Magic: The Gathering is home to countless heroes and villains. They span the gamut of fantasy species, with everything from lowly Goblin to mighty Dragon having numerous mythical figures to call upon as Commander. The most popular creature types play home to dozens of legendary creatures. Within each fabled family is a subsection of type-centric generals who directly benefit their kin. Some support relatives through enhanced stats (Lyra Dawnbringer, Sliver Legion), strength in numbers (Krenko, Mob Boss, Kyler, Sigardian Emissary), or both (Edgar Markov, Lathliss, Dragon Queen.). Others really just like to surround themselves with family (Atogatog).

But then there are the misfits, the creature types with clear flavor and mechanics, but no general to hold the banner. Their type may contain legendary creatures, but none that directly bolster or synergize with kith and kin. They could just as easily be any other creature type. However, not all hope is lost. For better or worse, new Magic sets are getting released at an alarming rate. And it's increasingly common to revisit old worlds. In the future, I wouldn't be at all surprised if misfit creature types finally get their long-awaited Commander. Their Kibo, Uktabi Prince or Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch.

In that spirit, these are the Top Ten Creature types that need their own legendary champions.

After all, Morophon, the Boundless can't do all the work on his own.

Runner-Up: Advisors & Monks

Our first entry-duo comes in runner-up because, yes, they do technically have a typal Commander. But much like Morophon, the The Archimandrite functions as a sort of blanket Commander for a multiple creature types. Artificers already have a ton of interesting legendaries (Osgir, the Reconstructor, Brudiclad, Techor Engineer, and a bunch of Urza and Mishra cards), but the other two types have yet to receive a synergistic general.

Advisors have been around for most of the game's existence, clocking in at a total of 118 creatures, many of whom are infamous Grand Arbiter Augustine IV, Gaddock Teeg, or even the banned Leovold, Emissary of Trest. Annoying as these cards may be, none care about fellow Advisors, save the The Archimandrite. We need a specific legendary hero to help drown our opponents in paperwork! I could only imagine they'd be Azorius.

Surprisingly, there's an even greater number of Monks, with 132 in total. Many are updated older cards that've been errata'd in the Grand Creature Type Update of 2007. Like Advisors, there are plenty of popular Legendary Monks (Zedruu, the Greathearted, Narset, Enlightened Master, Azusa, Lost But Seeking), but none directly synergize with their fellow meditative cohorts.

Number 10: Homarids

No, Khod, Etlan Shiis Envoy doesn't count.

Maybe it's my Bostonian upbringing, but I've always had a fondness for the Lobster-folk, few as their numbers may be. There are only 8, one of whom is the play-test card noted above, so there's not a lot to work with. No one's jaw drops at in awe at the imposing site of Deep Spawn. However, much like their real-world counterparts, they've shown themselves to be a resilient bunch, surviving centuries from Fallen Empires (Homarid) and all the way up to Dominaria (Homarid Explorer). I'll also give a nod to the creativity behind their original design. Wizards went out of their way to establish their biology via Camarid tokens (Homarid Spawning Bed), and sought to replicate tidal-flux with the original Homarid decades before we'd see a similar time passage mechanic with Day/Night in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt.

Next time we return to Dominaria, I say we give these crustaceans a chance to shine with a legendary general, and hopefully lots of new lobsters to fill out the ranks.

Number 9: Zubera

Even fewer in number are the Zubera, with only 7 creatures to their name. But unlike Homarids, all these oddballs synergize together. Mainly in how they all have a death wish. Zubera don't just want raw numbers, they also want to bite the bullet all at once, as each wields a death trigger that scales with Zubera body count. Back in Champions of Kamigawa, the idea was to play a bunch of these commons, then sacrifice them all at once via Devouring Greed for an avalanche of value. Rushing-Tide Zubera and Burning-Eye Zubera are the outliers, rewarding you only after absorbing a hefty dose of damage.

There's not a lot to work with, but there is wealth of design space to explore. The scalability makes for a unique strategy that'd probably involve recursion and/or graveyard shenanigans, something the Spirit type (all Zuberas are also Spirits) already has going for it. If Zuberas were to make a return, they'd have to include multiple new members with unique death-triggers and span all five colors. In that vein, I'd imagine their legendary general would also be 5-color, and likely add to the pile with some sort of Zubera token-generation, much like Go-Shintai of Life's Origin did for Hondens.

Number 8: Aurochs

Have you ever asked yourself "What if Rat Colony, but for all my creatures?"? If so, let me introduce you to the herd. Their numbers are small - only 4 cards total! - but their hearts are right there on their sleeves. Aurochs want the family reunion to be as epic as possible, growing in offensive might along the way. They all have Trample, fittingly portraying a stampede. There aren't many, and they're certainly not subtle, but Aurochs practically build themselves. Or at least they would, provided there were more to work with. Much like Zubera, Aurochs would require a bunch of new cards alongside a legendary general, but their straightforward nature would be easy to design around. Heck, a single 'this deck can have any number of...' Aurochs card would be enough support in the '99. You'd just need a sufficiently-stompy, creature-themed general, something that's right up Green's alley.

Number 7: Horses

When Crested Sunmare debuted in Hour of Devastation, I think we all assumed Horse-typal was on the horizon.

But it never materialized, and while we do have a few legendary Horses in Bill the Pony, Shadowfax, Lord of Horses, and Keleth, Sunmane Familiar, none of them care about their fellow hoofed buddies. Most Horses reside in Bant colors, which is fitting, given the link to civilization. Despite that, they span the entire color pie and currently hold a respectable 45 cards. Magic's horses are usually portrayed as either noble steeds (Wandermare, Motivated Pony) or mystical forces of nature (Cosmos Charger, Thundering Mightmare). Either would serve as the perfect thematic vehicle for a legendary commander. If Unicorns, who have even fewer cards to work with than Horses, can have a legendary commander in Emiel, the Blessed, I see no reason why Horses shouldn't.

Further, with the release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction around the corner, you can bet horses will be included. They're a central player in the Western motif.

Number 6: Beebles

Magic the Gathering's original meme came about before Meme-culture was even a thing. As it stands, there are only 6 Beebles, four of which are in Un-sets. Despite these paltry numbers, Beebles can boast about having their own Planeswalker in B.O.B. (Bevy of Beebles), so at least Brawl has a commander option. While you could reasonably argue that Beebles are nothing but a joke creature type, and I would agree, you can't deny that if a sufficiently-powerful legendary was introduced, people would build the hell outta it. Just for the sheer comedic potential. Of course they would. Yes, much like some of the previously-discussed species, we'd need a bunch of new Beeble cards, but I think that'd be a given if Wizards decided to abandon all logic and make a proper Beeble commander. If I had to call it, this is most likely to happen in a future Un-set, but with the bizarre directions the game's story has taken over the years (Try Googling 'Sash and Waistcoat'), it wouldn't come as a shock to see Beebles jump back into a Standard set, either.

Number 5: Viashino

It's easy to forget about these scaly guys, but they've been around since the days of Mirage. We don't hear much about Viashino now, outside of creature-type irrelevant cards like Kylox, Visionary Inventor and Pyrotechnic Perfomer, but upon release, their impact was immediate. Viashino Sandstalker battled it out in a World Championship deck. Zirilian of the Claw was one of the O.G. Dragon-centric Commanders. And that's the odd thing: The Viashino have had plenty of dragon-centric legendary cards (Rivaz of the Claw, Hivis of the Scale) but none that support their own species. They've a few mechanic-centric commanders (Yurlok of Scorch Thrash and Ognis, the Dragon's Lash), but none that actually mention 'Viashino', and with more than 60 members, the group could use a kindred champion.

Number 4: Thrulls

Let's get this out of the way: Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder is wonderful blend of function and flavor, but actively punishes you for making too many Thrulls.

Thrulls are Magic's eternal underdogs. Upon debut in Fallen Empires, they were little more than living batteries, designed for sacrifice (Basal Thrull, Armor Thrull, Mindstab Thrull). This would continue through the years (Thrull Surgeon, Blood Vassal) until we hit Guildpact, where Thrulls stretched out of Mono-Black and into Orzhov. On Ravnica, Thrulls are constructed from the leftover flesh of Orzhov debtors after their spirits have been put into servitude. This new setting has improved their lot in life. A bit. While they're no longer made to be sacrificed, Thrulls still exist in a state of expendable servitude (Doorkeeper Thrull, Treasury Thrull). With this history of getting pushed-around, I say it's time to give Thrulls a legendary hero to rise up and break them free of oppression. They already have a Thrull Champion, but still need a Thrull leader. Derelor is considered Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder's masterpiece in the lore, but the card's mechanics...leave something to be desired.

What's most interesting is how the story elements are already there. In Fallen Empires, the Thrulls actually would go on to rebel against and overwhelm their murderous creators. If The Brothers' Wars provided a fresh take on Antiquities (and some of the Urza block), perhaps we could get a new set based around Fallen Empires?

Number 3: Skeletons

Much like Viashio, these fella's have been around for ages and have a large number of cards to their name. They've a handful of legendary creatures (Bladewing, Deathless Tyrant, Tinybones, Trinket Thief, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon), though none directly reference or benefit the skeletal family. One advantage skeletons have over Viashino is how recent sets seem to be upping the synergy-factor, with cards like Skeletal Swarming, Case of the Stashed Skeleton, and Skeleton Crew directly adding to the cause. Further, magically-animated skeletons are a fantasy staple that could appear on any plane, regardless of background lore or setting. A legendary skeleton would fit in equally well on Innistrad, Dominaria, Kamigawa, or even Lorwyn, provided it wasn't a human skeleton. There's also plenty of design space, as the piece-wise composition of a skeleton leaves room for various shapes, sizes, and configurations.

Number 2: Metathran

I imagine many of you are asking "Just what in the hell are Metathran?".

Currently, the type only appears in print on two cards (Sky Weaver and Stormscape Battlemage), and even then, only on their most recent printings. Not the originals. Despite this, there are 8 Metathran in total, with the change coming about as part of the Grand Creature Type Update. By all appearance, they seem to be just another humanoid species centered in Blue, but their importance to Magic the Gathering's lore cannot be understated. We've visited countless planes, but Dominaria is as close to a "home world" as it gets, and the Metathran were pivotal in shaping Dominaria's history during one of its most defining moments: the Phyrexian Invasion.

The original invasion, where Yawgmoth, Thran Physician had ascended to near godlike status and manifested as a literal Death Cloud. This was Magic's original Endgame. The culmination of multiple sets and stories, spanning literal centuries, that began all the way back when two brothers stumbled upon the Mightstone and Weakstone. This was the invasion Urza had planned for, had prepped for, through means both mechanical and biological, to prevent Phyrexian from overtaking Dominaria. And the Metathran were his custom infantry.

Named after the nation of old, these "Meta-Thran" weren't born. They were made (Urza's Incubator). Urza crafted his Bloodline Project to be the ultimately super soldiers. Dominaria's first line of defense against the plague-spreading invaders. Metathran weren't meant to form family lines. They couldn't even reproduce. Their sole purpose was war, and in that, they were highly efficient, as illustrated on cards like Daring Leap, Sigil of Sleep, and Allied Strategies.

What's more, we even have pre-existing characters to draw upon, with the telepathically-linked Thaddeus and Agnate acting as central commanders during the Invasion block. Both would meet tragic ends at the hands of Tsabo Tavoc and the betrayal of ally Dralnu, Lich Lord in Exotic Disease, respectively, but would serve as perfect characters for a typal commander. We had to wait until The Brothers' War to see iconic characters like Ashod brought to life in card form. Here's hoping a look back to the history of the first invasion of Dominaria can do the same for this iconic creature type.

Number 1: 'Goyfs

"Ach, Hans, run..."

It's a flavor text so iconic, it spawned its own legendary cards in Saffi Eriksdotter and Hans Eriksson.

And it all started with Lhurgoyf. The original graveyard-centric creature, growing bigger and badder off dead ally and adversary alike. Magic's played home to goblins, dragons, and elves for decades. Creatures that've spanned countless forms of fantasy media. But Lhurgoyf's were unique, a bizarre and creepy species not seen elsewhere. Ice Age may have introduced Lhurgoyf, but Odyssey ran with the idea and saw these beasts expand to all five colors and widen their palettes to feed on spent spells (Magnivore, Cantivore) and lands (Terravore). We'd only be drip-fed additional 'Goyfs over the years, but one would go on to terrorize constructed play. Tarmogoyf may not command the respect it once did, but for a long while, it was as iconic as the original incarnation that gave rise to it. 'Goyfs are still kicking around Dominaria (Urborg Lhurgoyf), but for all their iconography, they've not so much as seen a single legendary creature. Much less a type-specific one.

Graveyard-shenanigans are hugely popular strategy baked into Commander's archetype layer cake. Who doesn't love self-milling a ton of cardboard for later profit? Add three other players, each with their own graveyards to feed off of, and you've a recipe for gigantic monsters with a taste for exhausted spells. Just be wary of the odd Bojuka Bog.

Cantivore by Daren Bader

One part bird, one part lobster, add a cow skull and hearty dose of nightmares"

At the end of the day, this is only one man's opinion. One very tired man, running on caffeine and a prayer. Magic archives are vast, so I'm sure there's a legion of creature types I overlooked. Don't hesitate to reach out and let me know if there's any you'd like covered in the future!

Thanks for reading, and may you always find the right type!

-Matt-

@Intrepid_tautog