Commander is one of the most fun formats in Magic: The Gathering, and through all of my years of playing, I still love coming back to the table with a group of friends. While “fun” can be very subjective, I have compiled a list of legendary creatures that are generally fun commanders to play both with and against.
The most fun decks will always be the ones you find the most enjoyable. While this is subjective, I always find that having some exciting synergy between your cards, a little bit of politicking, and a deck that will be tough for your opponents to beat makes for a fun deck.
There are so many different ways to play EDH and many different commanders to choose from. With that said, I have detailed some enjoyable strategies and overall fun decks to play below. As well as some fun options for beginners and the best precons to pick up for maximum EDH fun.
Updated: 2/28/24
Table of Contents:
- Top 15 Most Fun Commander Decks
- Esix, Fractal Bloom
- Zada, Hedron Grinder
- Ghalta, Primal Hunger
- Anje Falkenrath
- Breya, Etherium Shaper
- Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
- Sliver Queen
- Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
- Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
- Kykar, Wind’s Fury
- Esika, God of the Tree
- Obeka, Brute Chonologist
- Prosper, Tome-Bound
- Kaalia of the Vast
- Maelstrom Wanderer
- Fun Commander Decks By Category
What Makes a Fun Commander Deck?
People have fun playing Commander in all different ways. Some people are very competitive and find fun in winning the game as fast as possible. Others love longer and drawn-out games where they can cast more cards and spend lots of time with friends.
Still, others like games with big momentum swings between players and politicking. There are many ways to play the game and have fun. I think a good consensus is that commanders who incentivize action (of any kind) are considered fun.
This could mean commanders that get players attacking, blocking, drawing cards, casting spells, cutting deals, or making decisions. In other words, a commander that gets players playing Magic. But ultimately, a fun commander deck is one that you enjoy playing and your opponents enjoy playing against.
Most Fun Commanders – Top 15
Below is a list of decks/commanders I and many others find fun. Each can be built at different power levels and budgets in several ways. But in general, they are all a blast to play in one way or another. With that said, the list is really in no particular order. For a great resource on ways to build any of the commanders on the list, check them out on edhrec.com. So, let’s jump right in.
Esix, Fractal Bloom
Esix is a highly unique token commander and is really fun… And sometimes busted. The first time you create tokens on each of your turns, you can have those tokens become copies of any creature (other than Esix) instead. So, let’s say you cast a Fungal Sprouting for four – Instead of making four 1/1 saporlings tokens they could be any creature on the battlefield.
There are so many easy ways to make tons of tokens in Commander that this ability gets out of hand rather quickly and is a blast to pilot, given how many cool interactions there are. One of my favorite things is using Esix’s ability to clone a creature that makes tokens.
Here is an example – Say you have a Hornet Queen in play, and you create those four tokens mentioned above. If you choose to have those four tokens be copies of Hornet Queen, you’ll get four queens, and each one will trigger and yield four 1/1 insects. I’ll do the math for you: Four Hornet Queen[c] and 16 1/1 insect tokens.
Oh, and [c]Avenger of Zendikar can be absolutely insane as well! If you’ve ever wanted to create 50 plant tokens in a turn, this is the commander for you.
| Pros | Cons |
| Explosive | Relies heavily on Esix to function well |
| Aggressive | Higher CMC Commander can be a bit slow |
| Uses opposing creatures against them |
Zada, Hedron Grinder
Zada, Hedron Grinder is a fun commander through and through. Whenever you cast a spell that targets only Zada, you get to create a copy of that spell for each creature you control – Then, each of those copies targets a creature. So, with Zada out, each spell you cast will target your whole
Speaking of tokens, there are robust Goblin Tribal themes to be built with this commander. Zada, Hedron Grinder gives you a unique approach to spell-slinging, Goblin Tribal, and commander in general. Ultimately, my favorite thing about Zada is that you get to make generally bad EDH cards shine, which I like.
That said, since most of the cards don’t see play in many other decks, Zada is a very cheap deck to build but can be very powerful even on a budget.
| Pros | Cons |
| Tribal Synergy | Many Cards In The Deck Are Lackluster Without Zada Out |
| Plays Unique Cards | Struggles Against |
| Even Simple Cards Can Become Bombs | |
| Budget Friendly |
Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Who doesn’t love playing giant, powerful creatures? Not only is Ghalta, Primal Hunger just that, but the more total power you have on
It doesn’t get much purer than mono-Green stompy, and many players find big mana, big creatures, and enormous power an enjoyable way to play commander. If you’re one such person, Ghalta, Primal Hunger is a fantastic choice to be at the helm of your next deck.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy To Cast For Cheap | Very High CMC Without Reduction |
| Has Trample | |
| Very Powerful |
Anje Falkenrath
My favorite thing about Anje Falkenrath is that she has Haste and is low CMC. This allows you to cast her early in the game and use her as soon as you do, even in response to removal. This goes a long way in making her fun to play because you’ll never have to spend a ton of mana casting her only to have her killed before you get to activate her on your next turn.
In short, she’s very playable. She does a lot and can do it early, often, and without waiting. Next, she has a pseudo-combo feel. Whenever you discard a card with madness, you’ll untap Anje and can do it again. So, it’s fun to see just how many spells you can chain together. When I play Anje, I’m always surprised by how many options and lines of play she gives me.
Lastly, you essentially get to play your madness spells at instant speed, which is cool and often powerful. For example, Big Game Hunter becomes an instant speed removal spell and a surprise blocker thanks to Madness. My two favorite cards to draw when playing Anje falkenrath are Squee, Gobin Nabob, and Anger.
| Pros | Cons |
| Lets You Cast Spells For A Reduced Cost | Deck Struggles Without Anje Out |
| Has Haste | There Are A Limited Number Of Cards With Madness |
| Offers Card Draw And A Variety Of Lines Of Play | |
| Low CMC |
Breya, Etherium Shaper
Breya, Etherium Shaper is fun because she is versatile. She has options, and you’ll have to choose different ones at different times. Put another way, you won’t play Breya the same way each game or even each turn.
She gives you variety, makes tokens, gives you a sacrifice outlet, and gives you an excellent way to put things you want to reanimate into your graveyard. Lastly, she fuels her own abilities. She needs two artifacts to sacrifice and gives them to herself. This means you’re far less likely to get stuck with artifacts and nothing to do or have Breya, Etherium Shaper but no artifacts.
Getting stuck with the wrong half of the cards you need and not being able to do much is a common way to end up not having a good playing experience, and Breya is good in that regard.
| Pros | Cons |
| Breya is a Strong Removal Spell That Synergizes With Herself | Expensive and Complex Mana Base |
| Lots of Fun Artifact Synergies | Struggles In The Early Game |
| Fuels Her Own Abilities | |
| Versatile |
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler is one of the most fun commanders I’ve ever played. He is fun because he gets all the players in the game to do things. Drawing cards is fun for nearly every player, and I have not seen a Kwain game that wasn’t a blast. This also means players will likely let your commander live and point their removal spells elsewhere.
That said, Kwain, Itinerant Meddler is nothing to scoff at from a power-level perspective. The card draw and life gain keep your hand full of threats and your life total high. Plus, plenty of cards will skew these abilities in your favor. Cards like The Council of Four, Body of Knowledge, and Chasm Skulker make it so that everyone gets stuff, but you always get just a little bit more.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fun Experience For Everyone | It Makes For a Very Long Game |
Sliver Queen
The Sliver Queen is fun to play for a few reasons. Slivers are a unique tribe. They are the only tribe out there to grant their tribemates tons of keywords and different abilities. Cards like Cloudshredder Sliver, Crystalline Sliver, Darkheart Sliver, and Dementia Sliver are just a few that showcase their versatility as a tribe.
There are over 100 different slivers that all grant some unique boost for the rest of your slivers. So, it is a tribe with nearly endless possibilities. Regardless of your play style, there is a way to build this tribe to your liking.
| Pros | Cons |
| A Very Fun And Unique Tribal Deck | The Cards in the Deck Are Expensive With Not Many Reprints |
| Customizable ways to build |
Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
An Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice deck can be made in many ways. My favorite way to make her is using the super friends’ strategy discussed previously. With her ability to proliferate each turn, you can enable many counter-based strategies.
Furthermore, she has many keyword abilities that make her a potent threat all by herself. She’s excellent to pile counters on and try to win via commander damage. She works well with go-wide counter strategies, Planeswalkers, and much more. And if you don’t mind being the boogeyman of your pod, pair her with some Infect cards.
She can enable very powerful, competitive gameplans and more alternative ones like Simic Ascendency or even As Luck Would Have It if it’s ok with your playgroup.
| Pros | Cons |
| One of the Most Powerful Decks On This List | Expensive Deck |
| Can Play Nearly Any Planeswalker in Magics History | |
| Enables Several Strategies |
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent is a fun commander for the whole table. She gets all players attacking and gives all players a way to draw cards. She shakes games up in the best way and gets people talking, making deals, and creating interesting play lines.
One thing I’ve noticed about Xantcha is that each game with or against her is a little different. So, if you’re looking for a commander that makes your games less linear, look no further than this.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very Political in a Pseudo Group Hug Way | Politicking Always Has a Chance to Backfire |
| Card Draw In Colors That Struggle With That | |
| Each Game Is Different | |
| Makes Games Exciting |
Kykar, Wind’s Fury
Kykar can be designed more competitively around storm or control. However, my favorite way to play Kykar is by playing cards like Polymorph and other cards with similar effects. This turns those little 1/1 tokens into something random and huge, and it’s always a good time in my book.
| Pros | Cons |
| Competitive EDH Viable | Can Be Expensive To Build |
| Many Ways To Build The Deck |
Esika, God of the Tree
Esika, God of the Tree makes for a very versatile 5-color Legendary Tribal deck. While the mana base has to be a bit complex for the deck, there are no limits on which cards can go into the deck color-wise. Next, playing spells for completely free is often quite fun. Furthermore, the randomness and excitement of seeing what you’ll reveal is always fun.
Lastly, Legendary Tribal is a rather unique deck. That said, you can build this commander in a lot of ways, even with Legendary Tribal – Pack the deck with Legendary Angels for Angel Tribal, brew up God Tribal or Legendary equipment with Halvar, God of Battle, Blackblade Reforged, and Hero’s Blade.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very Powerful | Deck Can Often Be Expensive |
| Has the Possibility of Playing Creatures For Free | |
| Countless Ways To Build The Deck | |
| You Get To Play All 5 Colors |
Obeka, Brute Chronologist
Obeka has a unique ability that you can abuse to do some insane things. Allowing you to end the turn on a whim allows you to play some super janky, super risky cards that are a ton of fun. The favorites in this department are Final Fortune[c/], [c]Last Chance, and Warrior’s Call, which are all two mana extra turn spells that cause you to lose the game at the end of the extra turn.
With Obeka in play, you can stack the trigger in a way that ends your turn before you lose the game. So, you’ll be getting an extra turn for only two mana. Obviously, this is a massive risk/reward situation, and that’s part of the fun. You get the upside of playing Time Walk (which is banned in Commander) with the potential downside of losing to an untimely removal spell.
Tons of shenanigans can be done with cards that create tokens that would be exiled at the end of the turn. For example, I love cards like Red Sun’s Twilight that can generate immense value when you end the turn before you lose whatever you copied. If you’ve never played this commander, definitely give it a try.
The risk is part of the fun, but you’ll want to run Sundial of the Infinite as an extra way to end the turn on the fly. I also recommend spells like Stifle and Nimble Obstructionist, which can trigger a lot of the negative triggers that you may encounter while your Commander isn’t in play.
| Pros | Cons |
| High-risk/high-reward gameplay | Commander is a lightning rod for removal |
| Let’s you play cards you usually wouldn’t | Can cause you to lose the game on the spot |
| Very unique strategy | |
| Can be disruptive to opponents as well |
Prosper, Tome-Bound
With Prosper, Tome-Bound, you want to cast cards from exile to get the treasure tokens. He doesn’t specify that they have to be cards that he exiles so he can trigger off of so many other card abilities. Again, the randomness of what you may exile and get to cast with Prosper keeps things exciting, and no two games will look exactly alike.
Prosper also allows you to chain together multiple spells in a pseudo-combo fashion. Cards like Professional Face-Breaker and Storm-Kiln Artist can generate tons of extra value for the deck and create some insanely explosive turns.
| Pros | Cons |
| Abilities Synergize With Themselves | Not As Fast As Other Commanders |
| Can Make a Lot of Treasures | You Must Exile a Card At End Step |
| Works With Casting Other Players Spells From Exile | |
| Exciting Seeing What You’ll Exile |
Kaalia of the Vast
Kaalia is one of the most fun commander for a few reasons. First, she lets you cheat (often huge) creatures into play for free. There are tons of crazy Demons, Angels, and Dragons in MTG that are nasty to slam into play already attacking. Some of my favorites are Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Rune-Scarred Demon, and Master of Cruelties.
This commander can produce crazy out-of-nowhere wins, creating enjoyable and exciting gameplay. A word of warning, though: Kaalia is a “kill on sight” commander. So, when you build this, be sure you have some ways to protect her, or you can get stuck with a bunch of huge spells in hand and Kaalia in the command zone.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cheats Threats Into Play | Very Prone To Commander Being Removed |
| Gives All Your Creatures Pseudo Haste | Can Be Expensive To Build |
| Overall Powerful Commander |
Maelstrom Wanderer
Maelstrom Wanderer is just a blast to play. Not unlike Kaalia of the Vast, it can put giant things into play for free. However, it does it via cascade. This keeps the excitement of wondering what you’ll reveal and means you still get cast triggers for your free spells. What’s more, you get to cascade twice. Here’s a look at the rules for cascade.
Don’t forget that Maelstrom Wanderer also gives all your creatures Haste. That means whatever you cascade into will come down for free, get whatever cast triggers it may have, and then be able to attack. That said, even a few triggers from Maelstrom Wanderer can have massive, game-ending implications on a game.
| Pros | Cons |
| Casts Free Game Breaking Creatures | High Mana Value |
| Has Access To Ramp | Can Be Expensive To Build |
| Great Colors For Removal | |
| Creatures Keep Their Cast Triggers | |
| Gives All Your Creatures Haste |
Fun Commander Decks By Category
Here, we’ll break down some fun EDH decks into a few different categories. We’ll look specifically at fun decks for a new player, the most fun commanders to play against, and finally, fun precons.
For Beginners
Just starting out playing commander can be very overwhelming. There are many choices to make and quite a few rules to remember. If you are a new player, I highly recommend one of the pre-constructed decks sold by Wizards of the Coast. They usually do a fantastic job on the decks and are a fun and playable experience right out of the box.
We cover some of the most fun precons here in just a second, but if you want to jump ahead, click here.
If you are a beginner and preconstructed decks are not your thing, I suggest making a single-colored deck. Mainly to keep the mana base simple. The mana base is one of the deck’s most complex and often expensive parts. Furthermore, a poor mana base where you don’t draw enough lands (or draw nothing but lands) is an easy way to make your game unfun. By sticking to one color, you eliminate some of that risk.
Here’s a quick list of fun mono-colored commanders for each color that are great for those starting EDH.
| Commander | Possible Play Styles/Themes |
| Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice | Enchantments, “Tool Box”, Voltron |
| Odric, Lunarch Marshal | Attacking/Aggro, Ability Sharing |
| Talrand, Sky Summoner | Spell slinging, Wizard Tribal, Tokens |
| Minn, Wily Illusionist | Card Draw, Illusion Tribal |
| Ghoulcaller Gisa | Zombie Tribal, Tokens, Creature Sacrifice (Aristocrats) |
| Mari, the Killing Quill | Rouge Tribal, Treasures |
| Torbran, Thane of Red Fell | Burn |
| Zada, Hedron Grinder | Goblin Tribal, Spellslinging |
| Ghalta, Primal Hunger | Stompy, Vehicles, Dinosaur Tribal |
| Ayula, Queen Among Bears | Bear Tribal |
If you still need a bit more insight as to how commander works or which commander might suit you best, check out this article all about commander: MTG Commander: The Ultimate Guide.
Most Fun Commander Precons
As discussed above, commander precons are created and sold directly by Wizards of the Coast. These products generally make for entertaining and budget-friendly EDH decks. They are a one-time fee to get a whole commander deck. And while some aren’t as powerful as others, they can always be upgraded down the line.
They also come with many brand-new cards and much-needed reprints – Making them an excellent product for new and old magic players. Regarding which preconstructed decks are the most fun, I have found that the five decks below are fun to play with and against.
These are all really great and can make for some excellent commander on a budget. They have great potential for improvement and upgrades.
Fun Decks To Play Against
This can be a tricky question to answer. While winning a game of commander can be fun, your opponents might find it miserable. An example would be playing against a Narset, Enlightened Master deck with only extra turn combos.
Eventually, the person playing Narsett will combo off and take a bunch of extra turns, and everyone else has to pretty much sit back and watch as this person plays a game of “solitaire” while they wait to eventually lose the game. Furthermore, any stax effect (making spells cost more) or land destruction decks are a little less fun to play against to most people.
On the other hand, commanders that accelerate and promote gameplay are more enjoyable as an opponent and in general. These could be decks that force players to attack, draw cards, make unique decisions, etc. Whatever the case may be, commanders that allow all players to play the game are a pretty safe bet in terms of fun.
Some great examples of this would be:
- Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
- Grothama, All-Devoring
- Braids, Conjurer Adept
- Kardur, Doomscourge
- Gluntch, the Bestower
- Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis
- Khârn the Betrayer
- Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor
What Are Fun Commander Themes?
There are many fun edh themes. A few that come to mind are tribal decks, group hug, super friends, big mana, and aggro. There are countless others as well. For now, let’s get right into the explanations.
Tribal
“Tribal” is a theme based on a particular creature type. For example, you could build a tribal version of Kykar, Wind’s Fury that focuses on spirits since he makes 1/1 spirits. In comparison, an Edgar Markov deck would want a lot of vampires on the battlefield and make an additional 1/1 vampire whenever you cast one.
In short, a tribal deck has many synergies and interactions between creatures of a particular type. What makes this fun? Well, usually, the decks are somewhat aggressive – So you’ll get to cast many creatures, have a giant
Here are some popular EDH tribes:
- Zombies
- Vampires
- Demons
- Goblin
- Merfolk
- Slivers
- Humans
- Elves
- Dragons
- Knights
- Angels
- Wizards
- Dinosaurs
Combo Themes
Devoted combo is a theme seen in many more competitive commander decks. Most of these decks will try to assemble certain cards with specific effects to pull off the win.
For example, Sliver Queen has an infinite combo with Mana Echoes. Once a sliver enters the battlefield with Sliver Queen out, at least two mana can be made. With those two mana, you can use Sliver Queen to make a 1/1 sliver, and the process will repeat as many times as you want. This is important to note because according to rule 725.1b regarding taking shortcuts:
“Occasionally the game gets into a state in which a set of actions could be repeated
Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules rule 725.1b
indefinitely (thus creating a “loop”). In that case, the shortcut rules can be used to determine how many times those actions are repeated without having to actually perform them, and how the loop is broken.”
Not all combo decks go infinite, and many different combos exist. However, they’ll always revolve around a specific set of cards that usually allow you to win or come very close to winning the game on the spot. That said, some people don’t enjoy playing against strong combo decks.
In my experience, though, players are likelier to be okay with combos that do win outright instead of combos that take a long time to play out and could fizzle. This puts players in a position where they have to wait out the combo in hopes it fizzles or call the game when the combo player may not have the win.
My advice is to talk to your playgroup about what they are comfortable with or consider fun and play a combo that will win you the game. So, what makes the combo archetype fun? Many players enjoy finding and assembling all the puzzle pieces to be engaging. Furthermore, many combo decks can be complex and require high forethought and planning on the “combo turn.”
Group Hug
Group Hug strategies are often thought of as fun to play and fun to play against. However, some are a bit more punishing than others. An example of a popular (and brutal) group hug commander is Zedruu the Greathearted.
Zedruu tries to give opponents control of permanents, draw many cards, and gain as much life as possible. The catch is that Zedruu decks are often giving away cards with adverse effects on the controller, like Delusions of Mediocrity, Aggressive Mining, and Illusions of Grandeur.
So, Zedruu could fall on the less fun side of things to play against, but I have personally built the deck, and giving opponents the most repugnant cards you can imagine is pretty entertaining. Other group hug decks like Braids, Conjurer Adept, and Xantcha, Sleeper Agent play a little differently but are pretty fun as the pilot and opponent.
What makes these themes fun is that they push the action and get players playing. Win, lose, or draw if you cast spells, play lands, draw cards, attack, and/or do what your deck was designed to do – you’ll usually have a good time.
Super Friends
These decks are, in my experience, very fun decks to play. They are called “super friends” due to all the planeswalkers in the deck, which are generally powerful. and overall fun to play with.
I think some of this comes from the fact that most decks are creature-based on some level, and having a
As an opponent, deciding whether you should be attacking the player or their planeswalkers can also lead to some decision-making and cause players to play a bit differently than they might against another deck.
Stax
As mentioned, stax decks are generally considered not fun to play against. They are focused on preventing opponents from playing the game efficiently by destroying their lands, making them pay extra mana for spells, or otherwise impeding their ability to play the game.
In my opinion, stax is at its most fun in more competitive play groups where players are trying to win as fast as possible, usually via combo. In these more powerful pods, I think stax is more acceptable and fun.
If players try to win as quickly as possible, it can be exciting to race to set up a lock or stall a combo before it’s too late. It can be fun being the one to interact with everyone else’s strategy. In more degenerate groups, I think most players are ok with stax. Furthermore, this theme is a good option if you are looking for a budget-competitive deck.
Big Mana
As a theme, big mana is precisely what you’d think. Cards that require a ton of mana to cast. This could be spells with an “X” in their cost like Fireball or just very high mana value spells like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. Big mana can make for a fun experience for your pod for a few reasons.
I’m sure you’ve caught onto the theme by now. Doing things makes for fun games, and big mana decks do big things. Playing extra lands, building up mana rocks, and then casting the most significant, scariest thing possible is a pure way to play MTG. Additionally, decks like this often run smoothly since they rarely have problems getting enough mana out.
Control
Control, in my opinion, gets a bad reputation sometimes. Many people might view control as less than fun to play against because you’ll often get your spells countered or creatures removed. However, control is fair if it can close out games promptly.
And as a pilot, control is fun because you get to interact. You have to think. Is this spell worth using my Counterspell on? Is this the right time to use Wrath of God? I find the same is true as an opponent.
I find myself trying to lure out counterspells by playing less important spells first or waiting until an opponent taps out to drop a bomb. And there’s nothing better than having sensed the boardwipe and planned accordingly. Then, dumping a handful of fresh threats onto the empty
End Step
There are lots of exciting decks in Commander. Some are built to be as competitive as possible; Others fit a creative theme, and some are built to be as fun as possible. I hope this article has helped highlight some of the most fun EDH decks out there. Now, get out there, build whatever deck you find fun, and play some commander.
