Commander Damage: A Comprehensive Guide to Victory in Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format (also known as EDH, or Elder Dragon Highlander) is a beloved multiplayer format that emphasizes social interaction, deckbuilding creativity, and epic, long-lasting games. While the format allows for various paths to victory, one of the most unique and potentially devastating is dealing *commander damage*. This article will provide a comprehensive guide to understanding, building around, and successfully executing a commander damage strategy.
## What is Commander Damage?
In Commander, each player starts with 40 life. However, in addition to regular life loss, there’s a separate damage tracker specifically for damage dealt by opposing commanders. If a player receives 21 or more combat damage from a single commander throughout the game, that player loses the game. Note that this only applies to *combat* damage, not non-combat damage like triggered abilities, activated abilities or spells that deal damage. If your commander deals 21 non-combat damage to an opponent, it will reduce their life total, but it won’t contribute to the 21 commander damage threshold.
**Key takeaways about Commander Damage:**
* **Combat Damage Only:** Only combat damage counts towards the 21-damage threshold.
* **Single Commander:** The 21 damage must come from a single commander, not a combination of multiple commanders.
* **Cumulative:** Damage from the same commander is tracked cumulatively throughout the game.
* **Player Specific:** Commander damage is tracked separately for each opponent. If Commander A deals 21 damage to Player B, Player B loses. However, the damage Commander A dealt to Player B is irrelevant to Player C.
* **Multiplayer Focus:** Commander damage is most effective in multiplayer games, where focusing on a single opponent can eliminate them quickly.
## Why Pursue a Commander Damage Strategy?
There are several compelling reasons to build a commander deck focused on dealing commander damage:
* **Speed and Efficiency:** Commander damage offers a quicker path to victory than relying solely on reducing opponents to 0 life. In a four-player game, dealing 120 damage (3 opponents x 40 life) is often a much longer road than dealing 21 damage to each opponent.
* **Bypass Life Gain:** While life gain is a common strategy in Commander, it has no effect on commander damage. An opponent gaining 100 life is irrelevant if your commander can consistently deal 7+ damage per attack.
* **Targeted Elimination:** Commander damage allows you to strategically eliminate specific threats. If one player has a particularly oppressive board state or combo engine, you can focus your commander’s attacks on them to remove them from the game.
* **Deckbuilding Variety:** Building a commander damage deck forces you to consider different card choices and synergies than a typical value or control deck, leading to more diverse and interesting gameplay.
* **Aggressive Playstyle:** Commander damage decks tend to be more proactive and aggressive, leading to exciting and engaging games.
## Building a Commander Damage Deck: Key Considerations
Creating a successful commander damage deck requires careful planning and execution. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements to consider:
### 1. Choosing the Right Commander
The choice of your commander is paramount. Certain commanders are naturally better suited for a commander damage strategy due to their abilities, stats, and color identity. Here are some qualities to look for:
* **High Power:** A commander with a high power stat naturally deals more damage per hit, making it easier to reach the 21-damage threshold. Ideally, you want a commander with at least 4-5 power.
* **Evasion:** Evasion abilities like flying, trample, or unblockable ensure that your commander can consistently connect with your opponents. A powerful commander is useless if it’s constantly blocked.
* **Keyword Abilities:** Abilities like double strike, lifelink, and infect can significantly accelerate your commander damage output or provide crucial resilience.
* **Synergy:** Your commander’s abilities should synergize well with your overall strategy. Look for commanders that reward you for attacking or that benefit from being equipped or enchanted.
* **Color Identity:** Your commander’s color identity determines the colors of cards you can include in your deck. Choose a color combination that provides access to the necessary tools for your strategy, such as ramp, card draw, removal, and protection.
**Popular Commander Damage Commanders:**
* **[[Rafiq of the Many]]:** A classic choice for commander damage. Rafiq provides a significant power boost and double strike to your attacking creature, making it easy to one-shot opponents.
* **[[Uril, the Miststalker]]:** Hexproof makes Uril difficult to remove, and he grows larger with each Aura you attach to him.
* **[[Skullbriar, the Walking Grave]]:** Skullbriar retains his +1/+1 counters even when he changes zones, making him a resilient and potent threat.
* **[[Voltron]]:** Any commander that is ideal for attaching multiple equipment or auras to. [[Sram, Senior Edificer]] is great for building voltron strategies.
* **[[Narset, Enlightened Master]]:** Narset can cheat powerful enchantments into play for free, making her a formidable threat.
* **[[Najeela, the Blade-Blossom]]:** Najeela can generate a swarm of attacking warrior tokens and provides extra combat steps, allowing you to deal massive commander damage quickly.
* **[[Zurgo Helmsmasher]]:** Zurgo gets bigger with each attack and is indestructible on your turn, making him a resilient threat.
* **[[Gisela, Blade of Goldnight]]:** Doubles the damage your commander deals. Very powerful!
* **[[Meren of Clan Nel Toth]]:** Allows you to repeatedly recur your commander and other creatures.
* **[[Balan, Wandering Knight]]:** Can equip all equipment you control for free, becoming a massive threat.
* **[[Sythis, Harvest’s Hand]]:** Generates card advantage for playing enchantments to buff your commander.
### 2. Ramp and Mana Fixing
Consistent mana is crucial for casting your commander early and often. Include plenty of ramp spells (e.g., [[Sol Ring]], [[Cultivate]], [[Kodama’s Reach]]) and mana fixing (e.g., dual lands, mana rocks that produce multiple colors) to ensure you can consistently deploy your commander and cast supporting spells.
* **Early Game Ramp:** Focus on ramp spells that can be played in the first few turns to accelerate your mana development.
* **Color Fixing:** Ensure you have access to all the colors in your deck, especially if your commander has a multi-color identity.
* **Land Base:** Include a well-balanced land base with a mix of basic lands, dual lands, and utility lands.
### 3. Equipment and Auras
Equipment and auras are essential for boosting your commander’s power, granting evasion, and providing additional abilities. Prioritize cards that offer significant power boosts, evasion, or protection.
* **Power Boosts:** [[Sword of Feast and Famine]], [[Sword of Fire and Ice]], [[Blackblade Reforged]], [[Embercleave]], [[Colossus Hammer]]
* **Evasion:** [[Whispersilk Cloak]], [[Rogue’s Passage]], [[Trailblazer’s Boots]]
* **Protection:** [[Swiftfoot Boots]], [[Lightning Greaves]], [[Darksteel Plate]]
* **Utility:** [[Strionic Resonator]], [[Helm of the Host]]
### 4. Protection Spells
Protecting your commander from removal is crucial. Include a variety of protection spells, such as counterspells, hexproof auras, and indestructible effects, to keep your commander on the battlefield.
* **Counterspells:** [[Counterspell]], [[Swan Song]], [[Negate]], [[Arcane Denial]]
* **Hexproof/Shroud:** [[Swiftfoot Boots]], [[Lightning Greaves]], [[Aegis of the Gods]], [[Hyrax Tower Scout]]
* **Indestructible:** [[Darksteel Plate]], [[Indestructibility]], [[Boros Charm]]
* **Regeneration:** [[Rancor]] (If your commander dies while enchanted, it goes to the graveyard, and Rancor returns to your hand)
### 5. Card Draw and Advantage
Maintaining card advantage is essential for sustaining your aggressive strategy. Include card draw spells, repeatable draw engines, and ways to generate value from your board state.
* **Draw Spells:** [[Brainstorm]], [[Ponder]], [[Preordain]], [[Harmonize]]
* **Repeatable Draw:** [[Rhystic Study]], [[Sylvan Library]], [[Mystic Remora]]
* **Value Engines:** [[Edric, Spymaster of Trest]], [[Kor Spiritdancer]]
### 6. Removal and Interaction
While your primary focus is dealing commander damage, you still need to be able to interact with your opponents’ threats. Include a mix of spot removal, board wipes, and disruption spells to keep the board under control.
* **Spot Removal:** [[Swords to Plowshares]], [[Path to Exile]], [[Beast Within]], [[Generous Gift]]
* **Board Wipes:** [[Wrath of God]], [[Day of Judgment]], [[Cyclonic Rift]], [[Farewell]]
* **Disruption:** [[Stranglehold]], [[Rule of Law]], [[Winter Orb]]
### 7. Combat Tricks
Combat tricks can surprise opponents, push through extra damage, or protect your commander from harm. Consider including a few well-timed combat tricks to enhance your strategy.
* **Power Boosts:** [[Giant Growth]], [[Titanic Growth]], [[Invigorate]]
* **Evasion:** [[Artful Dodge]], [[Slip Through Space]]
* **Protection:** [[Apostle’s Blessing]], [[Sheltering Word]]
## Gameplay Tips and Strategies
Once you have built your commander damage deck, here are some tips for playing it effectively:
* **Early Game:** Focus on ramping and setting up your mana base. Cast your commander as soon as possible, but don’t overextend into potential removal.
* **Mid Game:** Start applying pressure to your opponents. Identify the biggest threat and focus your attacks on them. Protect your commander from removal and try to stick equipment and auras to boost its power.
* **Late Game:** Close out the game by dealing the final blows of commander damage. Use combat tricks and protection spells to ensure your commander connects with your target.
* **Political Considerations:** Be mindful of the political landscape of the game. Don’t make yourself an obvious target too early. Form alliances and use diplomacy to your advantage.
* **Adapt to the Meta:** Adjust your deck based on the specific meta you are playing in. If your opponents are running a lot of removal, include more protection spells. If they are playing a lot of creature decks, include more board wipes.
* **Track Commander Damage:** It is *vital* to accurately track the damage your commander has dealt to each opponent. Life counters, dice, or dedicated apps can all be helpful for this.
## Sample Decklist (Rafiq of the Many)
Here’s a sample decklist for a Rafiq of the Many commander damage deck:
**Commander:** [[Rafiq of the Many]]
**Creatures (10):**
* [[Kor Spiritdancer]]
* [[Sram, Senior Edificer]]
* [[Puresteel Paladin]]
* [[Stoneforge Mystic]]
* [[Gilded Goose]]
* [[Birds of Paradise]]
* [[Noble Hierarch]]
* [[Llanowar Elves]]
* [[Avacyn’s Pilgrim]]
* [[Bloom Tender]]
**Sorceries (10):**
* [[Cultivate]]
* [[Kodama’s Reach]]
* [[Rampant Growth]]
* [[Swords to Plowshares]]
* [[Path to Exile]]
* [[Enlightened Tutor]]
* [[Idyllic Tutor]]
* [[Three Visits]]
* [[Skyshroud Claim]]
* [[Farewell]]
**Instants (15):**
* [[Brainstorm]]
* [[Ponder]]
* [[Preordain]]
* [[Counterspell]]
* [[Swan Song]]
* [[Negate]]
* [[Arcane Denial]]
* [[Cyclonic Rift]]
* [[Teferi’s Protection]]
* [[Lightning Greaves]]
* [[Swiftfoot Boots]]
* [[Apostle’s Blessing]]
* [[Dispel]]
* [[Flusterstorm]]
* [[Mana Drain]]
**Enchantments (15):**
* [[Rhystic Study]]
* [[Mystic Remora]]
* [[Sylvan Library]]
* [[Auras: Sovereigns Realm]]
* [[Holy Mantle]]
* [[Karametra’s Blessing]]
* [[Rancor]]
* [[Shielded by Faith]]
* [[Spirit Mantle]]
* [[Unquestioned Authority]]
* [[All That Glitters]]
* [[Battle Mastery]]
* [[Celestial Mantle]]
* [[Ethereal Armor]]
* [[Mirari’s Wake]]
**Artifacts (10):**
* [[Sol Ring]]
* [[Arcane Signet]]
* [[Talisman of Progress]]
* [[Talisman of Unity]]
* [[Signet of Paradise]]
* [[Whispersilk Cloak]]
* [[Sword of Feast and Famine]]
* [[Sword of Fire and Ice]]
* [[Darksteel Plate]]
* [[Strionic Resonator]]
**Lands (39):**
* [[Plains]] x12
* [[Island]] x12
* [[Forest]] x12
* [[Hallowed Fountain]]
* [[Breeding Pool]]
* [[Temple Garden]]
* [[Command Tower]]
* [[Exotic Orchard]]
* [[City of Brass]]
* [[Mana Confluence]]
* [[Rogue’s Passage]]
## Conclusion
Commander damage is a powerful and rewarding strategy in Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format. By carefully choosing your commander, building a synergistic deck, and executing your game plan effectively, you can consistently eliminate opponents and achieve victory. So, build your deck, find your commander, and get ready to deal some damage!