What Is Commander – Intro

Commander is the most popular format in Magic: The Gathering. This format challenges players to show off their deck-building, piloting, and even their political skills. Whereas other formats seek to lock-out the competition with predictable strategies and metagame decks, Commander is about the experience of playing with friends.

Defined by a philosophy of fun, Commander is generally considered a casual format (although we will discuss its competitive side) that encourages board interaction, expensive creatures, and splashy combos. First and foremost, Commander decks allow players to express themselves. The play styles and possibilities are infinite, with the largest card pool of any format.

Originally named Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), the format was created by Adam Staley in 1994. Inspired by the quintet of Elder Dragons from Legends, this shortlist of five Dragons became the first commanders. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) eventually realized that players were flocking to the now incredibly popular format. In 2008, Commander was made an official WotC format and given a legally-safe, new name.

The first step to playing is choosing a commander. But, “how do you know if an MTG card can be a commander?” We’ll start with this topic and cover everything from how to play to building a deck for the Commander format in Magic: The Gathering