Commander Cube: How to Build and Draft One for Your Group
Some links on this page are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
In short: a Commander cube is a box of singleton cards your group drafts from. Everyone picks a commander from the legends they draft and builds a 60-card deck around it, so every game night brings new decks.
- The common setup: four to eight players, three packs of about 20 cards each, and you take two cards per pick.
- Decks are 60 cards with around 23 lands. You start at 40 life, and 21 damage from one commander still knocks a player out.
- Normal color identity rules apply, so your commander decides which drafted cards you can play.
- A 360-card cube covers six players. Every pack needs two or three legendary creatures so nobody ends up without a commander.
Precons and constructed decks are great, but after a while every game starts to look the same. A Commander cube fixes that. Instead of bringing finished decks, your group drafts a fresh pool every time and builds on the spot. It is the closest thing to a new set release you can run at your kitchen table, and you can build one mostly from cards you already own.
What is a Commander cube?
A cube is a curated collection of cards, usually one copy of each, that a group drafts like a booster set. A Commander cube adds the format’s two key ingredients: a large share of legendary creatures to use as commanders, and multiplayer-friendly cards that shine in four-player games. Commander Legends and Commander Masters showed how this works in official sets, and the same rules work well for a homemade cube.
How a Commander cube draft works
- Players: four is the sweet spot, because it gives one full pod. Eight players draft as one group and split into two pods to play.
- Packs: each player opens three packs of 20 cards. Every pack holds two or three legendary creatures.
- Picks: take two cards at a time and pass the rest. Pass left, then right, then left again.
- Your commander: choose it from the legends you drafted once the draft is over. Two partners or a commander with a Background count as one pair.
- Deck: at least 60 cards including your commander. Basic lands are free, and most decks want about 22 to 24 lands.
- Game rules: 40 starting life, 21 commander damage, color identity applies. Singleton does not matter much, since a cube rarely has duplicates.
Short on time? Run it as sealed instead. Give every player a stack of about 90 to 120 cards with five or six legends in it and let them build from that. It takes half the time and works for two or three players too.
How to build your own Commander cube
1. Pick a size
Multiply your players by three packs by 20 cards. Four players need 240 cards and six need 360. Build a little larger than that so packs differ from night to night. 360 cards is a good first target for most groups.
2. Put the legends in first
Plan for two or three legends per pack. For a 360-card cube that is 40 to 60 legends. Spread them across all colors and color pairs, and favour commanders with simple, clear plans, such as Edgar, Charmed Groom for tokens or Gishath, Sun’s Avatar for big creatures. Partner commanders like Tymna the Weaver help drafters stay flexible.
3. Balance the colors
Give each color the same number of cards and make sure each one has its own ramp, card draw and removal. A simple pack template keeps things fair:
| Slot | Cards per 20-card pack |
|---|---|
| Legendary creatures | 2–3 |
| White, blue, black, red, green | 3 each (15) |
| Multicolor non-legends | 1 |
| Colorless artifacts and fixing lands | 1–2 |
4. Add fixing and mana rocks
Commander decks are often two or three colors, so the cube needs plenty of fixing. Include dual lands for every color pair plus cheap rocks such as Arcane Signet, Mind Stone and the Talismans. Without them, drafters get stuck in one color.
5. Pick a power level
Decide which bracket your cube aims for and stick to it. A cube without Game Changers, fast mana or two-card combos plays like a fun Bracket 2 night. Add stronger cards only if your whole group wants that.
Drafting tips
- Take a strong legend early, but do not lock in. You will see 20 more legends during the draft.
- Prioritize ramp, card draw and removal in your colors. Pools run out of these long before they run out of creatures.
- Grab fixing lands late in each pack. Nobody fights over them, but your deck will need them.
- Count your roles before you finish. The free Deck Checker counts ramp, draw and removal for any list. It will warn that a 60-card deck is not 100 cards, so you can ignore that line.
- Test a few opening hands in the Goldfish playtester before the first game.
Where the cards come from
You probably own half a cube already. Spare cards from precons, bulk commons and uncommons and old staples make up most of a good casual cube. Fill gaps with cheap staples from the Staples Finder and our budget staples pages, and upgrade the cube a little after each session based on which cards nobody picked.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play a Commander cube with two players?
Yes. Let each player draft five packs instead of three, or play sealed. Lower the starting life to 30 if games run long.
Do you need 100-card decks?
No. 60 cards is the standard for drafted Commander. It keeps decks consistent with a smaller pool of cards.
How many legends does a cube need?
Plan for at least six per player, or two to three in every pack. More legends means more choices and fewer drafters stuck with a commander they do not want.
Get the free Commander Brackets Cheat Sheet
A printable two-page PDF: all five brackets at a glance, a 7-question bracket check and the full Game Changers checklist. Plus new precon upgrade guides and Commander price movers by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
By subscribing you agree to receive emails from Commander Cove. Read our privacy policy.
