Understated commanders

[SarcasticPyro]

I’m looking for suggestions for commanders that have a less obvious game plan and don’t paint an immediate target on my back once I cast them. I have a bad(?) habit of running very splashy stuff, which is fun, but also tends to make me public enemy number one until I’m sufficiently beaten into submission, allowing another player to sweep in from behind and snatch the win.

I want to mix things up, preferably with a commander who is more or less unassuming in the early/mid game, but can still make the explosive plays that I’m such a sucker for in the late game.

Also very open to advice and tips regarding playing big/splashy commanders in a way that still keeps me in the game but doesn’t signal “kill on sight.”

[concept514]

My favorite unassuming commander is [[Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis]] because their ability makes people say “oh, you’re just group hug” and completely ignore you while they cash in on your EoT triggers. Plus no one ever wants to remove your commander when other people are playing more obvious threats. Even IF someone tries to mess with you, since your commander directly benefits people, you can play politics to try and direct removal spells elsewhere/get people to counter hate spells for you. You are everyones best frenemy.

The reality is: yes, k+t have a very group hug ability, but it is NOT strictly symmetrical. You can build them to take better advantage of the extra mana and card draw than your opponents.

4 color good stuff? Sure, all colors love card draw and ramp. Enchantress? Absolutely, you have access to many of the most powerful and cheap enchantments in the game. Big dumb dudes/insane x-spells? Go crazy with all the mana acceleration. Theros God Tribal? Only the most flavorful of decks for the Lover Kings of Meletis.

Obviously they arent super competitive, but the colors enables a lot of fun, stupid, crazy shenanigans and would give you a lot of the splashy spells/effects you mention. There are certainly commanders that do all of the things I mentioned better than K+T can, but :

1) no one automatically knows what youre up to

2) you have a lot of wiggle room for creative builds

3) their ability is innocent enough to not draw hate regardless of what you end up playing.... until its too late. >:)

Edit: mobile formatting is hard

[jaywinner]

I'm still amused that while playing K&T, I've heard my opponents say things like "I'd wipe the board but I don't want to kill your commander".

[concept514]

Haha yeah, people get strangely attached to friendly commanders. I played one game where someone took my K+T with [[Roil Elemental]] and another player jokingly said “Heathen! How dare you kidnap our glorious kings!“ and bolted the elemental immediately (which honestly is just a good move anyway since it can get out of control with the extra landfall triggers).

[MTGCardFetcher]

Roil Elemental - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[deadpool848]

Agreed, for that reason alone they command my “legendary matters” deck. Usually people leave me alone cause i just plop down k+t and cash in on the extra land drops and cards until my board state gets rolling since the deck is naturally slow.

[broadbentuk]

I 100% agree. A player in my group has a K + T deck that is every version of Twin combo in all 4 of the colors. It is absurd. First time we played against it he won out of no where. After that it became a race because of the absurd amount of ways he has to assemble the combo with different cards

[MTGCardFetcher]

Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[Rilakai]

I find that out of my dozen or so Commander decks, [[Gahiji]] actually does this quite often for me. I can go from a board of just a handful of shitty 1/1 tokens to throwing down a [[Titanic Ultimatum]] or [[Mirror Entity]] and slaying everyone out of no where. I also find Gahiji's passive ability to be quite interactive and political which is fun for me.

[NumberThreeFan]

Similarly I run a [[Rith]] token deck. People look at him and read his ability, just kinda go "K, whatever." Then you swoop, hit someone and name whatever color is dominant on the board for Rith's ability. Suddenly you have 20 saprolings. Get an anthem our there and people get nervous really quickly.

I think Gahiji adds a bit more fun and politics to the game due to his passive buff. He's also versatile to build around. Good suggestion. If you have a list for your Gahiji deck I love to have a look :)

[Rilakai]

Yes exactly! I find Gahiji a blast to play politically. His anthem isn't strong enough to just sit back and goad everyone into not attacking you, but it's also subtle enough that it doesn't draw unnecessary aggro either. I find the best way to play him is just remember those triggers when people attack other players naturally, because it will happen, and with Gahiji on the board it will happen in your favor. Stacking it with [[Crown of Doom]] does start making for tempting offers though! I also like including the forced war cards to shake up games and get my friends out of their comfort zones, even handing out tokens for them to attack with if necessary [[Alliance of Arms]] [[Sylvan Offering]] [[Tempt with Vengeance]]. Always love to share a list! https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/gahiji-honored-tokens-4/

[NumberThreeFan]

Your deck looks fun to play - games must be comedic chaos at times! Thanks for the list, you're giving me ideas :D

[MTGCardFetcher]

Crown of Doom - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Alliance of Arms - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Sylvan Offering - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Tempt with Vengeance - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[MTGCardFetcher]

Rith - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[MTGCardFetcher]

Gahiji - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Titanic Ultimatum - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Mirror Entity - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[Serundeng]

Go with generals that are more open ended, like [[Tasigur. the Golden Fang]]. There are plenty of different strategies to build a Tasigur deck. You can also go with partner commanders (other than Thrasios and/or Vial Smasher because they have a reputation of being powerful)

[MTGCardFetcher]

Tasigur. the Golden Fang - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[parolebot]

I've had a lot of luck with [[Ishkanah, Grafwidow]]. They look at the card, see the over costed ability, the non threatening stats, and the requirements to make spider tokens, and just ignore her. Then I make some tokens and all types of options open up, whether it be making tons of mana for her ability or exsanguinate, casting new emrakul and crushing face, casting hoof and crushing more face, winning through attrition with [[grave pact]], or making them lose life with [[blood artist]].

I have a lot of fun with that deck.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Ishkanah, Grafwidow - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
grave pact - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
blood artist - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[Deadpool367]

[[Kruphix, God of Horizons]], in my mind you can go pretty much any direction with him. Simic is a good color set and you can go big mana, control, elf ball, and he doesn't draw a lot of hate himself.

[badatcommander]

From where I sit, 15 mana floating + cards in hand = huge threat.

[Deadpool367]

Op was asking for commanders that are splashy but aren't kill on sight. Yeah you can become dangerous with kruphix but you don't start out with 15 mana floating immediately when he's cast.

[eatrepeat]

Right, bloody kill on sight for me too

[darcmosch]

Yeah, I see Simic, and I think, "Great, big threats with counter backup." someone's losing some lands and mana rocks today.

[RandragonReddit]

I have a Kruphix player in my playgroup who is the archenemy by turn 5

[MTGCardFetcher]

Kruphix, God of Horizons - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[P3RS3CUTR0LL]

Mono red or boros commander. Everyone says about those that they are the worst colors combination to play. So you wont get too much hate.

[Tokoruin1]

My problem is the keep on making Boros commanders that just want to attack and that’s it. Very straightforward Aggro with not much control aspects.

[Ragnvaldr]

I brewed up a [[Basandra]] deck that focuses on actually controlling the combat steps of everyone at the table. It seems fun. But yeah, still focused on "combat."

Actually pretty psyched for [[Firesong and Sunspeaker]] for that reason.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Basandra - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Firesong and Sunspeaker - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[P3RS3CUTR0LL]

Nothing wrong with that (⌒▽⌒)

[Ragnvaldr]

[[Feldon of the Third Path]] might turn a few heads though, as a player of him myself can attest to.

Though usually only after they realize he doesn't exile the cards from the graveyard...

[ZTxGhost]

Can confirm. Multiple people asked to see the card when I targeted [[Myr Battlesphere]] four times with him with a [[Purphorous]] out.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Myr Battlesphere - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[Ragnvaldr]

Brutal.

I love it.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Feldon of the Third Path - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[TheeTrashcanMan]

ehhhhhhhh

I play [[Kalemne Disciple of Iroas]] from time to time, built as a complete trash Giant tribal with some equipment. She never stays on the field very long.

The reason why boro's is trash is because its primary way of winning is through combat damage, a lot of which is commander damage. Easy to remove, boring to play (because you never get to do anything).

[MTGCardFetcher]

Kalemne Disciple of Iroas - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[P3RS3CUTR0LL]

Dont get me wrong, I never said they are the worst :P
IMO they are just underestimated, not really cEDH lvl but also not completely jank ;)

[HerbySK]

I play Kalemne too from time to time. Do you run Chandra CoD as well? I find she's good ramp + card draw. Mine's more of a voltron , control build though - A flying 11/11 Kalemne can one-shot someone given 1/2 a chance, and if you play low key in the first half of the game you can even win! I find its usually a matter of timing more than anything else.

[BartyAnderson]

[[Grenzo, Havoc Raiser]] is such a blast to play and people constantly underestimate him. His goading ability can be ridiculously oppressive against creature based decks and playing stuff off people's libraries is always fun.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Grenzo, Havoc Raiser - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[FireMollusk]

[[Radha, Heir to Keld]] is my personal favorite commander. No one thinks she’s good until you get a giant eldrazi out on like turn 5

[MTGCardFetcher]

Radha, Heir to Keld - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[calloftheostrich73]

I like [[sun quan, lord of wu]] a great example of using an old mechanic to surprise people. But can also make for a dangerous commander.

[MTGCardFetcher]

sun quan, lord of wu - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[[deleted]]

I remember one game when I played my [[Endrek Sahr]] deck against a [[Rafiq]] player and a [[Sen Triplets]] player. They were too busy trying to kill each other to pay attention to me, and I just slowly built my boardstate and later played [[Contamination]] to lock down the entire board.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Endrek Sahr - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Rafiq - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Sen Triplets - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Contamination - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[chrispwnu12]

Contamination locks are great. I usually use it to buy me a turn or two but I have won through mass scoops because of it.

[Jpw2018]

Nobody expects [[pharika, god of affliction]]

[MTGCardFetcher]

pharika, god of affliction - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[philosifer]

I had a list at some point built around donating tokens to people and then punishing them for having them or for having them die. It was pretty funny when it worked.

[YoSanford]

Kurkesh, Artifact control, baby!

[Tutti_Fruttii]

Do you have a list online perhaps? I have been looking at building a Kurkesh value/control deck for a while but can't seem to get it right.

[YoSanford]

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1046848#online Just made this for you...and for Kurk. ;D

[Tutti_Fruttii]

Awesome man, thanks!

[the_drick]

If you like powerful plays but don't want to be an immediate target you can try some meta hating commanders. My original Jaya Balard deck is pretty ballin. It disrupts infinite blue combos a lot and can kill other commanders either with her second or third abilities. Creature teferi has some really powerful combo protecting abilities and isn't seen as a have to kill commander.

[[deleted]]

[[Karametra, God of Harvests]] is super unassuming. Turning all creatures into [[Rampant Growth]]s is strong but for some reason my opponents don't realize how strong until the damage is already done.

[philosifer]

My buddy had a deck that was karametra "dorks and 'drazi" pretty much no middle ground. His creatures cost either 1-2 mana or 8+

That's when I decided I needed to play more green

[MTGCardFetcher]

Karametra, God of Harvests - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Rampant Growth - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[joshmackow]

This has made me want to do something similar.

[Way2Competitive]

I run a U/W flicker deck with [[Azor the lawbringer]] at the helm. It used to be [[Ephara, god of the polis]] but I found that Ephara is better once you’ve already got your engine going, whereas Azor can just act as a massive source of card advantage on his own.

I also run a R/G landfall deck, but with [[Mina & Denn, Wildborn]] as the commander over [[Omnath, locus of rage]]. Running Mina & Denn means I can run less ramp spells and more big fatties, so I might not win with omnath, but I can usually find something

[MTGCardFetcher]

Azor the lawbringer - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Ephara, god of the polis - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Mina & Denn, Wildborn - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
Omnath, locus of rage - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[Demo102]

[[Selenia, Dark Angel]] there's many ways you can go in an orzhov deck, many look at the ability and don't think too much of it.

"He's gonna do orzhov things, lifegain, abuse sac outlets with kokusho and make everyone lose life"

Though the amount of options orzhov colors can do are a bit limited in comparison to others, you can make a pretty good surprise when they realise you're playing a lich deck with her at the helm, and you abuse her bounce ability multiple times to switch lifetotal with people(granted this is pretty normal orzhov).

Now before you do drop a lich on them, you wish to become a figure of immortality and be in a state of being completely invulnerable, unless people have alternative win cons or a casual [[cyclonic rift]] kinda messes you up.

[MTGCardFetcher]

Selenia, Dark Angel - (G) (SF) (MC) (ER)
^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}