MTG: FIREBALL! – Top Five Wizard Commanders
With these five MTG Commanders, you’ll never get your wincon late or early. It will arrive precisely when it means to.
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.
When it comes to fantasy, the Wizard is one of the most iconic figures. Whether it’s the old, wise mentor of the plucky protagonist, the terrible villain in the massive black tower, or the strange man in the mountains with a monosyllabic name, a Wizard always shakes up the story when they arrive. In Magic, Wizards are no less powerful, though they might no be the world-shaking behemoths they are in stories. Either way, a Wizard deck will have a ton of ways to sling spells, draw cards, and deal a surprising amount of noncombat damage.
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
A member of the long-reviled “eminence” cycle of Commanders, Inalla takes Wizards from spellslingers to deadly cultists with just a little mana. She gives you temporary copies of all your other Wizards whenever you cast them, and then you can tap five to drain an opponent for 7 life. Since the “tap” symbol isn’t in the ability, it’s even immune to summoning sickness, but in Grixis, they probably already have it anyway. Show your opponents the dark side of Wizards with this awesome Commander.
Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Probably the most iconic Wizard Commander, Azami is the Lady of Scrolls and the Queen of card draw. Sure, five mana for a 0/2 is obscene, but once she hits the battlefield, you’ll be able to cycle for your answer in no time at all. If you’re playing in cEDH or high power, that answer is PROBABLY a ThOracle or Lab Man, both of whom work great when you can draw out your whole deck in a turn or two.
Kaza, Roil Chaser
Kaza is one of my favorite Wizard Commanders, and the off-general of my favorite spellslinger deck. He makes the price of your spells cheaper the more friends he has, which is great by itself. However, Kaza REALLY hits his stride when you’re casting spells like Fireball or another X spell. Watch your nastiest spells turn into a Blasphemous Act with just a few friends.
Adeliz, the Cinder Wind
Sometimes the best spell a Wizard can cast is “fist”, and that’s exactly what Adeliz wants to do. She’s a 2/2 with flying and haste that boosts all your Wizards whenever you cast an instant or sorcery. Throw out a Shock to remove a pesky blocker, and watch your weedy little spellcasters get swole.
Naban, Dean of Iteration
ETB doubling effects are always sought after, and Naban gives you a more focused approach. He’s a Panharmonican for Wizards, and he’s cheap enough to get him out quickly. Double up all those heavy hits and leave your opponent digging for extra credit.
What do you think of these Commanders?
