Commanders that Kept Up With Power Creep

[@satansamael666]

The original partner commanders aged extremely well.

[@C._Bradford]

They were busted then, and they are still busted now. WOTC just had no clue how good the mechanic was, and really didn't learn the lesson until battle for baldurs gate.

[@toddpacker1015]

Grand Arbiter is still a powerhouse with very few new cards added to the list. He's him.

[@toddpacker1015]

@kenpatchiramasama1076 Period.

[@FRAAANKYSUUUPER]

Shout out to Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant. Dude asks for nothing and creates one of the best creature based pillow forts. Just throw in a few creatures that can block multiple creatures, and ones that take damage in your stead and you're laughing. If released today it would have to say something like "10 more life than your starting total" or something. Really good friends with Serra Ascendant too.

[@andrewpeli9019]

My oldest commander is Lu Bu, Master-at-arms. It is a 4/3 with horsemanship and haste. The entire deck is ramp, card draw, and permanents that increase the combat damage of Lu Bu. It wins a surprising amount of games.

[@benjaminloyd6056]

Sweet horsemanship Voltron!

[@skeven0]

yep Horsemanship is basicly flying but with a different word (if i remember correctly Portal: 3 kingdoms had no flying creatures in it) also one of those cards with horsemanship used to be in a legacy/vintage deck (or its sideboard) because its basicly unblockable

[@certifiedfunnyguy]

I love mentioning Wort. I always find grull a bit strange to play in higher power levels where it isn't yet cedh so winning all of a sudden from hand is frowned upon but leaving my board for a full cycle gets removed. It allows me to use my creatures before they can swing for value and protection

[@jaysuede2627]

Wort is a great commander to surprise people with. With Jeska's Will and Path of the Pyromancer you can have some truly ridiculous turns.

[@TeamKatastrophe]

Wort is my only high power deck. The access to x-spells from red means that half your removal counts as finishers. I let a beginner take it for a spin, and his eyes began to sparkle as he realized he could mess with anyone's turns. Heavy interaction is the best.

[@Controlqueen31]

Klothys is also an interesting Gruul commander for high power (not cEDH) because she stops graveyard decks by herself, is indestructible, is not a creature 90% of the time and Gruul has some nasty stax/counterplay pieces.

[@PositiveBlackSoul]

I wanna give a shoutout to Zur for being really flexible for what you can do with him too. I really like him as "Astral Slide Cycling Flicker" deck Commander. But he also works as Voltron and other Enchanter strategies.

[@Lazydino59]

One of my favorite decks I ever built was a Zur the enchanter reanimator deck since he finds both animate dead and/or discard outlets

[@thetrinketmage]

I made a zur lantern control deck where I would search up artificer's intuition to tutor all my mill rocks!

[@pauldyson8098]

I'm a college professor grading final papers. I was on track to be done grading before dinner time tonight, then I saw there was a new Trinket Mage video. Students can wait an extra day for grades, I think. Also, I know you said you weren't going to include commanders that draw cards, but special shoutout to my man Reki. I've had a Reki deck for over a decade and he's managed to keep up simply because WoTC keeps printing good legendaries.

[@thetrinketmage]

They won’t mind!

[@laurentrobitaille2204]

Least procrastinating college teacher

[@pauldyson8098]

@@laurentrobitaille2204 Many of my colleagues slack way harder than our students do!

[@maaikevreugdemaker9210]

Responsibilities first my man, unless you are working overtime off course

[@mjgould1192]

So this is the type of stuff my professor does while I wait weeks for grades to get entered

[@philipweidig270]

Wort, the Raidmother is an incredibly sweet card for the 99 as well, and also gives you access to gold cards in other colors as well. Copying Cruel, Inspired, or Genesis Ultimatum, or heaven forbid Conflux or something is really sweet.

[@CyrusdVulture]

Thraximundar was one of my first EDH decks and continues to be a fun one. I also run Progenitus but as an enabler for 5 colour cascade. I had Mayael for a time, too. Rafiq of the Many is SCARY.

[@AbstractMarcher]

Man. Teferi was my first commander. He was not good, but his static ability shook a lot of people. A friend of mine, Jordan, said: James, if you want to keep playing commander, don't play teferi. If you wanna win commander, keep playing teferi". I might give it a shot and rebuild it sometime.

[@hydrolythe]

The commander I play that came out before the precons is Rith, the Awakener. At one point I was stating towards another player that the deck is casual and he ended up saying that I create 10 1/1s and then win the game by casting an overrun effect.

[@thetrinketmage]

Rith is way stronger than that card reads! Every time I see the commander hit the field it’s always a threat!

[@madhattom891]

Couple other neat tricks with mage of zhalfir -delay and suspend (the spell) get WAY better with him around. Always love throwing one of those down and seeing opponents realize how it interracts with my commander. -scourge of fleets. Cyclonic fish. -master of waves+Mystic Reflection on the end step just before your turn. With a decent devotion total this is basically fog, rift, or die for your opponents. Edit: oh wait. They can't do the first two. -triskaidekophile. Flash in just before your turn. Then just count to 13 and win.

[@thetrinketmage]

Oh I’ve seen delay but suspend is some tech I haven’t seen yet!

[@mofomiko]

Maybe i should give him a shot. i absoluelty love Gandalf the White and playing ad instant speed, and i love me my creatures. i think with Teferi i could create a much bigger Monster than Gandalf

[@P4r4k]

Scion of the Ur-Dragon is from 2006 and it's stronger than the Ur-Dragon himself 😂

[@christopherpatricklizares5306]

Ditto. I'll always prefer Scion over Papa Ur as commander. Just so much more reliable.

[@cptcolgenltmajor9246]

I personally prefer ur dragon, but it’s mostly due to how I love cost reduction.

[@enricomassignani]

Isn't Scion just a combo deck?

[@eebbaa5560]

genetic recombination

[@christophertomlinson8097]

​@@enricomassignani you can run it as a abzan reanimated shell and not have to worry about having wvery color. But yeah it's just load the bin and make it your hand

[@DarkDealer666]

I recently took apart the deck because of the way it was playing (or not playing), but a commander I really like is Kumano, Master Yamabushi. For those unfamiliar with this jank legend from OG Kamigawa, he's a 4/4 for 3 and double red that let's you pay one and a red to deal one damage to any target. It was a very fun and silly pinger deck that could actually be quite scary if you set it up right. He could burn face, also, give him deathtouch, and suddenly you can just pay one and a red anytime you want to kill target creature. Oh, and if a creature he pings dies in the same turn they get exiled. So one and a red to exile any non-indestructible creature you can target. I also liked throwing in damage doublers and lifelink.

[@Ox7moron]

You mentioned the Jhoira deck playing out a Kozilek, but I want to highlight that colorless commanders in general have gotten much better between the eldrazi precon and cards like Geode Golem- The new Fomori Vault & Arid Archway also make the decks better!

[@thetrinketmage]

Very true! And I think MH3 might push that further!

[@SwagzLife]

@@thetrinketmage I also think colourless commanders with multicoloured identities (like Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch) provides a super fun deck building experience too. You really get to pick and choose how to distribute your colours without being forced to commit to a certain one, since 90% of the deck is colourless. As a blue player, I have a ton of blue cards and value engines (Urza, Lord High Artificer) but someone else could easily play more aggro, or ramp. Or more white, leaning in control and protective equipment. I love those commanders, especially Urtet since it did so much for Myr.

[@Customerbuilder]

Pre-2011, I have a hyper Aggro Doran deck. Yoked Ox, Tasseled Dromedary, Armored Armadillo, etc. So many great board wipes for this type of deck. Doran itself is a great Voltron clock. Plus, Tangle Angler, Tower Defense, Shadrix, both Oketras. Just a nasty deck.

[@raphaelwegmann6894]

Nice! I also still enjoy playing my Doran deck in casual games. My staxy version has cards like Archon of emeria, soulless jailer, meekstone or crackdown + a few beaters such as sidar kondo

[@Njzeo]

POV: Mayael the anima is a feared deck at my locals

[@thetrinketmage]

She almost made the list!

[@Bucktel]

I also like to play a mean Mayael! Do you have a decklist to share?

[@Njzeo]

@@Bucktel yes let’s share lists!

[@ich3730]

i think people dont understand that korvold is a precon commander. he is supposed to be an easy engine to setup. Same with prosper etc etc. The problem isnt that they are easy to build and play ( thats the point of them being in a precon ) its simply a balancing issue.

[@thetrinketmage]

I think you’re are right! It makes sense why they made korvald easy to build. Problem is he is too easy. I honestly think if he didn’t sac on etb or attack the commander would still be relatively easy to build around since sacrifice anything is very broad but would require more synergy before you get value

[@Dynme]

@@thetrinketmage Honestly, Carmen feels like a more balanced version. She doesn't sacrifice at all herself, but does trigger off of anyone sacrificing. Payoff is she gets big, you get life, and you can reanimate something on attacking.

[@OliverQuadros]

@@DynmeI think you may be misinterpreting why korvold is strong. It’s not because he can sac something himself, it’s because it’s whenever something gets sacced you draw a card. That is what gives korvold his true power and the same is true for most commanders that let you repeatedly draw. Thrasios is another example and tymna. Card advantage is where it’s at and without jumping through many hoops.

[@Matiassanita]

@@OliverQuadros considering that my stronger deck is an Omnath, locus of the roil, it makes sense.

[@Dynme]

@@OliverQuadros Yeah, I know exactly why Korvold is powerful. A large part of it is the payoff, yes, but a decent part of it is also that you're guaranteed to get that payoff as soon as he etbs. Carmen is more balanced in that she doesn't immediately enable herself in addition to having a weaker payoff.

[@buncythefrog]

I have a Merieke deck and while she's not going to be as powerful as some of these examples, she's really fun if you break her out occasionally. There's enough untap loops to steal the whole board, and enough blink effects to make the things stolen yours forever.

[@scottstumpf5760]

Honestly this was a great thing to look at, and one of my personal recommendations for strange options is actually a more recent uncommon commander: Bill the Pony I’ve built it as Voltron, artifacts matter, toughness matters, and food. It’s all different directions that either ability fuel

[@bryanstrahm9961]

I've been working on the 32 challenge for fun, and I've really been struggling to find a mono blue commander that spoke to me. This Teferi seems like a really interesting mono-blue deck that I might actually put together.

[@Jundsac]

Great video, as always. I've been watching this channel since it had like 10 subscribers and I'm so proud of what you've accomplished! I have friends who still play Grand Arbiter and Zur, definitely still fantastic choices.

[@sidneypowelstock6812]

you mentioning stormtide leviathan and utvara hell kite takes me back. I played those exact cards as finishers when I started playing magic back in the day

[@hellNo116]

I saw the video and I forgot to comment my favourite from the old sets. Saffi eriksdotter is one of my 2 pet projects right now trying to make a predh non blue deck that is super strong. The normal edh deck is actually really really strong and fairly easy since compared to the predh deck has like double the amount of relevant pieces and like 3 times more card draw. Teysa, orzov Scion is the other. Basically both decks are aristocrats decks with the former being unique by lacking black. Obviously the moment you include blue in the conversation you get tons of cards. The one I haven't finished, but actively working on is niv mizzet firemind(Dracogenius is a card from 2012). The deck is basically just like niv mizzet parrun if you go for wheels and focus on card draw more than control. The only reason I haven't finished it is that I am borderline thinking of using it as an alternative commander for my niv mizzet parrun deck when I need a weaker commander. Finally I haven't build nor played that one but it you want to be really fancy and weird dakkon blackblade is a unique from legends that has power and toughness equal to your lands. So basically you can play a really unique esper landfall deck. And all that while playing a card that it is older than most people playing the game today including myself 😝😝😝

[@aegisofhonor]

another older commander that has defiantly kept up with power creep and I still consider it a top commander that almost everyone fears at the table is Xenagos, God of Revels. The ability to give any creature haste, trample, and double it's power and toughness is a BRUTAL ability that can and will end a player's game in a hurry if not answered. You MUST respect that triggered ability on combat and the amount of beat down that this commander can cause is just strait up insane and has simply gotten better and better as new cards that have just adds to it's ability to lay down massive amounts of raw damage must be respected at all times.

[@ry7hym]

THANK YOU for this video. what you say in the intro is exactly my mindset on the Elder Dragon Highlander format that has become "Commander" ever since WotC decided to mangle it even though I started playing commander with a precon from C15, and I have precons from C16 and C19 as well, I still find that the powercreep has been getting exponentially worse, especially since 2019.

[@HighTechRedneck9]

Its a newer card but Lathril still holds up. For older commanders that have survived power creep, you always have Empress Galina, who can steal your opponent's commanders. One thing getting stronger in modern Magic is enchentments. This means Zur the Enchanter has aged like a fine wine. Despite this, Ill stick with Gisa and Geralf Zombie Tribal deck. They were my first commander deck I ever built. They go under the radar due to their power. The deck operates well on its own and can win a game quickly. The commander just acts as a bluff.

[@marcoottina654]

The continuation of this video would be awesome! :D Also, the OG Teferi is a beast there, even in the 99 in some thematic deck

[@Iker888]

I’ve had a Chainer, Dementia Master deck for while now, and it’s a powerhouse.

[@williamedge5130]

I’m not so much into super high power EDH, but Wort would be a great commander in a Slime Against Humanity deck

[@PennSullivan]

Throw a Thrumming Stone in there for some extra shenanigans.

[@enricomassignani]

Wort is so good now with all the "discard 1, draw 2, make some treasures" cards like Big Score. When she was first printed, Gruul had very limited access to card draw, now it's on par with blue.

[@HalibelNyyaa]

I love my first Marchesa deck, the Black Rose and it's still going strong

[@thetrinketmage]

That commander is pretty sweet! I saw one recently at my LGS who played her as a modular tribal deck

[@skeven0]

@@thetrinketmage also fun with that enchantment that says whenever a creature dies return it to your control with a +1/+1 counter edit it was called Grave Betrayal (5BB) enchantment : Whenever a creature you don’t control dies, return it to the battlefield under your control with an additional +1/+1 counter on it at the beginning of the next end step. That creature is a black Zombie in addition to its other colors and types.

[@emoryterry4942]

There's been a Wort deck menacing our playgroup for like 12 years now

[@power_SERG]

I didn't know Balthor the Defiled existed and honestly it looks like one of the most badass cards to play with. I just dunno how i would go about guaranteeing his ability or similar abilities every game? I feel like knowing my luck, I'll mill myself and never get to use him properly.

[@vasylpark2149]

One that keeps up with power creep that I think goes under the table is the Council of Four. It is a value piece. Draws cards makes tokens to fuel more of the same.

[@TheViralMC]

My play group groans when I pull out my Eldamri Lord of the Leaves deck. 1997 commander that just keeps getting better with each OP elf released.

[@tealstatic]

I have a pet commander, Commander Eesha. 1. Art by Rebecca Guay. 2. Unblockable but also really good at blocking, so vigilance is a must. 3. There are some really nice card combos I like, like Pariah/Pariah's Shield, or Entangler. 4. Giving it +5 power means I can take out someone in three swings. Things like Ogre's Cleaver or Sword of Kaldra, or Blackblade REforged. It's not fast and I'm not too big into Voltron without someone consistent hexproof or shroud, but ti's fun to play, especially if I'm playing against another Voltron deck because I can just block with Eesha and be alright most of the time.

[@williamedge5130]

Even if you’re not into Voltron’s, you could put Assault Suit on her so that your opponents get access to her and HAVE to swing with her at each other (and can’t sacrifice her, to boot)

[@tealstatic]

@@williamedge5130 Oh yeah, that's in the deck. Mine isn't really Voltron perse, it's more anthem based and has other unblcokables. Some fliers, a couple horsemenship dudes and some shadow dudes. I did however win a game soley with an Ogre's Cleaver, Pariah and Eesha. That was fun.

[@tartarussauce1983]

Jhoira of the ghitu is so fun to play as a dragon storm deck. You can hold big storm payoffs until later turns, and you can cast the 7-8 mana dragons reasonably. It’s the only deck I’ve found that can actually run dragonstorm

[@destinyhero]

Great choices! Think I'll change my mono blue deck from Thassa Deep Dwelling to Teferi for a bit

[@thetrinketmage]

Hell yea, Teferi is super fun

[@colinlynch6491]

My friend has a Wort, the raid mother deck, and it is definitely terrifying. We are scared of losing every turn after they untap with wort

[@MeepOfFaith]

Trinket Mage my dude, you've quickly become one of my favorite mtg youtubers. Keep it up dude!!

[@thetrinketmage]

Thank you! I’ll try to keep it up! Hopefully you like some of the things I have planned!

[@dubblehelix83]

awesome to see someone talking about balthor, he's been my main squeeze for years now. I've had him built lots of ways but I prefer to load it up with card draw and discard outlets rather than self mill. Shockingly it has been powercrept IMO, the new Shilgengar does everything balthor does while also providing sacrifice and a discard outlet. You have to build around the finality counters in the same way you have to build around your opponents graveyards with balthor. Including cards that blink your board rather than cards that exile graveyards.

[@wanhus6342]

Balthor the Defiled first commander deck I ever made back in 2014 or 2015. Last time I played it was 2 days ago. Using it as an ETB deck still works great and if you have enough tutor greatures and cards and can get and play Morality Shift its a win. Also once he is on the battlefield its hard to prevent his ability. Graveyard hate is always a problem but now that you can have Feed the swarm along with artifacts that destroy permanents lingering effects like Rest in peace are not a problem. Usually if you play that in a CEDH game everyone will underestimate you and you will win, atleast for the first one or two times.

[@shonmatthew]

Double warp world, or the great aurora is my favorite wort win cons!

[@equivocat]

In the same vein as Balthor, Chainer, Dementia Master holds up quite well. A 2024 version would cost 2BB and have ward 2 but could only be activated at sorcery speed and only once per turn. And that worse version would still be a nightmare to deal with.

[@thetrinketmage]

Chainer is another amazingly strong commander who almost made the list!

[@ogrokun]

Good thing about Chainer and Balthor, you can have both in the same deck, and both work as commanders. I do this in mine.

[@jefff6509]

Chainer is my favorite mono Black commander. I can't remember if I have balthor in that deck, but If I don't I really need to make a spot for him lol.

[@Gr7mmBobb]

My GURL is a poster child for 1:04! Whoo! Was a little sad Thraxmundar wasn't in here, but he is very fat and niche, so I get it.

[@thetrinketmage]

Thrax is a fun commander! But not as strong as he once was

[@Gr7mmBobb]

@@thetrinketmage I still play him as my Zombie tribal cmdr. I've definitely told my friends that if I ever drop Thrax, I'm building Gisa and Geralf. They're already part of the 99.

[@Swnkmstr]

I love the ertai shoutout at the end, i actually have an ertai and hazezon tamar deck

[@tumage8592]

9:01 "If it resolves" " *Against Blue* "

[@Garl_Vinland]

Sigarda Font of Blessings is still my favourite commander so far

[@B1ngusD1ngus]

Step 1: ramp into wort Step 2: cast chord of calling copied for 6 mana on opponents eot. Step 3: get protien hulk and boggardan Dragonheart Step 4: sac protien hulk to boggardan dragonheart to grab your hulk pile and win off of "one card" and your commander.

[@wolfwarrior8392]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the dwarf zombie. He's the commander for my zombie tribal deck. And he performed nicely

[@StealthKey]

balthor is so underrated. Hes my go-to when it comes to graveyard recursion

[@HellecticMojo]

Teferi is such a good commander. It's so flexible. Every part of his kit is so good and decks can function without him existing yet make such a big impact when he does show up.

[@paodequeijo7231]

You just made my head explode. I've owned a copy of Teferi since it came out in original Time Spiral and never thought about using him as commander. Will definitely be trying something

[@d.asklepiades9640]

I was looking forward to seeing Sharuum the Hegemon. After all these years I think she holds up, I still win tables with her. The sheer versatility she offers is amazing. She combos off if you sneeze too close to her, but you can also play Artifacts Matter Good Stuff and win on value, or cheat a Magister Sphinx into play to win. You can do reanimator or blink shenanigans. You can attach Cranial Plating and just win on commander damage while protecting her with counterspells. I kinda even wanna turn my list into Ad Nauseam with Yawgmoth's Will and do *STUPID* stuff with LED. The original Combo Boogeyman of EDH is still fuckin good.

[@TyrMckay]

Ulamog the ceaseless hunger has kept up pretty well with power creep.

[@SandOfToru]

More, please! Very inspiring

[@rivelemerald44]

My friend has a jhiora eldrazi deck with extra turns sprinkled in and its nasty. Its only gotten better over the years, and he is instant arch enemy the moment she is cast.

[@jben6]

GAAIV, Jhoira, and Teferi are guaranteed first targets because of what they MIGHT do. In some circles, this potentiality is enough to make them not worth playing. Balthor is sufficiently obscure the first time the opposition sees it, but if the deck is decently built, it too becomes an instant-target. Wort, though.... I need to give it a relook, as I have only ever seen it as a goblin deck with bonus lightning bolts. Thank you for the videos!

[@breakingblackmagic7617]

i have a wort deck... man, i havent added any new cards for like 2 years.. ,besides "the one ring" and its slapps SO HARD...i use it as a "X" spell commander like u said" but i use burn x spells , so i ramp hard, conspire ramp... then conspire the big x spell then i conspire a copy spell if i have it so , I'm hitting everyone for like 60-100 damage in 1 turn... its fun.

[@greatbrandini3967]

My pre commander format commander is Seizan, Perverter of Truth. He's the most fair of the commanders who focus on killing with card draw since he doesn't directly punish other players, but he still has a powerful ability and makes for a pretty powerful beat stick as well

[@markredblue]

This video is tempting me to start assembling a Jhoira EDH Deck haha

[@stratavosstuff7575]

She can be pretty fun. I've had one since starting edh years agp, and she's changed into "Edgin, larcenus lutenist" to try to be more fair (it was slightly kinder, and much more restrictive to me), amd "the tenth doctor" paired with "donna noble" which is much slower, while having the other two in the 99.

[@doopness785]

Wort was my first ever commander deck. I never forget the time I had an explosive win by copying hurricane with a massive X cost and wiping out everyone else simultaneously!

[@garythacker6731]

I remember when those cards used to run rampant. I have been playing Azami, Lady of Scrolls since before the first commander product. Updating the deck every so often, and she has aged like fine wine. I would love to see a video about cards that aged like milk. Im thinking like Rafiq of The Many. Edhrec has nearly 4000 decks for him, but i haven't seen anyone actually play him in years.

[@shawnpanzegraf5642]

Augustin IV is what taught me, as a Green player, to always bring a suite of Interaction Shutdown cards to Commander Night. Definitely one of the most frequently seen helmers of Counter-Removal Piles that have become so ubiquitous of late. It’s an interesting presentation, though.

[@skeven0]

I would add Memnarch, Sakashima the Impostor and Rasputin Dreamweaver to this list all three were heavly played in my local commander scene back in the day

[@franslair2199]

Rasputin Dreamweaver gets stronger with more flicker support in the colors, as a commander he's just an infinite mana source

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

Kamahl Fist of Krosa: 2024 still blowing up lands in mono green (no one expects mono green land destruction). WOTC wants to keep printing more efficient mana dorks, things that Double/Triple mana and lots of 1+/1+ counter stuff for my Triskelion/Walking Ballista... LOL I even use a Rocket Launcher (That's right MTG has a Rocket Launcher) makes it so Kamahl is still fisting his way to victory ;p

[@HuntersheepKaridas]

last i checked underworld breach was an enchantment too and thats also an instant staple in every deck that can play it in cEDH...

[@blackstab3913]

Love this Jhoira in my Obeka deck, coolest ramp I have

[@Zumteifl]

One of my favourite 'older' commander is Uril the Miststalker. Cast him on turn 4 and kill someone on turn 5. With all the new auras we got he is even more powerfull now. What i like to do is fill up my graveyard with powerfull auras and resurrect them all onto him in a single turn with retether or mantle of the ancients.

[@ecos889]

From OG legends Rasputin Dreamweaver still amazing who knew a repeatable and blinkable mana rock that does not need to tap to add seven mana and even without blinking can add some mana is pretty powerful to have in the command zone. It also fogs a little too.

[@skeven0]

this! im glad someone mentioned him, this is an abosolute powerhose in those decks

[@Gekkotor]

I feel like shirei has more or less kept up with the times, a little expensive to be sure but with the right rocks is still a pretty fun deck.

[@Marsdend1]

I'm not an expert, but my Glissa, the Traitor deck got a nice boost from the recent 40k Necron cards

[@ethanlarge3572]

My favorite pre-2013 commander is Sygg, River Cutthroat. Lots of fun and potential.

[@gaiden81]

I am always underestimating Wort and I am always surprised when she goes off.

[@BarbeqdBrwniez]

Wort is absolutely insane, can confirm. I built a mediocre wort deck out of bulk commons and it slaps REAL hard.

[@thetrinketmage]

Copying spells is fun!

[@matthewphibbs]

I firmly believe that my Multani, Maro-Sorceror deck can compete at any casual or higher powered table, and this commander gets even better in pods of 5 or more. This is a commander from Urza's Legacy, and the design had absolutely no thought towards eventual multi-player applications. I love playing this deck, and my friends always groan when I pull this one out. It ramps hardest and draws the most cards of any of my current commander decks and is an absolute total blast to play!

[@chainer1918]

I have an Oloro cEDH deck that I’ve won quite a few local tournaments with, I love that he can keep up with today’s cEDH meta while he just sits in his chair

[@claramonti3889]

Can we talk about the quiet Ertai the Corrupted callout there at the end? As an Ertai player, if you get your engine online in that deck, you just win. Nobody casts anything else the rest of the game

[@milimachathestrange]

Krenko mob boss is still doing me good 10 years later

[@GrompEconomics]

My wort X spell copy deck is actually too powerful for my casual group. They haven’t learned to just include more removal after years of playing it. I get to untap with her pretty much every game and one turn with her is enough to either dome everyone with crackle with power for (20*2) 40 after a storm turn or just put all 37 lands into play on turns 4-7 (depending on if I ritual into wort). So it stops being fun to reach for her… thus I’m gonna rework her into slime against humanity

[@KissMyWolf]

My Balthor the Defiled, is still the commander to my zombie deck. My Wort, the Raidmother has a rabbit of winning on turn 5 or so....

[@Lazydino59]

I recently built Zirilan of the Claw and he’s only gotten better with power creep. Put 100+ damage on the table in one turn my first game with him.

[@thetrinketmage]

I played that commander for a while! Super fun deck!

[@raphaelwegmann6894]

I still play Zur the enchanter and adapt the toolbox to the power level of the table. There are so many fun enchantments! My doran deck still wins a surprising amount of games although the commander itself is not as scary as it used to be.

[@Alice_Haukea]

A guy at my locals, (the one whom I've complained about previously) played a Balthor deck a few weeks ago. He kept a greedy 2 land hand all because he had Skirge Familiar. It wasn't until turn 5 or so that he finally drew enough land to cast Skirge Familiar. Then proceeds to dump his entire hand- Vilis Broker of Blood, Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Rune-Scarred Demon, Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Archfiend of Despair. He tutors into Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and on the following turn loops Gray Merchant twice and kills everyone. So, the problem is that none of us had seen that deck before so we weren't really sure what all to expect. Certainly not a suddenly burst turn. He was complaining about how he is mana screwed and how he's low key because he's doing nothing so we left him alone. Then when the game is over he scolds us for not pushing the attack because black pays life to do things.

[@andrewpeli9019]

Sounds like he sucks. If someone pulls a smol bean victory off on me, they get focused thereafter. Until they apologize and repent, which has never happened.

[@Controlqueen31]

Classic Smol Bean player. Even if he got mana screw on hand, he (at least that's what I understand) was making a landrop every turn. Ofc you didn't knew that was comming, but he was played the Smol Bean strategy

[@azelia2464]

Yep, just like the other 2 comments, he was being a smol bean player. I've played long enough to know how all the politics work in Commander. Theres certain things youve got to watch out for

[@dr.ickydoesstuff7743]

I love my godo deck since it can play with different power levels. If it's a more competitive setting I can go for the combo, if it's more casual i can play it like a voltron deck.

[@W0lfguard1997]

Looking at your Jhoira example I saw Obliterate and just thought... that's nice if it works but on average one person is gonna have teferi's protection, one person will have heroic intervention and one person will be really sad.

[@profssrchaos19]

Wort I run as a ponza/land destruction deck and ... well I don't run it too often because pods hate it... since you mentioned Korvold briefly. My favorite commander is Prossh, skyraider of kher, who not only is a free sac outlet and a sac payoff, but he also brings his own gas

[@Sumeri_Barusu]

I used wort for my slime against humanity deck, and after seeing balthor and jhoira I might buils them too

[@the_wake_]

While he came out 4 years after Commander, I've almost built and then scrapped Jace, Vryn's Prodigy so many times. He's a cheap, high-value engine in a color that can protect him, fill its yard, and dig. That makes him incredibly consistent at setting up infinite-turn loops or any other degenerate combo you want. But the IMO boring level of consistency, and *incredibly* tedious execution of the average win, kept me from putting it together.

[@thetrinketmage]

Jace is a commander I’ve been playing since he was printed! Easily one of my favorite decks!

[@the_wake_]

@@thetrinketmage Awesome! I love him as a commander but have never found a specific build that I like. What direction do you take it?

[@thetrinketmage]

@@the_wake_ Just storm, it's my cedh list! www.moxfield.com/decks/Um0YGvaSyU6zPHmTL4mz8w

[@the_wake_]

@@thetrinketmage Thanks fam! I'll have a look!

[@badgeronriodz6792]

I've recently built Sisay, deck is a house. Love me the millennium calander

[@George-mm8cr]

I have Animar as the head of my eldrazi deck with heavy proliferation. Its really great, always fun to play!

[@samuelj.n.bunner5647]

I like Doran. Still a unique version of its effect in the command zone (I think? I dont bother with Universes Beyond) with offensive AND defensive potential.

[@Lockstepcrew]

yesss love to see Wort on the list, she's been nothing but a banger to play

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Special shoutout to my girl Phage the Untouchable one of the only commanders people think are unplayable unless the deck is built completely around her when you can use a few cards and tutors to get those cards to get her into your hand then play her. A few examples and even cards that are generally good so you can negate her ETB for ya so you don't lose would Be Command Beacon , Netherborn Alter, Torpor Orb, Sundial of the Infinite (this could be the last action of your turn so it would not be bad), Lich's Mastery, Stunning reversal and or Platinum Angel. Like these few cards do not mean you built the entire deck around Phage as it is just 7 cards that actually allows her to be a playable commander if you play them and some of the cards are good utility that you might opt to run in other decks as well just for the value Now the more tutors and virtual tutors you stuff in the deck the more it looks like you built the deck around Phage. And what i mean by virtual tutors is for example Entomb Gravepurge you pretty much search and get the card you want into your hand but it has to hit the grave first, like virtual card advantage is still really great card advantage which black is really good at as the only thing that would really beat you at that point is graveyard hate that exiles

[@allenyates3469]

I still regularly close out games with heartless hidetsugu. My reaper king changeling deck is an absolute monster. My Villis Broker of Blood deck only loses in cEdh pods, which i avoid at all costs lol.

[@blueredlover1060]

One commander I find that's still powerful, even all these years later is Mayael the Anima. Sure, the activated ability is expensive, but cheating out huge haymakers of the top of your deck is still insane. This means as bigger and better haymakers get printed the stuff he finds off the top is that much better.

[@NicholasEnriquez-d5u]

I think doran deserves a shoutout such a classic

[@djsedam123]

GODO MENTIONED! I'm not the only one who's heard of him!

[@yaza862]

not cedh level in anyway but Wort the raidmother is still great as of today in high powered commander, it plays a bit weird sometimes but if built with a goblin tribal undetone it's an insane storm deck

[@ry7hym]

my favorite pre-commander is probably adamaro. i love aggro in commander

[@ryanderenbecker8837]

I'm using Jhoira as a backup commander in the 99 of Jamie McCrimmon + The Tenth Doctor