Commander Explained: Building and Playing 100-Card Singleton Decks

1. What Commander is and why it matters

Commander, also called Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), is built around a single card and the social, multiplayer games that flow from that choice. “Commander is, for those unaware, a 100-card format where every card in Magic: The Gathering's illustrious history – save for a specifically curated list of banned cards – is legal for use in your decks.” Commander rewards creativity, budget-friendly builds, and deck identity, it’s a format where your choices create table stories and memorable moments.

2. Core rules you must know

The format has a few non-negotiables: your deck is exactly 100 cards including your commander, and you may include no more than one copy of any card. “Commander, also known as Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), is a singleton format that revolves around building 100-card decks that usually work around a single card: that deck’s ‘commander.’ Commander has its own set of unique rules that separate it from the typical Constructed formats.” Games are multiplayer (two to six players, often four), players start at 40 life instead of 20, and commander combat damage is tracked separately, 21 points of commander damage from a single commander is an alternate loss condition. Note that sources reference “There are two elements unique to Commander, however, that you need to consider:” but that follow-up is not present in the excerpted notes; flag that as a missing detail to consult original guides.

3. How color identity controls deck building (practical examples)

Your commander’s color identity defines what cards you can include: all cards in your deck must only use mana symbols that appear in the commander’s color identity or be colorless. If your commander is colorless with no colored mana symbols (example: Ulamog, the Defiler), you are limited to colorless cards and Wastes rather than colored basics. “Hearthhull, the Worldseed represents legendary vehicles and spacecraft that can be commanders as long as they have a printed power/toughness, it's colors are black, red, and green, so no blue or white cards can be included in a Hearthhull deck.” That rule shapes your whole card pool and forces creative substitutions.

4. Choosing a commander and building around it

Pick a commander that matches the game plan you enjoy and that gives clear signals for card inclusion; the commander often functions as a strategy template. Count your commander as equal to 2–3 cards when planning slots so you don’t overload its converted mana cost or card-type needs. If the commander provides removal or token engines, you can trim redundant slots; conversely, if the commander relies on combo pieces, prioritize tutors and protection.

5. Build from scratch or start with a precon

You can construct decks from scratch or take a simpler route with preconstructed decks for immediate play. “If you'd prefer to take a simpler route, there are multiple pre-constructed Commander decks available for immediate, out-of-the-box play with all sorts of different themes. We'd suggest Animated Army from Bloomburrow, Miracle Worker from Duskmourn, or Most Wanted from Outlaws At Thunder Junction to get you started.” Precons are great for learning pilot lines and for conversion into custom lists; building from scratch gives you tailored synergy and learning through iteration.

6. Singleton economics and card uniqueness (community value)

Singleton is both design and budget boon: “This rule is what helps Commander be such an accessible format for players on a budget as well as what leads to players having unique and creative ways to play. There's no need to buy four of each on-color fetch or shock land. This saves you the price of a car payment each time you build a deck.” Embrace unique card choices, alternative engine pieces, and trading to source signature cards rather than chasing playsets.

7. Mana-base math: a worked example

Turn card color-weight into basic land counts by tallying colored mana symbols in your nonland cards. “The cards listed above total 20 black mana symbols and 55 green mana symbols – with those totals taken from the green, black, and multicolored cards. That's a total of 75 mana symbols with distinct colors, with the ratios being 27 percent for black and 73 percent for green.” Apply those ratios to the number of basics you plan to include: “If we apply those percentages to the 18 basic lands we said we were going to add at the end of Step Two: Mana Base, that means we're adding five Swamps and 13 Forests to complete the mana base.” This converts card-level color demands into practical land counts.

10. Land count, curve, and creature-count heuristics

Use rough rules to avoid mana screw or clunky turns: “Rule of thirds (an even more basic version): 99 cards (besides commander), means 1/3 of your deck is 33 cards. So you should have 33 lands, 33 creatures, 33 everything else.” But Draftsim cautions to bump lands because Commander games tend to run longer and include bigger creatures. Also, “Also, usually a good idea to stay in the [20-40] creatures range.” Plan a bell-shaped mana curve: fewer 1–2 CMC, more 4–5 CMC, and some high-end 7+ finishers. “Consider mana curve of spells. Number of cards at each mana value should have a general bell curve shape (archidekt will show you your deck stats). Generally you want a smaller number of 1-2 cmc cards, larger number of 4-5 cmc, a smaller number of 7+ cmc.” Avoid “If your deck does nothing until turn 5, you will probably be quite vulnerable in a real game.”

11. Win conditions, protection, and optional slots

Build clear finishers or include backup wincons. Draftsim recommends optional slots like pillowforts: “(optional) Pillowfort/Protection - protect commander/creatures/yourself if critical to game plan, or don't have much other defense” and optional wincons: “(optional) [0-3] Wincon - if your theme does not have an obvious way to win, you should include some finishing cards.” Balance removal and protection based on whether your commander supplies those roles; if the commander is removal-heavy, you can trim other removal and invest more in engines.

12. Playtesting, tools, and community tips

Testing is critical: “Play Test – Important to see how the first several turns of you deck generally goes.” Use deckbuilding sites to simulate draws and curves: “Archidekt allows you to playtest your deck by clicking the green button in the top right corner.” When testing a partial deck, “Remember to adjust your testing land to about 1/3 of your deck, if your deck is not perfectly at 100 cards yet.” Test opening sequences so you don’t discover too late that the deck “does nothing until turn 5”, iterate early.

13. Etiquette, banned list, and further reading

Community play leans on social contract and widely adopted etiquette; the beginner primer covers “basic multiplayer etiquette.” “TCGplayer / ChannelFireball maintain a comprehensive beginner guide that explains deck construction, color identity, commander selection, commander damage, and basic multiplayer etiquette. The guide is written as a practical primer for new players and for fo”, note the excerpt is truncated and follow-up content should be consulted in the original guide. Also verify the current, “specifically curated list of banned cards” before play, it’s part of the format’s DNA and evolves with time.

14. Resources, art credits, and follow-up items

When crediting art or including images, note specifics like “Sol Ring - Illustration by Mike Bierek” (repeated in the Draftsim excerpt). Draftsim references a “Big Lands List” as a resource for commander-relevant lands; that list isn’t included here and should be pulled from the original article for detailed land selection. Several Mtgsalvation lists referenced in the worked example, the “first three” mana producers, the card lists used to calculate mana-symbol counts, and creature lists tied to Lathril, are missing from the excerpts and require follow-up to capture exact card names.

15. Practical closing: start small, iterate, and bring the fun

Build a deck with clear intentions, use the heuristics above as guardrails, and then test at the table: refine your lands, tune your curve, and don’t be afraid to swap singleton slots after a few games. Commander is a conversational format, the best builds are home for surprises, politics, and big plays. Take an experiment, pilot it, and trade one lesson into a better game next week, that’s how memorable tables and great decks are born.