MTG's Most Popular Commanders: The Top 5 in 2025

Commander is Magic’s current most beloved format, and the top commanders on EDHREC reflect a mix of raw power, flavor, and strategic flexibility. Whether you’re new to the format or a seasoned player looking to understand the meta, here’s a breakdown of the five most popular commanders and why they dominate the table.

1. The Ur-Dragon

The Ur-Dragon is what happens when your tribal deck decides subtlety is for peasants. Why play one dragon per turn when you can dump half your hand just for swinging? It’s a flex deck. Yes, it’s five colors. Yes, it’s casting ten drops. Yes, it’s drawing seven cards when it hits you. Dragons have a union now, and the Ur-Dragon is the president.

Strategy: Tribal synergy and explosive ramp. The Ur-Dragon leads the charge for Dragon tribal decks. With a massive mana cost and a powerful Eminence ability that reduces the cost of your Dragons, it enables early board presence and late-game dominance. Once it hits the battlefield, its attack trigger draws cards and cheats creatures into play, creating overwhelming value.

Why it’s popular:   Players love Dragons, and The Ur-Dragon offers a five-color identity that unlocks the best tribal support across Magic’s history. It’s flashy, powerful, and surprisingly consistent thanks to its built-in cost reduction.

2. Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice

Atraxa is what you get when you try to build all the decks at once and somehow succeed. Counters for loyalty, infect, sagas, you name it, she’s enabling it. Proliferate, and everyone looks nervous, and yet, it’s hard to argue when every counter comes with smug satisfaction.

Strategy

Counters and value engines Atraxa is a four-color powerhouse that supports a wide range of strategies, from +1/+1 counters to planeswalkers to infect. Her proliferate ability at the end of each turn allows decks to snowball quickly, especially when paired with cards that generate multiple types of counters.

Why it’s popular

Versatility is key. Atraxa can helm dozens of archetypes and still feel optimized. Her color identity gives access to nearly every major mechanic in Commander, and she’s a magnet for creative deckbuilding.

3. Edgar Markov

Edgar isn’t here to play fair. He’s here to drop a turn one Sol Ring, vomit vampires all over the board, and casually mention that he hasn’t even cast his commander yet. He’s aristocracy, after all. Let his children do the dirty work. Opponents quickly learn that if you don’t sweep the board by turn four, Edgar will sweep you.

Strategy

Vampire tribal and aggressive tempo, Edgar Markov is a Mardu commander with Eminence, creating a 1/1 Vampire token whenever you cast another Vampire. This allows for explosive early turns and a go-wide strategy that can overwhelm opponents before they stabilize.

Why it’s popular

Edgar is one of the few commanders who can generate value without ever being cast. His aggressive play style and tribal synergy make him a favorite for players who want to apply pressure from turn one.

4. Krenko, Mob Boss

Krenko’s game plan is simple. Make goblins. Then make more goblins. Then, crash the game state with so many goblins that someone starts a spreadsheet. It’s not complicated or subtle, but it works. Krenko doesn’t need a master plan. He needs a big stick, a lot of red mana, and plausible deniability when your playgroup starts banning him.

Strategy

Token swarm and mono-red aggro Krenko doubles the number of Goblins you control every time he taps. With haste enablers and anthem effects, this snowballs into massive armies that can end games quickly. He’s also a budget-friendly option with a low mana cost and straightforward game plan.

Why it’s popular

Krenko is easy to build, fun to pilot, and capable of explosive turns. Mono-red’s speed and simplicity make it a great entry point for new players, while veterans enjoy optimizing the Goblin engine.

5. Kaalia of the Vast

Kaalia is what happens when you look at a nine mana Angel and say, “That seems unfair… I’ll take it on turn four.” She does not ramp. She does not ask politely. She simply attacks and drops something enormous onto the battlefield like it was always meant to be there. Angels, Demons, Dragons. Pick your apocalypse. Kaalia is not subtle. She is the group chat message that says “swinging at you” and then attaches a Balefire Dragon.

Strategy

Cheat big threats into play through combat. Kaalia costs just four mana and triggers whenever she attacks, putting an Angel, Demon, or Dragon from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. The deck is built around protecting her for a single combat step, because one clean attack can swing the entire game. Expect fast mana, protection spells, and haymakers that end games quickly.

Why it’s popular

Players love explosive turns and iconic creature types. Kaalia offers both with a clear, powerful game plan. She creates huge battlefield swings, rewards bold deckbuilding, and keeps games dramatic. If you enjoy high stakes combat and forcing the table to have answers immediately, Kaalia delivers.

These are just the top 5 of MTG's most popular commanders, but who is your favorite? Drop them in the comments below!

MTG POPULAR COMMANDERS