Uril, the MiststalkerUril, the Miststalker | Art by Jaime Jones

Hello everyone! I’m Levi from The Thought Vessel, and we’re back with a Commander What If?, the series that looks at fundamentally changing parts of Commander and the ripple effects that might follow. This time, we’re looking at a part of the Commander rules that’s been around since day one: commander damage.

We'll talk about some different possibilities we could see unfold if commander damage were removed from the format.

What Is Commander Damage?

Commander, or Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) as it was originally called, started out as a format in which players could only use the original five Elder Dragons as commander options: Nicol BolasNicol Bolas, Arcades SabbothArcades Sabboth, ChromiumChromium, Palladia-MorsPalladia-Mors, and Vaevictis AsmadiVaevictis Asmadi.

One thing to note about these creatures is that they all have exactly seven power. Commander damage states that when a specific commander connects for a total of 21 commander damage, the defending player’s defeated. When all eligible commanders had seven power, that basically meant just three hits.

Time Brings Complexity

Things have changed drastically since the origins of this format; they're not as cut and dry as they used to be. For starters, any legendary creature can be a commander now, so we’ve got creatures that can get big enough to deal all 21 commander damage in one hit, while others might be planeswalkers or creatures with zero power that won’t be dealing commander damage at all.

Things got even more complicated in 2016 with the introduction of partner commanders, which need to be tracked individually. So, in a pod of four, if everyone’s playing partners, one person would have to keep track of combat damage from six different creatures. If someone at the table’s running a deck that can steal creatures, that number could even climb to seven or eight if stolen commanders get turned back on their owners.

This added layer of complexity brought up plenty of debate in the community about whether commander damage is still needed or if the game’s evolved beyond it.

To dig into this idea further, let’s push the question to the extreme. We’ll look into alternate universes where the Commander Format Panel decides to make a change to the commander damage rule in two very different directions: First we’ll look at removing commander damage altogether, and then at the idea of cumulative commander damage.

Scenario 1: Commander Damage Is No More

The first scenario’s actually the cleaner of the two: simply removing commander damage altogether. The main argument for this is that most Commander games that use a Voltron strategy can usually make a creature big enough to reduce an opponent’s life total to zero, making commander damage somewhat redundant.

I’ve actually played at local game stores that have a house rule with no commander damage, and I’ve played Voltron strategies there under those rules, so I feel I can speak from experience, but there are a lot more ripple effects to this than meets the eye.

From my experience playing Commander games without commander damage, I can confirm that it can absolutely change the outcome. I’ve been in games where a player should’ve been eliminated by commander damage, only to survive to the next turn and win with a combo or a big spell like Torment of HailfireTorment of Hailfire.

I’ve been on the other side of it too, piloting a Voltron commander and having to overextend just to take a player down to zero life because 21 commander damage wouldn’t be enough. It changes how Voltron decks have to play. While there are some Voltron commanders like Uril, the MiststalkerUril, the Miststalker that can get their power high enough to knock out a player anyway, that’s not universally true.

Biggest Loser: Voltron Decks

A deck like my Alexios, Deimos of KosmosAlexios, Deimos of Kosmos Voltron deck wants to get Alexios out as quickly as possible to knock players out before they can get up and running, like a true aggro deck. The problem is, the longer the game goes on, the weaker it performs as players find removal, put out blockers, and set up their own attacks.

With Alexios, I genuinely need the 21 commander damage rule in order to function properly. Voltron decks in this alternate universe would have to emphasize either going over the top with damage or having more protection and staying power, since games will naturally run longer.

Biggest Winner: Lifegain Decks

An archetype that’d be a huge winner with this rule change would be life gain decks, especially hyper-lifegain. I’m sure most people reading this have been in a Commander game where someone doubles their life total or gains so much life that they’re gaining faster than the rest of the table can take it away (I’m looking at you, True ConvictionTrue Conviction).

When that happens, the table usually has to move to a Plan B: combo, mill, or commander damage. The mill plan can work sometimes, but it requires mill cards to already be in the deck. And since mill isn’t a super-popular archetype, that’s not a given.

Combos typically result in another player winning instead, and they’re also becoming less common in casual Commander with the implementation of the Bracket System. That leaves commander damage.

Unless a player’s running a planeswalker commander, everyone can attack with theirs. Without that alternate way to take someone out, lifegain decks are a lot scarier to face. Infinite life isn’t a guaranteed win, but unless someone else can combo out or mill out the table, there really isn’t a clean way to take that player out as they can simply absorb hits until everyone draws out their decks.

Disrupting the Flow

When we look at Magic: The Gathering as a whole, it’s kind of like an ecosystem. Everything has a silver bullet or some kind of answer to stop it. When we take away an aspect of the game, it creates ripple effects through the rest of it. Commander players already tend to use their life totals as a resource and won’t chump block if it means losing an important piece. Taking away the threat of commander damage just adds another layer to that mindset.

It’s very possible that, in a world without commander damage, we’d see an increase in combo decks or other archetypes that struggle against combat damage early, since nothing punishes passive early-game play. That could lead to unhealthy patterns.

Typically, we don’t want to see games turn into a “who drew the most ramp spells” contest. Commander’s at its best when there’s a dynamic balance, when Plan A doesn’t always work and players have to adapt on the fly to stay in the game.

It Makes the Game Easier for Newer Players

Commander as a format already has a bit of a barrier to entry for newer players because of how complex it is. Keeping track of a 100-card deck is daunting enough, but you’ve also got three other opponents with 100-card decks of their own to pay attention to. Having to then track different commanders and their damage against you with dice just adds another layer of bookkeeping.

The thing is, a lot of Magic players love the game because of its complexity; it lets people build tailor-made decks and strategies that fit them perfectly. The road from learning the game to reaching that level of understanding is a long one. Fortunately, we’ve got more Commander resources and content now than ever before, but it’s still tough for overwhelmed players to go out and find them.

So, removing commander damage could help simplify things a bit for those players. 

Are We Already Doing This?

Many commanders already function this way subconsciously. I’ve got a Frodo, Adventurous HobbitFrodo, Adventurous Hobbit and Sam, Loyal AttendantSam, Loyal Attendant deck that revolves around Food tokens and life gain. This deck wins by draining opponents’ life totals with cards like ExsanguinateExsanguinate or Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseVito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, so commander damage isn’t really a valid win condition. Because of this, I don’t usually track or ask my opponents to track commander damage as it’s just not relevant to the game.

This practice is fairly common in casual Commander circles from what I’ve seen in the community. Decks that are combat oriented will keep tabs on commander damage while decks that are winning in other ways will neglect it. Ultimately, if we were in a universe where commander damage didn’t exist, a lot of Commander games would play out exactly the same.

Scenario 2: Commander Damage Is Cumulative

This second scenario’s a bit messier than eliminating commander damage altogether, but it does simplify what needs to be tracked during games. What I mean by cumulative commander damage is that each player would be eliminated after taking 21 total commander damage from all commanders combined.

That means if Player One’s commander hits for ten damage, Player Two’s commander for five damage, and Player Three’s commander for six damage, it would be enough to take Player Four out instead of needing 21 from just one specific commander.

The New Era of Aggro and Voltron

This would revolutionize Voltron and aggro decks forever. Since commander damage would be pooled, Voltron decks would become much more viable. With how common attack and combat-damage triggers have become, incidental commander damage would add up fast. Instead of having to deal all 21 damage yourself, that number might drop to seventeen, or even less.

Partner commanders as the heads of Voltron or aggro decks would also become far more interesting. Ardenn, Intrepid ArchaeologistArdenn, Intrepid Archaeologist and Esior, Wardwing FamiliarEsior, Wardwing Familiar, for instance, would be a lot scarier together since both could chip in for commander damage simultaneously. That small chip damage adds up over a few turns and might knock a player out a turn or two earlier than expected.

When one commander gets removed, the other can keep attacking while the first is being recast. Traditionally, Voltron decks without consistent haste have to take that turn off. Even partners that traditionally aren’t Voltron commanders, like Kamahl, Heart of KrosaKamahl, Heart of Krosa with a partner like Bruse Tarl, Boorish HerderBruse Tarl, Boorish Herder, are now a lot more viable in this space.

Everyone Would Matter, Even the Little Guy

No one’s ever completely out of the game either. When a player loses their whole board to something like Wrath of GodWrath of God or VandalblastVandalblast, it can leave them feeling helpless and effectively out of the game. Sometimes that leads to a concession, especially if another player’s untouched and miles ahead.

But if the entire table can team up to take the “big bad” archenemy down, little chips of commander damage could make all the difference. Being in last place but still having a way to have an impact on the table feels a lot better then just completely being out of the game and being farmed for damage triggers. 

No More Slow Starts

This change would also make combat a bigger part of the conversation, since games could end a lot more quickly. When each player’s able to pool their commander damage, those early chips of damage become way more consequential later on. If someone becomes a threat, it’s easier for the rest of the table to gang up and take them out.

Early blockers and removal would become more valuable, and those “everyone ramps for three turns straight” games would probably happen less often as that type of strategy could get severely punished by the rest of the table.

Wrapping Up

Though I’ll never say never, with a Commander Format Panel that refuses to ban Sol RingSol Ring or even put it on the Game Changers list, I don’t think we’ll see a fundamental rule change to Commander anytime soon.

The discourse around hybrid mana right now is enough to convince me that these things take time. Still, just because it’s not official doesn’t mean it can’t be a house rule for playgroups to experiment with. In a beginner pod, maybe it makes sense to play without commander damage to simplify things.

Is your pod being too passive and needs a faster pace? Try cumulative commander damage. It can be both challenging and rewarding to shake things up with your pod and try new things. Ultimately, doing so can make you a better player because it forces you to look at the game differently, and that might even help you uncover a new favorite deck or strategy.

Until next time, happy gaming!