Every EDH player has had that moment when they became the main threat. The table turns to you and goes, “Sorry, we have to do it” and they proceed to kill your board. Most decks take quite a while to set up synergistic cards and powerful interactions, but a few commanders must be killed on sight. We’ll run down a bunch of commanders that immediately get hated out of the game the moment they touch the board. You can avoid using these decks to have a fun experience at your table, or you can be the villain for once and bask in their power.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Starting simple, we have the goblin gang leader himself, Krenko. This goblin commander can swarm the board in no time, doubling the number of goblins currently on the board. Playing against Krenko is a strategic challenge, requiring careful planning and resource management to prevent his goblin horde from overwhelming you. A well-timed boardwipe is often enough to keep the mob down, but with cards like impact tremors and goblin bombardment, you’ll still want to keep the board clear at all times rather than risk a hasty Krenko hitting the board and blowing up the whole table.
Stella Lee, Wild Card
Izzet is well-known for 2 card combos, but Stella Lee puts every other Izzet combo deck to shame. Instead of one or two cards that go infinite with this deadly commander, Stella Lee is capable of comboing off with more than 10 cards (And that’s just in her colors, not counting WBG). Once she hits the board, it’s all hands on deck, as she can combo off on a moment’s notice. Being in UR also works to her advantage, giving her a myriad of ways to protect Stella. And if Stella goes down, the deck will surely be full of other ways to combo off without the commander. If you come to the table with this card in your command zone, be ready to eat some removal and counterspells.
Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow
If having an uncounterable commander wasn’t enough, Yuriko also hits the entire table with large chunks of damage every turn. She can sneak past counterspells with her commander ninjutsu ability, letting her slip onto the battlefield and hit someone with her ability. If the table isn’t ready with instant speed removal, they’ll take damage equal to the mana value of the top card of Yuriko’s deck. That can be anywhere between 0 and 16 damage if they’re running the right kind of cards. Her UB colors also give her access to counterspells, removal, and, most importantly, ways to tutor cards to the top of her deck. Be wary when fighting this ninja commander, as life totals can plummet alarmingly fast.
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Stax is the name of the game with this oppressive commander. If you’re unfamiliar with stax, it basically means the stax deck gets to play, and you don’t. With strong taxing effects that stop you from playing spells and interacting with Grand Arbiter Agustin like Winter Orb, Propaganda, Drannith Magistrate, dealing with this Azorious Control deck can be frustrating. It starts with a few counterspells here and there; they tell you sorry, I’m just policing the game. Then suddenly, you find that you’re unable to play, everything you do costs more mana than you have, your lands aren’t untapping, and you feel frozen in the game. Many players dislike playing against these stax effects, so check with your group before you bring this monster to the table.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Drawing cards is a fundamental part of Magic the Gathering. It’s how decks generate value, dig for answers, and fill their hand with dangerous spells. With Nekusar, you watch your opponents desperately dig through their deck and slowly die to your commander’s effect. Nekusar likes to play in groups that like to draw cards, since you make them take damage for every card drawn, but can also force players to draw cards they don’t want. Wheel effects such as Windfall, Wheel of Fortune, and Rush of Dread can force your opponents to draw cards they don’t need to make them take damage. Coming to the table with Nekusar means players will be scrambling to find an answer before your commander even hits the battlefield. Be ready to use those counterspells to defend Nekusar!
Narset, Enlightened Master
One swing is all it takes with this commander. More often than not, letting Narset live to attack is a horrible idea. The moment she swings and flips an extra turn spell or an extra combat spell, it’s probably game over. She’ll keep attacking and generating value for as long as she’s no the field, and its no easy task to get through her hexproof keyword. Even if you do manage to get around hexproof with a boardwipe or a sacrifice effect, there’s probably a counterspell to stop you in your tracks. Players are grateful this commander costs no less than 6 mana.
While everyone has their own commander horror story, it’s important to remember that focusing someone down can feel bad for the player. Learning to read the room and understand proper threat assessment is part of what makes a good EDH player. Remember that despite some oppressive decks in the format, everyone is just trying to have a good time with their friends.
EDH is pretty scary! There are a lot of dangerous decks out there. Much scarier than the horror movies we get nowadays. If you’re curious why those aren’t so spooky anymore, check this out.
