Commander (designation)

The deck commander or simply commander is the central card of a Commander-deck. It starts the game in, and is usually played from, the command zone.

The term general is sometimes used instead, although commander is the formal term according to the rules.

Description

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Commander

1. A casual variant in which each deck is led by a legendary creature. See rule 903, “Commander.”

2. A designation given to one legendary creature card in each player’s deck in the Commander casual variant.

• The commander of a deck is usually a legendary creature.

• However, a small number of planeswalker cards have an ability stating that they can serve as commanders and with the Brawl option, every planeswalker can be commander.

• Players can have two commanders if both have partner. A player's choice of commander determines which other cards can be played in the deck by determining that deck's color identity.

Rules

1. Players may choose either a legendary creature, or a planeswalker that has an ability allowing it to be chosen, as a commander. Players may choose a pair of them if each has the Partner ability.
2. The Commander's color identity restricts what cards may appear in the deck. If a player chooses to have two commanders, the color identity is the combined color identity of each.
3. Being a Commander is not a characteristic but a property of the card.
4. If a player has been dealt 21 points of combat damage by a particular Commander during a game, that player loses the game. If a player chooses to have two commanders, each is counted separately.
5. While a Commander is in the command zone, it may be cast. As an additional cost to cast a Commander from the command zone, the player casting it must pay for each time that player has previously cast it from the command zone. If a player chooses to have two commanders, each is counted separately.
6. If a commander would be put into its owner's graveyard, be exiled, or returned to a player's hand or library from anywhere, that player may choose to put it into the command zone instead.

Commander interaction cards

Some cards specifically interact with your commander. If a player has two commanders, then each is counted separately, except for abilities referring to color identity, in which case the color identity of the commander is the combined color identity of each of that player's commanders.

• Command Tower from Commander; reprinted in Commander's Arsenal, Commander 2013-Commander 2017.
• Opal Palace from Commander 2013; reprinted in Commander 2016.
• Commander's Sphere from Commander 2014; reprinted in Commander 2016.
• Command Beacon from Commander 2015.
• Bastion Protector from Commander 2015.
• Cards with the Lieutenant ability word from Commander 2014; one reprinted in Commander 2016.
• Bloodsworn Steward from Commander 2017.
• Path of Ancestry from Commander 2017.

Interacting with other commanders

• Crimson Honor Guard from Commander 2017.