MTG: War Eternal – Top 5 Mardu Commanders
While tricks and recursion are all well and good, sometimes, the best way to defeat your opponent is to build a better army.
Welcome Planeswalkers and Praetors to our ongoing series about the best casual experience in Magic: Commander. For the uninitiated Commander is a semi-casual format for Magic: the Gathering. You use a deck of 100 cards led by a legendary creature, aka, your Commander.
Aside from basic lands, you are only allowed one copy of each card in the deck. Moreover, you can only include cards in your Commander’s “color identity” or artifacts. Each color and color combo has a unique playstyle and a wealth of mighty generals to lead your deck to victory. EDHRec.com is a great source for Commander info and can give you ideas to build your next Commander deck or tune an existing one.
Mardu is the blood and passion of Boros combined with the sacrificial nature of Rakdos, with a little Orzhov control thrown in for good measure. These Commanders will usually have a loyal army at their back, and whether they’re unleashing a horde, kitting out their warriors with all the best gear, or just throwing Demons at your face, they’re committed to fighting the good fight. If you want your games quick and decisive but still want to be able to hold out in the long game, this is the Wedge for you.
Isshin, Two Heavens as One
Unsurprisingly, the list starts with this absolute unit. Isshin doubles up all of your attack abilities, making things like exalted go utterly insane. A lot of the Samurai in the new Kamigawa set had abilities that triggered whenever a creature attacked alone, and Isshin makes them all fire off twice. He can go from zero to, “That’s Commander damage, good game,” in 30 seconds.
Edgar Markov
Forget being in the Top Five for Mardu; Edgar Markov is one of the Top Five Commanders of all time! When you’re making a Vampire deck with a little extra zing, there’s no one better. He pulls in all the Innistrad Red Vamps while still powering up the standard Orzhov package. I can’t think of a better Vampire tribal Commander. Even his closest competitor, Elenda, cuts out all the juicy Red spells.
Kaalia of the Vast
I cannot think of a Commander for reviled than Kaalia. The oneshot Commander herself, Kaalia has several instant kill combos that can end the game turn one if she’s kitted out properly. If I ever see her at a table I’m playing at, it’s on sight. That said…she’s incredible. If you love winning and hate friends, you can’t do better.
Queen Marchesa
All hail the Queen! Marchesa is a fun Commander with an interesting gimmick; she wants to be the monarch, but she also wants to give it away. Every time you AREN’T the monarch, you get an extra assassin, and with all the power a 1/1 with haste and deathtouch can have, you’ll have all your opponents bending the knee.
Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale
Knights are only as good as the weapons they wield, and Syr Gwyn is here to make sure they have all the best ones. While she functions perfectly well as a Voltron beatstick, it’s a bit more fun to have a well-armed legion. Get your Boros on and sprinkle just a pinch of recursion, and you’ve got the basics.
What do you think of these commanders?
