Imodane, the PyrohammerImodane, the Pyrohammer | Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse | Marwyn, the NurturerMarwyn, the Nurturer | Art by Chris Rahn

Commander is a haven for zany combos, intriguing synergies, and a chaotically enjoyable good time. But keeping track of all that mana and ensuring you have a smooth mana base set up can be quite the chore. Enter: the top 40 monocolored commanders.

Sometimes, you just want to throw a bunch of basic lands into the mix, grab some terrific typal cards and go to town with a monoblack Rat deck. Or load up on ramp and play a monogreen Marwyn or Gargos deck. Don't even get me started on the joys of a monored KrenkoKrenko Goblin deck.

All of those monocolored commanders and more are featured herein. Let's get brewing (monochromatically, of course).

All figures are accurate at time of writing, and subject to change.

40. Karumonix, the Rat KingKarumonix, the Rat King

Decks: 5367 | Rank: 346

This compleated Rat from All Will Be One is a popular commander for Rat typal decks featuring Rat ColonyRat Colony, Relentless RatsRelentless Rats or any other skittering rodents. Though popular, the number one option for Rat typal decks can be found all the way in the top 10 at #8.

39. Selvala, Heart of the WildsSelvala, Heart of the Wilds

Decks: 5503 | Rank: 335

A groovy Elf Scout originally hailing from Conspiracy: Take the Crown, this mana-ramping green legend pays you off for playing big, beefy bruisers.

38. Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking

Decks: 5514 | Rank: 332

From Champions of Kamigawa, and one of the oldest legends on this list, Azusa took ExplorationExploration and kicked it up a notch.

Ramp decks are always a hot commodity around a Commander table, and Azusa is among the best monocolored options for such a play style.

37. Ayara, First of LocthwainAyara, First of Locthwain

Decks: 5613 | Rank: 329

This Elf Noble from Throne of Eldraine costs and wants you to be throwing down as many black creatures as possible to get the most out of her triggered ability. Abuse her ability with Plague of VerminPlague of Vermin for bonus points.

36. Minn, Wily IllusionistMinn, Wily Illusionist

Decks: 5652 | Rank: 323

A terrific option for your commander if you're looking to employ an Illusion typal strategy, Minn can stack up Illusion tokens with alacrity.

35. Alexios, Deimos of KosmosAlexios, Deimos of Kosmos

Decks: 5713 | Rank: 319

An extremely unusual commander from Universes Beyond: Assassin's Creed, this Human Berserker is gifted to each player during their upkeep while getting a permanent +1/+1 boost (with the caveat of being unable to attack Alexios's owner).

34. Shroofus SproutsireShroofus Sproutsire

Decks: 5772 | Rank: 317

The only legendary Saproling creature in Magic history, the goofy Shroofus boasts an intriguing token-generating ability and amazing flavor text.

Pair with token-duplicating effects for maximum enjoyment.

33. Yawgmoth, Thran PhysicianYawgmoth, Thran Physician

Decks: 5850 | Rank: 309

This potent Human Cleric originally from 2019's Modern Horizons features some nifty abilities, the most important of which leads Aristocrats builds elegantly and goes infinite with Ayara (#37) and Mikaeus, the UnhallowedMikaeus, the Unhallowed.

32. Talrand, Sky SummonerTalrand, Sky Summoner

Decks: 5947 | Rank: 302

One of the best Wizard cards for Commander, this classic monoblue token generator has been power-crept a bit since debuting in Magic 2013, but he still has an impactful presence on the board.

31. Slicer, Hired MuscleSlicer, Hired Muscle

Decks: 5978 | Rank: 298

Much like Alexios (#35), this monored convertible Vehicle (not quite the kind you're thinking of) gets scooted around the table like a die-cast car toy in its quest to get life totals to plummet - except for yours.

30. Massacre Girl, Known KillerMassacre Girl, Known Killer

Decks: 6050 | Rank: 291

Hailing from Murders at Karlov Manor, this monoblack Human Assassin gives all of your creatures the powerhouse keyword wither and also draws you cards for killing them.

What a nice smile you have!

29. Bruvac the GrandiloquentBruvac the Grandiloquent

Decks: 6099 | Rank: 287

Arguably the best commander for milling strategies, Bruvac can kill one opponent on the spot if you have any number of spells that mill half of an opponent's library (like the O.G. TraumatizeTraumatize, Cut Your LossesCut Your Losses, or Terisian MindbreakerTerisian Mindbreaker).

28. Ayula, Queen Among BearsAyula, Queen Among Bears

Decks: 6131 | Rank: 282

Bear typal decks might not scream "powerhouse," but Ayula can turn such strategies into bona fide winners thanks to her synergistic triggered abilities, which can clear the board or boost your Bears.

27. Elesh Norn, Mother of MachinesElesh Norn, Mother of Machines

Decks: 6216 | Rank: 276

This version of Elesh Norn was the clear mascot of Phyrexia: All Will Be One (seeing as the set boasts a staggering 12 distinct printings of this card).

Doubling up all of your ETBs and icing out your foes' is a big swing, hence why this scary mommy is one of only four monowhite commanders herein.

26. Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerShirei, Shizo's Caretaker

Decks: 6252 | Rank: 273

Originally a rare from Betrayers of Kamigawa this Spirit was downgraded to uncommon in Ultimate Masters and remains a useful reanimation commander.

Also part of a simple infinite combo with Magistrate's ScepterMagistrate's Scepter and CoretapperCoretapper:

25. Kona, Rescue BeastieKona, Rescue Beastie

Decks: 6283 | Rank: 271

Putting permanents into play for free is a pretty enticing concept, and Kona, Rescue Beastie from Duskmourn: House of Horror makes that trivial thanks to its survival ability.

24. Ghalta, Primal HungerGhalta, Primal Hunger

Decks: 6421 | Rank: 264

Ever wanted to play a 12/12 Elder Dinosaur with trample for ? Ghalta makes it happen! Ramp + big creatures is green's raison d'être, so playing Ghalta for very little should be trivial.

23. Marwyn, the NurturerMarwyn, the Nurturer

Decks: 6611 | Rank: 255

Elf typal decks are a lot of fun, and Marwyn, originally printed in Dominaria, gives them a huge boost in terms of mana production (she also happens to be the best Elf card for Commander).

Pair with Priest of TitaniaPriest of Titania and Elvish ArchdruidElvish Archdruid for extra joy.

21. Gargos, Vicious WatcherGargos, Vicious Watcher

Decks: 6639 | Rank: 254

Unlike Dragon, Cat, Zombie and others, Hydra typal players don't have a ton of choices when it comes to selecting a commander. Gargos is easily the best monocolored option, as those Hydras now have a built-in added to their value.

21. Myrel, Shield of ArgiveMyrel, Shield of Argive

Decks: 6695 | Rank: 249

Myrel is one of the most valuable cards from The Brothers' War, and it's easy to see why. A terrific Soldier typal enabler that also forces your foes to do stuff only during their turns.

A win-win (for you).

20. Imotekh the StormlordImotekh the Stormlord

Decks: 7102 | Rank: 226

A monoblack Necron creature from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, this powerhouse boasts two strong triggered abilities with the first, Phaeron, being the more easily abusable one.

19. The MindskinnerThe Mindskinner

Decks: 7252 | Rank: 218

A zany monoblue card from Duskmourn, this 10/1 (!) creature for turns any damage you deal into milled cards from a foe's library.

Boasting great art and an interesting design, the Mindskinner is the third-most popular monoblue commander.

18. Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare

Decks: 7550 | Rank: 198

Looking for a monoblack sacrifice commander? Look no further! This iteration of a notable character from Magic's history lets you choose if you want to sacrifice a creature or artifact at end of turn for profit.

Of course, your deck will be built to abuse this ability, so, yeah, go ahead and sac some stuff.

17. Omnath, Locus of ManaOmnath, Locus of Mana

Decks: 7750 | Rank: 193

Omnath sure knows about being a locus. This monogreen rendition of everyone's favorite Elemental provides an UpwellingUpwelling for green mana and beefs up Omnath for the amount of mana present.

A simple, straightforward, monogreen Aggro initiator.

16. Eluge, the Shoreless SeaEluge, the Shoreless Sea

Decks: 8137 | Rank: 176

Eluge hails from Bloomburrow as one of the Calamity Beasts, and in-game, it serves as an intriguing cost-reducing spellslinger commander that also works with an "Islands-matter" sub-theme.

15. Orvar, the All-FormOrvar, the All-Form

Decks: 8241 | Rank: 171

While Orvar from Kaldheim has the intriguing changeling keyword, it's actually this Shapeshifter's first triggered ability that makes it such a fun monoblue commander option.

Being able to make a copy of any permanent you control so long as you target it with an instant or sorcery is a pretty amazing payoff, and, as you might expect, it leads to some pretty silly combos:

14. Imodane, the PyrohammerImodane, the Pyrohammer

Decks: 8414 | Rank: 164

Burn decks have been part of Magic's DNA since the early days, and it's nice to see a red Burn-focused commander like Imodane get the credit she deserves as a top-15 monocolored commander.

Being able to ping each of your opponents for the same amount of damage you to deal to one creature means that Sonic BurstSonic Burst you've had rotting in the bulk bin for decades finally has a purpose.

13. Zada, Hedron GrinderZada, Hedron Grinder

Decks: 9076 | Rank: 152

Being able to copy your spells is great. So, what if you could copy a pump spell, or some other beneficial boon, for each of your creatures and give them all that boost?

If you're playing the fourth-most popular monored commander, that's exactly what you get. A Pauper Commander favorite, this Goblin Ally surely deserves her place in the top 15.

12. Light-Paws, Emperor's VoiceLight-Paws, Emperor's Voice

Decks: 9358 | Rank: 143

Anyone who's ever played with the second-most popular monowhite commander in MTG Arena's Historic format knows the immense power and potential that comes with tutoring up any Aura you want, so long as it has the same or lower mana value.

Untapping with this Fox Advisor on the board usually leads to an avalanche of powerhouse, cheap Auras hitting the table attached to it.

11. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER

Decks: 9907 | Rank: 128

The newest card on this list hails from the mega-successful Final Fantasy set, which was already the highest-selling Magic set ever... even during the preorder phase!

Sephiroth, is, of course, the big bad from the iconic Final Fantasy VII and its remake. His Magic form wants you to be killing as many creatures as possible (at least four) so he can transform into One-Winged Angel.

Better pack your Crux of FateCrux of Fates, MutilateMutilates and Toxic DelugeToxic Deluges!

10. Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse

Decks: 9978 | Rank: 127

Now we're getting into the big guns. While Sheoldred finally rotated out of Standard in August 2025, she remains a near-omnipotent threat in Commander, especially as a monoblack commander. You'll notice that 40% of the top 10 are black cards, and if you expand it out, only two cards in the top 10 aren't in Grixis colors ().

Who knows what that entails, but there can be no denying that Shelly is a powerhouse threat, as pinging all your foes for two when they draw a card and, conversely, boosting your life by two whenever you draw a card, is an eminently oppressive triggered ability.

Sheoldred simply makes playing the game more painful (for your foes).

9. Tergrid, God of FrightTergrid, God of Fright

Decks: 10,360 | Rank: 118

An absolutely sick triggered ability, Tergrid pairs beautifully with any forced sacrifice or discard spells.

The Commander deck more or less builds itself, as you want as many repeatable discard and sacrifice effects as possible in your 99, as well as redundant discard and sacrifice payoffs, like Waste NotWaste Not, MegrimMegrim and Grave PactGrave Pact.

An incredible commander with an indelible, unique effect.

8. Marrow-GnawerMarrow-Gnawer

Decks: 10,756 | Rank: 112

A run of three straight monoblack cards end with one of the best Rat cards of all time, hailing from all the way back in Champions of Kamigawa.

While giving all Rats fear is already pretty sweet (both yours and your opponents), it's this Rat Rogue's activated ability that truly makes it shine.

Being able to sacrifice one solitary Rat and get a number of Rats equal to the amount you control is a massive swing, and this can get out of hand rather quickly when combined with a stacked all-star cast of other powerhouse Rats, like AshcoatAshcoat, KarumonixKarumonix (#40), Lord SkitterLord Skitter and NashiNashi.

7. Fynn, the FangbearerFynn, the Fangbearer

Decks: 11,350 | Rank: 103

A two-mana, uncommon commander in green? Believe it; Fynn's the real deal. Many other commanders on this list are splashy, expensive, and valuable. Fynn has seen a few reprints over the years and it has never been reprinted beyond an uncommon.

So what makes it such as a popular Commander choice? Well, it's easy to build a Commander deck around him, for one.

For another, he's eminently powerful and - most importantly - fast, which can be something of a rarity in a Commander pod, as most players are usually focused on setting up for a few turns before the game can truly "begin." Not so with Fynn.

Simply toss down any 1/1 deathtouch creature on turn one, then follow it up with Fynn, and you're likely 1/5th of the way to winning the game via those pesky poison counters. Poison never tasted so sweet!

6. Ojer Axonil, Deepest MightOjer Axonil, Deepest Might

Decks: 11,748 | Rank: 98

Three out of the top six on this list are monored cards. Take from that what you will. Kicking them off is this 4/4 God creature with a naked skull as a head and a T-rex for a right arm. I'm serious.

In gameplay terms, Ojer Axonil turns all of your burn spells into Lightning BoltLightning Bolts +1. That's right, even a piddling one damage from Lava DartLava Dart or Spikefield HazardSpikefield Hazard turns into four damage with Axonil on the field.

Even if it dies, you get a red mana source that can be transformed back into this red God if you deal four or more noncombat damage, which is trivial in a burn deck.

5. Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw

Decks: 13,843 | Rank: 72

Despite being one of the original creature types to debut in Alpha, there aren't that many top-tier Dwarf typal cards in Commander... though the monored Magda is surely among the best. Treasure tokens are the nominal currency of the Commander format, and Magda transforms all of your attacking Dwarves into walking Treasure token creators.

Of course, being able to sacrifice a bunch of Treasure tokens for profit (for a powerhouse artifact or Dragon, that is) is a terrific bonus. Magda also goes infinite fairly easily, with Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault providing a simple two-card infinite combat steps combo, or pairing Magda with Battered GolemBattered Golem and Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus nets you infinite mana and all artifacts and Dragons entering the battlefield straight from your library.

Now that's some treasure worth checking a map for.

4. Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer

Decks: 15,691 | Rank: 51

One of the most important characters in Magic history, Urza didn't receive his own creature card until 2019 in Modern Horizons.

While his GlassesGlasses, SunglassesSunglasses, MiterMiter, BaubleBauble, BlueprintsBlueprints, RageRage, GuiltGuilt, TomeTome and Ruinous BlastRuinous Blast all saw cards printed with this legendary Human Artificer's name on them over the years, it wasn't until this monoblue card released in 2019 that the man himself got a creature card devoted to him.

And what a card it is! Producing a plethora of artifact tokens (both named and unnamed) is often a terrific play in Commander. That's especially true if you're playing with Urza, Lord High Artificer as he creates a meaty, artifact-powered token and also boasts two nifty activated abilities, the first of which is the one that can quite quickly go infinite when combined with cost-reducing clauses and cheap artifacts.

The ability is no slouch either, though the shuffling element means you can't stack your deck and abuse it. Oh well, time to Assemble the TitansAssemble the Titans.

3. K'rrik, Son of YawgmothK'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

Decks: 16,589 | Rank: 42

It's nice to see Post MalonePost Malone on a Magic card, no? When not delivering Billboard Hot 100 hits, Post Ma... I mean K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth is a top-tier monoblack commander. In fact, K'rrik is the #1 monoblack commander in the game. And it's easy to see why.

Phyrexian mana is among the most easily abused and potent ways of playing a spell in the history of Magic, so being able to replace all of your black pips with a measly two life makes this Phyrexian Horror Minion an easy build-around.

While seven mana is lot to ask for a 2/2, four mana and six life (which is often what you'll pay for this legend) is far more reasonable. Bonus points for comboing off with K'rrik, Sheoldred (#10) and Vilis, Broker of BloodVilis, Broker of Blood!

2. Giada, Font of HopeGiada, Font of Hope

Decks: 23,926 | Rank: 12

Introduced in 2022's Streets of New Capenna, Giada immediately vaulted (or flew, in her case) into position as the most inexpensive (mana-wise) legendary Angel creature in the history of Magic. While you're limited to monowhite decks if she's your commander, come on, that's how an Angel deck is supposed to be designed!

Giada flies, ramps your Angels, and also delivers +1/+1 counters on each Angel entering based on the number of Angels you already control, which can snowball extremely quickly.

Reprinted in Foundations in 2024, Giada will be around in Standard for a good long while. And seeing as she's the #2 overall monocolored commander, and the #1 monowhite commander, she'll be sticking around in Magic's most popular format for the long haul as well.

1. Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss

Decks: 30,228 | Rank: 4

Who doesn't love Goblins?! Krenko comes in hot as easily the #1 monocolored commander, being featured in a staggering 30,228 decks, making him the fourth-most popular commander overall (across any color or colors) and easily monored's #1 option.

It's rare to find a commander that can go infinite from the command zone, but that is exactly what playing Krenko entails, if you're able to get that tricky little mana dork Skirk ProspectorSkirk Prospector on the battlefield along with a haste-granting Gob like Goblin WarchiefGoblin Warchief or Goblin ChieftainGoblin Chieftain (see combos below).

While the Goblin Warchief combo is featured in a mind-boggling 24,504 decks, Krenko is generally a powerful creature, as you can pseudo-storm off if you're able to stack your deck with a card like Goblin RecruiterGoblin Recruiter or Goblin RingleaderGoblin Ringleader then churn those Gobbies out with MuxusMuxus or do any manner of Goblin sacrificing shenanigans.

Simple yet brutally effective, Krenko, Mob Boss takes the cake as the #1 monocolored commander of all time.

Stats

Color Breakdown

Color breakdown of top 40 monocolored commanders

Conclusion

While playing a monocolored deck in Commander can seem like a pointlessly limiting endeavor, it can also be fun and rewarding from a gameplay standpoint. Sure, you might feel that your deck simply can't react as readily to things as multicolored decks can, but you make up for that with purity of vision and downright enjoyment of playing cards you simply might not play in a "normal" Commander deck.

Either way, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more top 40 commanders lists.