Can Your Commander Deal Commander Damage to Yourself? A Deep Dive
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Yes, unequivocally, your commander can deal commander damage to yourself. The wording of the Commander rules is specific: if a player takes 21 or more combat damage from a single commander, they lose the game, regardless of who controls that commander. This scenario most often arises when an opponent gains control of your commander through effects like Mind Control, Act of Treason, or similar spells and abilities. If they then attack you with your commander and deal enough damage, you will lose to commander damage dealt by your own leader.
This is a key element to understand in Commander, often overlooked, and it can lead to some truly memorable and frustrating game losses. Let’s break down the nuances and explore some frequently asked questions to ensure you’re fully prepared for this scenario.
Understanding Commander Damage
What is Commander Damage?
Commander damage is a unique rule in the Commander (also known as EDH – Elder Dragon Highlander) format of Magic: The Gathering. It functions as an alternate win condition. Unlike normal damage that simply reduces your life total, commander damage is tracked separately for each opponent and each commander.
Why Does Commander Damage Exist?
The rule exists to prevent games from dragging on indefinitely. Without it, strategies focused on pillow-forting (defensively building up resources and life gain) or locking down the board could make it difficult to achieve victory. Commander damage provides a more proactive and reliable win condition, incentivizing players to engage in combat and reducing the likelihood of stalemates. More about game design principles can be found at Games Learning Society.
The Crucial Number: 21
The magic number is 21. If any single commander deals 21 or more combat damage to a player over the course of a game, that player loses, even if their life total is above zero. This damage is cumulative and is tracked separately for each commander. If you’ve taken 10 combat damage from Commander A and then 11 from Commander A later in the game, you’re knocked out by Commander A.
Scenarios Where Your Commander Hurts You
The most common scenario is, as mentioned above, when an opponent gains temporary or permanent control of your commander. However, there are other, less frequent situations where you might inflict commander damage on yourself.
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Reflecting Damage: Certain cards or effects can reflect damage back to its source. Imagine your commander attacks an opponent, and a spell like “Mirror Shield” is used to make your commander an illegal target and redirect all the damage back to you. This may be a way to damage yourself with commander damage.
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Forced Combat: Cards that force creatures to attack, combined with specific board states, could theoretically result in your commander dealing damage to you. However, this is exceptionally rare.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Commander Damage
1. Does Commander Damage Count as Regular Damage?
Yes, commander damage does count as regular damage. This means that your life total decreases as you take commander damage. However, the commander damage is also tracked separately, so you might lose to commander damage before your life total reaches zero.
2. If My Commander Deals Damage to Multiple Opponents, Is the Damage Combined?
No, commander damage is tracked separately for each opponent. If your commander deals 10 combat damage to Player A and 11 combat damage to Player B, neither player loses. Player A has taken 10 commander damage from your commander, and Player B has taken 11. The total damage dealt by your commander across all opponents is irrelevant.
3. What Happens if I Reset My Life Total? Does Commander Damage Reset Too?
No, commander damage does not reset when your life total is reset. The damage is tracked persistently throughout the game. If you’ve taken 15 commander damage and then your life total is reset to 40, you still only need to take 6 more damage from that same commander to lose.
4. Does Commander Damage Ignore Protection?
It depends on the wording of the protection effect. Something that says “Protection from [characteristic]” prevents damage of the specified kind. A shroud or hexproof effect would prevent damage.
5. Do Tokens of My Commander Deal Commander Damage?
No, tokens of your commander do not deal commander damage. Being a commander is a property of the card, not the permanent. A token, even if it’s a perfect copy of your commander, isn’t considered the commander for the purposes of commander damage.
6. If I Blink My Commander (Exile and Return), Does the Commander Damage Reset?
No, blinking your commander does not reset the commander damage. Even though it’s technically a new game object when it returns to the battlefield, the game remembers that this specific card is your commander, and the damage dealt by it is still tracked.
7. Can Commander Damage Be Prevented?
Yes, commander damage can be prevented by effects that prevent damage, such as Fog, Moment’s Peace, or creatures with the prevent damage ability.
8. If My Commander is Removed From the Game (Exiled Permanently), Does the Commander Damage Reset?
No, the commander damage never resets, even if you recast it.
9. What Happens if Someone Steals My Commander, Deals Commander Damage to Me, Then I Regain Control of It?
If you regain control of your commander, the damage total remains the same. The commander damage doesn’t care who controls the commander; it only tracks the damage dealt by that specific commander to each opponent.
10. If I Partner Two Commanders, Do They Deal Commander Damage Together?
No, partner commanders deal commander damage separately. Each commander has its own individual damage count. You need to take 21 combat damage from each partner commander to lose the game.
11. Does Commander Damage Stack With Other Commanders?
No, Commander damage is specific to each commander attacking you in a game. The damage dealt by each opponent’s commander is tracked separately.
12. How Do I Track Commander Damage?
Many players use dice or life counters to track commander damage. There are also apps and websites designed specifically for tracking life totals and commander damage in Commander games.
13. What Happens if a Commander is Sent to Your Hand?
As the article stated earlier, according to the newest rules, the commander must go to the command zone if it is returned to the hand.
14. Is it Illegal to use banned cards in Commander?
That depends on the playgroup. Rule 0 states that it is possible to use banned cards if permission is granted by the other players.
15. Can I exile a commander?
Yes, and the owner gets to decide if they want to leave their commander in exile or move it to the command zone.
Conclusion
While it may seem counterintuitive, understanding that your commander can deal commander damage to yourself is a crucial element of playing Commander. It highlights the importance of protecting your commander, being aware of your opponents’ strategies, and carefully considering the implications of spells and abilities that can change control of creatures. By mastering these nuances, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the complex and exciting world of Commander and avoid succumbing to the ultimate irony: being defeated by your own trusted leader.