With Universes Beyond really hitting its stride in 2026, legendary creatures, and therefore new Commanders, are at an all-time high. There are countless new legends to choose from here, many of which have legitimate legs across different Commander brackets. Some of these newcomers are more effective than others, however, so to help you narrow them down we’ve picked out the best new MTG Commanders from 2026.
5 | Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Of the ‘five-color Commander with a Mono-Colored casting cost’ concept seen over the last few years, Nick Fury is one of the best. Coming down for just a single white mana, it immediately turns on all of your free interaction spells like Fierce Guardianship and Deflecting Swat. It also gives you very early access to fast mana from Mox Amber or Culling the Weak.
Thanks to these powerful interactions, Nick Fury is probably the best five-color Commander for cEDH play right now. Its color identity alone lets you run all of the format’s best win conditions, from Thassa’s Oracle to Underworld Breach. You also get access to the best interaction available, and a cheap body to enable Diabolic Intent and Eldritch Evolution.
cEDH aside, Nick Fury also has plenty to offer in the lower Commander brackets. As the only five-color Hero Typal Commander we have access to right now, it opens up the archetype to include powerhouses like Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu and Gwenom, Remorseless. Fury’s activated ability is useful in such decks, too, repeatable with Conjurer’s Closet to swarm the board.
If you’re feeling extra spicy, Nick Fury can do powerful things when paired with type changers like Maskwood Nexus. This allows Fury’s ability to access powerful cards like Etali, Primal Sickness, or even the absurd Aang, Master of Elements. While it looks unassuming as a one-mana 2/1, Nick Fury is easily one of the best new MTG Commanders of 2026.
4 | Maralen, Fae Ascendant
Blending two beloved creature types into one, Maralen, Fae Ascendant is an absolute banger for the command zone. Elves and Faeries are both notorious for cheap creatures like Llanowar Elves and Cloud of Faeries, so it’s easy to exile huge chunks of opponents’ libraries with Maralen. Add in token generators like Bitterbloom Bearer and Lathril, Blade of the Elves, and you can steal double-digit cards every turn.
As essentially a typal-leaning Theft Commander, Maralen is limited by the cards in your opponents’ decks. You can greatly expand its opportunities by running Flash creatures like Faerie Mastermind, however, to grab cards during opponents’ turns. Flash granters, like High Fae Trickster, are great here also, grabbing you cards while also expanding the pool of what you can cast.
With this setup, Maralen can easily be played as a value Commander, but all the incidental mill makes it a great choice for that archetype, too. Cards like Phenax, God of Deception can turn your wide Typal board into mill, while Ashiok, Dream Render prevents opposing graveyard shenanigans. There are even some infinite mill combos available here, including a line with Imperious Perfect, Intruder Alarm, and a mana dork.
3 | Witherbloom, The Balancer
Witherbloom, the Balancer has some of the most outrageous text we’ve seen on any Magic card period, taking the notorious Affinity mechanic in a wild new direction. Drawing a discount from creatures, Witherbloom gets cheap real fast when paired with token generators like Awaken the Woods. Add in doublers like Parallel Lives, and even Commander tax won’t be an issue for this Elder Dragon.
Once Witherbloom hits play, likely for just two mana, prohibitively expensive bombs like In Garruk’s Wake and Ezuri’s Predation suddenly become fantastic plays. You can also get a lot more mileage out of X spells, like Torment of Hailfire and Finale of Devastation.
Witherbloom even has some pretty spicy combo lines available, easily making infinite tokens with Sprout Swarm and four other creatures. A similar combo is available with Lab Rats and Phyrexian Altar as well, trading infinite tokens for infinite dies triggers. In both cases, you can add in cards like Altar of the Brood for remarkably quick wins, giving the card serious legs up in bracket four.
Witherbloom’s high power level is reflected in its current play stats, which are wild for a card from 2026. According to EDHREC data, 15,281 players are running this monster as their Commander so far. The card has even seen some testing over in Duel Commander and cEDH, cementing its status as a serious new Commander option.
2 | The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
In an incredibly flavorful turn of events, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl has proven to be one of the best Commanders from Magic’s Marvel offerings. By creating Squirrels on entry and attack, this legend quickly establishes you a board state, which you can bolster with cards like Squirrel Sovereign and Chitterspitter.
The real spice here, however, is that activated ability, which essentially serves as a Krenko, Mob Boss effect but for Squirrels. This can turn even a moderate board into a terrifying threat, especially with scaling creatures like Honored Dreyleader in the mix. Add in Illusionist’s Bracers, or cards like Doubling Season, and you can completely overrun the table in short order.
Powerful as it is when played straight, Squirrel Girl really shines when it comes to pulling off infinite combos. If you can make your Squirrels tap for mana with something like Cryptolith Rite, and give them Haste with Concordant Crossroads, then its ability can make infinite Squirrels. There are funkier lines available, too, such as using Phyrexian Altar to fuel your Squirrel generation, alongside Fecundity to draw your entire deck.
1 | Ashling, The Limitless
Ashling’s five-color incarnation is the real deal, being not only the best Elemental Commander of all time, but one of the best overall value Commanders, too. Adding Evoke to your bigger Elementals is massive on heavy hitters like Maelstrom Wanderer and Titan of Industry, letting you cheat them out early. Though they’ll die on entry, Ashling’s second ability makes a copy, giving you extra triggers in the bargain.
It’s this second ability that really drives Ashling’s power in Commander, doubling value from existing Evoke pieces like Mulldrifter and Shriekmaw. You can easily take this even further with cards like Panharmonicon and Delney, Streetwise Lookout to really boost your enters triggers. Add in token doublers like Anointed Procession, and every play you make will swing the game.
With cost reducers like Urza’s Incubator, and draw engines like Up the Beanstalk, Ashling can easily chain through its deck for an overwhelming pseudo-combo turn. Ashling decks employing this strategy have actually made waves in cEDH, of all places, which really highlights its power. The card has some actual infinite combo lines, too, including potent loops with Greenwarden of Murasa and Ashnod’s Altar.
Ashling’s huge power and potential are very much reflected in its current play stats, with 24,214 players running it at the head of their brew. This makes it the most popular new Commander of 2026, and the 37th most popular Commander overall. With early stats like these, it’s hard to deny that Ashling, the Limitless is the best of the new MTG Commanders for 2026.
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