Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord | Art by Kieran Yanner | Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer | Art by Mark Winters | Obeka, Splitter of SecondsObeka, Splitter of Seconds | Art by Ryan Pancoast | Be'lakor, the Dark MasterBe'lakor, the Dark Master | Art by Daarken | Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage | Art by Xui Ton

Hey, nerds! A few sets ago, I started a Fun Ranking series, where, as the name suggests, I rank how fun I think each new commander will be. But there are years' worth of commanders that get buried under the latest releases. So, in this series, I'll be fun ranking all of the three-color commanders.

Of course, each person's definition of fun differs, so I might rate a commander lower or higher than you. That doesn't mean I think it's bad or that you're bad for playing them, and, to be clear, this is for casual EDH only. Also, I won't be covering partner commanders in this series.

The ranks are as follows:

• Want to Build: I'm interested in building these commanders. Their effect could be unique or a new take on an old mechanic I like.
• Fun: These are close to wanting to build, but I'm not going out of my way to brew a list for myself.
• Could Be Fun: These commanders are powerful and don't pull you in a single direction, but because of that, it allows you to build weird strategies with a powerful engine, or have unique build paths that could work.
• Fun in the 99: Sometimes commanders are printed for 60-card Magic or to support a theme. I don't want to call them not fun, since they usually are fun. But just not fun as the leader of a deck.
• Not Fun: This is usually reserved for older commanders who are seven-mana vanilla creatures, something way too jank, or are too salt-inducing for my taste.

Abaddon the DespoilerAbaddon the Despoiler

Cascade is one of my favorite, and one of the most broken, mechanics in Magic. It does stack, so if you cast Throes of ChaosThroes of Chaos from your hand, you’d get two cascade triggers. And if you cascade into anything with cascade, you go again.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Admiral Beckett BrassAdmiral Beckett Brass

The original Pirate commander from Ixalan. I’d still consider this version of Brass fun. Pirates are a fun creature type, and I love stealing permanents when possible.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Admiral Brass, UnsinkableAdmiral Brass, Unsinkable

I'm probably biased since I love graveyard based strategies, but there's something flavorful about bringing Pirates back from the dead. Maybe it’s the movies I grew up on.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Anhelo, the PainterAnhelo, the Painter

Anhelo's one of those commanders that, if you ignore them, they just run away with the games. But if you remove their commander enough times, your opponent can’t play. I’m open to being wrong about him, so he’ll go into the Could be Fun tier.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Ashad, the Lone CybermanAshad, the Lone Cyberman

Copying artifacts is already fun, and having a way to do it on a commander is even more fun. There are plenty of ways to give artifacts, and spells in general, flash in Grixis. The second ability is underwhelming, but it's a nice additional benefit for sacrificing creatures.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Ashnod the UncaringAshnod the Uncaring

Copying abilities isn’t something we get to do often. Having the ability on a commander, despite some restrictions, is great. Something to keep in mind is that she does copy Clues, Blood, and Food token activations.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Be'lakor, the Dark MasterBe'lakor, the Dark Master

If you want to play Grixis demons, Be’lakor is great. They draw you cards and acts as a Warstorm SurgeWarstorm Surge for Demons. I wish they weren’t six mana, so I could reasonably recast it more than twice in a game.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Cecily, Haunted MageCecily, Haunted Mage

There are a lot of busted spells that could make this incredibly unfun to play against. I’m thinking spells like ExpropriateExpropriate or any extra-turn spells.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Cormela, Glamour ThiefCormela, Glamour Thief

A solid role player in a Spellslinger deck. She ramps you, but that mana is restrictive. Her death trigger can be powerful, but not when you need to spend six or eight mana later in the game.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Crosis, the PurgerCrosis, the Purger

One of the original Invasion block Dragons. Even in a Dragon deck, I’d probably skip this one. I don’t find making players discard fun in multiplayer.

Fun Ranking: Not Fun

Cult of SkaroCult of Skaro

I’ve played against this commander a few times, and I’ve always had a blast. All of their abilities are great, especially if you pair them with any extra combat spells.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Davros, Dalek CreatorDavros, Dalek Creator

Davros is one of the Grixis commanders I’ve played against the most, and it's easily one of my favorites. It speeds up the game, and the villainous choice isn't overly oppressive. In fact, I’ve used it to my advantage a few times.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Don Andres, the RenegadeDon Andres, the Renegade

Thief decks are interesting since they can scale with the power of the table. I'm going to swap my Xanathar, Guild KingpinXanathar, Guild Kingpin for Don Andres.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Dr. EggmanDr. Eggman

If you play against this commander, you should almost always discard a card. If you’re playing this commander, make as many clones of Dr. Eggman as possible. Cheating cards into play is fun.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Edward KenwayEdward Kenway

Every time I look at the Assassins Creed commanders, I find something new. There's something funny to me about using a Vehicle to crew a Vehicle, then stationing a Spacecraft.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Evelyn, the CovetousEvelyn, the Covetous

I’ve tried building Evelyn a few times, but it never hit exactly how I wanted. Vampires don’t synergize with theft effects like this. I even tried it as a Grixis Blink deck.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Garza Zol, Plague QueenGarza Zol, Plague Queen

Garza Zol could make a fun pinger commander. Seven mana is a lot for a commander that requires a lot of setup for not a lot of payoff.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Goro-Goro and SatoruGoro-Goro and Satoru

Goro is an interesting combat-focused Grixis commander. They can give your creatures haste, so no need to play only hasty creatures. Grixis unblockable idiots sounds like a fun deck.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Gwendlyn Di CorciGwendlyn Di Corci

Gwendlyn is one of those old Legends commanders who doesn’t seem all that interesting. You can target yourself with her ability, which is cute if you want to play Reanimator with an unassuming commander.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Inalla, Archmage RitualistInalla, Archmage Ritualist

Eminence is a potent and divisive ability. Inalla’s ability, while powerful, isn’t as oppressive if built without combos in mind. Easy to build combo with her, but also makes a great Wizard pile commander.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Jeleva, Nephalia's ScourgeJeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

She gets around the commander tax in a way, since you can exile more cards as she dies. The biggest issue is that if she's removed, you can’t cast the cards exiled.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage

Kefka is an expensive Grixis commander that has the potential to draw you a million cards. But it also requires 13 mana to cast and flip, at sorcery speed.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Kess, Dissident MageKess, Dissident Mage

Kess has always been a commander who either does nothing or does incredibly broken things. I’m not sure how I’d go about building a fair Kess deck that's interesting.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Lord of TresserhornLord of Tresserhorn

Tresserhorn is basically a four-mana vanilla creature that forces you to remove your own creatures. If you only have zero or one creature in play, Tresserhorn will sacrifice itself.

Fun Ranking: Not Fun

Lord Xander, the CollectorLord Xander, the Collector

Remember when people were calling for this commander to be banned before it was released? Thankfully, Xander is a mediocre Grixis commander. I’d rather see it as a reanimation target in the 99 of a deck.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Lynde, Cheerful TormentorLynde, Cheerful Tormentor

If you want to build a Curse deck, Lynde is a great option. She has an interesting ability that moves Curses around and draws you cards. And she helps keep the Curses around.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Mairsil, the PretenderMairsil, the Pretender

Mairsil requires some setup to get working. You need to either recast them several times or blink them and find the cards you want to exile. Granted, once you exile something, you’ll always have access to it.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Marchesa, Dealer of DeathMarchesa, Dealer of Death

Marchesa turns all of your counterspells and removal into card selection for a small cost while filling the graveyard. If you can generate infinite mana, there are several ways to commit infinite crimes, allowing you to draw your entire deck.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Marchesa, the Black RoseMarchesa, the Black Rose

Marchesa was a powerhouse a few years ago, but has since been dethroned. Her ability is powerful with undying creatures.

I appreciate that it isn’t an incredibly broken ability that allows for some counterplay.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Mishra, Artificer ProdigyMishra, Artificer Prodigy

When I first started EDH, I thought this Mishra was unplayable garbage. That was until I saw Possibility StormPossibility Storm and Blood FunnelBlood Funnel. Don’t get me wrong, he still isn’t a great commander.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Mishra, Eminent OneMishra, Eminent One

This Mishra is definitely more fun. You can copy something cheap like Ichor WellspringIchor Wellspring or something mean like Portal to PhyrexiaPortal to Phyrexia. The versatility of the commander allows you to scale it to the power of your table.

Fun Ranking: Fun

MissyMissy

Missy is easily one of my favorite commanders from Doctor Who. At first glance, she seems like an artifact commander. My friend has a fun Missy facedown combo deck, which is super sweet.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer

The original Wheel commander and former boogeyman of the format. He's still incredibly popular, but has since fallen to the wayside. I love playing against Nekusar since I know I’ll get to see a good chunk of my deck.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Nicol BolasNicol Bolas

One of the original commanders. In fact, he and the other Elder Dragons are where the original name of the format, Elder Dragon Highlander, came from. I’ve considered building a boomer EDH box with all of the original Elder Dragons.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Nicol Bolas, the RavagerNicol Bolas, the Ravager

Much like Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage, Nicol Bolas requires a lot of investment to flip and can be interrupted easily. There are ways to cheat on the flip cost, but those usually require a bit of setup.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Obeka, Brute ChronologistObeka, Brute Chronologist

I love having a Sundial of the InfiniteSundial of the Infinite in the command zone, especially with the new warp cards from Edge of Eternities, like StarwinderStarwinder and Quantum RiddlerQuantum Riddler.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Obeka, Splitter of SecondsObeka, Splitter of Seconds

I tend to shy away from commanders that require dealing combat damage, but she has menace, which makes it easier. And getting a ton of upkeeps is always a blast when you build around it.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Parnesse, the Subtle BrushParnesse, the Subtle Brush

Parnesse has a lot of words that don’t impress me. The pseudo ward she provides is powerful, but I don’t want to give my opponent spells to copy.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Saruman, the White HandSaruman, the White Hand

I want the commander to care about creatures. But in this case, Saruman wants you to cast noncreature spells. I do like the idea of casting a bunch of zero-mana spells with a Blood ArtistBlood Artist.

Fun Ranking: Could be Fun

Sauron, Lord of the RingsSauron, Lord of the Rings

I’m glad Sauron has a cast trigger, but for eight mana, I’ll pass on this. The cost is too high and the payoff isn’t worth it. I won’t blame you if you like the flavor of him.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord

This Sauron is a bit more interesting. The ward cost is unique, and amassing an Army that you can freely sacrifice is powerful.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Sedris, the Traitor KingSedris, the Traitor King

I remember when Sedirs was the Grixis commander. Despite being power-crept, Sedris is still fun.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Sol'kanar the Swamp KingSol'kanar the Swamp King

Sol’Kanar is a cool hidden mono-black commander. But aside from that, a five-mana commander with an incredibly narrow ability doesn’t interest me.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Sol'Kanar the TaintedSol'Kanar the Tainted

Sol’Kanar 2.0 has a lot more play to him, especially with Y'shtola RhulY'shtola Rhul or Thassa, Deep-DwellingThassa, Deep-Dwelling in play. He only has 419 decks at the time of writing, but I’m going to add one deck to that list.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Tetsuo, Imperial ChampionTetsuo, Imperial Champion

I’ve thought about building Tetsuo several times over the years. I love it when a commander combines two themes like this. However, I can’t make a build I’m satisfied with.

Fun Ranking: Fun

Tetsuo UmezawaTetsuo Umezawa

This version of Tetsuo isn’t fun in any deck. Both of his abilities are underwhelming and niche. Maybe if you want to build five-color Archers he’d have a home.

Fun Ranking: Not Fun

The RaniThe Rani

Forcing combat is a great way to end games quickly. I’m glad her ability is on attacks instead of combat damage. You can use Maze of IthMaze of Ith to trigger her while keeping her safe.

Fun Ranking: Fun

The ValeyardThe Valeyard

The Valeyard is a commander that will become stronger over time. There are only 29 other cards that mention voting or villainous choices in Grixis at the time of writing. I expect that number to increase over the next few years with Universes Beyond.

Fun Ranking: Fun

ThraximundarThraximundar

I want to enjoy Thraximundar so badly, but his abilities are underwhelming. Seven mana for a hasty creature that doesn’t impact the board is both weak and not fun.

Fun Ranking: Fun in the 99

Wick, the Whorled MindWick, the Whorled Mind

I actually built and did an article on Wick when Bloomburrow came out, which you should check out after reading this one. I loved playing this deck during my playgroup’s lower power nights.

Fun Ranking: Want to Build

Zevlor, Elturel ExileZevlor, Elturel Exile

After my third playthrough of Baldur's Gate, I wanted to build a commander from the set, and Zevlor was my first choice. Has a great ability that turns junk cards into powerhouses.

Fun Ranking: Fun

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