As one of Magic’s foundational card types, it’s not surprising that artifacts have long been the subject of dedicated decks, in Commander especially. Today, there are more ways to build around artifacts in the format than ever before, with a veritable smorgasbord of Commanders and synergy pieces available. If the sheer volume of options has you overwhelmed, then fear not, as we’ve assembled our picks for the best MTG Artifact Commanders to help you choose.
6 | Urza, Chief Artificer
If you’re looking to be aggressive with your artifacts, then Urza, Chief Artificer is your man. It can come down for three mana fairly reliably thanks to Affinity, with the help of cheap artifacts creatures like Baleful Strix and Esper Sentinel. From there, Urza will start churning out scaling Karnstruct tokens, which can quickly get out of hand alongside token doublers like Anointed Procession.
With cards like Simulacrum Synthesizer and Thousand-Moons Smithy, you can fully commit to the scaling tokens bit with Urza. Throw in some cheap ways to copy said tokens, like Worldwalker Helm and Oltec Matterweaver, and you’ll soon have a nigh-unstoppable board. You can even double up on Urza triggers with Spark Double or Roaming Throne, powering out extra Constructs.
While it plays like a typical Aggro Commander to an extent, Urza very much benefits from a high artifact density thanks to its token scaling. With artifact lands like Seat of the Synod and utility pieces like The One Ring in the mix, your army will be swinging hard right out of the gate. Card draw is especially important here, helping Urza recover from board wipes.
5 | Iron Man, Titan Of Innovation
Iron Man’s first MTG appearance is one of the more unique Artifact Commanders out there, essentially serving as an artifact Birthing Pod in the command zone. Even just sacrificing the Treasures it makes itself, you can access cards like Sol Ring and Skullclamp with this ability. Iron Man’s utility goes far beyond that, however, essentially turning your whole deck into a toolbox with the right suite of artifacts.
To make the most of this ability, you’ll want to fill up on utility pieces like Spellskite and Phyrexian Metamorph, and grab them as needed. Alternatively, you can go big by casting Affinity creatures like Thought Monitor for cheap, then converting them into powerhouses such as The Ten Rings. Either way, cards like Firebender Ascension and Genji Glove, which can get you extra triggers, will help you maximize its value.
Throw in cards like Goblin Welder to recover your fodder artifacts, and Iron Man, Titan of Innovation is a formidable value engine indeed. Though it’s a fairly simple design, a repeatable tutor is nothing to sniff at and will only grow more dangerous over time.
4 | Ragost, Deft Gastronaut
Fantastic art and flavor aside, Ragost is genuinely one of the best Artifact Commanders MTG has seen in quite some time. Turning all of your artifacts into Food is more relevant than it sounds, enabling wild synergies and combos with the likes of Apothecary White and Nuka-Cola Vending Machine. It also lets you sacrifice fodder like Ichor Wellspring to fuel Ragost’s surprisingly efficient burn ability.
This ability can take down an entire pod in short order, especially if you give Ragost Lifelink with something like Caduceus, Staff of Hermes to untap it after each use. It works especially well with damage doublers like Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor and Gratuitous Violence, to really speed up Ragost’s clock.
Ragost can be a serious win condition when built around, but you can also use it as more of a supporting piece as well. In a go-wide artifact Aggro list, leaning heavily on cards like Chrome Dome and Illustrious Wanderglyph, Ragost offers a nice source of extra damage. This flexibility makes Ragost a pleasure to build around, and a terror at any Commander table up to bracket four.
3 | Toph, The First Metalbender
In one of the clearest design home runs Universes Beyond has given us yet, Toph presents a wildly innovative spin on an artifact Commander. Turning your artifacts into lands is an ability with a huge range of implications, such as easily triggering Landfall cards like Earthbender Ascension. It also lets you untap the likes of The One Ring with cards like Deserted Temple for huge value.
In concert with Toph’s once-per-turn Earthbending, this ability unlocks a ton of infinite combo lines as well. You can re-use The Stasis Coffin over and over for infinite protection, for example, or Mindslaver to permanently control an opponent. You can even make infinite mana with Basalt Monolith and Blossoming Tortoise, without having to Earthbend Monolith first.
While it’s already one of the most popular Commanders of all time after its short stint in Magic, it still feels like we’re only scratching the surface with Toph. Its abilities are so broad and flexible that we’ll likely be discovering new interactions and combos for this one far into the future.
2 | Urza, Lord High Artificer
As evidenced by its time spent on the Game Changers list, Urza, Lord High Artificer is one of the scariest Commanders Magic has ever seen. Its mana ability alone is absolutely ridiculous, turning cheap plays like Tormod’s Crypt into mana rocks when needed. This can ramp you into big artifact bombs like Portal to Phyrexia, or even cards like Enter the Infinite since there’s no use restriction on the mana.
This pairs perfectly with Urza’s activated ability, too, which essentially lets you cast a random card from your deck for free. While the shuffle sadly prevents you from setting it up, it’s still a solid instant-speed mana sink, especially if you’re running high-end artifacts like Krang, Utrom Warlord. You can use cards like Training Grounds and Illusionist’s Bracers to push it further, too, making it a win condition in itself.
Relatively ‘fair’ applications aside, Urza also enables a ton of powerful combos. It can make infinite tokens with Panharmonicon and Deadeye Navigator, for instance, and infinite mana with Worldwalker Helm and Mechanized Production. If you’re feeling particularly nasty, Urza also offers an easy way to tap Winter Orb and Trinisphere, to turn them into devastating one-sided lock pieces.
Factor in the Karnstruct token Urza makes on entry, and you have a devastating all-round package. This Commander is terrifying to face in every bracket, even all the way up to cEDH, where it’s probably the best Mono-Blue option available.
1 | Breya, Etherium Shaper
Breya has been one of the best MTG Artifact Commanders, and Commanders in general, since its release in Commander 2016. This is largely down to the card’s versatility, as Breya can provide burn, removal, and lifegain as needed. With cards like Heartstone and Battlemage’s Bracers, you can rapid-fire these abilities as well with enough ammunition.
Breya provides some of this itself on entry, but cards like Sai, Master Thopterist and Skrelv’s Hive will keep you well-stocked. You can really take this to the next level with token doublers like Mondrak, Glory Dominus, too, which let you pursue an Aggro plan with Breya’s abilities as backup. Breya also serves as a handy sacrifice outlet for artifacts like Ugin’s Nexus, which opens up even more deckbuilding possibilities.
What really makes Breya a top-tier contender, however, is its rare four-color identity, which opens up a dizzying array of options. You can run powerful engines like Smothering Tithe and Underworld Breach, alongside win conditions like Demonic Consultation/Thassa’s Oracle.
Breya also offers combo lines of its own, including an infinite mana and token loop with Nim Deathmantle and Ashnod’s Altar. Taken as a package, this makes Breya a serious competitive option all the way up to cEDH, in addition to its ample use in the lower brackets.
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