Best Commanders for Beginners
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In short: the best first commanders have a clear game plan, simple rules text and a low price, and has plenty of them.
- The five new mono-color Foundations Commander decks (about $30 each) are the easiest way to start.
- Ghalta, Giada and Lathliss are our top picks for players who have never built a deck.
- Marvel fans should look at T’Challa or Captain America from the Marvel Super Heroes precons.
- Save complex four-color decks like Jace’s Multiverse Reforged for your second or third deck.
Picking your first commander is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. There are thousands of legendary creatures to choose from, and many of the most popular ones are complicated, expensive or both.
This list focuses on commanders that are easy to learn, fun to play in a casual pod, and affordable this year. Most of them lead a preconstructed deck you can buy today, so you can sit down and play the same day.
How we picked these commanders
Every commander on this list meets four simple tests:
- A clear plan. You should be able to explain what the deck wants to do in one sentence.
- Readable rules text. No complicated stack tricks or long chains of triggers to track.
- Forgiving gameplay. Small mistakes should not lose you the game on the spot.
- Affordable. Either part of a precon you can find near retail price, or a single card that costs a few dollars.
We also favored commanders that teach good habits, like building a board, attacking at the right time and managing your mana.
The best commanders for beginners
Here are our picks, starting with the easiest.
1. Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Colors: Green. Precon: Tramplesaurus Rex (Foundations Commander, about $30).
Ghalta, Primal Hunger is a 12/12 with trample that costs twelve mana on paper. In practice, it costs less for every point of power among your creatures, and it never costs less than two green mana. Play big creatures, then drop a giant dinosaur for cheap.
Why it is beginner friendly: The plan could not be simpler. Green is great at ramping and playing large creatures, and Ghalta rewards you for doing exactly that. It also teaches you to count damage and think about blockers.
Upgrade tip: Add Garruk’s Uprising, which gives your team trample and draws you a card whenever a big creature enters. Our Tramplesaurus Rex upgrade guide has more ideas.
2. Giada, Font of Hope
Colors: White. Precon: Calling All Angels (Foundations Commander, about $30).
Giada, Font of Hope is a two-mana 2/2 with flying and vigilance. Every Angel that enters after her gets +1/+1 counters for each Angel you already had, and she can tap for white mana to cast more Angels.
Why it is beginner friendly: She comes down early, helps you ramp into your bigger Angels and makes each one stronger. Flying creatures are hard for opponents to block, so the deck has a natural way to win.
Upgrade tip: Bishop of Wings gains you life when Angels enter and replaces them when they die. See our Calling All Angels upgrade guide for a full list.
3. Lathliss, Dragon Queen
Colors: Red. Precon: Reign of Dragons (Foundations Commander, about $30).
Lathliss, Dragon Queen is a six-mana 6/6 flying Dragon. Whenever another nontoken Dragon enters under your control, you create a 5/5 flying Dragon token. She can also pump all your Dragons for two mana.
Why it is beginner friendly: Big flying dragons are exactly what most new players want to play, and the plan is easy to follow: ramp, cast Dragons, attack in the air.
Upgrade tip: Dragon Tempest gives your flyers haste and deals damage whenever a Dragon enters. Our Reign of Dragons upgrade guide goes deeper.
4. Ghoulcaller Gisa
Colors: Black. Precon: Wretched Ranks (Foundations Commander, about $30).
Ghoulcaller Gisa lets you pay one black mana, tap her and sacrifice another creature to create 2/2 Zombies equal to that creature’s power. Sacrifice a 5/5 and you get five Zombies.
Why it is beginner friendly: It introduces one of black’s classic themes, trading creatures for value, in a very readable way. The decision of what to sacrifice and when is a great first lesson in strategy.
Upgrade tip: Pitiless Plunderer makes a Treasure every time one of your creatures dies, which turns Gisa into a ramp engine. More in our Wretched Ranks upgrade guide.
5. Sai, Master Thopterist
Colors: Blue. Precon: Keen Engineering (Foundations Commander, about $30).
Sai, Master Thopterist creates a 1/1 flying Thopter whenever you cast an artifact spell. You can also sacrifice two artifacts to draw a card.
Why it is beginner friendly: The trigger is simple and happens often, and Sai’s 1/4 body is hard to attack through. The deck teaches you how artifacts work, which is useful in almost every Commander game.
Upgrade tip: Cheap artifacts like Ornithopter trigger Sai for zero mana. Check our Keen Engineering upgrade guide for more.
6. T’Challa, the Black Panther
Colors: Green-white. Precon: Wakanda Forever (Marvel Super Heroes, about $70 to $75).
T’Challa, the Black Panther is a three-mana 2/2. Whenever he enters or attacks, you create a tapped Vibranium token, an indestructible artifact that makes mana for artifact spells. Whenever you cast an artifact with mana value 4 or more, he gets two +1/+1 counters.
Why it is beginner friendly: Two colors, one clear theme, and a commander that ramps you on his own. Of the four Marvel decks, this one has the most straightforward game plan.
Upgrade tip: Hedron Archive is a four-mana artifact that both grows T’Challa and ramps you. Our Wakanda Forever upgrade guide has the full plan.
7. Captain America, Team Leader
Colors: White-blue-red. Precon: Avengers Assemble (Marvel Super Heroes, about $70 to $75).
Captain America, Team Leader is a 3/3 that rewards you for playing Heroes. Whenever another Hero enters under your control, it gains vigilance and haste until end of turn, and both it and Captain America get a +1/+1 counter.
Why it is beginner friendly: The plan is “play Heroes and attack,” and haste means your creatures start swinging right away. It is three colors, so the mana takes a little more care, but the precon handles that for you.
Upgrade tip: Start by improving the mana base and adding a few cheap Heroes. Our Avengers Assemble upgrade guide walks through it step by step.
8. Killian, Decisive Mentor
Colors: White-black. Precon: Silverquill Influence (Secrets of Strixhaven, about $50).
Killian, Decisive Mentor taps and goads an opponent’s creature whenever an enchantment enters under your control. Goaded creatures must attack someone other than you. Killian also draws you a card whenever your creatures enchanted by your Auras attack.
Why it is beginner friendly: Goad is a gentle introduction to multiplayer politics. Your opponents’ creatures fight each other while you build up, so you are rarely the main target early on.
Upgrade tip: Sram, Senior Edificer draws you a card every time you cast an Aura, which keeps your hand full.
9. Krenko, Mob Boss
Colors: Red. Precon: None currently; the card costs about $3 to $4.
Krenko, Mob Boss taps to create 1/1 Goblin tokens equal to the number of Goblins you control. That number doubles every time you use him.
Why it is beginner friendly: One ability, one creature type, and an explosive payoff. It is a great first deck to build yourself, because Goblins are plentiful and cheap.
Upgrade tip: Impact Tremors deals 1 damage to each opponent for every Goblin that enters, turning a big Krenko turn into a win.
10. Lathril, Blade of the Elves
Colors: Black-green. Precon: None in print; the card costs about $2 to $3.
Lathril, Blade of the Elves has menace and creates 1/1 Elf tokens equal to the combat damage she deals to a player. Tap ten untapped Elves and each opponent loses 10 life while you gain 10.
Why it is beginner friendly: Elves are one of the best-supported creature types in Magic, so building around her is easy and cheap. The deck naturally ramps, because many Elves make mana.
Upgrade tip: Elvish Warmaster creates an extra Elf every turn your Elves hit the battlefield.
Quick comparison table
| Commander | Colors | Where to get it | Approx. cost | Playstyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghalta, Primal Hunger | Green | Tramplesaurus Rex | ~$30 precon | Big creatures |
| Giada, Font of Hope | White | Calling All Angels | ~$30 precon | Flying Angels |
| Lathliss, Dragon Queen | Red | Reign of Dragons | ~$30 precon | Dragons |
| Ghoulcaller Gisa | Black | Wretched Ranks | ~$30 precon | Sacrifice and Zombies |
| Sai, Master Thopterist | Blue | Keen Engineering | ~$30 precon | Artifacts and tokens |
| T’Challa, the Black Panther | Green-white | Wakanda Forever | ~$70-75 precon | Big artifacts |
| Captain America, Team Leader | White-blue-red | Avengers Assemble | ~$70-75 precon | Hero creatures |
| Killian, Decisive Mentor | White-black | Silverquill Influence | ~$50 precon | Auras and goad |
| Krenko, Mob Boss | Red | Single card | ~$3-4 | Goblin tokens |
| Lathril, Blade of the Elves | Black-green | Single card | ~$2-3 | Elf tokens |
Prices are approximate for October and can vary by store.
Commanders to save for later
Some of this year’s most exciting commanders are better as a second or third deck. They are not bad choices, just harder to pilot well.
- Jace, Multiverse Architect leads the four-color Multiverse Reforged deck. It is a planeswalker commander that swaps your creatures for bigger ones, and a four-color mana base takes practice. Our Multiverse Reforged upgrade guide helps once you are ready.
- The Fantastic Four precon gives you four different commanders and asks you to cast lots of noncreature spells first. It is fun, but a lot to track. See our Fantastic Four upgrade guide.
- Doctor Doom, King of Latveria leads the three-color Doom Prevails villain deck, which plays a slower, controlling game. Our Doom Prevails upgrade guide covers it.
- Ashling, the Limitless is mono-red and cheap, but her evoke and token-copy tricks are easy to misplay at first.
Tips for your first Commander deck
Whichever commander you choose, a few habits will make your first games much smoother:
- Play the precon as-is first. A few games will show you what the deck does well and where it struggles.
- Upgrade slowly. Swap five to ten cards at a time so you can feel the difference.
- Check your mana. Most new players run too few lands. Our guide on how many lands to play has a simple formula, and our budget mana base guide lists cheap dual lands for every color pair.
- Talk to your table. Commander is a social format. Let your group know you are new and ask what kind of games they enjoy.
Still deciding which box to buy? Our Commander precon buyer’s guide compares every deck currently on shelves.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest Commander deck for a beginner this year?
Any of the five Foundations Commander decks. They are mono-color, cost about $30, and have very clear game plans. Tramplesaurus Rex and Reign of Dragons are the most straightforward.
Is it better to buy a precon or build my own deck?
For your first deck, buy a precon. It is cheaper than buying 100 singles, it is balanced against other precons, and it gives you a solid base to upgrade later.
Are mono-color decks weaker than multicolor decks?
A little, in high-power games. In casual pods they hold up fine, and they are much easier to learn because you never struggle to find the right colors.
