What are the top commanders in Magic: The Gathering? We think about this a lot – sure, the best commanders are able to reliably secure wins, but they also have to be extremely fun to play. Your MTG commander is the legendary creature that leads your other 99 cards into an EDH battle, dictates the colors you can use, and shapes your overall strategy, so it’s vital to make the right choice. This guide tracks the absolute top tier commanders in MTG, as of April 2025.
Wizards of the Coast introduces more legendary creatures with each year of new MTG sets, but this guide will help you keep up with the latest releases and meta shifts. Many of our picks make great EDH commanders, but if you want to get really competitive, you’ll be better served by our dedicated cEDH tier list. Or, if you’re just starting out with this format, we’d recommend starting out with MTG commander precon decks instead.
Top commanders MTG:
- Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
- Edgar Markov
- Baylen, the Haymaker
- The Necrobloom
- Kenrith, The Returned King
- Muldrotha, The Gravetide
- Tymna The Weaver
- The Gitrog Monster
- Isshin, Two Heavens As One
- Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
- Sauron, The Dark Lord
- The Ur Dragon
- Kaalia Of The Vast
- Lathril, Blade Of The Elves
- Pantlaza, Sun Favored
- Shroofus Sproutshire
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
Pros:
- One of the most flexible commanders on our list
- Can prop up multiple busted strategies
Cons:
- Lacks the sheer power of other commanders
While not quite the dominant force she was in 2016, Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice still makes a top commander. With strong colors, a fairly low cost, a powerful statline, and excellent keywords for combat, this angel horror has a lot going for her even before we get to her ability.
Atraxa lets you proliferate at the end of each turn, meaning anything with a counter on it gets another of the same type. MTG Proliferate works with everything from the classic +1/+1 counter to poison counters (if you want to get real nasty).
Remember that planeswalker loyalties can be boosted with proliferate too, so be sure to throw a few of the best MTG planeswalker cards into your Atraxa deck.
Key cards for an Atraxa commander deck:
Edgar Markov
Pros:
- Dangerous before you cast him
- Snowballs out of control fast
Cons:
- Slow to recover
- Weak to control
The Commander 2017 set was all about tribal decks, each focused on a single MTG creature type: cats, wizards, dragons, and vampires. Edgar Markov led the cats, no, sorry, the vampires deck, and quickly rose to the status of top commander.
With the ability to create a swarm of little nippers, then pump them up each time he attacks, Edgar naturally works best in a horde-style deck, full of the best MTG vampires, that can swiftly overwhelm opponents. Red, white and black (Mardu) colors give you access to all the top removal cards, and best of all, Edgar’s eminence ability means you don’t even have to put him in harm’s way. He can sit pretty in the Command zone, churning out mini-mes in safety.
Edgar later appeared on a new card in the Innistrad: Crimson Vow set. The modern version can turn into a coffin, which is a neat party trick, but it pales in comparison to the original. Fortunately, while the card’s getting horribly pricey, there’s a new version in Innistrad Remastered.
Key cards for an Edgar commander deck
Baylen, the Haymaker
Pros:
- Strong all-rounder abilities
- Cheap to cast
- Can grow monstrously strong at speed
Cons:
- Lacks protection
- Relies on heaps of token generation
Baylen, the Haymaker is a strong all-rounder of a commander with a pretty simple premise. First, you amass an army of tokens, whether that be treasure, food, or other bunnies. Next, you use your lupine legion to fuel Baylen’s gradually more threatening abilities.
Baylen can grab you the mana or card you need to squeeze out of a sticky situation. Or, with enough tokens tapped, he can transform into a Hulk-like, trampling beast.
It might be tough to get Baylen to this level of power without any keywords to protect him, but his cheap mana cost means you’ll have plenty of shots at the goal. Plus, if you can’t stampede your way to commander damage victory, you still have a literal army of weenies to swing with. Baylen is snappy, aggressive, and not to be underestimated.
Key cards for a Baylen commander deck:
The Necrobloom
Pros:
- Builds up to explosive, silly powerful turns
Cons:
- Slow to get going
- Board wipes can be a nuisance
The Necrobloom is easy for opponents to underestimate. On its early turns, it doesn’t seem to achieve much – play a land, fetch a land, create a puny plant token. However, if left undisturbed for long enough, it’s landfall antics will start to cause serious problems.
As soon as seven types of land are under your control, you can start forming and swinging with a zombie army, all while blocking with your chunky commander and their numerous plant buddies. Dredge is on hand to bring back any crucial lands, and it opens up plenty of interactions that keep The Necrobloom’s tokens-and-landfall schtick feeling interesting.
Key cards for The Necrobloom commander deck:
- The Gitrog Monster
- Splendid Reclamation
- Fetchlands, fetchlands, fetchlands
Kenrith, The Returned King
Pros:
- Can play any card in the format
- Unpredictable
Cons:
- Doesn’t lend itself to any particular theme
- Attracts removal
Five-color commanders are some of the strongest because they allow you to use any card in the game, for ultimate flexibility. As a result, they’re a little controversial, since many lend themselves to less focused strategies and decks, where you just want to cram in all the best cards in your collection.
But we think that’s as valid a playstyle as any – and it’s hard to pass up jack-of-all-trades commanders when they’re as good as Kenrith, the Returned King. Kenrith shines because all of his abilities are useful, and some are invaluable. You only need white mana to cast him, so you can have him out on the field and gradually unlock new abilities as you play new lands.
He’s a top commander for beginners, since you can experiment to your heart’s content, and it’s hard to go too wrong. Synergy is not required – just brute strength!
Key cards for a Kenrith commander deck
- Agatha of the Vile Cauldron
- Your pick of the best MTG cards of all time!
Muldrotha, The Gravetide
Pros:
- Enables lots of different permanent based strategies
- Can win the game quickly once she arrives
Cons:
- Very high mana cost
- Could do with extra protection
Do you hate it when your opponents blow up your stuff? Then Muldrotha, the Gravetide is the top commander for you. Allowing you to play one card of each permanent type from your graveyard each and every turn, this noxious elemental turns your graveyard into an extension of your hand.
Unfortunately, with a high cost and incredible ability, Muldrotha is one of those commanders that attracts removal like a magnet. On the bright side, her Sultai colors (black, green and blue) give you access to a ton of power outside of her own impressive strength, including excellent creatures, removal, and card draw.
And when you do manage to protect her for long enough to make good use of her resurrection powers, your opponents are going to have a bad time.
Key cards for a Muldrotha commander deck
Tymna The Weaver
Pros:
- Works well with any partner
- Provides lots of fun brewing opportunities
Cons:
- Not so strong outside of cEDH
Tymna the Weaver may not look like much from the outset – sure, she draws cards when you hit people, whatever. But never underestimate the power of friendship. Tymna is a top commander choice because she has the Partner ability, which – like Tymna herself – was introduced in the Commander 2016 set. That means you can pair her up with any legendary creature that also has ‘Partner’ to give them joint leadership of your commander deck.
Two commanders are better than one, since they unlock new card options and new synergies, as well as ensuring you always have a creature to play out. Tymna makes this list simply because she’s one of the most versatile creatures with the Partner ability. The card draw she provides will be valuable, whatever strategy you’re going for.
Tymna the Weave is most often paired up with the MTG merfolk card Thrasios, Triton Hero. That’s because this combination gives you access to four colors and two commanders with generically powerful abilities. They don’t make Partners like this anymore, and for good reason.
Key cards for a Tymna commander deck
The Gitrog Monster
Pros:
- Ramp and card draw makes deck very resilient
- High meme potential
- Unique and powerful toolkit
Cons:
- Can get very complex to play
A froggy chap with a winning smile, The Gitrog Monster has a series of unique, versatile abilities that make for a powerful MTG commander. It lets you play more lands, allowing for copious ramping, and you get to draw cards each time you put lands in the graveyard.
Cards like Crucible of Worlds will help you bring valuable MTG lands back to the battlefield so you can sacrifice them again and again for endless utility. Even a simple Evolving Wilds can be extremely useful for Gitrog.
Whether you’re using discard outlets or sacrificing lands, there’s plenty of ways to generate absurd value with this top commander. You can also abuse infinite combos, which makes The Gitrog Monster a viable combo deck in cEDH.
Key cards for a Gitrog Monster commander deck
Isshin, Two Heavens As One
Pros:
- Tons of different cards to try
- Cheap commander with powerful ability
- Deck still functions without him
Cons:
- May struggle against board wipes or stalled boards
- Needs some good card draw engines
Isshin, Two Heavens as One has just one simple ability, but its elegance and simplicity belies its power. This high tech samurai doubles up all your attack triggers, letting you generate absurd value whenever you swing at your opponents.
Not the best commander for anyone who likes playing a slower, defensive game, Isshin wants you to strike hard and strike fast. While all Isshin decks will want to be attacking, this is another commander that can be built in a few ways, as there are loads of strong creature cards to choose from, and plenty of room for building up subthemes.
Even better, the very affordable mana cost of three means you don’t have to worry too much about incoming removal, as you’ll be able to play Isshin, Two Heavens as One a few times before it becomes too taxing.
Key cards for an Isshin commander deck
Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow
Pros:
- Can cheat around commander tax
- Your card draw can kill people
- Cheap to build
Cons:
- Relies on vulnerable little creatures
- Predictable play pattern
If you like ninjas, then Magic: The Gathering has a brilliant commander option. With Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow, your whole deal is striking with low-cost, evasive creatures, then launching your commander into play with ninjitsu, and reaping the rewards: plenty of card draw, and plenty of pain.
The best thing about Yuriko, is that as long as you have an unblocked creature, you can always get her into play for two mana. This is huge – it means no matter how many times your opponents deal with your commander, it’s always a threat.
The rest of your deck is not so resilient to a board wipe – and a board wipe can seriously set you back, though you can usually hold up a counterspell or two to protect your ninja army. Yuriko makes for a top budget commander deck too – little unblockable guys don’t tend to cost too much.
Key cards for a Yuriko commander deck
Sauron, The Dark Lord
Pros:
- Hard to remove
- Several synergistic abilities
Cons:
- High mana cost
- Can be slow to get started
A six-cost commander in an MTG color combination not exactly known for ramp is a tough sell, but if you can hang on and play Sauron, the Dark Lord, you’re all set to have a great time, as he’s a self-fueling engine.
Once Sauron comes down, he starts to roll what can feel like an unstoppable boulder. No one wants to pay the MTG Ward cost and sacrifice a valuable permanent, perhaps their commander, to try and get rid of him, and every time anyone casts a spell, you get another Amass trigger.
Soon your Orcs will be enormous, something on your board will be very hard to block, and you’ll be drawing several cards a turn. Sauron works great with several cards from the Lord of the Rings set, which have a very high power level. And you can bring in all the old Amass cards from War of the Spark, too.
Key cards for a Sauron commander deck
The Ur Dragon
Pros:
- Useful even in the command zone
- Straightforward strategy suits all skill levels
Cons:
- Decks are often slow
- Decks are often mana-hungry
The Ur Dragon offers a simple strategy, but it’s still powerful enough to stampede casual commander tables (and steal a few more competitive wins, too). Its Eminence keyword means that, whether this card is on the battlefield or not, all your dragons are one mana cheaper. The plan should be clear from here – fill your deck with huge, hard-hitting fliers and let rip.
The Ur Dragon is very expensive to get on the battlefield. However, it’s a 10/10 flyer that allows you to draw cards equal to the number of your attacking dragons. Even better, you can then place a permanent from your hand onto the battlefield for free.
There are plenty of cards that synergize with The Ur Dragon’s matter-of-fact battle plan. Prioritize those that give you extra benefits for playing dragons onto the battlefield or that can make these mana-hungry creatures even cheaper. You’ll also need a solid ramp plan if you want your enormous dragons to get off the ground.
Key cards for The Ur Dragon commander deck
Kaalia Of The Vast
Pros:
- Cheat huge creatures onto the field
- Reasonable mana cost
Cons:
- A prime target for opponents
- Weak to removal (without help)
Kaalia of the Vast has been considered a top commander almost since the format’s inception. Even today, this card’s powers are impressive. Kaalia is a four-cost Mardu commander with flying and the ability to add a card from your hand to the battlefield whenever she attacks. That card must be an Angel, Demon, or Dragon creature, and it’s automatically tapped and attacking along with Kaalia.
This is a ferociously fast way to cheat flying threats onto the field. If you can give Kaalia haste, your chosen commander can start handing out freebies as early as turn four. Lightning Greaves, Swiftwood Boots, and Dragon Tempest are your friend here.
Naturally, you’ll want a deck full of angels, demons, and dragons to back Kaalia up. You should also leave space for problem-solving cards. Kaalia is a veteran of the competitive commander scene, so you can expect many players to have a game plan when she shows up – removal, removal, and removal.
Key cards for a Kaalia of the Vast commander deck
Lathril, Blade Of The Elves
Pros:
- Deep pool of cards to use
- Multiple ways to build deck
Cons:
- Weak to boardwipes
As one of the oldest and best-established creature types in all of Magic: The Gathering, elves have long been a super powerful tribe. There’s just been so much time for Wizards to print good MTG elves, and there are now so many of them standing around pouting and hugging trees that it’s almost too easy to make a strong elves deck. Just find the cards with the pointy ears and chuck a bunch in.
Lathril, Blade of the Elves is a Kaldheim commander who provides a nice bit of edge for elves decks by adding black to their color identity. This top commander also gives you a powerful new win condition, letting you use your elvish army to drain your opponents for huge chunks of life.
Lathril gives you plenty of options. You can build her to be a classic green elves deck, which ramps up quickly to a critical mass of creatures and then pulls out one of umpteen win conditions. But you can also create a combo style deck that relies on untappers to build up infinite mana, or uses them with Lathril herself to close out the game.
Key cards for a Lathril commander deck
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored
Pros:
- Explosive turns
- Big creatures
Cons:
- A bit luck-based
- Dinosaurs can be slow to get going
Open the door, get on the floor, and prepare to walk the dinosaur, with one of the most popular MTG commanders of recent years. There’s a good reason Pantlaza Sun-Favored sees so much play. Coming out of one of the best precon decks ever released, this raptor is a top commander choice if you just want to throw around some big stompy dinosaurs.
Pantlaza’s Discover ability means that each dinosaur you cast has the potential to trigger a cascade, letting you fetch up one or potentially more other random dinosaurs from your deck (worst case scenario you hit a mana rock or something). It feels great to start a turn with just your commander on board, and end it with a herd of colossal reptiles whose approaching roars tell your opponents that you are very much the threat. Just make sure you pack enough ramp!
The randomness of this ability might be frustrating to some, but for others it’ll ensure their deck always feels fresh.
Key cards for a Pantlaza, Sun-Favored commander deck
Shroofus Sproutsire
Pros:
- Unmatched charisma
- A can-do attitude
- A bazillion Saprolings
Cons:
- Better in the 99
- Mono-Green
We’re not sure if Shroofus Sproutsire truly deserves to be on a list of all-time top commanders, but we’ve included him as a sort of added extra because we couldn’t bear to upset the lil’ guy. He’s certainly one of the best MTG Jumpstart 2025 Commanders at any rate.
You’re always going to have to put a bit of work in to land a hit with this commander, but once you get the ball rolling it’s going to move very very fast. While he’d probably work better as Slimefoot’s right hand man, this creature will feel like having Scute Swarm in your command zone.
Key cards for a Shroofus Sproutsire commander deck
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Pros:
- High-power commander
- Excellent keywords
- Useful card draw
Cons:
- Huge mana cost
- Generic
Alright, Atraxa, Grand Unifier comes with an eye-watering mana cost, and it doesn’t have the explosive proliferate powers of our other favored Atraxa commander. However, Grand Unifier offers heaps of power and versatility.
This is a mighty 7/7 commander with flying, vigilance, deathtouch, and lifelink. If you can keep Atraxa in play, it’ll obliterate opposing forces, dole out enormous chunks of commander damage, and keep you well-defended in the meantime.
Perhaps more important is Atraxa’s enters-the-battlefield ability. This allows you to reveal ten cards from the top of your library. For each card type among those, you can put one card of each revealed type into your hand. The rest go on the bottom of your library in a random order.
This is a commander with fairly generic powers that can feel a bit ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. However, this also makes Atraxa suitable for a variety of deck types, from Blink to Phyrexian Typal.
Key cards for an Atraxa commander deck
- Food Chain
- Misthollow Griffin
- Thassa’s Oracle
Chosen a commander but not sure what to do next? Our guide on how to build a Commander deck is here to help you out. And if Commander isn’t the only MTG format you play, you might also be interested in our guides to the latest MTG Arena codes and best MTG Arena decks.