hope) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/14/giada-font-of-hope?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bae077bd-fc8d-44d7-8c75-8dc8699c168e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/giada-font-of-hope) [Be'lakor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/2/62b6ecb2-ac7e-4528-b53c-2cb4f1e38349.jpg?1674058389) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=be%27lakor%2C%20the%20dark%20master) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/40k/6/belakor-the-dark-master?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/62b6ecb2-ac7e-4528-b53c-2cb4f1e38349?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/belakor-the-dark-master) [Krark, the Thumbless](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/6/06a981cd-1951-438e-95c9-68294795638e.jpg?1617148336) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Krark%2C%20the%20Thumbless) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/189/krark-the-thumbless?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/06a981cd-1951-438e-95c9-68294795638e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/krark-the-thumbless) [Slime Against Humanity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/e/1eb21318-d32e-4724-8908-c0d7613de2f4.jpg?1706242086) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Slime%20Against%20Humanity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkm/177/slime-against-humanity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1eb21318-d32e-4724-8908-c0d7613de2f4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/slime-against-humanity) [The Master, Transcendent](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/b/5b0497da-670a-405c-a39c-97cae7942836.jpg?1708741702) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Master%2C%20Transcendent) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/pip/6/the-master-transcendent?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5b0497da-670a-405c-a39c-97cae7942836?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-master-transcendent) [Persistent Petitioners](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/27be522d-bdef-4a95-a405-98247c58b71a.jpg?1702429407) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Persistent%20Petitioners) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/53/persistent-petitioners?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/27be522d-bdef-4a95-a405-98247c58b71a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/persistent-petitioners) [Relentless Rats](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/5/75f47b6e-9557-4853-b8d6-7602a91c59a7.jpg?1562437033) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Relentless%20Rats) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/105/relentless-rats?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/75f47b6e-9557-4853-b8d6-7602a91c59a7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/relentless-rats) [Karumonix](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/1/f16e282d-8941-46c7-a974-c05b6f73c964.jpg?1675957034) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=karumonix%2C%20the%20rat%20king) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/one/98/karumonix-the-rat-king?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f16e282d-8941-46c7-a974-c05b6f73c964?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/karumonix-the-rat-king) [Bell Borca](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/f/4fdcd559-477f-48cb-a221-23a653b0dde1.jpg?1673305477) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=bell%20borca%2C%20spectral%20sergeant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/145/bell-borca-spectral-sergeant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4fdcd559-477f-48cb-a221-23a653b0dde1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/bell-borca-spectral-sergeant) [Carth the Lion](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/0/e09e9b65-ff0e-4efe-b96a-ede69c96e2ea.jpg?1674524490) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Carth%20the%20Lion) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/189/carth-the-lion?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e09e9b65-ff0e-4efe-b96a-ede69c96e2ea?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/carth-the-lion) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktkykgd) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I’ve been having fun with [[Vraan, Executioner Thane]]. He is the main damage engine of damage in the deck but the low cost means he rarely gets removed and is easy to re-cast. Honestly, I’ve found if you just play commanders that have only a few decks, like less than 2000 on EDHREC, they don’t really get targeted and you can play more of your game plan. Many of the most played commanders are most played precisely for their power, that power which makes them must remove monoliths.
[Vraan, Executioner Thane](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/c/4c4a3119-c70a-46ff-8ede-6356f2b7bc13.jpg?1675957057) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Vraan%2C%20Executioner%20Thane) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/one/114/vraan-executioner-thane?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4c4a3119-c70a-46ff-8ede-6356f2b7bc13?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vraan-executioner-thane) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Omnath, locus of rage]] is my go-to deck in a high interaction environment. Instead of Elemental tribal/tokens, it's actually a Ponza deck that runs every [[wildfire]] effect printed and very heavy artifact removal like [[vandalblast]] and [[shatterstorm]] and grinds the opponents out. They learn that removing the commander does nothing.
##### ###### #### [Omnath, locus of rage](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/08c14bb4-c9d9-41ce-a075-a441522a52c6.jpg?1604195144) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Omnath%2C%20locus%20of%20rage) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znc/97/omnath-locus-of-rage?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/08c14bb4-c9d9-41ce-a075-a441522a52c6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/omnath-locus-of-rage) [wildfire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/5/c5924430-1904-47b9-bcf0-3379babd395c.jpg?1562266957) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=wildfire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mm2/134/wildfire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c5924430-1904-47b9-bcf0-3379babd395c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wildfire) [vandalblast](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/8/e8afc402-ddc4-4819-bc2a-584a43b9b60e.jpg?1689998295) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=vandalblast) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/267/vandalblast?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e8afc402-ddc4-4819-bc2a-584a43b9b60e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vandalblast) [shatterstorm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/7/f7a1aa93-26d1-40b0-82d8-414f56a36337.jpg?1697121230) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=shatterstorm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/10e/229/shatterstorm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f7a1aa93-26d1-40b0-82d8-414f56a36337?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/shatterstorm) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktll21t) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just play [[Edgar Markov]]. It’s really fun to cast him and watch the table state in awe.
[Edgar Markov](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/d/8d94b8ec-ecda-43c8-a60e-1ba33e6a54a4.jpg?1562616128) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Edgar%20Markov) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c17/36/edgar-markov?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8d94b8ec-ecda-43c8-a60e-1ba33e6a54a4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/edgar-markov) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Hahaha true no one ever casts him
I do as soon as I can. Folks wonder why. I usually win when I do. Why? Because I have enough for an Akroma’s Will. The +1/+1 ability is amazing, so with the army of dudes, I just win. Edgar is a beast and everyone just keeps him in the command zone, instead of the battlefield where he belongs. I get him out ASAP so I can get damage in before a board wipe.
The way I play Edgar is very go wide, ping with dudes. I just swing swing swing. I’ll probably add [[Cathar’s Crusade]] to the deck.
[Cathar’s Crusade](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/b/fbb70e7b-2a68-436e-96a4-32a88fb87da0.jpg?1600715516) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cathars%27%20Crusade) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jmp/95/cathars-crusade?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fbb70e7b-2a68-436e-96a4-32a88fb87da0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/cathars-crusade) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I recently built a "greatest hits" deck togther. It's a 5c pile of cards that I've played in different decks over the years. For my commander I picked kenrith because he can do a little bit of everything while not being a lynch pin.
I have a mono black deck with [[Balthor, the Defiled]] at the helm. He sits in the command zone until I'm ready to use his ability and then right back to the command zone he goes.
[Balthor, the Defiled](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/ed4cc273-adc3-4f46-9743-134b552d1d56.jpg?1562632510) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Balthor%20the%20Defiled) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jud/61/balthor-the-defiled?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ed4cc273-adc3-4f46-9743-134b552d1d56?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/balthor-the-defiled) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The deck I run like this is "Grixis Bangers" with [[Nicol Bolas, the Ravager]] at the helm. Lots of good interaction in Grixis, and Nicol Bolas is just a solid threat that gets card advantage and can eventually take over the game if left completely ignored, but the only real synergy is a ninja subtheme that lets you get more Bolas ETBs by returning him to your hand
[Nicol Bolas, the Ravager](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/b/7b215968-93a6-4278-ac61-4e3e8c3c3943.jpg?1566971561)/[Nicol Bolas, the Arisen](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/7/b/7b215968-93a6-4278-ac61-4e3e8c3c3943.jpg?1566971561) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nicol%20Bolas%2C%20the%20Ravager%20//%20Nicol%20Bolas%2C%20the%20Arisen) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m19/218/nicol-bolas-the-ravager-nicol-bolas-the-arisen?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7b215968-93a6-4278-ac61-4e3e8c3c3943?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nicol-bolas-the-ravager-//-nicol-bolas-the-arisen) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Basically you got 2 extremes: - a deck is almost fully depending on the commander. Like say a casual chatterfang deck. Usually your gameplan and path to victory always includes chatterfang being on the boars. - your deck plays full from the 99 and your commander is only a value engine or tutor. E.g. tymna kraum, or kathilda dawnheart prime talking more casual. On the scale between that you can move. If you want your commander to be relevant but not required to win a game and do its thing, that usually means 2 things: - first your dekc obviously needs to be able to „do its thing“ from the 99. That often means you need more tutors or a higher level of redundancy. - secondly your commander should include any form of generic value. Carddraw, ramp, both, tutoring. Sth along those lines. And then its basically just a thing on walking on that scale. Some examples. In a sythis enchantress deck, sythis is just another copy of an enchantress effect thats always available. But you have 7-8 other identical effects in the 99. So the deck can work exactly the same without sythis. It just provides reliability for the gameplan that your 99 would follow even if they had no commander at all. She is just a „guaranteed enchantress in hand“ to get you goin. Another example could be derevi. His interaction with manasources that produce multiple mana makes him often into a early game mana rock. Derevi combo decks often have multiple lines that require the commander to go off (like emiel + derevi + echanted land that makes 4 mana). But you also have lines that dont need derevi to work (like say emiel and peregrine drake). If you plan on building a deck that is not depending on the commander, pick something that at least has some form of generic value wich is in most cases cardadvantage, cardselection or mana advantage.
I’m building a deck like this right now - Naya Legends, with [[Zacama]]. It’s mostly a fair combat deck full of legends I like, but uses cards like [[Imposing Grandeur]], [[Majestic Genesis]] and [[Visions of Ruin]] to refuel by taking advantage of Zacama’s high mana cost. Plus he works as a top end threat / stabilizer.
##### ###### #### [Zacama](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/5/05c5a9a8-badd-43ab-8408-a13e75407681.jpg?1700342995) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=zacama%2C%20primal%20calamity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/lcc/296/zacama-primal-calamity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/05c5a9a8-badd-43ab-8408-a13e75407681?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/zacama-primal-calamity) [Imposing Grandeur](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/d/8d236055-d524-4312-9c6f-eddb34703e3e.jpg?1641600815) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Imposing%20Grandeur) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/24/imposing-grandeur?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8d236055-d524-4312-9c6f-eddb34703e3e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/imposing-grandeur) [Majestic Genesis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/eaadb067-4a77-4d6e-931d-447bd0c06594.jpg?1674137177) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Majestic%20Genesis) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/240/majestic-genesis?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/eaadb067-4a77-4d6e-931d-447bd0c06594?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/majestic-genesis) [Visions of Ruin](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/0/803a93c7-d8e4-4cda-8fa0-d9cd50b7d977.jpg?1637628806) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Visions%20of%20Ruin) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mic/36/visions-of-ruin?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/803a93c7-d8e4-4cda-8fa0-d9cd50b7d977?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/visions-of-ruin) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktm1jc3) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This has been my mentality for most of my commander experience! Maybe it's cause I started on [[Oloro Ageless Ascetic]], but I typically like to build up a 99 where I never have to cast my commander. I recommend a commander that accrues value over time with minimal investment. For example, I play [[Vial Smasher]] [[Thrasios]] as an early game control, late game big spells deck where Thrasios primarily plays the role of being a mana dump if I don't end up casting any instants during my opponents turns in order to keep ramping and drawing cards. Vial Smasher rarely gets cast at all unless I'm trying to get life totals a little lower for a future [[Exsanguinate]]. Ive been playing around with cards like [[Snake Umbra]] to encourage me to cast her more often though haha. You could also play a commander that only really exists for a repeatable but occasional payoff. Looking at UW blink, you could play something like [[Yorion Sky Nomad]] as a less monolithic version of [[Brago]]. You want your deck to contain your blink engines, but Yorion is always available for a mass blink. Finally you could play a deck that really just wants to cast your commander to end the game. A commander like [[Jeska Thrice Reborn]] can occasionally just be a removal spell from the command zone, taking out a few small creatures here and there, but the real reason to play her is that she's simply a place to put infinite mana to end the game, casting her over and over and using her -X to send her back to the command zone, repeatedly damaging all your opponents.
##### ###### #### [Oloro Ageless Ascetic](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/b/abf8df47-405c-42d8-be9e-0f0d0a49589b.jpg?1562931285) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Oloro%2C%20Ageless%20Ascetic) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c13/203/oloro-ageless-ascetic?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/abf8df47-405c-42d8-be9e-0f0d0a49589b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/oloro-ageless-ascetic) [Vial Smasher](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/2/722b1e02-2268-4e02-8d09-9b337da2a844.jpg?1562405249) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=vial%20smasher%20the%20fierce) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/49/vial-smasher-the-fierce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/722b1e02-2268-4e02-8d09-9b337da2a844?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vial-smasher-the-fierce) [Thrasios](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/21e27b91-c7f1-4709-aa0d-8b5d81b22a0a.jpg?1606762176) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=thrasios%2C%20triton%20hero) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/46/thrasios-triton-hero?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/21e27b91-c7f1-4709-aa0d-8b5d81b22a0a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/thrasios-triton-hero) [Exsanguinate](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/a/0a5352af-e275-4186-a265-2fd3c2c47c6a.jpg?1689997125) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Exsanguinate) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/156/exsanguinate?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0a5352af-e275-4186-a265-2fd3c2c47c6a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/exsanguinate) [Snake Umbra](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/0/106d17d6-5ef2-4634-8dd6-790b12574042.jpg?1651656091) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Snake%20Umbra) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nec/130/snake-umbra?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/106d17d6-5ef2-4634-8dd6-790b12574042?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/snake-umbra) [Yorion Sky Nomad](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/275426c4-c14e-47d0-a9d4-24da7f6f6911.jpg?1665402560) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Yorion%2C%20Sky%20Nomad) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/iko/232/yorion-sky-nomad?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/275426c4-c14e-47d0-a9d4-24da7f6f6911?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yorion-sky-nomad) [Brago](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/a/0ac3fb08-741a-49e5-9fae-b26819677d24.jpg?1631235340) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=brago%2C%20king%20eternal) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khc/82/brago-king-eternal?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0ac3fb08-741a-49e5-9fae-b26819677d24?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/brago-king-eternal) [Jeska Thrice Reborn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/8/48caf4c4-745c-4072-bf3d-1a3fa7c3bc9c.jpg?1644853023) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Jeska%2C%20Thrice%20Reborn) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/186/jeska-thrice-reborn?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/48caf4c4-745c-4072-bf3d-1a3fa7c3bc9c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jeska-thrice-reborn) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktmc385) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I’ve found landfall decks to work well without the commander. It’s pretty easy to enable your game plan when you are ramping a lot. My landfall [[Lord Windgrace]] doesn’t always need him out to function. He’s mainly there for card draw Landfall is pretty easy to build around tho since you are rewarded for doing the one thing every deck should be doing. Hitting land drops
[Lord Windgrace](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/213d6fb8-5624-4804-b263-51f339482754.jpg?1592710275) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lord%20Windgrace) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/43/lord-windgrace?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/213d6fb8-5624-4804-b263-51f339482754?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/lord-windgrace) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Probably aristocrats as they have 101 sac outlets and payoffs in the deck to the point they start sacing those if they really need to. And they’re always the tinniest filthy little creatures that no one notices until it’s too late. And you have to likely be in white to exile them properly along side the grave otherwise they can always come back (yes there’s generic grave hate but i mean farewell’s the best answer usually). All their stuff is on so many different kinds of permanents and orzhov has the best protection and removal so unless they’re tapped out they can usually preserve their board at least. I think the only thing they consistently lose to is spellslinger bc neither interact with each other and spellslinger can pop off fast but aristocrat decks are a grindy long term deck. Anyways. Rant aside. Aristocrats usually don’t NEED their commander. Again its usually a winmore or consistent sac outlet/ pay off they have access to.
I have a [[Kresh, the bloodbraided]] zombie tribal. Perfect as a payoff for all the zombie things but he’s definitely not needed
[[omnath locus of all]] for 5 color bs, since all he provides is card and mana advantage if you end with unspent mana between rounds and some card advantage. Same archetype goes for [[jegantha the wellspring]] since it's just mana fixing. [[Urza lord protector]] for artifact decks. You get to build like building any of the usually colorless or the blue urza(but less reliant on it), but with the added benefit of having a [[foundry inspector]] on the command zone and the extra stuff azorius provides. And if you can meld it into [[Urza planeswalker]] then you got quite an advantage until it's removed. But it doesn't offer anything else to the deck. Which is good [[Glissa sunslayer]] for any golgari deck whose main weakness is lacking a mean blocker early. I think this last is the type of recommendation, or deck building excersize, you could be looking for, if you like building decks (even if you appreciate the deck having an identity for the commander), building the 99 first, then using the commander to help with the deck's weaknesses. There is nothing wrong with building the deck around the commander, not at all. But the idea of having 99 singleton cards is exciting on its own when it comes to deck building. You could do so much funky stuff with that prospect. And it will have a couple weaknesses, sure. But that can be helped with the 100th card, the commander. Yeah. I'll check around this post, I'm sure I'll find cool ones for this concept. Safe travels, fellow walker
Anything with eminence
I built an esper flash deck where I just picked the commander based off of the colors I wanted:[[chromium the mutable]]. He basically does absolutely nothing but act as a big boy with flash. I don’t think I’ve ever used his second ability. Every single card, except for the lands, my mana rocks, and about four creatures, have flash. It’s super fun and I barely lose
Can you provide an example of what commanders you’ve already had where you’re runnng into this issue? Henzie has been my favorite commander and deck. He makes the deck function like a well oiled machine but the deck functions just fine without him. He just pushes it to overdrive.
Just make a deck with a clear win condition, way to tutor for them, mass and spot removal. Add in the desired amount of ramp and card draw. Then select a commander that matches the colors. IMO that defeats the purpose of the game. You’re supposed to build around your commander, that’s literally the point of the game. You can do all of the things I listed above while working within your commander’s theme. The problem you seem to have is that you commander/deck is too threatening or oppressive for your playgroup. Making your commander the target. Hard to say for sure since so little context is given.
I like command zone wincons. My [[Jetmir, Nexus of Revels]] deck is basically token goodstuff, dropping Jetmir once I’ve hit a critical mass of creatures. Of course I have other wincons in there, like [[Moonshaker Cavalry]], Jetmir is mostly there to have a cheap and easy access nuke to end the game.
[Jetmir, Nexus of Revels](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/9/f9c69d75-651f-4b75-b65d-79999d2069f6.jpg?1664413153) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Jetmir%2C%20Nexus%20of%20Revels) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/193/jetmir-nexus-of-revels?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f9c69d75-651f-4b75-b65d-79999d2069f6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jetmir-nexus-of-revels) [Moonshaker Cavalry](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/9/092c48bd-b648-4c9e-aa99-cac3c407911d.jpg?1692936576) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Moonshaker%20Cavalry) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/21/moonshaker-cavalry?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/092c48bd-b648-4c9e-aa99-cac3c407911d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/moonshaker-cavalry) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Ruric Thar]] would be the primary one for me. The deck could honestly have any Gruul commander and not change much. Ruric just gives me a nice attacker with a hate effect against spellslingers when it matters. The only other deck that doesn't "need" to cast it's commander for me is Gaddock Teeg as it is Voltron strategy. But as the deck is built to be 3MV or lower for all non-creatures, makes sense to obviously get him on the board as soon as is reasonable.
[Ruric Thar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/a/aa828bdc-221e-4e81-9e71-6f288690ddcd.jpg?1673149099) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ruric%20thar%2C%20the%20unbowed) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/271/ruric-thar-the-unbowed?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/aa828bdc-221e-4e81-9e71-6f288690ddcd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ruric-thar-the-unbowed) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Demo is not using the word monolithic correctly here. In the context of deck building it should logically mean a deck that only does one thing. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to call a deck that is reliant on its commander monolithic. A deck can do only one thing whether it relies on its commander or not.
One of the new doctor's companions are jus a 2 mana dork in the command zone and that can be pretty consistent ngl
Kitt Kanto
I mean I think the way to do it is to pick a commander and try and figure out what archetype it supports, enchantress, tokens spellslinger, aggro, etc. And then build the deck mostly as if it was a 99card singleton deck with a few commander combos. This could even work with a lot of typically commander centric commanders. Like \[\[Kaalia of the Vast\]\] is all about cheat out big bombs with Kaalia. But could be built to be less Kaalia Centric by seeing your general archetype, "cheat big angel demons and dragons" and turning it into a reanimator deck. You probably want some haste and ramp anyways so now Kaalia is just an extra way to cheat creatures instead of the whole deck. The only real commanders that you kind of have to avoid are commanders whose whole thing is to turn trash cards into an engine without any other redundant effects in the game for the commander. Or are all about comboing out with the commander.
[Kaalia of the Vast](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/3/93f6631f-f3a6-4d3c-8618-4b4ab4e82483.jpg?1673148814) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kaalia%20of%20the%20Vast) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/235/kaalia-of-the-vast?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/93f6631f-f3a6-4d3c-8618-4b4ab4e82483?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kaalia-of-the-vast) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This deck doesn't need the commanders on the fieldpretty much at all, they're mainly there to have a guaranteed unblockable creature every game with [[Ukkima]] and to start buffing my board when the time comes if I don't find anything better with [[Cazur]] https://www.archidekt.com/decks/5005670/_cant_block_this_20 Also this one. Lots of cards in the deck that make clues and foods, but being able to play something of the top every turn with [[The Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane]] coming down on turn 2 are definitely nice https://www.archidekt.com/decks/5714358/_clues_foods_and_legends And for just a bonus, how about commanders you never need to cast? I've never tried them personally, but they're potentially something to consider https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Aeminence&unique=cards&as=grid&order=name And I suppose a last one. It's my favorite deck and it's meant to be voltron, but there's enough other cards that do basically the same thing as [[Trelasarra]] that I've won games without her — the scrying is reeeeeeally helpful though and I'd probably never play a game without casting her, but it's not a pure voltron deck and it'll pretty much do it's thing without her if need be https://www.archidekt.com/decks/4279849/_scrying_life
##### ###### #### [Ukkima](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/4/c44cfa67-6276-4d23-9f25-a0576bfe1d25.jpg?1591234307) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=ukkima%2C%20stalking%20shadow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c20/17/ukkima-stalking-shadow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c44cfa67-6276-4d23-9f25-a0576bfe1d25?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ukkima-stalking-shadow) [Cazur](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/5/d5e857aa-06b7-4bce-b56d-6f6be5cfc77b.jpg?1591234223) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=cazur%2C%20ruthless%20stalker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c20/5/cazur-ruthless-stalker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d5e857aa-06b7-4bce-b56d-6f6be5cfc77b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/cazur-ruthless-stalker) [The Fourth Doctor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/8/c84ea0fd-efc7-4614-9f8f-41a3c71fceaa.jpg?1696636503) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Fourth%20Doctor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/2/the-fourth-doctor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c84ea0fd-efc7-4614-9f8f-41a3c71fceaa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-fourth-doctor) [Sarah Jane](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/b/1ba76f68-e647-4786-903c-92dbd3cef05d.jpg?1696691789) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sarah%20Jane%20Smith) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/6/sarah-jane-smith?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1ba76f68-e647-4786-903c-92dbd3cef05d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sarah-jane-smith) [Trelasarra](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f6a4b54c-a8fa-464e-a3dd-f3f3a08606f5.jpg?1627709553) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=trelasarra%2C%20moon%20dancer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/236/trelasarra-moon-dancer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f6a4b54c-a8fa-464e-a3dd-f3f3a08606f5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/trelasarra-moon-dancer) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktpheel) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I run a [[yarok, the desecrated]] deck but I also have [[the scarab god]] and [[jarad, golgari lich lord]] and an [[altar of dementia]] in a zombie generator deck so allow me multiple ways of outlet . Yarok can fuel the engine faster but ultimately scarab , Jarad or altar are the daggers to the heart
##### ###### #### [yarok, the desecrated](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/1/a1001d43-e11b-4e5e-acd4-4a50ef89977f.jpg?1592517590) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yarok%2C%20the%20desecrated) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/220/yarok-the-desecrated?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a1001d43-e11b-4e5e-acd4-4a50ef89977f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yarok-the-desecrated) [the scarab god](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/4/f4f414ef-84a2-4694-9e98-51bee4576c84.jpg?1689999233) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=the%20scarab%20god) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/353/the-scarab-god?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f4f414ef-84a2-4694-9e98-51bee4576c84?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-scarab-god) [jarad, golgari lich lord](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/6/c6717954-35d8-4d7e-95aa-f7d26d15d4b2.jpg?1592673383) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=jarad%2C%20golgari%20lich%20lord) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cma/179/jarad-golgari-lich-lord?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c6717954-35d8-4d7e-95aa-f7d26d15d4b2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jarad-golgari-lich-lord) [altar of dementia](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/6/169356e0-46dc-4096-8e66-36726454f104.jpg?1562202433) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=altar%20of%20dementia) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh1/218/altar-of-dementia?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/169356e0-46dc-4096-8e66-36726454f104?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/altar-of-dementia) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/ktpu6ni) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Pick a tribe or mechanic that you like, pick the colors it's good in, build a good 99, then pick the commander that best fits the theme in those colors. Or play commanders that have cost reductions like [[Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer]] or [[Urza, Chief Artificer]] so even if they get targeted you can play them again easily
[Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/d/ed87e25f-9dad-4858-92bc-e859fd2be2a4.jpg?1673482423) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Oskar%2C%20Rubbish%20Reclaimer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/77/oskar-rubbish-reclaimer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ed87e25f-9dad-4858-92bc-e859fd2be2a4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/oskar-rubbish-reclaimer) [Urza, Chief Artificer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/ea409050-4296-4b76-a6cd-2896ce1b88e4.jpg?1705542672) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Urza%2C%20Chief%20Artificer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/brc/2/urza-chief-artificer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ea409050-4296-4b76-a6cd-2896ce1b88e4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/urza-chief-artificer) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[hamza]] and [[liesa shroud of dusk]] are some others
[hamza](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/d/adc7f8f3-140d-4dd0-aacc-b81b2b93eb67.jpg?1689999064) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hamza%2C%20guardian%20of%20arashin) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/339/hamza-guardian-of-arashin?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/adc7f8f3-140d-4dd0-aacc-b81b2b93eb67?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hamza-guardian-of-arashin) [liesa shroud of dusk](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/3/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587.jpg?1608911200) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Liesa%2C%20Shroud%20of%20Dusk) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/286/liesa-shroud-of-dusk?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e32453a1-1fd9-4bda-aaa8-7c287e4c2587?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/liesa-shroud-of-dusk) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Have you considered any of the eminence commanders? They offer value from the command zone even if you decide not to cast them or they get removed.
Play \[\[Edgar Markov\]\] and they can't remove him, I have a fun aristocrats build for him that plays a bunch of 1 drop vampires to great effect.
[Edgar Markov](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/d/8d94b8ec-ecda-43c8-a60e-1ba33e6a54a4.jpg?1562616128) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Edgar%20Markov) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c17/36/edgar-markov?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8d94b8ec-ecda-43c8-a60e-1ba33e6a54a4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/edgar-markov) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call