Guides

Commander Guides & Comparisons

App comparisons, a Commander glossary, and practical tips for running a better game night, all in one place.

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Beginner SeriesCommander GlossaryMTG FormatsGuides & TipsCard SpotlightsDeck ArchetypesColor CombinationsDraft & LimitedLore & StoryRoundupsApp ComparisonsBuying & SellingCommunity & Media

Beginner Series

What Is Magic: The Gathering? The game itself: what you are doing, what is on a card, and how somebody wins. Read this before the rest of the series. How to Start Playing Magic: The Gathering Getting started with Magic and Commander specifically. Start here, then read the series in order. The Phases of a Turn The same five phases in the same order every turn, and the effects that add or skip one. How Combat Works Declaring attackers and blockers, multi-block damage assignment, first strike, deathtouch, and trample. How the Stack Works Last in, first out: the one idea behind counterspells, triggers, and combat tricks. The Commander Deck Template The land/ramp/draw/removal/win-con ratio that keeps a 100-card deck from falling apart. The Land & Mana Base Guide Color count, fixing, utility lands and landfall, and how your mana base decides whether the deck works consistently. How Many Lands Should You Run in Commander? 36 to 38 lands for most decks, and how the number moves with your curve, your ramp count, and your archetype. How Much Ramp Should You Run in Commander? 8 to 12 ramp pieces for most decks, and why the count matters more than which specific rocks you run. How Much Card Draw Should You Run in Commander? 8 to 10 real draw engines, separate from cantrips, so you don't run out of cards before the game is decided. How Much Removal Should You Run in Commander? 8 to 10 pieces of spot removal and interaction, and why a deck with none loses to the first real threat it sees. How Many Board Wipes Should You Run in Commander? 2 to 4 board wipes paired with a way to protect your own board, the smallest category in the template on purpose. How Many Creatures Should You Run in Commander? There's no universal number. Typical ranges by archetype, from a spellslinger shell to a go-wide token deck. How Many Win Conditions Should a Commander Deck Have? 2 to 3, ideally leaning on different resources, so the table can't play around your only plan. How Many Tutors Should You Run in Commander? 2 to 5 tutors is plenty for most decks. What a tutor actually costs you in card advantage, and when to run more. How Much Protection Should You Run in Commander? 2 to 4 pieces of protection for most decks. Why a plan that depends on one card needs a way to keep it alive. What Is a Good Average Mana Value for Commander? Roughly 2.5 to 3.3 average mana value, excluding lands, covers most decks. What the number means and doesn't. How Your Commander's Mana Value Changes Your Land Count Your commander is the one card you always draw. Its own cost, and commander tax, should shape your mana base. How to Fix an Unfocused Commander Deck A deck full of good cards can still have no plan. How to spot it and the specific cuts that give it a focus. Why Your Commander Deck Can't Finish Games Building a big board and still not winning is a common Commander problem, and it's rarely about power level. Why Your Commander Deck Keeps Running Out of Cards Empty hand by turn seven, topdecking the rest of the game. The real causes and the fix for each. Why Your Commander Deck Keeps Missing Land Drops Stuck on four lands while the table develops. Almost always a math problem with your list, not bad luck. How to Balance Synergy and Interaction in Commander A deck that's all synergy folds to removal. A deck that's all interaction never wins. How to find the balance. How to Know What Cards to Cut From a Commander Deck Adding a card is easy. A real test for what comes out, beyond just going with what feels weakest. How to Tell What Your Commander Deck Is Missing How your deck keeps losing is telling you what it's short on. A category-by-category checklist. MTG Commander Card Guides: Best Cards by Role The staples worth knowing by role: ramp, removal, draw, tutors, protection, recursion, and more. Best Ramp in Commander Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and the green land-fetch spells worth knowing by name, ranked by speed and risk. Best Card Draw in Commander Rhystic Study, Phyrexian Arena, Sylvan Library and the draw engines worth knowing, ranked by reliability. Best Removal in Commander Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Anguished Unmaking and the removal staples worth knowing. Best Board Wipes in Commander Wrath of God, Toxic Deluge, Blasphemous Act and the format's mass-removal staples. Best Protection in Commander Heroic Intervention, Swiftfoot Boots, Teferi's Protection and the format's protection staples. Best Recursion in Commander Eternal Witness, Regrowth, Sun Titan and the format's graveyard recursion staples. Best Counterspells in Commander Counterspell, Swan Song, Fierce Guardianship and blue's countermagic staples. Best Tutors in Commander Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Eladamri's Call and the format's search staples. Best Finishers in Commander Craterhoof Behemoth, Exsanguinate, Approach of the Second Sun and cards built to end a game. Best Utility Lands in Commander Command Tower, Reliquary Tower, Bojuka Bog, Boseiju and lands worth a slot for more than mana. Best Graveyard Hate in Commander Rest in Peace, Bojuka Bog, Soul-Guide Lantern and the format's answers to reanimator strategies. Tapped vs. Untapped & Summoning Sickness A creature that's ready to fight isn't always ready to attack. One of the most common beginner mistakes. Mana Colors & the Color Pie Basics Five colors, five philosophies: what each color is designed to do, and just as importantly, what it isn't. What Makes a Curve and Why It Matters The shape of your deck's cost distribution, and why it decides whether you have something to do every turn. Singleton vs. Constructed Commander only lets you run one of almost everything, the rule that reshapes how you build a deck. How Mulligans Work The London mulligan step by step, Commander's free first mulligan, and how to tell a keepable hand from a trap. Priority and Responding to Spells Priority is the right to actually do something. Understanding it is what makes 'responding' possible. Common Beginner Misplays Every new player makes these exact mistakes at least once. Know them in advance. ETB vs. Triggered vs. Activated Abilities Three ways a card can do something beyond its stats, and how to tell them apart. Every MTG Card Type, Explained Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker and sorcery, and what each one changes. What Is a Counter in MTG? One word, two unrelated meanings: a marker you put on a permanent, and cancelling a spell before it resolves. Every Damage Type in MTG There is no fire or ice damage. There is combat vs. noncombat, damage vs. loss of life, poison, and commander damage. What 'Resolves Top-Down' Means in Practice The stack basics applied to trickier situations: ordering your own triggers and reading an opponent's line. How to Learn Magic: The Gathering Arena, a starter product, a precon at a store or a patient friend: what each one teaches and what it misses.

Commander Glossary

MTG Commander Glossary: Every Term, A to Z Every Commander term in one place, from bracket system to cEDH to the legend rule, each defined in a sentence or two with a link to the full guide where one exists. Commander Rules: The Complete Guide Every core rule in one place, with links to the deep dive on each. What Is Commander Damage? The 21-damage rule, explained clearly. What Is Color Identity in MTG? The rule that actually decides what can go in a Commander deck. What Is EDH Power Level? Informal power scales, official brackets, and how they differ. The Commander Bracket System, Explained All five brackets, bracket by bracket, and how to tell which one a deck belongs in. What Is Rule 0? The pre-game conversation that prevents most bad Commander nights: what to ask, and how to say no. The Commander Banned List, Explained Why Commander has its own list, who maintains it, and what actually gets a card banned. What Are Infinite Combos in MTG? How a loop works, why most only make a resource rather than a win, and the best-known two-card combos grouped by what they produce. What Is Stax in MTG? The eleven kinds of resource denial (taxes, locks, prison and pillowfort) with example cards for each. What Does MMR Mean in MTG? Rating systems for players and decks, explained. What Is a Commander Night? Defining the recurring playgroup tradition TurnZero HQ is built around. MTG Proxies: Rules, Etiquette & What's Allowed What Wizards permits, the line between a playtest card and a counterfeit, and how to agree proxies with a playgroup. What Is Secret Lair? Wizards' direct-to-consumer drop line, explained. What Is cEDH in Commander? Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander, bracket 5, explained: what makes a deck cEDH, and how it differs from a strong casual deck. Two-Headed Giant in Commander: The Rules Starting life, shared life totals, why commander damage still isn't shared, and how turn order actually works.

MTG Formats

MTG Formats: Every Way to Play Magic Every format compared on deck size, card pool and cost, with a decision tree for picking one. How to Build an MTG Standard Deck The 60-card skeleton, land counts by archetype, the sideboard, and when the next rotation lands. The Pioneer Format, Explained Standard's card pool without the rotation, and why the fetchlands were banned before its first event. The Modern Format, Explained Twenty years of cards, no rotation, and the Modern Horizons sets printed straight into it. The Brawl Format, Explained Commander built from Standard, and why Arena's version is 100 cards while paper's is 60. The Oathbreaker Format, Explained A planeswalker in the command zone with a signature spell bound to it, at 60 cards and 20 life. The Historic Format, Explained Arena's non-rotating format, the Anthologies that feed it, and why some cards read differently here. The Timeless Format, Explained No bans, no rebalancing, and a restricted list instead. The most powerful format on MTG Arena. The Alchemy Format, Explained Standard plus digital-only cards, and what it means for a card to be rebalanced after release. The Pauper Format, Explained Commons only, every set ever printed, and a competitive deck for less than one Modern land. Penny Dreadful: The MTG Penny Format Every card at 0.02 Magic Online tickets or less is legal, the list is redrawn each season, and popular decks price themselves out. Dandan: The Shared-Deck Format Two players sharing one 80-card library and graveyard, with ten copies of a single creature card as the only creature.

Guides & Tips

Upkeep Triggers and Extra Turns What actually happens in the upkeep step, why an extra upkeep re-fires every trigger already on the board, and how to build a deck around that. What Is a Shock Land? The ten Ravnica duals that enter untapped for 2 life, why the type line matters more than the life, and when not to pay. What Is a Cantrip? A cheap spell that replaces itself. Player slang, not a rules term, and it is card selection rather than card advantage. Mana Rocks: The Complete Guide Which rocks earn a slot, how the answer changes by color count and format, and the 2-vs-3-mana question settled. The Ultimate Guide to Hosting Commander Night Everything that goes into a well-run, recurring playgroup night. Commander Night Checklist A printable checklist for organizing game night. How to Track Commander Damage Practical options, from pen and paper to apps. What Stats Should Every Commander Player Track? The numbers worth keeping across a season of games. How Long Does the Average Commander Game Last? What actually affects game length, and how to plan a night around it. Why Tracking Your Commander Games Makes You Better The case for keeping a record, not just playing and forgetting. Where to Look Up an MTG Ruling Scryfall, Gatherer and the Comprehensive Rules, in the order you should actually use them. AI Commander Recaps How a night's worth of games becomes a short, readable story. Magic: The Gathering MCP Connect TurnZero HQ to Claude or ChatGPT and ask your Commander decks anything. How to Upgrade a Commander Precon A generic ten-card framework for any precon: fix the mana base first, then the curve, then add a real win condition, then cut the filler. Budget Commander Deckbuilding Where a budget deck should actually spend money, where it doesn't need to, and where proxies fit in. Commander Politics & Threat Assessment A practical framework for reading a multiplayer table: board, resources, clock, and combo proximity. How to Run a Commander League Scoring systems compared, season length, the bracket question, and how to track standings.

Card Spotlights

Card Spotlight: Obeka, Brute Chronologist What Obeka, Brute Chronologist actually does for an upkeep-triggers deck: strategies it enables, how it performs as a commander versus in the 99, and whether it's worth building around. Card Spotlight: Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker as a combo piece: the untap loops it enables, what to run it with, and whether the classic Kiki combo still holds up outside cEDH. Card Spotlight: Isochron Scepter Isochron Scepter as a combo enabler: the Dramatic Reversal loop with mana rocks, what else is worth imprinting, and where it fits outside cEDH. Card Spotlight: Thassa's Oracle Thassa's Oracle as a win condition: the Consultation and Tainted Pact combo, why it's one of the fastest lines in Commander, and how it plays outside cEDH. Card Spotlight: Basalt Monolith Basalt Monolith as a combo piece: the Rings of Brighthearth and Power Artifact loops, why it's a staple mana rock even without them, and what it's weak against. Card Spotlight: Sanguine Bond Sanguine Bond as a combo piece: the Exquisite Blood infinite-drain loop, what lifegain shells want it for, and where it's strong or weak. Card Spotlight: Sol Ring Sol Ring, decades after it was printed: why it's still the format's best ramp card, what it's worth today, and the rare decks that don't want it. Card Spotlight: Survival of the Fittest Survival of the Fittest as a repeatable creature tutor: what it fuels, why it's a reanimator and combo staple, and what it costs today. Card Spotlight: Rhystic Study Rhystic Study, one of Commander's most iconic cards: why the tax works even when opponents pay it, what decks want it most, and what it's worth now. Card Spotlight: Demonic Tutor Demonic Tutor, more than thirty years after it was printed: why it's still the benchmark for unconditional tutors, what it should find, and whether it's worth the price. Card Spotlight: Winter Orb Winter Orb as a stax staple: how the lock works, why it's controversial rather than banned, and who it's actually good for. Card Spotlight: Tannuk, Memorial Ensign Tannuk, Memorial Ensign from Edge of Eternities: the landfall payoff it leads, what fetches and extra land drops want with it, and where it fits. Card Spotlight: Alpharael, Stonechosen Alpharael, Stonechosen from Edge of Eternities: what the halving trigger asks of a deck, how it pairs with removal and sacrifice, and its role as commander versus support. Card Spotlight: Doctor Octopus, Master Planner Doctor Octopus, Master Planner from Marvel's Spider-Man: the Villain tribal payoff, the hand-size draw engine, and whether it's worth building a Dimir deck around. Card Spotlight: Green Goblin, Revenant Green Goblin, Revenant from Marvel's Spider-Man: the discard-then-draw engine, why flying deathtouch matters on the body, and what pairs with it. Card Spotlight: Fire Lord Zuko Fire Lord Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender: the Firebending ramp, the exile-matters counters payoff, and what a Mardu deck wants to build around it. Card Spotlight: Azula, Cunning Usurper Azula, Cunning Usurper from Avatar: The Last Airbender: the theft-and-reanimate ETB, the flash-any-mana casting clause, and what decks want it. Card Spotlight: Iroh, Grand Lotus Iroh, Grand Lotus from Avatar: The Last Airbender: the graveyard-wide flashback effect, why spell-heavy decks want it most, and what pairs with it best. Card Spotlight: Maralen, Fae Ascendant Maralen, Fae Ascendant from Lorwyn Eclipsed: the mill-and-free-cast engine, why Elf and Faerie tribal wants it most, and what to build around it. Card Spotlight: Rhys, the Evermore Rhys, the Evermore from Lorwyn Eclipsed: the flash persist trick, why it protects value creatures, and what pairs with it best. Card Spotlight: Ashling, Rekindled Ashling, Rekindled from Lorwyn Eclipsed: the transform cycle, the restricted mana it produces, and what decks want to keep flipping it. Card Spotlight: Donatello, Gadget Master Donatello, Gadget Master from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the sneak-attack cost, the artifact-copying combat trigger, and what an artifacts-matter deck wants from it. Card Spotlight: Bebop & Rocksteady Bebop & Rocksteady from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the sacrifice-or-discard tax, why Aristocrats and discard shells shrug it off, and what it's weak against. Card Spotlight: Karai, Future of the Foot Karai, Future of the Foot from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the Sneak-into-reanimation line, why it rewards evasive decks, and what to run alongside it. Card Spotlight: Lorehold, the Historian Lorehold, the Historian from Secrets of Strixhaven: the hand-wide miracle effect, the extra-upkeep loot trigger, and how a spellslinger deck wants to use both. Card Spotlight: Silverquill, the Disputant Silverquill, the Disputant from Secrets of Strixhaven: the built-in casualty ability, why sacrifice decks want it most, and what to run beside it. Card Spotlight: Jadzi, Steward of Fate Jadzi, Steward of Fate from Secrets of Strixhaven: the loot-then-token-army sequence, what mana-sink decks want it for, and how prepared spells work. Card Spotlight: Captain America, Living Legend Captain America, Living Legend from Marvel Super Heroes: the once-per-turn untap effect, why it favors tap-ability decks, and how it fits a Hero-tribal build. Card Spotlight: Bruce Banner Bruce Banner from Marvel Super Heroes: the card-draw-into-transform sequence, the Enrage combat loop as The Incredible Hulk, and what a deck wants to build around it. Card Spotlight: Black Widow, Super Spy Black Widow, Super Spy from Marvel Super Heroes: the combat-damage mill-and-cast trigger, why menace makes it reliable, and what to build around it. Card Spotlight: Gandalf, Goblins' Bane Gandalf, Goblins' Bane from The Hobbit: the noncreature-spell payoff, the Adventure side's card advantage, and why Wizards want it. Card Spotlight: Bilbo, Thief in the Night Bilbo, Thief in the Night from The Hobbit: the from-anywhere-but-hand discount, the attack-trigger graveyard recursion, and what spellslinger decks want from it. Card Spotlight: Beorn the Fierce Beorn the Fierce from The Hobbit: the type-changing combat trigger, the Bear tribal anthem, and the card draw payoff for going wide with the type. Card Spotlight: Dáin Ironfoot Dáin Ironfoot from The Hobbit: the free-Equipment ETB, the double-strike attack trigger, and what an Equipment-matters red deck wants from it.

Deck Archetypes

The 20 Commander Deck Archetypes Every archetype in one place, with what each one does and the colors it lives in. Spellslinger Wins on a pile of instants and sorceries rather than a board of creatures. Graveyard recursion Cards come back from the graveyard, treating it as a second hand. Mill Empties libraries instead of attacking, winning when opponents cannot draw. Voltron One creature, usually the commander, carries the whole game plan. Go wide Floods the board with tokens and wins with numbers. Aristocrats Sacrifices its own creatures for value and drains the table. Enchantress Built around a critical mass of enchantments that draw cards as they resolve. Artifacts Built around a critical mass of artifacts and the payoffs that count them. Tribal Rewards playing many creatures that share a creature type. Stax Taxes or locks down what every player at the table is allowed to do. Combo Aims to assemble a specific card combination that ends the game. Control Answers everything and wins late, once the table has run out of threats. Ramp Accelerates into a mana advantage and casts bigger things sooner. Aggro Cheap, aggressive creatures apply pressure early and often. Group hug Gives the whole table resources, and wins from the goodwill it creates. Superfriends Built around a critical mass of planeswalkers. Lands matter Landfall and land-recursion turn the mana base itself into the engine. Counters Built around +1/+1 counters and the effects that multiply them. Blink Repeatedly exiles and returns its own creatures for their enter triggers. Lifegain Built around gaining life and the payoffs that turn it into a win condition.

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