MTG: Meow Mix – Top Five Cat Commanders
From the king of the jungle to the queen of the couch, these five Commanders put the “purr” in perfect strategy.
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 an excellent source for Commander info and can give you ideas to build your next Commander deck or tune an existing one.
Cats were one of the first companions humanity had back in the day. These days, they occupy a place of aloof attentiveness in the homes that welcome them. In the world of Magic, Cats of both the four and two-legged variety clash with the horrors of the multiverse. One of the most famous of their number, the leonin planeswalker Ajani, was even able to survive compleation. As typal Commanders, Cats are a surprisingly powerful choice and can unleash a hissing, scratching army in the blink of an eye.
Rin and Seri, Inseperable
Magic’s own Pixie and Brutus, Rin and Seri are a wonderful Cat and Dog combo. Going all in on one type doesn’t slow them down, as they are able to generate a token of one when you cast the other. As a Cat typal deck, Rin and Seri will be generating a ton of life for you and creating an army of tiny Dog tokens. The best part is, since you’re in Naya, you’ll have a ton of options for turning your small army into a giant one.
Arahbo, Roar of the Wild
One of the first Cat Commanders from back in the day, Arahbo has the coveted eminence keyword. That means he’s powerful even before he hits the battlefield, though Arahbo is unfortunately not as strong as his fellows. However, he does give one of your Cats a moderately powerful +3/+3 buff, which can be nasty on the right target. Even better, once he hits the field, he can dish out a power doubler and trample for the low price of three mana. Watch as your unassuming housecats become jungle hunters in no time.
Sovereign Okinec Ahau
A new Commander from Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Okinec has one of the most obscene scaling effects I’ve ever seen. Whenever he attacks, if any of your creatures have any sort of buff, permanent or otherwise, to their power, they get a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the difference. While that starts fairly tame, it gets out of hand so fast. Your army of cats will be as massive as Dragons with only a few turns of combat.
Kemba, Kha Enduring
One of Mirrodin’s saviors against the Phyrexian threat, Kemba wants to make sure your Cats are well-armed for battle. Whenever a Cat enters the battlefield, you get to attach an Equipment to them for free. While equipped, they get an extra +1/+1, potentially giving them the needed boost to survive a nasty encounter. No Cats in hand? No problem. Kemba can make a Cat token for you, though the price is a little steep.
Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
Closing out our fearsome fivesome, we have Gerrard’s companion Mirri, the mighty swordswoman of the Weatherlight. She is a powerful combat Commander, allowing you to slip past your opponent’s defenses and then be protected from the clapback. By essentially shutting down your opponent’s board, she’s like a built-in Ghostly Prison and Rogue’s Passage all in one.
What do you think of these Commanders?
