Choose a Background

Choose a Background
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate
Last used	Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate
Reminder Text	Choose a background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)
Statistics	32 cards 3.1% 15.6% 21.9% 18.8% 21.9% 18.8%
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fulloracle:"Choose a Background"

Choose a Background is a keyword ability introduced in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, as a Partner variant linked together with the Background legendary enchantment subtype. You can have a Background as a second Commander.

Description

"Choose a Background" only appears on monocolored legendary creatures (and on Faceless One, which is colorless but becomes monocolored before the game begins). By choosing a Background, they can be customized to be your Commander.

A Background adds extra abilities to your Commander, and changes their color identity. It functions similar to Partner, modifying the rules for deck construction in the Commander variant, and functioning before the game begins. Rather than a single legendary creature card, you may designate a legendary creature card in combination with a Background as your Commander(s).

Rules

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

Choose a Background

A variant of the partner ability that lets two legendary permanent cards be your commander in the Commander variant rather than one if one of them has the “choose a Background” ability and the other is a Background enchantment card. See rule 702.124, “Partner,” and rule 903, “Commander.”

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

• 702.124k “Choose a Background” means “You may designate two cards as your commander rather than one if one of them is this card and the other is a legendary Background enchantment card.” You can’t designate two cards as your commander if one has a “choose a Background” ability and the other is not a legendary Background enchantment card, and legendary Background enchantment cards can’t be your commander unless you have also designated a commander with “choose a Background.”

Rulings

• Some cards, usually Backgrounds themselves, refer to "Commander creatures." Those don't refer to a Background enchantment that is a Commander unless it is also a creature.
• If a card refers to your Commander, it means either the legendary creature or the legendary Background enchantment. So cards like Command Beacon can fetch either the legendary creature or the legendary Background. Anything that cares about whether you control your Commander will be satisfied if you control one or both of them. Cards like Command Tower can add mana of either of your commanders' color identities.
• Faceless One both has Choose a Background and is a Background. It can effectively be partnered with any Choose a Background commander, or be used with any Background, but cannot be used to have three (or more) commanders.