Choosing a Commander

Mono-color

Easiest mana base. Limited card pool but very focused. Strong in a single strategy. Your lands are almost entirely basics, which makes you highly resistant to nonbasic land hate like Blood Moon and Back to Basics. Examples: Krenko, Mob Boss (mono-red goblins), K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth (mono-black), Omnath, Locus of Mana (mono-green).

Two-color

Good balance of options and consistency. The most common choice for new players. Each color pair has distinct strengths. The mana base is forgiving and rarely causes issues. Simic (green-blue) excels at ramp and card draw with commanders like Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait. Orzhov (white-black) specializes in sacrifice strategies with commanders like Teysa Karlov. Izzet (blue-red) focuses on instants and sorceries with commanders like Veyran, Voice of Duality.

Three-color

Wide card pool with some mana base challenges. You’ll need more dual lands and color-fixing artifacts to cast your spells on time. Wedge combinations like Mardu (white-black-red) with commanders like Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, and shard combinations like Esper (white-blue-black) with commanders like Zur the Enchanter, each have unique identities.

Four-color and Five-color

Maximum flexibility but the most challenging mana base. Requires expensive lands for consistency. Often built around a specific theme that needs all colors. Budget four and five-color mana bases will frequently stumble on color requirements. Examples: Jodah, the Unifier (five-color legends), Sliver Overlord (five-color slivers).

Colorless

Very restrictive card pool. Primarily built around artifacts, Eldrazi, and other colorless permanents. Unique but challenging since you cannot use any cards with colored mana symbols. Your mana base consists entirely of Wastes and colorless-producing utility lands. Examples: Kozilek, the Great Distortion. Traxos, Scourge of Kroog.

Commanders that require specific support to function but reward you heavily. They define your deck completely, and most of your card choices flow directly from what they need.

Commanders that generate ongoing advantage without needing much specific support. They’re good in many different builds and provide a steady stream of resources.

Commanders that allow a strategy rather than being the strategy themselves. They often provide color access, cost reduction, or a utility ability that supports your game plan from the command zone.

Commanders that are part of a combo themselves. They enable specific game-winning lines because they are always accessible from the command zone.

Partner (Original)

Two legendary creatures with the “Partner” keyword can both serve as your commander. Their color identities combine, giving you access to more colors. Your deck runs 98 cards instead of 99 since both commanders are separate from the library. Introduced in Commander 2016.

Partner With

A more restrictive version of Partner. Each creature can only partner with their specific named partner. You cannot mix and match these with other Partner creatures. For example, Brallin, Skyshark Rider can only partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark.

Friends Forever

From the Stranger Things Secret Lair. Works like the original Partner keyword but is a separate keyword entirely. Creatures with Friends Forever can partner with each other but not with creatures that have the original Partner keyword.

Choose a Background

From Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate. Pairs a legendary creature that has “Choose a Background” with a Background enchantment in the command zone. The Background provides a static or triggered ability that enhances your commander.

Doctor’s Companion

From the Doctor Who Commander set. A creature with Doctor’s Companion can partner with a legendary creature that has the Doctor creature type. This creates a thematic pairing between a Doctor and their companion.