As is typical for most Universes Beyond sets, Avatar is chock full of iconic legends that are bound to have an impact in Commander. Some are stronger than others, though, so for anyone pondering which legendary creatures are worth building a deck around, we’re providing a ranking with the best of the bunch.
Before we get started, we need to mention a couple caveats. We will only be considering cards from the main set, so Jumpstart and Eternal cards are off the table. Additionally, we will strictly be focusing on each card’s impact in the Command Zone, not in the 99 of other strategies. With that out of the way, here are the best MTG Avatar Commanders.
Honorable Mention | Avatar Aang
Of all the legends in the set, Avatar Aang may have the highest upside of them all. If you’re able to transform him, not only do you get a massive discount on every other spell you play, but you also have the option on your next upkeep to transform it back to a Human and draw a bunch of cards.
While this is extremely difficult to pull off, it’s worth noting that the front half of this creature still does a great job generating value on its own. The fact that Aang’s triggered ability isn’t capped at triggering only once each turn makes the legend the ultimate bending payoff. Cards that can bend multiple times in a turn such as Dai Li Agents become card advantage machines with Aang at the helm.
Still, because you need to play a lot of new support elements to get the most out the Commander, Aang’s applications are pretty narrow. As such, Avatar Aang is deserving of an honorable mention spot.
5 | Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
Wan Shi Tong, Librarian is not only our pick for the best card in the set, but it is also the most expensive one right out of the gates. It’s efficient, scales well over the course of the game, and punishes any opponent for utilizing Fetchlands which comes up a ton in Modern and Eternal formats. In high-powered Commander environments, it has the potential to generate a ton of value as players continue to utilize tutors of their own.
There are also some cute tools like Noble Benefactor that incentivize your opponents to tutor their libraries and trigger Wan Shi Tong. Throw in Field of Ruin and recursive tools like Crucible of Worlds, and you’ve got a gameplan. The only major downside here is that you’re restricted to only using blue and colorless spells, which does limit Wan Shi Tong’s utility a little bit. Nonetheless, its power level is strong enough to make up for this weakness.
4 | Sokka, Tenacious Tactician
Over the years, many Commanders have been printed that encourage you to fill your deck with cheap instants and sorceries. From Kykar, Wind’s Fury to Elsha of the Infinite, there’s no shortage of solid Jeskai Prowess creatures to build your deck around, and Sokka is next in line.
What truly separates Sokka from the rest of the bunch, however, is the fact that it gives your Ally tokens Prowess. As long as you have a flurry of cantrips to follow up with after casting this Commander, you’ll develop a quick clock in a hurry. Furthermore, this card rewards you for playing other Allies in your deck if you want to go down that route. Sokka is a simple design, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an effective Commander.
3 | Fire Lord Zuko
For anyone that enjoys playing assertive EDH decks, Fire Lord Zuko is an incredible Mardu payoff. Your main objective with this card in the Command Zone is to pair it with cards like Prosper, Tome-Bound and Party Thrasher to maintain a consistent flow of cards from exile. From there, buffing your whole squad becomes trivial. Playing token producers also helps you take further advantage of Zuko’s trigger and generate an overwhelming amount of pressure.
This doesn’t even take into account the fun shenanigans that can be had thanks to its mana producing ability. If you get Zuko’s power up to seven, you can potentially take infinite combat steps with Hellkite Charger. Cards like Leyline Tyrant that allow you to utilize excess Firebending mana outside of combat are elite inclusions, too. There are plenty of directions you can take with Zuko, and the payoff is high for all of them.
2 | Koh, the Face Stealer
Despite being a mono-colored Commander, Koh makes up for this by being an elite combo option. Koh is capable of pulling off the majority of combos that Necrotic Ooze can pull off at minimum, and because it’s legendary, you get consistent access to it every game. The only caveat is that you need enough life to spare to get your engines rolling, but this shouldn’t be too difficult in a 40-life format.
On top of all of this combo upside, Koh has extra value by letting you copy triggered abilities. Pair this creature with Vilis, Broker of Blood, and you’ve built yourself a card drawing machine. Add on the fact that you get a removal spell and a piece of graveyard hate out of the deal, and you’ve got a major incentive to play the powerful Shapeshifter.
1 | Toph, the First Metalbender
Speaking of combo Commanders with lots of extra utility, Toph, the First Metalbender falls into quite a similar camp. Pairing Toph with Mindslaver, for example, enables you to loop Mindslaver and keep taking control of one of your opponent’s turns. If you don’t feel like incorporating any combos, however, there are still tons of ways to maximize what Toph brings to the table.
By turning all of your nontoken artifacts into lands, any mana rocks or other trinkets will trigger Landfall, helping you abuse the power of Tireless Provisioner, Lotus Cobra, and more. While these “lands” don’t naturally tap for mana, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth and other similar effects can easily change that. All in all, Toph has a super high ceiling and makes for such an exciting build-around, earning it the title of the best MTG Avatar Commander.
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