Commander is Magic: The Gathering's most popular casual format, but its 100-card decks, Legendary Commanders, color restrictions, and multiplayer rules can make it look more intimidating than it actually is.

So today, let's get into all the MTG Commander rules, what EDH is, and what you need to know before sitting down for your first game.

Commander at a Glance

Commander is a multiplayer format built around a Legendary card that leads your deck. While the format follows the basic rules of Magic, it introduces several unique deckbuilding and gameplay rules:

• Each deck contains exactly 100 cards, including the Commander.
• Other than Basic Lands, you can usually include only one copy of each card.
• Your Commander begins face up in the Command Zone.
• Every card in your deck must fit within your Commander's color identity.
• Each player starts the game with 40 life.
• Most games are played with four players in a free-for-all fashion.
• An EDH deck is usually built around its Commander's abilities, strategy, theme, or whatever oddly specific challenge you have decided to inflict upon yourself.

How many players should a Commander game have?

Commander technically works with just two players, but the classic experience is a four-player pod. That setup gives you the full multiplayer experience, complete with shifting alliances, table politics, and several opponents who may or may not remember that you attacked them six turns ago.

Three-player games usually move faster, but they can also become two-against-one very quickly. Five-player games, on the other hand, often create more political maneuvering, more complicated board states, and significantly more time between turns.

For your first-ever Commander game, a four-player game is usually the sweet spot. You have enough opponents to keep things interesting without the game becoming too chaotic or difficult to follow. It also lets new players comfortably observe different decks and strategies without constantly having to adjust their own game plan.

Regardless of how many players you've got in a pod, Wizards estimates that a typical Commander game takes roughly two hours, but actual playtimes can vary.

Some games may end quickly after an early combo or a particularly explosive start. Others may continue until someone finally looks at the clock and realizes it's 3 a.m..

Commander vs. EDH: Is there a difference?

Commander and EDH are two names for the same format.

EDH stands for Elder Dragon Highlander, the format's original community name. Early versions revolved around the Elder Dragons of Legends, while "Highlander" referred to the singleton rule: there can be only one copy of each nonbasic card.

Commander eventually became the official name, but the core ideologies of EDH never truly disappeared. Players still discuss EDH rules, browse EDH decklists, and even call competitive Commander cEDH.

How many cards are in a Commander deck?

A Commander deck must contain exactly 100 cards.

Normally, that means one Commander in the Command Zone and 99 cards in the library. Your Commander counts toward the total even though it does not begin in the deck.

If you use two Commanders through a mechanic like Partner, Friends Forever, Doctor's Companion, or a Background pairing, both occupy the Command Zone. That means you can only have 98 cards in the library.

Cards such as Relentless Rats and Persistent Petitioners do override the singleton restriction because their own text permits additional copies.

What cards can be your Commander?

Most Commanders are Legendary Creatures.

Certain Planeswalkers can also serve as a Commander, but only when the card specifically says it can be your Commander. Simply being a Legendary Planeswalker does not automatically make it eligible.

As of 2025, Legendary Vehicles and Spacecraft with at least one printed power-and-toughness box can also serve as Commanders, such as The Fantasticar and Hearthhull, the Worldseed.

Then, once you have chosen a legal Commander, its color identity determines which cards you can include in the rest of the deck.

How does color identity work?

Color identity is one of the most important deckbuilding rules and one of the easiest to misunderstand.

Your Commander's color identity determines which cards can appear in your deck. To find it, look at colored mana symbols in the mana cost and rules text, color indicators, and both faces of a double-faced card.

Director Nick Fury has Blue, Red, and White mana symbols, so his color identity is Blue, Red, and White, or Jeskai. This means a Director Nick Fury deck can contain Blue, Red, White, Blue-Red (Izzet), Blue-White (Azorius), Red-White (Boros), and colorless cards. It cannot contain anything with Green or Black in its color identity.

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., on the other hand, demonstrates the difference between color and color identity. Nick Fury is a White card because his casting cost contains only White mana, but his ability includes all five colors. Therefore, his color identity is five-color, allowing him to lead a deck containing every color.

Double-faced Commanders use the combined color identity of both faces. Terra, Magical Adept, for example, has only Red and Green mana symbols on its front face.

However, the final chapter ability of its reverse side, Esper Terra, contains White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green mana symbols. Terra's color identity is therefore all five colors, allowing it to lead a deck containing cards of any color.

Partner Commanders work similarly. When two cards are allowed to share the Command Zone, their color identities are combined to determine which colors can appear in the deck.

For example, if your Partner Commanders were Tymna the Weaver and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus, then your deck can contain Blue, Red, White, and Black cards.

Finally, hybrid mana symbols count as all their represented colors when determining a Commander's color identity. For example, Ognis, the Dragon's Lash contains Black-Red and Red-Green hybrid symbols, giving it a Black-Red-Green (Jund ) color identity.

The Command Zone & Commander Tax

Your Commander begins the game face up in the Command Zone. You may cast it from there as though it were in your hand, although it is still considered to be in a separate game zone.

The first time you cast your Commander, you pay its normal mana cost. Each time you cast that same Commander again from the Command Zone, however, it costs an additional two generic mana for every previous time you have cast it from there.

For example, a Commander that normally costs three mana will cost five mana the second time you cast it from the Command Zone, seven mana the third time, and so on. This steadily increasing cost is what players refer to as the Commander Tax.

This is because whenever your Commander is put into your hand, library, graveyard, or exile, you generally have the option to move it back to the Command Zone. You are not required to do so, though, as there can be advantages to leaving it in its new zone, such as reanimating it from the graveyard or blinking it from exile without having to pay Commander Tax.

It is also important to remember that the Command Zone is not the battlefield. Your Commander does not count as a Creature you control while it is in the Command Zone, and its abilities normally don't function unless the card specifically says otherwise.

Eminence is the most notable exception, as it explicitly works while the Commander is either on the battlefield or in the Command Zone.

What is Commander Damage?

Commander Damage is an alternate win condition unique to the format.

If a player takes 21 or more combat damage from the same Commander over the course of the game, that player loses.

A few important rules to keep in mind regarding Commander damage:

• Only Combat Damage counts. Damage dealt by a Commander's triggered or activated abilities never counts as Commander Damage.
• Damage is tracked separately for each Commander. Taking 11 damage from one Commander and 10 from another does not add up to 21.
• Commander Damage follows the physical card. As such, if an opponent steals your Commander and attacks you with it, that damage gets tracked.
• Previous damage remains tracked even if the Commander leaves the battlefield and returns later.
• Gaining life does not erase Commander Damage. You can have 100 life and still lose after taking 21 points from the same Commander.

All normal Magic loss conditions still apply as well, including reaching zero life, drawing from an empty library, accumulating 10 Poison Counters, or losing to an effect that specifically says you do.

Who goes first, and how do mulligans work?

Commander follows the standard multiplayer rules for choosing a starting player and taking mulligans:

1. Choose the starting player: Most groups roll dice, flip a coin, or use another method of randomization.
2. Begin taking turns clockwise: Once the starting player is chosen, play proceeds around the table in a clockwise order.
3. Draw on the first turn: Because Commander is typically multiplayer, the starting player still draws a card on turn one. Only two-player games make the first player skip their first draw.
4. Draw an opening hand of seven cards: Don't like your hand? No problem.
5. Redraw after a mulligan: Commander uses the London mulligan system. Each time you mulligan, draw seven new cards, then place one card on the bottom of your library for each mulligan you have taken.
6. Take the first mulligan for free: In multiplayer games, your first mulligan still leaves you with seven cards. Each additional mulligan reduces your final hand size by one.
7. Start the game: Have fun.

Sideboards, Wish Cards, & the Ban List

Typical Commander games don't utilize a sideboard. Unlike competitive formats that are commonly played as best-of-three matches, Commander is usually played as a single multiplayer game, so there is no official 15-card pool waiting off to the side.

This notion also affects traditional "wish" cards and other effects that search for a card you own from outside the game. In Commander, specifically, these effects cannot just go and grab any convenient card from your collection unless a specific event rule or house rule allows it.

Commander also has its own banned list. It includes famously game-warping cards such as Black Lotus; format-specific problems such as Dockside Extortionist and Jeweled Lotus; cards involving Ante; cards with the Conspiracy type; and cards banned across all formats for offensive content.

The Commander banned list is designed to remove cards that create especially unhealthy, repetitive, or inaccessible games rather than eliminate every powerful interaction in the format.

Plenty of absurd cards and infinite combos remain legal, so it's crucial to always check the official banned list before relying on an older decklist or strategy.

Rule 0 & the Pregame Conversation

Rule 0 is essentially the Commander community's term for a pregame conversation about expectations.

Since Commander can often range from heavily themed kitchen table decks to ruthlessly efficient cEDH lists, players should always take a moment before shuffling to make sure everyone is looking for roughly the same kind of game.

This conversation can cover deck strength, unusual Commanders, infinite combos, mass Land destruction, extra turns, proxies, house rules, or anything else likely to affect the table's experience.

You don't need to reveal every card in your deck or explain your entire strategy, but you should mention anything that might significantly change how the game plays.

A useful Rule 0 explanation can be as simple as:

"My deck is an upgraded precon, has no fast mana, and can win with a three-card combo after turn seven." This would tell the table far more than simply saying, "It's about a seven out of 10."

Rule 0 can also be used to modify parts of the format. Your group might decide that players lose at 15 poison counters instead of 10, remove Commander Damage altogether, allow the use of silver-bordered cards, permit a technically illegal Commander for a flavorful deck, or even establish its own rules around proxies and mulligans.

At the end of the day, Rule 0 isn't about granting one player permission to ignore the rules; it is about making sure the entire table knows what kind of game it is agreeing to play.

Commander Brackets

Wizards currently offer five optional Commander Brackets:

• Bracket 1: Exhibition
• Bracket 2: Core
• Bracket 3: Upgraded
• Bracket 4: Optimized
• Bracket 5: cEDH

Brackets are a helpful starting point, but they should never replace an actual conversation. Always strive to be the player who tells the table what your deck does, how quickly it can win, and whether it includes any strategies players may want to know about beforehand.

Bracket 1: Exhibition

Exhibition focuses on highly thematic decks that prioritize flavor, creativity, or a specific gimmick over raw power. These decks are generally less concerned with winning efficiently and more interested in doing something memorable.

Bracket 2: Core

Core covers straightforward, lower-pressure decks with slower, more visible win conditions. Games at this level usually leave players plenty of time to develop their boards, interact, and see what each deck is trying to accomplish.

Bracket 3: Upgraded

Upgraded includes stronger synergy, more efficient card choices, and the potential for explosive turns or compact combos. These decks are still built for social play, but they are noticeably more focused and capable of closing out games quickly.

Bracket 4: Optimized

Optimized features fast, consistent, and heavily tuned decks that use powerful cards, efficient interaction, and reliable win conditions. They may not follow the established competitive metagame, but they are usually built to compete at a very high level.

Bracket 5: cEDH

cEDH represents fully competitive Commander, where players use the strongest strategies, cards, and combo lines available. The goal is to win as efficiently as possible, with the shared expectation that every player is bringing a similarly optimized deck.

Tips for Your First Commander Games

Knowing all the EDH Commander rules is one thing. Navigating crowded board states, keeping the game moving at a comfortable pace, and avoiding becoming the table's immediate archenemy is another.

Fortunately, a few simple habits can make your first games easier, more enjoyable, and far less likely to end with everyone specifically targeting you on principle.

Bring the Right Accessories

Bring something that can reliably track your life total, Commander Damage, counters, and any tokens your deck creates. Two 10-sided dice work well for life, while smaller dice can help track everything from +1/+1 Counters to the steadily increasing number of Treasures you definitely don't plan to combo off with.

And while you don't necessarily need to own the official token for every effect, whatever you use should be clear to everyone at the table. Dice, spare cards, or even homemade tokens can all get the job done as long as players can tell what they represent and whether they are tapped.

Announce Important Plays

Commander boards become crowded. So, it's always important to say what you are casting, clarify targets, and explain key triggers.

Furthermore, always give everyone a chance to resolve one effect before moving on to the next.

Four-player games come with plenty of triggers, responses, and opportunities for confusion, so pausing for a moment can save the table from arguing five minutes later about what technically should or could have happened.

Play at a Reasonable Pace

Try to plan your next move during other players' turns to keep the game moving but be patient when someone needs a little extra time. New players should feel comfortable reading cards, asking questions, and figuring out how unfamiliar interactions work without feeling rushed.

After all, Commander pulls cards from decades of Magic history, so nobody knows what every card does. Even experienced players may occasionally need a minute to read the five-paragraph card you found buried in a box from 1998.

Keep Your Deals

Politics are a fundamental part of Commander, so don't be afraid to negotiate, form temporary alliances, or promise not to attack someone in exchange for a little cooperation.

Just be clear about what you agree to and, more importantly, keep your word.

For example, "I will not attack you next turn" is not the same as "I will not damage you next turn."

You can technically exploit this distinction, of course, but just don't be surprised when nobody trusts another deal you offer for the rest of your Magic career.

Save Interaction for the Real Threat

The biggest Creature on the battlefield is not always the biggest threat. Sure, a 10/10 beater may look terrifying at first glance, but the player quietly drawing three extra cards every turn could be much closer to taking over the game.

So, before using your interaction, ask what unfamiliar cards do, check graveyards for potential combos, and pay attention to how much mana everyone has available.

You will rarely have enough answers for every threat you're up against, so resist removing something simply because you can. Instead, save your interaction for cards that could win the game, lock down the table, or generate so much value that it becomes nearly impossible to stop later.

Build a Deck That Can Participate

Commander gives you plenty of room to be creative, but your deck still needs the basics: Lands, ramp, card draw, interaction, and some kind of plan for actually winning.

A pile of 50 thematic Birds in your Bird Tribal deck may show everyone how much you love Birds, but that theme will not matter much when you miss your fourth Land drop and spend the next hour or so watching everyone else play.

A little structure goes a long way. After all, your deck can't show off its clever theme if it never gets the chance to do anything.

Where can you play Commander?

The easiest place to start is usually at home with a few friends. Commander is a social multiplayer format, so all you really need is a playgroup, enough table space for everyone, and at least one person who remembered to bring dice.

If you don't already have a regular playgroup, be sure to check out your local game store. Many stores hold weekly Commander nights, casual meetups, or organized events and may divide players into pods based on experience or deck strength.

Then, once you get there, don't be afraid to tell everyone that you are new. Most Commander players are happy to explain unfamiliar cards, slow down complicated interactions, and help you follow what is happening. Someone may even let you borrow a deck; just remember to treat it carefully and set the Commander aside before shuffling.

You can also play paper Commander remotely through SpellTable, which uses webcams to connect you with friends or other players online. For a fully digital experience, Magic Online supports Commander and offers access to a much larger portion of Magic's card pool.

And while MTG Arena doesn't currently offer traditional four-player Commander, its Brawl format provides a similar Commander-focused experience. Brawl is not exactly the same, sure, but it is still a useful way to practice deckbuilding, learn card interactions, and develop skills that will help you be a better Magic player overall.

Conclusion

Commander may look relatively complicated at first, but the basics are simple: choose a legal Commander, build a 100-card deck within its color identity, start at 40 life, and try to be the last player standing.

The official Commander rules give the format structure, but the social side gives it personality. Talk before the game. Explain what your deck is trying to do. Match expectations as closely as possible. And when someone says their deck is "pretty casual," ask at least one follow-up question.

From there, the best way to learn is just to shuffle up and start playing. You will miss triggers, misunderstand cards, make questionable moves, and occasionally trust someone who absolutely plans to betray you. That is all part of the experience.

So, learn the rules, communicate with the table, and don't worry about playing perfectly. After all, at the end of the day, Commander is less about knowing everything there is to know about MTG and more about discovering just how much fun a 100-card singleton deck and three opponents can create.