Building Better Worlds: Some of My Favourite Commander Deck Staples

Wizard Tower Magnus' Magic The Gathering Personal Staple Picks for Commander

So, you want to build a Commander Deck huh?  You may have tried a precon, and found them pretty awesome, but you’re ready for more! You crave the experience of being a Planeswalker that slings spells from your own 100 card creation!

Well, as an eclectic and grey-haired wizard I have a few nuggets of wisdom to share I suppose.  I thought I would lay out a few lists (in no particular order) below of some of my favourite staples I look to when I sit down to build yet another commander deck. (I always swear it’s the last one… it isn’t, it never is lol)

What is Commander? What? Are you new here? Ok, this is for all you new people …. Magic: The Gathering Commander, often referred to as EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), is a format beloved by millions of players worldwide. Its unique singleton deck construction, coupled with a 100-card deck led by a legendary creature, fosters diverse and exciting game play experiences.

One of the key aspects of building a successful Commander deck is including staple cards—those versatile, powerful, and universally applicable cards that can fit into a wide range of strategies and decks.

In this not-so-brief guide, we'll delve into the world of Commander Deck staples. From mana ramp, card draw, removal, staple lands and win conditions, we'll explore the cards that I often consider when crafting my own decks. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the format, this guide aims to provide “valuable” insights and “recommendations” to enhance your Commander deck-building journey.

So, let’s dive in….

 

Mana Ramp Staples:

Mana ramp is a cornerstone of Commander Deck building, enabling you to accelerate your mana production and cast your key spells ahead of schedule. While lands provide a crucial source of mana, “mana rocks”(artifacts that produce man) play an equally important role in ensuring consistent and efficient mana development. Here are some of my favourite staple mana ramp cards, including both traditional mana rocks and other ramp options:

1. Sol Ring
   • Description: Sol Ring is an iconic staple of Commander decks, offering two colourless mana for just one mana investment. Its efficiency and versatility make it a must-include in virtually every Commander deck.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: 1
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Accelerates early-game mana production significantly.
2.  Arcane Signet
   • Description: Arcane Signet is a recent addition to the Commander format, providing one mana of any colour in your Commander's colour identity. Its low cost and flexibility make it a staple inclusion in most Commander decks.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: 2
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Offers versatile mana fixing and acceleration in any multicolour Commander deck.
3.  Fellwar Stone
   • Description: Fellwar Stone taps for one mana of any colour that a land an opponent controls could produce. This makes it a highly versatile ramp option in multiplayer games, where opponents are likely to have a variety of different lands.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: 2
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides flexible mana acceleration based on the lands controlled by opponents.
4.  Mana Crypt
   • Description: Mana Crypt provides two colourless mana at no cost, making it an incredibly powerful ramp option. However, it comes with the drawback of dealing damage to its controller during each upkeep.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: 0
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Offers fast mana acceleration, especially in the early game.
5.  Mana Vault
   • Description: Mana Vault is an artifact that taps for three colourless mana, but it comes into play tapped and requires paying four mana during each upkeep or untap step, or else it deals one damage to its controller.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 1
   • Colour Identity: Colourless

     

   • Usage: Provides a burst of mana acceleration at the cost of life or a potential drawback.
6.  Chromatic Lantern
   • Description: Chromatic Lantern is an artifact that allows all lands you control to tap for one mana of any colour. It also provides itself with one mana of any colour.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 3
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Fixes mana in multicolour decks and ensures consistent access to all colours of mana.
7.  Gilded Lotus
   • Description: Gilded Lotus is a powerful ramp artifact that taps for three mana of any one colour. It provides a significant burst of mana acceleration, especially in the mid to late game.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 5
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Enables the casting of high-cost spells or multiple spells in a single turn.
8.  Worn Powerstone
   • Description: Worn Powerstone is a mana rock that enters the battlefield tapped and taps for two colourless mana. While it comes with a drawback of entering tapped, its efficiency in providing mana acceleration cannot be understated.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: 3
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides a reliable source of mana acceleration in midrange and control decks.
9.  Mind Stone
   • Description: Mind Stone is an artifact that taps for one colourless mana. It can also be sacrificed to draw a card, providing versatility as both ramp and card draw.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: 2
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Offers early-game ramp and late-game card draw, making it a flexible inclusion in many Commander decks.
10.  Everflowing Chalice

• • Description: Everflowing Chalice is an artifact with multikicker that enters the battlefield with a number of charge counters on it. It taps for one colourless mana for each charge counter on it.
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Cost: 0
  • Colour Identity: Colourless
  • Usage: Scales well into the late game, providing increasing amounts of mana acceleration as the game progresses.

 

Mana ramp is a vital component of successful Commander Deck construction, enabling you to accelerate your mana production and cast powerful spells ahead of schedule. Whether through traditional mana rocks like Sol Ring and Arcane Signet, versatile options like Fellwar Stone, or powerful artifacts like Mana Crypt and Gilded Lotus, including staple mana ramp cards in your Commander deck can significantly enhance its consistency and performance. By incorporating these ramp options into your deck building strategy, you can ensure a smoother and more enjoyable Commander experience.

 

Card Draw Staples:

Card draw is essential for maintaining card advantage and ensuring that you have the resources needed to execute your game plan effectively. In Commander, having a robust card draw engine can be the difference between victory and defeat. Here are ten staple card draw cards that I often consider when deck building

1. Rhystic Study

• • Description: Rhystic Study is an enchantment that allows you to draw a card whenever an opponent casts a spell unless that opponent pays an additional mana. It offers consistent card draw and can generate significant card advantage over time.
  • Rarity: Common/Rare/Mythic Rare
  • Cost: 2U
  • Colour Identity: Blue
  • Usage: Provides ongoing card draw and incentivizes opponents to play around its ability.

2.  Mystic Remora

• • Description: Mystic Remora is an enchantment with a cumulative upkeep cost that allows you to draw a card whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell unless that opponent pays four mana. It offers cheap and effective card draw early in the game.
  • Rarity: Common/Uncommon/Rare
  • Cost: U
  • Colour Identity: Blue
  • Usage: Provides efficient card draw in the early game and can be a nuisance for opponents to deal with.

       3. Phyrexian Arena

• • Description: Phyrexian Arena is an enchantment that allows you to draw an additional card during your upkeep, albeit at the cost of one life. It provides consistent card draw throughout the game.
  • Rarity: Rare
  • Cost: 1BB
  • Colour Identity: Black
  • Usage: Offers ongoing card advantage at the expense of life, making it a staple inclusion in many black Commander decks.

    

       4. Sylvan Library

• • Description: Sylvan Library allows you to draw extra cards during your draw step by paying life or manipulating the top cards of your library. It offers card selection and the potential to draw additional cards each turn.
  • Rarity: Uncommon/ Rare/Mythic Rare
  • Cost: 1G
  • Colour Identity: Green
  • Usage: Provides flexibility in card draw and can help dig for key cards in your deck.

       5. Skullclamp

• • Description: Skullclamp is an equipment that allows you to draw two cards whenever a creature equipped with it dies. It provides card draw with creature token strategies and synergizes well with sacrifice effects.
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Cost: 1
  • Colour Identity: Colourless
  • Usage: Offers efficient card draw in creature-based strategies, especially those involving token generation.

       6. Consecrated Sphinx

• • Description: Consecrated Sphinx is a creature that allows you to draw two cards whenever an opponent draws a card. It provides a powerful card draw engine that can quickly snowball into overwhelming card advantage.
  • Rarity: Mythic Rare
  • Cost: 4UU
  • Colour Identity: Blue
  • Usage: Offers unparalleled card draw potential in blue Commander decks.

        7. Mystic Confluence

• • Description: Mystic Confluence is an instant that allows you to choose one or more modes, including drawing cards, returning creatures to their owners' hands, and countering spells. Its versatility makes it a valuable inclusion in many blue decks.
  • Rarity: Rare
  • Cost: 3UU
  • Colour Identity: Blue
  • Usage: Offers card draw along with additional utility options, providing flexibility in different game situations.

        8. Brainstorm

• • Description: Brainstorm is an instant that allows you to draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
  • Rarity: Common
  • Cost: U
  • Colour Identity: Blue
  • Usage: Provides low cost card draw and let’s you set up your top of library.

        9. Thrill of Possibility

• • Description: Thrill of possibility is an instant that allows you to draw two cards after you discard a card from your hand. Rarity: Common
  • Cost: 1R
  • Colour Identity: Red
  • Usage: This offers you excellent card draw at low casting cost, while emptying out a card with low playability in your hand for that stage of the match, or perhaps you want cards in your graveyard? Even Better!

      10. Valakut Awakening

• • Description: Valakut Awakening is an instant that allows you to put any number of cards from your hand on the bottom of your library, then draw that many cards plus one.
  •  Rarity: Rare
  • Cost: 2R
  • Colour Identity: Red
  • Usage: Sometimes, you’ve got a handful of meh! Or it’s late game and you need that “Hail Mary” card.  Either way dumping the meh for the chance of a win-con or saviour card is easy with Valakut Awakening.

 

In Commander, card draw is the lifeblood of a successful strategy, providing the resources needed to stay ahead of opponents and execute your game plan effectively. Including a diverse array of card draw options in your deck ensures that you have the necessary tools to maintain card advantage and find the answers you need when facing threats. Whether it's through enchantments like Rhystic Study and Mystic Remora, powerful artifacts like Skullclamp, or creature abilities like Consecrated Sphinx, prioritizing card draw ensures that you can navigate through the complexities of Commander games with confidence and adaptability.

 

 

Ahhh Removal, I Just Love These Cards. 

In Commander there are literally thousands of creatures of every different power and toughness and ability or effects you can imagine.  So, how do you defend against such hordes?  Simple really just kill ‘em!  Well it isn’t quite that simple but here are a few of my favourite cards that I look for to tame that savage beast my opponent just played:

 

1. Swords to Plowshares

   

• • Description: Swords to Plowshares is an instant that exiles target creature, granting its controller life equal to its power. It offers efficient creature removal at a minimal cost.

• • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Cost: W
  • Colour Identity: White
  • Usage: Provides cheap and effective removal for any creature threat.

2.  Path to Exile
   • Description: Path to Exile is an instant that exiles target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: W
   • Colour Identity: White
   • Usage: Offers premium creature removal with a slight drawback that can be mitigated in the late game.
3.  Beast Within
   • Description: Beast Within is an instant that destroys target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token as a downside.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: 2G
   • Colour Identity: Green
   • Usage: Provides versatile removal for any problematic permanent threat.
4.  Cyclonic Rift
   • Description: Cyclonic Rift is a sorcery that returns all non-land permanents target player controls to their owner's hand. It has an overload option that affects all opponents.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 1U
   • Colour Identity: Blue
   • Usage: Offers a powerful reset button for the board state and can serve as a game-winning play in the late game.
5.  Anguished Unmaking
   • Description: Anguished Unmaking is an instant that exiles target non-land permanent. Its controller loses three life as part of the cost.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 3WB
   • Colour Identity: White, Black
   • Usage: Provides versatile removal for any non-land permanent at the cost of life.
6.  Assassin's Trophy
   • Description: Assassin's Trophy is an instant that destroys target permanent an opponent controls. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 1BG
   • Colour Identity: Black, Green
   • Usage: Offers flexible removal for any permanent at a low cost.
7.  Toxic Deluge
   • Description: Toxic Deluge is a sorcery that allows you to pay X life, then destroy each creature with toughness X or less.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: XBB
   • Colour Identity: Black
   • Usage: Provides a versatile board wipe option that can scale based on the threat level of opposing creatures.
8.  Return to Dust
   • Description: Return to Dust is a sorcery that exiles target artifact or enchantment. You may choose a second target for it to destroy as well.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: 2W
   • Colour Identity: White
   • Usage: Offers flexible removal for multiple artifact and enchantment threats.
9.  Chaos Warp
   • Description: Chaos Warp is an instant that exiles target permanent, then its controller shuffles their library and reveals the top card. If it's a permanent card, they put it onto the battlefield.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 2R
   • Colour Identity: Red
   • Usage: Provides unpredictable removal that can deal with any problematic permanent.
10.  Vindicate:

• •              Description: Vindicate is a sorcery that destroys target permanent. Its versatility makes it a valuable inclusion in many Commander Decks.
  •              Rarity: Rare
  •              Cost: 1WB
  •              Colour Identity: White, Black
  •              Usage: Offers unconditional removal for any permanent type.

 

By including versatile removal spells like Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, and Vindicate, you can efficiently deal with opponents' threats and maintain control of the battlefield. Having a well-rounded suite of removal cards is essential for achieving victory in Magic: The Gathering Commander.

 

Staple Lands:

In Commander, lands play a crucial role in shaping your deck's mana base and ensuring consistent access to the colours of mana needed to cast your spells. While the

format allows for a wide variety of lands to be included in your deck, there are several staple lands that I often turn to in my Commander decks due to their versatility and utility. Here are ten staple lands that I look to for mana production, card advantage and colour fixing:

1.  Command Tower
   • Description: Command Tower taps for one mana of any colour in your Commander's colour identity. It provides versatile mana fixing for any colour identity in Commander decks.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Ensures consistent access to all colours of mana needed for your spells and abilities.
2.  Mana Confluence
   • Description: Mana Confluence taps for one mana of any colour at the cost of one life. It offers flexible mana fixing, enabling access to any colour of mana needed.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides versatile mana fixing at the cost of life, allowing for the casting of spells of any colour in your deck.
3.  City of Brass
   • Description: City of Brass taps for one mana of any colour. It deals one damage to you whenever it produces mana. It offers versatile mana fixing at the cost of life.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides access to any colour of mana needed while potentially punishing the controller with life loss.
4.  Reflecting Pool
   • Description: Reflecting Pool taps for one mana of any colour that a land you control could produce. It offers versatile mana fixing based on the lands you have in play.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides flexible mana fixing based on your current land configuration, enabling access to any colour of mana needed.
5.  Escape Tunnel
   • Description: Escape Tunnel allows you to tap and sacrifice it to search your library for a basic land, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. OR you can tap and sacrifice it to make target creature with power 2 or less un-blockable this turn.
   • Rarity: Common

     

   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Versatile. Allows you options to find a land you need or power through with a “pumpable” creature to deal damage.
6.  Ancient Tomb
   • Description: Ancient Tomb taps to add 2, with the downside of dealing 2 damage to you.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides a great burst of 2 mana every activation, just use it wisely 2 damage per use adds up faster than you can imagine.
7.  Fabled Passage
   • Description: Fabled Passage is one of my favourite choices allowing you to tap and sacrifice it, search your library for a basic land , put it onto the battlefield tapped, the shuffle your library. Then if you control four or more lands , untap that land.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Late game this land just accelerates your mana fixing and game play by letting you get that key basic land you want.
8.  Path of Ancestry
   • Description: Path of Ancestry enters the battlefield tapped. You can tap it to add one mana of any colour in your commander’s colour identity.  When the mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1.
   • Rarity: Common
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides flexible mana fixing based on your tribal commander, enabling access to any colour of mana needed. With a bonus of Scrying.
9.  Exotic Orchard
   • Description: Exotic Orchard taps for one mana of any colour that a land an opponent controls could produce. It offers versatile mana fixing based on opponents' lands.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: N/A
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Provides flexible mana fixing based on the lands controlled by opponents, ensuring access to any colour of mana needed.
10.  Reliquary Tower

• • Description: Reliquary Tower is a land that allows you to have no maximum hand size. It ensures that you can keep all the cards you draw without discarding.
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Cost: N/A
  • Colour Identity: Colourless
  • Usage: Prevents you from having to discard excess cards, allowing you to maintain card advantage.

 

Staple lands play a vital role in shaping the mana base of your Commander decks, providing essential mana fixing and ensuring consistent access to the colours of mana needed to cast spells. Whether its fetch lands for efficient mana fixing, budget-friendly options like Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds, or versatile lands like Command Tower and Mana Confluence, including staple lands in your Commander deck can significantly enhance its consistency and performance. By incorporating these lands into your deck construction, you can ensure a smoother and more enjoyable game play experience in Magic: The Gathering Commander.

 

Win Condition Staples:

Win conditions are the cards or combinations of cards that ultimately lead to victory. They can range from overwhelming your opponents with creatures to executing a game-winning combo, or creating an infinite supply of, mana, creatures or damage! This list isn’t even close to the total amount of win-cons out there, but I picked ten that I thought are fairly easy to deliver.  In Commander, having diverse win conditions ensures that you can adapt to different board states and opponent strategies. Here are ten staple win condition cards that I look to when doing new builds:

1.  Craterhoof Behemoth
   • Description: Craterhoof Behemoth is a creature that grants all your creatures trample and +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: 5GG
   • Colour Identity: Green
   • Usage: Serves as a game-ending threat when you have a critical mass of creatures on the battlefield.
2.  Expropriate
   • Description: Expropriate is a sorcery that allows you to take an extra turn after this one and either gain control of all artifacts, creatures, and/or lands your opponents control or allow each opponent to vote for time or money, with the majority choice affecting them.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: 7UU
   • Colour Identity: Blue
   • Usage: Offers a powerful swing in your favour, either by taking additional turns or seizing control of opponents' resources.

     

3.  Laboratory Maniac
   • Description: Laboratory Maniac is a creature with a win condition ability that states you win the game if you have no cards in your library during your draw step.
   • Rarity: Uncommon
   • Cost: 2U
   • Colour Identity: Blue
   • Usage: Serves as a game-winning combo piece in decks that can draw or mill their entire library.
4.  Approach of the Second Sun
   • Description: Approach of the Second Sun is a sorcery that allows you to gain seven life and put it seventh from the top of your library. If you cast it from your hand and it's the second time you've cast it from your hand this game, you win the game.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 6W
   • Colour Identity: White
   • Usage: Provides an alternate win condition that can catch opponents off guard.
5.  Tooth and Nail
   • Description: Tooth and Nail is a sorcery that allows you to search your library for any two creature cards and put them onto the battlefield.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 9 (5GG)
   • Colour Identity: Green
   • Usage: Can tutor for powerful creature combos or game-ending threats, depending on your deck's strategy.
6. Aetherflux Reservoir
   • Description: Aetherflux Reservoir is an artifact that gains one life for each spell you've cast this turn. You can also pay 50 life to deal 50 damage to any target.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 4
   • Colour Identity: Colourless
   • Usage: Serves as a combo piece in storm decks, allowing for massive life gain and a potential one-shot kill.
7.  Omniscience
   • Description: Omniscience is an enchantment that allows you to cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.
   • Rarity: Mythic Rare
   • Cost: 7UUU
   • Colour Identity: Blue
   • Usage: Enables powerful spell combos and overwhelming board presence when combined with other cards.
8.  Revel in Riches
   • Description: Revel in Riches is an enchantment that gives you a treasure token whenever a creature an opponent controls dies. If you control ten or more treasures at the beginning of your upkeep, you win the game.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 3BB
   • Colour Identity: Black
   • Usage: Offers an alternative win condition based on accumulating treasure tokens.
9.  Insurrection
   • Description: Insurrection is a sorcery that untaps all creatures and gains control of them until end of turn. It can serve as a game-ending play by stealing opponents' creatures and attacking with them.
   • Rarity: Rare
   • Cost: 5RR
   • Colour Identity: Red
   • Usage: Provides a dramatic swing in your favour by seizing control of opponents' creatures for a lethal attack.
10.  Helix Pinnacle

• • Description: Helix Pinnacle is an enchantment with a win condition ability that states you win the game if there are 100 or more tower counters on it.
  • Rarity: Rare
  • Cost: G
  • Colour Identity: Green
  • Usage: Offers a gradual win condition that incentivizes mana ramp and protection strategies.

 

Winning in Commander requires more than just assembling a powerful board state—it requires a clear path to victory. By including diverse win condition cards in your deck, you can ensure that you have multiple avenues to secure the win, whether through overwhelming creature assaults, game-ending combos, or alternative win conditions. Staples like Craterhoof Behemoth, Expropriate, and Aetherflux Reservoir offer powerful ways to close out games and emerge victorious, allowing you to adapt to different board states and opponent strategies with ease.

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In the vibrant world of Magic: The Gathering Commander, building a successful deck requires careful consideration of key elements such as mana ramp, removal, card draw, great land selection and win conditions. By including staple cards in each of these categories, you can enhance the consistency, resilience, and overall performance of your decks. From iconic staples like Sol Ring and Rhystic Study to versatile options like Beast Within and Mystic Confluence, each card serves as a vital tool in the arsenal of a Commander player. Whether you're fine-tuning an existing deck or embarking on a new deck-building adventure, may these staples serve as invaluable resources in your journey through the diverse and exciting world of Commander.

So, Planeswalker…. Take my grey-haired wisdom for what worth it has and create, battle and win!  Until, next time…

WTMagnus.

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A Very Big Thank You to Wizards of the Coast and their images and notes for material source.