My Top 10 Commanders of 2024!
Bello, Bard of the Brambles | Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak
Aminatou, Veil Piercer | Illustrated by David Palumbo
Storm, Force of Nature | Illustrated by Magali Villeneuve
Hey, nerds! As the year comes to an end it's time to look back at all of the new commanders Wizards has released this year. With 320 new commanders and eight sets, there are a lot of new commanders you could sleeve up, so as is tradition I'll be giving you my top 10 commanders of 2024 that I've played with and/or against. They aren't listed in power order, but how fun they were at the table.
Let's start with some honorable mentions. Foundations and Jumpstart 2025 were released only a few weeks ago, and I haven't played against these commanders enough to have them in my top 10.
Qala, Ajani's Pridemate
I recently released a deck tech on Qala, and in the one game I got to play with her, she was great. Exactly what I want from a soul sister commander and I highly recommend trying her out.
Plagon, Lord of the Beach
Plagon surprised me during my fun ranking of the set. Toughness matters is an archetype we've seen plenty of times in the past, but not in these colors and not on such a cheap creature. Plus they provide card draw from the command zone. I highly recommend trying out this Starfish Wizard if you're looking for something different.
Gornog, the Red Reaper
Another banger from Jumpstart 2025. A warrior who turns opponents' creatures into Cowards is the perfect mix of flavor and power. I am interested in building a Warrior pile with this commander. If you want to learn about the pile method, check out last week's article.
Now the top ten!
#10 - Mr. Foxglove
This Bant Fox stole my heart thanks to its unique playstyle. Well, it's unique if you build it like I did. While not as powerful as a creature-based deck, a creatureless version of the deck can still hold its own. I was also thinking about making a pile deck using them as my commander. If you want to learn more about the pile method, check out last week's article.
#09 - Alania, Divergent Storm
A powerful spells commander in their own right, but still cute and has some cute synergies with otters. Thankfully its ability is limited to once per turn. Well, once per card type. You can abuse this ability with cards like Leyline of Anticipation, Vedalken Orrery, and Borne Upon a Wind to cast sorceries and otters on other players' turns.
#08 - Aminatou, Veil Piercer
I was hooked the second I saw the preview for this commander. Miracle adds a unique play pattern to commander thanks to it being multiplayer and the deep card pool. At the base level, the deck is powerful because it can cheat on up to twelve mana a turn, but as you upgrade the deck and add top deck manipulation, you get access to unique lines of play that only miracle can provide. You can wipe the board at instant speed for three mana with Cacophony Unleashed. Or become the monarch right before your turn with Court of Vantress, Court of Locthwain or Court of Ardenvale.
#07 - The Jolly Balloon Man
This commander was a surprise inclusion on the list. My friend built this deck out of cards they owned and it ended up crushing the table. It reminds me of Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, but a little more balanced and has access to white, so you can play cards like Village Bell-Ringer, which go infinite with Ashnod's Altar. My absolute favorite card in the deck is Aspiring Champion, which doesn't show up on his EDHREC page for some reason. If you want some inspiration, check out my friend's list.
#06 - Caesar, Legion's Emperor
On my mid-year ranking, Caesar was at number eight, but he has jumped up to number six. Not much has changed about the deck since my previous article. I've just had more time to see it in action and it is still a blast to play against. Sometimes it is nice to turn off your brain and attack with creatures, and I think it is a good deck to give to newer players.
#05 - Storm, Force of Nature
Despite the controversy of Universes Beyond and the issues with secret lairs, Storm still made this list and comes in at the halfway point. She is an incredibly powerful commander that can lead to wild turns. The list I played against at my LGS played cards like Dance with Calamity, Fiery Gambit, and Squee's Revenge with storm to flip coins and play blackjack. I know there are going to be incredibly tuned lists that can win on turn four, but my experience playing against her has been great. Even if turns can take a little bit to finish with all the coin flipping and dice rolling.
#04 - Bello, Bard of the Brambles
I want to put Bello higher on my list, but the biggest issue holding the commander back is the complexity of the card. It is fun to see an army of mana rocks and value enchantments attack. But the build I played against caused weird rule issues and long turns because of it. Overall, it lost some points because of this. Oh, and the base deck has an infinite combo in the deck, so that's neat.
#03 - Shilgengar, Sire of Famine
I mentioned in my previous article they would likely move up the list and they did, exactly one spot. They are still a unique blink commander that can lead some fun turns and I even have a deck tech for them. The reason for it moving up is I've gotten more time with the deck. Every time I see it, I know it will be a fun game.
#02 - Mr. House, President and CEO
Mr. House moved to the number two slot right at the end. Rolling dice is still fun and they are still fun to play with. It might be the fact I love Comet, Stellar Pup way too much, but I don't think I've ever had a bad time playing with or against this commander. I also have a deck tech on Mr. House, so check that out after finishing this article.
#01 - The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride
It shouldn't be a surprise that The Gitrog is still number one. He is a powerful and unique Golgari commander who is so fun to play. You get to play meme creatures, like Yargle and Multani and Yargle, Glutton of Urborg, and they're good in the deck. Plus, it gave me a home for all the Equipment I had lying around for the past two years. Check out my non-budget list if you want some inspiration.
