Hello, everyone! Welcome to the spooky season. I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and today, we're diving into the Top 10 scariest commanders you can encounter in the command zone. Whether it's their ability to take over games or cause chaos on the battlefield, these commanders have earned their place on this fright-filled list. But before we dive into this horror film, we have our honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention

cEDH Commanders: These are your Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, Kenrith, the Returned King, and other tournament-tested commanders that post Top 16 results in cEDH tournaments. While some can be toned down for casual play, they are generally strong by design. You always run the risk of someone bringing an actual cEDH deck into a casual pod. When I see these commanders, I stay on high alert.

Now with the honorable mentions out of the way here is number 10.

Number Ten

In this post-Mana Crypt era, it's rare to get knocked out as early as turn three or four, but Fynn can do just that. This poisonous commander turns any death-touching creature into a death sentence, often pushing you out of the game before you can react. If Fynn shows up, I'm making sure I've got blockers ready and bracing for a quick ride.

Number Nine

Speaking of speed, Alexios dominates high-powered casual tables. As someone who plays this deck myself, I can testify to its intensity. Between trample and constant self-buffing, it's a nightmare to deal with. You can mitigate some damage by throwing blockers in its way, but you'll need to dedicate a lot of mana to stay ahead. Before you know it, the Alexios player is miles ahead, and you're scrambling for more blockers.

Number Eight

Atraxa is the epitome of fear of the unknown. This commander holds the top spot on EDHREC for good reason: there are countless ways to build it. Infect? Planeswalkers? +1/+1 counters? You won't know until it's too late. The sheer unpredictability makes seeing Atraxa in the command zone nerve-wracking.

Number Seven

Ah, Toxrill - better known as "No Creatures Allowed." Like the Ohio State Buckeyes' helmets, this deck decorates the battlefield with your misery. Toxrill shrinks your creatures every turn, and as they wither away, the slug player amasses tokens and card advantage. Combine all that value with the control colors of Blue and Black, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Number Six

Dragons might not be as intimidating as they once were, but Miirym is built differently. The ability to create non-legendary copies of any dragon that enters the battlefield is absurd. On top of that, Miirym's Ward 3 makes spot removal difficult, if not impossible. In just a few turns, the board can be flooded with dragons, and dealing with them becomes a losing battle.

Number Five

This might be the most transparent gameplan in the history of Magic but it is a headache to try to stop. Normally, aggro decks can run out of speed or have fast but smaller creatures that you have a chance at surviving and playing bigger things. You can kiss that goodbye with Voja. For every wolf, you draw cards on attack and add +1/+1 counters for each elf. Let me tell you, there are plenty of each in these decks. Voja is insane.

Number Four

Jodah is the king of obnoxious, yet ridiculous value. Every legendary you cast essentially brings along another freebie, snowballing the board into something monstrous. When Jodah hits the field, you're not just playing against a deck - you're facing an avalanche of legendary creatures and abilities. Things get out of hand fast, and suddenly, you're overwhelmed by everything from planeswalkers to indestructible creatures.

Number Three

Azami is a control player's dream, and for everyone else, a nightmare. This deck is notorious for drawing massive amounts of cards, giving the Azami player endless resources to counter spells, tap down creatures, and stay far ahead of the table. If you're facing Azami, be prepared for a long game of not being able to resolve much of anything in a race against the clock if that clock is a Thassa's Oracle win at the end of the Mono-Blue rainbow that is this deck.

Number Two

Tergrid is one of those commanders that makes every interaction a source of dread. Did you lose a creature? It's Tergrid's now. Did someone discard a card? Tergrid grabs that too. This commander capitalizes on the misery of others, snowballing into a powerful force that turns every removal spell or discard effect into pure value. It's terrifying to go up against and I definitely dread seeing it come out.

Number One

Baral is the epitome of "you don't get to play Magic." With a deck stuffed full of counters and Baral's discounting ability, this commander locks down the game before anyone else can even get started. So not only does Baral get to say his favorite word in "No!" but he gets rewarded for doing so! Watching every spell get countered while Baral quietly refills their hand is an exercise in frustration. It's no surprise Baral tops this list - there's nothing scarier than knowing your entire deck now requires permission.

And there are your scariest commanders in all of EDH. Did we miss anyone? Let me know on X@Thought_Vessel. Until next time, happy gaming!