The Best MTG Legends Commanders

The idea of the ‘Legendary Creature’ in Magic has undergone a ton of change over the years. What started as a rare novelty used mainly for flavor and balancing has given way to something everyday in the era of Universes Beyond. Now, we’re starting to see more legends than normal creatures printed.

With so many options now available in the category, decks built around legendary creatures are now incredibly viable and popular in Commander. If you want to ride the fame train with your next brew, these are the best MTG Commanders for the burgeoning Legends archetype.

7 | Esika, God of the Tree//The Prismatic Bridge

Cards like Cryptolith Rite Cryptolith Rite Creatures you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color." and Enduring Vitality Enduring Vitality Vigilance
Creatures you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color."
When Enduring Vitality dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It's an enchantment. (It's not a creature.) have really come into their own in Commander recently, seeing strong play all the way up into cEDH. Esika, God of the Tree gives you the same effect in the command zone, as long as you’re running a deck made up mainly of legends. This provides you with both incredible ramp and fixing potential, letting you drop heavy hitters like Valgavoth, Terror Eater Valgavoth, Terror Eater Flying, lifelink
Ward—Sacrifice three nonland permanents.
If a card you didn't control would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
During your turn, you may play cards exiled with Valgavoth. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its mana value rather than pay its mana cost. and Atraxa, Grand Unifier Atraxa, Grand Unifier Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
When Atraxa enters, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each card type, you may put a card of that type from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.) alike.

While explosive ramp plays are Esika’s biggest strength, it’s also notable for its high flexibility. As a five-color Commander, you can run any and all legends you’d like, plus any powerful engine pieces to power them, from Rhystic Study Rhystic Study Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays {1}. to Smothering Tithe Smothering Tithe Whenever an opponent draws a card, that player may pay {2}. If the player doesn't, you create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") . You also get a whole second Commander here in The Prismatic Bridge, which is arguably even better than Esika depending on your build.

This essentially lets you run a Polymorph Polymorph Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. The player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into their library. deck if you’d like, ‘tutoring’ out win cons like Hullbreaker Horror Hullbreaker Horror Flash
This spell can't be countered.
Whenever you cast a spell, choose up to one —
• Return target spell you don't control to its owner's hand.
• Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. on your upkeep. It’s also great if you go down the ramp route, as it can pull out heavy hitters like Sheoldred, Whispering One Sheoldred, Whispering One Swampwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature of their choice. every turn with no further support, freeing up your mana for card draw and protection.

Factor in a range of infinite combos, like making infinite tokens with Emmara, Soul of the Accord Emmara, Soul of the Accord Whenever Emmara becomes tapped, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token with lifelink. and Intruder Alarm Intruder Alarm Creatures don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
Whenever a creature enters, untap all creatures. , and Esika offers a lot to play with. It takes a bit to get going, but few Legends Commanders can outpace it once it does.

6 | Kethis, the Hidden Hand

Kethis really does feel like a Legends Commander for all seasons, providing an efficient body on board as well as two hugely relevant effects for Legends lists. The mana discount here is fantastic for starters, letting you power out key support pieces like Arvad the Cursed Arvad the Cursed Deathtouch, lifelink
Other legendary creatures you control get +2/+2. and Serah Farron Serah Farron The first legendary creature spell you cast each turn costs {2} less to cast.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you control two or more other legendary creatures, you may transform Serah Farron. ahead of time. This discount applies to all legendary spells, too, not just creatures, so cards like Day of Destiny Day of Destiny Legendary creatures you control get +2/+2. and Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering Yawgmoth’s Vile Offering (You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.)
Put up to one target creature or planeswalker card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. Destroy up to one target creature or planeswalker. Exile Yawgmoth's Vile Offering. get a boost here, too.

This ability makes Kethis ideal for a more tempo-oriented take on Legends, while the second backs that up with some extra resilience. In a deck full of legends, it essentially gives you a much better Underworld Breach Underworld Breach Each nonland card in your graveyard has escape. The escape cost is equal to the card's mana cost plus exile three other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast cards from your graveyard for their escape cost.)
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this enchantment. every turn, letting you easily recover from removal or board wipes. Alternatively, you can lean hard into a self-mill sub-theme with cards like Hermit Druid Hermit Druid {G}, {T}: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a basic land card. Put that card into your hand and all other cards revealed this way into your graveyard. , and use Kethis to turn your graveyard into a second hand and push for combo wins. However you play it, Kethis’s low cost and great color identity make it one of the best Legends Commanders in MTG.

5 | Peter Parker//Amazing Spider-Man

Spider-Man’s Web-slinging mechanic unfortunately had a bit of a poor showing overall, but The Amazing Spider-Man happily bucks that trend. Applying the ability to all of your legendary spells opens up countless avenues, letting you build the deck a ton of different ways. Using Spider-Man to massively cut costs on legendary bombs like Avacyn, Angel of Hope Avacyn, Angel of Hope Flying, vigilance, indestructible
Other permanents you control have indestructible. is a viable strategy. That said, a value/bounce plan that recycles abilities on legends like Loran of the Third Path Loran of the Third Path Vigilance
When Loran enters, destroy up to one target artifact or enchantment.
{T}: You and target opponent each draw a card. works too.

Provided you have easy ways to tap down your creatures, like Springleaf Drum Springleaf Drum {T}, Tap an untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color. or the Station lands, you can pursue any of these plans with ease. As if that wasn’t enough, you also get access to Peter Parker, who can fill your curve early and turn on cards like Mox Amber Mox Amber {T}: Add one mana of any color among legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control. and Fierce Guardianship Fierce Guardianship If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Counter target noncreature spell. . It even gives you a handy token to Web-sling away on future turns for a big play.

Like Norman Osborn Norman Osborn Norman Osborn can't be blocked.
Whenever Norman Osborn deals combat damage to a player, he connives. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
{1}{U}{B}{R}: Transform Norman Osborn. Activate only as a sorcery. from the same set, this is one of the best MDFC Commanders we’ve seen yet, and one of the best Legends Commanders in MTG overall.

4 | Aragorn, the Uniter

While it doesn’t technically support a Legends plan, Aragorn, the Uniter is undeniably one of the best and most popular Commanders for the archetype. This comes down to its color identity, which lets you play most good legends in the game, and its abilities, which reward you handsomely for doing so. Many great legends and legend support pieces, like Merry, Esquire of Rohan Merry, Esquire of Rohan Haste
Merry has first strike as long as it's equipped.
Whenever you attack with Merry and another legendary creature, draw a card. and Annie Joins Up Annie Joins Up When Annie Joins Up enters, it deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls.
If a triggered ability of a legendary creature you control triggers, that ability triggers an additional time. , are multicolored, meaning they’ll net you multiple Aragorn triggers when you cast them.

With your creatures generating so much extra value, Aragorn lets the often-clunky Legends archetype pursue a tempo win and simply outpace your opponents on the board. There’s even a good bit of combo potential here, such as generating infinite enters-and-dies triggers with Adrix and Nev, Twincasters Adrix and Nev, Twincasters Ward {2} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)
If one or more tokens would be created under your control, twice that many of those tokens are created instead. , Whitemane Lion Whitemane Lion Flash
When this creature enters, return a creature you control to its owner's hand. , and Phyrexian Altar Phyrexian Altar Sacrifice a creature: Add one mana of any color. . Though it’s a bit of a brute-force option, it’s hard to deny how effective Aragorn is at the head of a deck full of legends.

3 | Dihada, Binder of Wills

Dihada is a crucial figure in old-school MTG lore, and her potent legends-matter abilities reflect that perfectly. The +2 here is better than it looks at first, since it keeps a chosen legend safe until your next turn, not just until end of turn. This lets you protect key engine pieces, like Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff Whenever a player casts their second spell each turn, you lose 1 life and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") and Shanid, Sleepers’ Scourge Shanid, Sleepers’ Scourge Menace
Other legendary creatures you control have menace.
Whenever you play a legendary land or cast a legendary spell, you draw a card and you lose 1 life. , from most board wipes and removal spells.

Dihada’s -3 ability, however, is the star of the show, providing both card advantage and ramp. This is especially powerful with recursion effects like Chainer, Nightmare Adept Chainer, Nightmare Adept Discard a card: You may cast a creature spell from your graveyard this turn. Activate only once each turn.
Whenever a nontoken creature you control enters, if you didn't cast it from your hand, it gains haste until your next turn. in the mix. This ability once earned Dihada a spot in cEDH, where players looped it with Underworld Breach Underworld Breach Each nonland card in your graveyard has escape. The escape cost is equal to the card's mana cost plus exile three other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast cards from your graveyard for their escape cost.)
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this enchantment. and Flicker Flicker Exile target nontoken permanent, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. to generate a ton of mana and access the bulk of their deck for combo purposes.

While it’s a bit too slow for the current cEDH metagame, Dihada is still more than viable in brackets 4 and below, especially if you’re all-in on legends. Heck, with some counter support like Way of the Necromancer Way of the Necromancer When Way of the Necromancer enters, empower Jace 2. (Put two loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace planeswalker token with "[−1]: Surveil 1" and "[−3]: Draw a card.")
Whenever a creature you control dies, put a loyalty counter on each planeswalker you control. her ultimate alone can be a win condition in itself, especially if you have a sacrifice outlet to get rid of everything afterwards. Like Urza and Yawgmoth before her, Dihada is an MTG lore icon that more than lives up to the hype in card form.

2 | Jodah, the Unifier

Some MTG Commanders are ubiquitous to the point of infamy, and Jodah, the Unifier is absolutely one of them. For the most part, this is the ‘default’ Commander for Legends decks, with over 33,800 players running it in total. It’s not hard to see why, as with just a few other legends in play, Jodah creates a nigh-unstoppable board state thanks to its stat-buff ability. Though this would’ve been a clunky ability to leverage at one point, today’s game has a ton of cheap legends like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Whenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card.
Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.) and Skrelv, Defector Mite Skrelv, Defector Mite Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.)
Skrelv can't block.
{W/P}, {T}: Choose a color. Another target creature you control gains toxic 1 and hexproof from that color until end of turn. It can't be blocked by creatures of that color this turn. ({W/P} can be paid with either {W} or 2 life.) , so it’s trivial to set up.

By itself, this ability would likely make a great Legends Commander, but Jodah also gives all your legendary spells pseudo-Cascade. If you run a full curve, this essentially guarantees you two legends per legend, making it even easier to dominate the board stats-wise. These days, with legend rule-dodging Clone Clone You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. s like Spark Double Spark Double You may have this creature enter as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker, and it isn't legendary. and Chameleon, Master of Disguise Chameleon, Master of Disguise You may have Chameleon enter as a copy of a creature you control, except his name is Chameleon, Master of Disguise.
Mayhem {2}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for {2}{U} if you discarded it this turn. Timing rules still apply.) , you can even field multiple Jodahs at once, which guarantees a beat for your pod.

Though it’s not particularly complex or nuanced, Jodah really doesn’t have to be. With a deck full of reasonably efficient legends and some good fixing, even high-end lists will struggle to resist the sheer stats this Wizard brings to the table.

1 | Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

The original Captain Sisay Captain Sisay {T}: Search your library for a legendary card, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle. was an iconic Legends Commander for years during the format’s infancy, but her Modern Horizons upgrade blows that out of the water completely. Sisay, Weatherlight Captain isn’t just the best Legends Commander in the game, but one of the best Commanders in the game period.

In cEDH right now, Sisay’s repeatable tutoring powers some wild combo lines, letting you bring out the likes of Gaea’s Cradle Gaea’s Cradle {T}: Add {G} for each creature you control. and Derevi, Empyrial Tactician Derevi, Empyrial Tactician Flying
When Derevi enters and whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may tap or untap target permanent.
{1}{G}{W}{U}: Put Derevi onto the battlefield from the command zone. for quick infinite mana kills. It’s also one of the most flexible and resilient strategies in the format, since it can tutor up silver bullets like Deadpool, Trading Card Deadpool, Trading Card As Deadpool enters, you may exchange his text box and another creature's.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 3 life.
{3}, Sacrifice this creature: Each other player draws a card. and win largely through ability activations, which blanks most traditional interaction.

cEDH aside, Sisay is just a fantastic Commander for Legends decks in all brackets. Once you have access to WUBRG mana, Sisay lets you add your whole deck to your hand, so you can pursue any game plan you like. You can control the board with cards like Lavinia, Azorius Renegade Lavinia, Azorius Renegade Each opponent can't cast noncreature spells with mana value greater than the number of lands that player controls.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell. , pull ahead in cards with The One Ring The One Ring Indestructible
When The One Ring enters, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring.
{T}: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring. , and much more. Though the category has plenty of good options, Sisay feels like the best Legends Commander in MTG by a fairly wide margin.

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