The 34 Best Midrange Commanders in Magic Ranked

Meren of Clan Nel Toth | Illustration by Cynthia Sheppard

There’s nothing like a good midrange deck. Not so hellbent on winning as an aggro deck, yet still capable of fast wins; they don’t draw the game out like a control deck but comfortably sit on their haunches and wait for the perfect moment to pounce.

Midrange decks are especially promising in Commander. The format allows for plenty of time to set up a grindy value engine while the players who spend too much time durdling around can be vulnerable to a deck that can pivot in an instant.

But what are the best legends to lead your midrange pile?

What Are Midrange Commanders in MTG?

Damia, Sage of Stone | Illustration by Steve Argyle

“Midrange” can be tricky to define as it sits somehow between aggro and control, combining elements from the other macro archetypes without wholly committing to either. They have the card advantage and interaction suite necessary to grind out a long game, though they don’t want infinite turns, and they have aggressive threats so they can turn the corner and win quickly.

When it comes to Commander, midrange decks often need more setup turns than an aggro deck that just jams, but they turn their setup into a win faster than the control decks. Midrange decks often look like value piles. Some archetypes that fall into this pattern include typal decks, aristocrat decks, and flicker decks, though those are far from the only archetypes.

Good midrange commanders facilitate grindy game plans. They typically provide a resource like mana or card advantage that meaningfully accumulates over multiple turns and that you can easily turn into a win. The definition’s a bit general, but hopefully the commanders themselves give you a better idea of what I mean.

#34. Sin, Spira’s Punishment

Green-black decks (also called The Rock) are often the Platonic ideal of midrange decks in Constructed, and that applies to Commander pretty well, especially when you add another color. Sin, Spira's Punishment works as top-end for a midrange deck that grinds out its opponents and mills itself before it sets up some sort of flicker engine that floods the board with Sin’s triggered ability.

#33. Haldan, Avid Arcanist + Pako, Arcane Retriever

The combination of Haldan, Avid Arcanist and Pako, Arcane Retriever embodies what midrange wants to do. Haldan accrues significant amounts of card advantage while Pako becomes a significant threat with very little effort, and it ends the game while your opponents try to handle all the cards you stole. Even without the 98, this is kind of perfect as a midrange deck. Chuck in some counters, ramp, and draw, and you have a recipe for success.

#32. Damia, Sage of Stone

Damia, Sage of Stone hasn’t aged particularly well as a 7-mana commander that needs to survive a turn cycle to do anything, but the right deck makes excellent use of it. To get the most from Damia’s ability, think cheap and efficient; lots of low-cost cards like Soul Shatter, Birds of Paradise, and Orcish Bowmasters let you dump multiple cards into play each turn and gets your hand size close to zero.

#31. Admiral Brass, Unsinkable

Pirates have limited typal support, but Admiral Brass, Unsinkable is still an admirable commander that provides exquisite, grindy value by reanimating your best pirates and giving them the power necessary to pummel a pod into submission.

Once you consider the sheer number of pirates with strong enters abilities like Coercive Recruiter and Hostage Taker, you could reasonably include a bunch of flicker effects. They would knock off the 4/4 buff, but also the finality counter, plus reset Brass to mill more cards. You can do a lot with this one!

#30. Coram, the Undertaker

Jund () is a classic midrange color combination that Coram, the Undertaker puts to good use. It’s a powerful card advantage engine, especially with cards like Mesmeric Orb that greatly increase your choices. Toss in Coram’s synergy with cards like Rishkar's Expertise and Chandra's Ignition (supercharged by the likes of Lord of Extinction) and you have a brew going.

#29. The Scarab God

The Scarab God doesn’t need to be a zombie typal commander to be effective. You can just play it alongside reasonable creatures and a little self-mill for a solid card advantage engine that circumvents commander tax due to its death trigger. You can go for hard reanimator or perhaps a sacrifice shell that trades away cheap creatures with good ETBs like Burglar Rat and Baleful Strix, only to upgrade them into 4/4s.

#28. Dihada, Binder of Wills

Dihada, Binder of Wills locks you into playing legends-matters, but the modern Commander landscape has such a diverse selection of them that it hardly feels like a restriction.

You can set up explosive turns when you make up to four Treasure and draw some number of cards, while Dihada’s uptick protects your most valuable legends like Shanid, Sleepers' Scourge and Ratadrabik of Urborg.

#27. Aragorn, the Uniter

Midrange decks often make for strong value piles, and Aragorn, the Uniter is one of the commanders best suited to value piles. You can trick it out with all the multicolored spells possible, along with payoffs like General Ferrous Rokiric, go deep into humans to make the most of the Human Soldier tokens it creates, or… really, do whatever you want. One of the great benefits to midrange strategies is their flexibility, and that shines here.

#26. Ezuri, Claw of Progress

Counters is another archetype that lends itself well to midrange strategies; cheap enablers like Bristly Bill, Spine Sower and Scythecat Cub facilitate aggressive starts, but sitting back on proliferate effects lets your board scale throughout the game.

Ezuri, Claw of Progress is particularly enticing as you never lose the experience counters, so you always save some amount of progress. It’s also super flexible; cards like Danny Pink, Fathom Mage, and Gyre Sage provide the resources to play a long game while finishers like Champion of Lambholt and Herald of Secret Streams turn the game in an instant.

#25. Glarb, Calamity’s Augur

Glarb, Calamity's Augur is almost Future Sight in the command zone. You need a careful eye when you choose 4+ mana spells to pull this off; Glarb might let you play them off the top, but you still need cheap cards so you don’t fall off in the early game.

And don’t skimp on the graveyard synergies. Surveilling two each turn is the perfect way to set up cards like Dig Through Time and Muldrotha, the Gravetide—these effects are critical to ensure you get the most from every bit of the commander.

#24. Rashmi, Eternities Crafter

Rashmi, Eternities Crafter leans towards the more controlling side of the midrange spectrum due to its synergy with instant-speed interaction, like countermagic and Pongify. You want to play an instant-speed game plan and generate mana from cards like Wilderness Reclamation and Seedborn Muse to maximize potential Rashmi triggers.

Big counterspells are your friend here—cards like Mystic Confluence and Spell Swindle are only playable in a deck like this that requires that you hold up large sums of mana each turn.

#23. Disa the Restless

Disa the Restless begs to be a midrange commander, in no small part because it summons the former king of midrange threats, the Tarmogoyf.

You can set up some really neat value engines with Disa. Self-mill is the obvious way to exploit it, but you can also discard ‘goyfs to red rummage effects like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker to reanimate them.

#22. Hashaton, Scarab’s Fist

My favorite reason to run Hashaton, Scarab's Fist is the mana cost: This is the only way to run an Esper commander () with Lurrus of the Dream-Den as a companion.

Even if you don’t use a companion, this commander does some really neat stuff. It doesn’t exile the creatures it copies, so you can reanimate them later via more traditional means like Animate Dead or use enchantments like Tortured Existence and Phyrexian Reclamation to loop one or two key creatures—which makes an army of Baleful Strixes sounds pretty imposing.

#21. Muldrotha, the Gravetide

Graveyard decks are naturally grindy since one of the best ways to accrue value from the graveyard is recursion and reanimation, which sets Muldrotha, the Gravetide up well to lead a more controlling midrange deck.

Muldrotha gets better and better as cards like Fang, Fearless l'Cie and Insidious Roots are printed to get even more value from casting spells from your graveyard. You can even backdoor into a combo deck with cards like Lotus Petal, Displacer Kitten, and Tamiyo, Collector of Tales.

#20. Yarok, the Desecrated

Flicker decks are inherently midrange in my mind. They set up powerful engines with cards like Displacer Kitten and Thassa, Deep-Dwelling paired with Mulldrifter and Aether Channeler and similar cards to create value piles that are near insurmountable without disruption.

Yarok, the Desecrated is an excellent choice for a blink commander. Blue’s the most important color (not to undersell what black adds) and the addition of green gives you access to powerful ramp spells like Farhaven Elf. Importantly, Yarok doubles all enters triggers, so you can exploit landfall cards like Scute Swarm and Lotus Cobra for even more value.

#19. Tymna the Weaver

I wouldn’t normally isolate a partner, but Tymna the Weaver is a special case. To make Tymna work, you need lots of small, cheap creatures like Esper Sentinel and Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff to maximize your odds of attacking early, but the card advantage gives you the tools to grind with the best of them. Tymna embodies everything I want from midrange commanders to such a degree that any partner pairing built around Tymna counts as a midrange deck in my book.

#18. Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls

Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls and its group slug game plan trend towards the more aggressive side of things, which is always nice in Commander. While you can end the game quickly, you can also sit on effects like Kederekt Parasite and Blood Seeker to reap plenty of card advantage while you grow a massive flying threat.

#17. Alela, Artful Provocateur

Stax decks often trend towards midrange. Alela, Artful Provocateur balances the game-slowing effects of cards like Aura of Silence and Torpor Orb with a flight of aggressive Faerie tokens to close the game out while your opponents stumble around with a hand twisted behind their back. It might not be everyone’s favorite strategy, but few can argue with its effectiveness.

#16. Teval, the Balanced Scale

Wizards continues to support this archetype that does things when cards leave your graveyard, and it’s the perfect midrange mechanic. It takes time to get going, but it easily creates engines that snowball out of control.

Teval, the Balanced Scale is the ideal leader of this archetype, and perfect proof of how you generate endless value. Pair it with Tortured Existence and you get a Zombie Druid for every black mana you have to spend; throw in an Insidious Roots, and you suddenly have a wealth of mana and additional tokens at your disposal.

#15. Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver

Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver has a stern and honestly deserved monopoly on zombie typal decks. Those decayed tokens make Wilhelt an excellent commander to exploit zombie synergies, with cards like Lord of the Accursed and Hordewing Skaab, plus aristocratic nonsense fueled by zombie cards like Headless Rider and Undead Augur.

#14. Satya, Aetherflux Genius

Satya, Aetherflux Genius has profited from several sets that have poured love into the energy archetype, which lacked the support for anything but a mediocre shell of Limited bulk. But now that we’ve gotten several dedicated Commander precons and Modern Horizons 3, Satya gets to shine.

Many energy cards have powerful enters abilities, usually responsible for creating the energy, so you have no shortage of good creatures to copy with Satya. It often toes the line between energy and flicker. The build path is rather narrow, but it has plenty of power.

#13. Urza, Chief Artificer

Urza, Chief Artificer often has a similar game plan to Alela, Artful Provocateur in that both want to deploy stax pieces that slow the game down until their token armies win the game, but Urza is stronger simply because a single Construct tends to be worth more than a single Faerie. Its affinity ability also makes it a powerful commander since it skirts the command tax and allows you to deploy Urza more often than is necessarily fair.

#12. Atraxa, Grand Unifier

Atraxa, Grand Unifier has my money for the best flicker commander, because I can’t think of any enters abilities I want to refresh with Displacer Kitten or double with Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines more.

You even get to ramp into it, so you can do this quite quickly. Atraxa doesn’t need a deep pool of support, either; while there’s value when you build around flicker effects, a large commander with incredible stats that draws a bunch of cards doesn’t need much help. Your flicker package could probably begin and end with Displacer Kitten and Teleportation Circle, and you’d still be in a fine spot.

#11. Kenrith, the Returned King

It feels like cheating when you put Kenrith, the Returned King on a list like this since this commander’s power lies in its ability to be anything. There’s definitely a grindy midrange shell in there that uses cost reducers like Training Grounds and Biomancer's Familiar to draw a ton of cards before it falls into powerful combos with cards like Composite Golem.

#10. Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait

Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait delivers all the mana and card advantage you could want for a midrange strategy, or really any strategy. Aesi is a pretty basic suggestion as a commander, but you can’t argue with results. This is another one that leans controlling, but it’s surprisingly easy to drop Aesi then follow it up with something nasty like Koma, Cosmos Serpent fast enough to leave your opponents scrambling.

#9. Teysa Karlov

Teysa Karlov doubles up on death triggers, a simple yet effective means to take the aristocrats strategy to new heights. The ability to double triggers off cards like Blood Artist and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER walks the line between aggressive and controlling; it deals tons of damage, but rapid lifegain provides a valuable resource with which you can outlast you opponents while you reap additional rewards from cards like Pitiless Plunderer and Grim Haruspex.

#8. Tidus, Yuna’s Guardian

Tidus, Yuna's Guardian has quickly risen towards the top of my list of best counters commanders because of how well Bant () utilizes the counters. The bulk of +1/+1 counters-matter cards are regulated to Selesnya () and Simic (); this color trio gives you the best of both worlds.

Tidus works well in the midrange game plan, too. Proliferate and card draw gives you the resources to play a longer game while you steadily build your board to the critical mass of power you need to turn a Herald of Secret Streams or Abzan Falconer into an immediate win.

#7. Anikthea, Hand of Erebos

Sagas and midrange decks pair well together; sagas are usually at least a two-for-one, if not more, and they reward you for keeping the game a little slower so you can read every chapter.

Anikthea, Hand of Erebos is far from the only saga commander, but it’s one of the more impressive. You get all the enchantress toys like Sythis, Harvest's Hand and Eidolon of Blossoms for card advantage, plus Ghostly Prison and the like to extend the game. Toss in exciting new sagas from Final Fantasy like Summon: Odin and Summon: Bahamut, and you have an excellent deck on your hands.

#6. Meren of Clan Nel Toth

Meren of Clan Nel Toth isn’t the strongest midrange commander, but it may be the one that most cleanly embodies the idea of midrange. The reanimation ability offers lots of potential to outgrind your opponents: You can ramp every turn with Sakura-Tribe Elder, keep the table in check with Plaguecrafter, or set up the dreaded Spore Frog lock (which isn’t as fearsome as it sounds). Add the ability to scale up to reanimate significant threats like Triplicate Titan and Tergrid, God of Fright to make a terrifying deck.

#5. Chulane, Teller of Tales

Midrange decks really need a win condition, something that turns the corner and makes their value engines able to win the game rather than just accumulate cards. One of the most efficient ways to turn the corner in Commander is combos, which is where Chulane, Teller of Tales shines.

You can take an aggressive slant with cards like Ocelot Pride and Bristly Bill, Spine Sower to apply early pressure, or you can play a slower game that powers out Chulane via mana dorks then sit behind its card advantage. Either way, you just need to draw something like Intruder Alarm or any of the other cards that go infinite with Chulane and you win.

#4. Caesar, Legion’s Emperor

Caesar, Legion's Emperor is an excellent aristocrats/token commander that can grind thanks to its card draw ability or close the game quickly with its combination of tokens and the burn ability. In other words, it’s a great choice for a midrange deck!

You should lean into tokens. Cards like Ocelot Pride and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar are great for aggressive starts, but you can also sit on cards like Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon and Elspeth, Storm Slayer to accumulate value during the midgame while you supply Caesar with plenty of fodder.

#3. The Wise Mothman

The Wise Mothman has become one of the most popular counters commanders, and it’s easy to see why. The combination of mill and counters creates an interesting balance, and TWM distributes counters like nothing else. Since it triggers on your opponents’ turns, cards like Mesmeric Orb are super handy to maximize the triggers. Don’t forget that you can put counters on any creature, not just your own; that gives you lots of political sway, and it can even lead to surprise lethal on somebody else’s turn.

#2. Prosper, Tome-Bound

Ah, the classic combination of card advantage and mana production in the command zone. Prosper, Tome-Bound is a mistake if I ever saw one. The card advantage and mana production become even better when you consider that cast-from-exile and Treasure have a host of different synergies to exploit.

Cards like Nalfeshnee, Passionate Archaeologist, and Marionette Master give the deck powerful ways to exploit the already strong mechanics Prosper offers. The deck almost feels like storm combo at times.

#1. Korvold, Fae-Cursed King

Treasure and sacrifice commanders don’t get much better than Korvold, Fae-Cursed King due to the ludicrous lack of restrictions on its abilities. Seriously, why does this go unchecked while Teysa, Opulent Oligarch has so many restrictions that it’s practically useless?

Korvold functions so well because it wins the games on two axes: Few commanders compete with its immense card advantage, and it becomes massive in no time because it counts everything you sacrifice. Creatures, of course, but also Treasure and fetch lands and Clues and anything else that strikes your fancy. Beware when you build this that you might attract a lot of heat from the table due to this card’s infamy.

What Is a “Value Commander” in EDH?

Value commanders accumulate resources over time. There’s a great overlap between value commanders and midrange, largely because you can effectively describe midrange as a “value pile,” or a bunch of generically good cards that hope to out-value more synergistic decks by running high-quality cards.

There are two important qualities a value commander must have, in my mind: It must accumulate resources (preferably card draw or mana), and it must be generic. Prosper, Tome-Bound is a perfect example of a commander that meets both criteria; it provides incredible value without any deckbuilding costs. It just asks you to play good cards.

I consider the generic criteria important because the more specifically you need to build around your commander, the closer you stray to a synergy build rather than a value build. Matoya, Archon Elder is a good example of a card that accumulates resources, but it requires specific, restrictive deckbuilding costs. On the other hand, Gahiji, Honored One provides generic value in the form of a power boost, but it doesn’t actually accumulate resources. While these are useful effects, I wouldn’t consider either one to be a true value commander.

Commanding Conclusion

The Scarab God | Illustration by Lius Lasahido

Midrange decks are tricky to define, but they’re a classic archetype. The focus on high card quality and resource accumulation makes them an excellent choice in Commander, provided you can find the right legend to lead your deck. The best place to start is always something that helps accumulate resources so you can grind out your opponents, with a few quick ways to turn the corner baked in.

What’s your favorite midrange commander? How important do you think the commander is to your midrange decks? Let me know in the comments below or in the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!