How to play the Commander format in Magic: The Gathering

Commander is one of the most fun ways to play Magic: The Gathering, and despite that, it often confuses newcomers to the game. There are minor differences between traditional MTG and the Commander format, but I’m here to help you tell the difference and get started in this wild format. It’s been around for years, and though it originally went under a different name, Commander’s here to stay.

Known initially as EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), it’s a mode of Magic: The Gathering where each player has a deck of 100 cards and a legendary creature that acts as the deck commander. It might sound like a more complicated way to play, but once you’ve played a few matches with friends or locals in your game store, it will be like second nature.

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What are the rules and restrictions to playing Commander in Magic: The Gathering?

What is the Commander format of Magic: The Gathering? It’s a more casual and fun way to play - though there are competitive decks. There are cEDH (Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander) decks, but Commander generally is a more casual way to approach the game.

Usually, you need at least 60 cards and can have four of each card (unlimited numbers of basic lands). However, the following are the main differences.

Requirements for Commander

• 40 Life total start instead of 20
• 1 legendary creature to serve as your deck leader
• 99-card deck - can only have colors that match the deck leader
• You can only have 1 of each card, exempting basic lands

Normally, you can only have one of each card in your deck. However, some creatures overrule that. It’s worth knowing, even if you don’t plan on running that style of deck. Some creatures have rules that state you can have an unlimited number of them in your deck, Relentless Rats, for example. Rules on the card override rules of the format in all cases.

Whatever your deck leader’s color identity (colors used in casting the creature) are the only colors you can use in the deck. So if your deck is led by Child of Alara (5-color creature), you can use any color identity creature.

Building a Magic: The Gathering deck for Commander can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting. You need to determine what mana loadout works for you and what you want to run in the deck.

Some people run combo decks; some just run a creature type or two and flood the board. There are so many ways to build a Commander deck. You can even look online for ideas and build your own around what you initially saw.

When you’re playing Commander in Magic: The Gathering, your deck leader will be in its zone, the Command Zone. It doesn’t start in your hand or your deck. You can cast the deck leader from the Command Zone for its normal casting cost, plus two colorless mana each time it's been cast.

So it costs its normal casting cost the first time, then an additional two mana each additional time it is defeated. A card, spell, effect, or ability would send the deck leader to your graveyard, exile, hand, or deck. You can opt to instead, return it to your Command Zone.

It also plays like a normal game of Magic: The Gathering. There’s no wrong deck to own; you can build whatever your heart desires. However, there are banned cards. Banned cards can be used in casual games, provided you discuss it with your group first.

Any card that refers to “Ante” and any Gold/Silver bordered cards. Unfinity cards with an acorn stamp are also banned. A separate, specific list of normal Magic: The Gathering cards are also banned. Conspiracy cards are banned, as are any cards removed from constructed formats.

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The best way to start playing Commander is to buy or borrow a deck

Whether you’re new to Magic: The Gathering, or Commander as a format, it’s a good idea to look into pre-constructed decks. However, that’s not going to be the same for everyone. Some will want to build their deck right out of the gate, and that’s perfectly fine. Pre-constructed decks run for about $25 and come with everything you need to play.

The pre-constructed decks are often 3-color decks with three potential deck leaders. These decks are a good idea because it’s easy to see how they’re built and how much of each type of card they use. It can inspire other deckbuilds as well.

Conversely, you can borrow a friend’s Commander deck. Most Magic: The Gathering players have multiple Commander decks and are always glad to lend one out.

Whether you run a deck with one or two colors or choose to play a deck with no colored cards in them, it’s all up to you. Nearly every legendary creature in Magic: The Gathering can have a deck built around them if you’re creative enough to do so.

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How can you play Commander in person or on the internet?

In-person Magic: The Gathering can be played with friends anytime you want. I’ve played with up to 12 other players at the same time. Was it chaotic? Sure. But it was enjoyable, even though it took hours to finish.

You can also visit your local hobby/game store and see if they have dedicated Commander nights. Any Magic: The Gathering shop will surely have time devoted to this popular game mode.

However, you can also play online. There are so many ways to do that. Wizards of the Coast has two methods: MTG Online, where you can take your digital cards and build decks, or you can use Spelltable.

Spelltable is an app Wizards of the Coast uses, where you can take your physical, real-life Magic: The Gathering cards and play via webcam. You can set up private games or games with players around the world. It has card-scanning technology, so it’s easy to see the cards you’re playing against.

There are other ways to play, with PC programs like Cockatrice, Untap.in, and even Tabletop Simulator. There are plenty of ways to access digital cards without spending money, so you can create ridiculous decks to play with your friends anywhere.

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What is "Rule 0"?

One of the most important facets of Commander in Magic: The Gathering is "Rule 0". It reads as follows:

“Rule 0: These are the official rules of Commander. Local groups are welcome to modify them as they see fit. If you’d like an exception to these rules, especially in an unfamiliar environment, please get the approval of the other players before the game begins.”

This goes for casual Commander and cEDH. It's a straightforward rule. While there are official regulations and cards that the community agreed should be banned, not every playgroup is bound to this. You can bend and adjust the controls to be fun for everyone you play with.

If you're going to change the rules, or play something that is normally banned, please discuss it with your group. Your group can even have its ban list/banned Commanders. It's up to you, as long as everyone's having fun.

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Besides a few minor differences, Magic: The Gathering’s Commander is no different from normal MTG. It’s not available in MTG Arena, except for the Brawl mode.

Brawl is similar, but not quite the same as Commander. If you’re looking for an authentic Commander experience, you’ll have to look elsewhere. You can always look online via social media because you never know when you’ll stumble upon someone looking to play.