We're at the last stretch of the year and boy oh boy did 2024 deliver amazing commanders for Magic: The Gathering. Every kind of player got a goodie (or three) from every set that dropped this year. So, in no particular order, here's the cream of the crop all the way from Murders at Karlov Manor> to Foundations.

Honorable Mention: Nadu, Winged Wisdom

While I did sing praises about the year that passed, there's one commander that the community saw with unanimous hatred: Modern Horizon 3's little Simic bird wizard that could. Nadu, Winged Wisdom was a problem that even Magic's own team admitted was a design mistake. An extremely overpowered and undercosted value engine, a pod that had Nadu was certain to be buried in value ... tilting towards the bird's favor. So, adios Nadu!

Voja, Jaws of the Conclave

Murders of Karlov Manor starts us off proper with a strong Naya commander in Voja, Jaws of the Conclave. This is a big bad wolf that pumps all your creatures based on how many elves you have and draws cards equal to how many wolves you have too. Voja is also hard to deal with as it has built in protection. Players who like building an army think Voja is the best pet (read: legendary creature) to have.

Caesar, Legion's Emperor

The Fallout Commander decks had amazing commanders that introduced new mechanics like The Wise Mothman (rad counters) and Dogmeat, Ever Loyal (junk tokens). But, if we're talking power, well all hail the king! Er, emperor. Caesar, Legion's Emperor is a Mardu players dream: it sacrifice creatures to choose two from three useful modes. Caesar can make tokens, draw cards, and dome an opponent. Hail, Caesar indeed.

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

Outlaws of Thunder Junction was Magic: The Gathering's wacky take on the Wild West. The set brought us a unique Grixis commander that gave players multiple upkeeps equal to the damage it dealt. Obeka, Splitter of Seconds can be built to take advantage of upkeep-specific mechanics like Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate's initiative or the Court cycle from Commander Legends.

The Necrobloom

For a set that was designed for the Modern format, Modern Horizons 3 brought us a slew of strong commander options. The Necrobloom may be the most powerful Abzan commander released to date. This plant has a big backend being a 2/7 and a combination of abilities that make a combo player's heart thump faster. The Necrobloom actually fuses two lands which are Commander staples together: Field of the Dead and Dakmor Salvage. Landfall plus graveyard shenanigans? The Necrobloom is value in its finest, floral, form.

Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

Still on the Modern Horizons 3 train, but this time the Commander we have comes not from the main set but from the awesome preconstructed deck Eldrazi Incursion. Ulalek, Fused Atrocity is the face commander and is the first pure five-color Eldrazi (Morophon, the Boundless counts as an Eldrazi but it ain't a pure blood tentacle monster). Ulalek is an atrocious fusion of the titans Ulamog and Kozilek and it copies ALL the spells and abilities on the stack you control if you pay 2 colorless mana when you cast an Eldrazi. Eldrazi Kindred deck have their king ... with Azlask, the Swelling Scourge as a strong secondary option.

Edward Kenway

I have to admit that I'm not all that knowledgable about the Assassin's Creed franchise. But you don't have to be a fan to know that Edward Kenway is a powerful Grixis commander. Eddie Kay (as no one calls him) works best with vehicles (and assassins or pirates) and can make Treasure tokens as well as steal cards from your opponents.

Baylen, the Haymaker

Bloomburrow was a set that hit it out of the park with its theme, art, and mechanics. There are numerous commander options there (four of which I wrote about in this article here) but Baylen, the Haymaker brings home our wooden crown. A Naya commander that is all about utilizing tokens (any token) to either ramp, draw cards, or grow bigger. Baylen is a threat and is a shoe-in for best Naya commander of all-time discussions.

The Master of Keys

Arriving during spooky season, Duskmourn: House of Horror brought with it a bevy of powerful legendary creatures to helm any commander deck. I've identified five of the best Duskmourn commanders in this article but the top spot goes to The Master of Keys. An Esper commander that cares about enchantments, this Horror mills and gives enchantments in your graveyard escape. The Master of Keys unlocks a world of pain for your opponents - and even the cEDH community have taken notice.

Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder

Foundations Jumpstart was a return to form for the Jumpstart product line for Magic: The Gathering with many useful cards for various formats. The set drew even more praise for the anime artwork featured on many cards. But, for commander, the queen of this crop is none other than Rakdos baddie, Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder. A sacrifice outlet that grows her own power and toughness, Evereth can swing for the fences like the best of 'em. But when she dies, she deals damage to every opponent. Big ouch.

Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

Foundations brought with it the sevent iteration of Ravnica's smartest and most arrogant dragon. Niv-Mizzet, Visionary is an Izzet player's (read: spellsinger) dragon dreamboat: granting no maximum hand size and drawing cards from noncombat damage. What's more amusing is that Niv-Mizzet combos with himself. Well, technically, another version of himself in Niv-Mizzet, Parun. If any character from Magic's lore could go infinite with themselves, it would have to be Niv right?

What a Year

And there you have it, 2024's best commanders! If you're curious about what the best commanders were from 2011 to 2023, here's an article I wrote that lists those. The past 12 months have been a commander deck-builder's fantasy with all of the stellar commander options. And I didn't even include Secret Lair's Marvel Superdrop as it wasn't a proper set.

2025 has a lineup of amazing sets and it has never been a better time to be a commander player!