Commander Damage: The Ins and Outs of MTG’s Unique Win Condition
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Yes, commander damage counts as combat damage, but only combat damage dealt by a commander specifically contributes to the commander damage total. That’s a critical distinction! It’s a very particular rule in the Commander (also known as EDH – Elder Dragon Highlander) format of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a format that’s all about social play and epic battles. Commander damage is a unique win condition where dealing enough combat damage with a single commander to another player can lead to an immediate game loss for the damaged player.
Let’s dive deeper into this quirky but essential aspect of Commander.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Commander Damage
To truly understand commander damage, we need to break down its components:
- Commander Identity: Each player has a legendary creature that serves as their commander. This card begins the game in the command zone, not in the deck.
- Combat Damage: Only damage dealt during the combat phase by a creature attacking or blocking is considered combat damage. Abilities that deal damage, such as a Lightning Bolt targeting a player or a triggered ability when a commander dies dealing damage to a target, do not count as combat damage for the commander damage rule.
- Tracking Damage: Players must track commander damage separately for each opponent and each commander. This is crucial. If Player A’s commander deals 10 damage to Player B and then Player C steals Player A’s commander and deals 11 more damage to Player B, Player B is eliminated from the game.
- The Magic Number: 21: A player loses the game if they have been dealt 21 or more combat damage from a single commander during the game, regardless of their remaining life total. This is in addition to other ways of losing the game.
Why Does Commander Damage Exist?
The commander damage rule exists for several reasons. First, it provides a specific win condition that circumvents high life totals, a common characteristic of Commander games. Secondly, it encourages diverse strategies and deckbuilding approaches. Some decks are built around dealing consistent commander damage, while others focus on controlling the board or generating value.
Commander Damage Isn’t Just About Attacking
While straightforward combat is the most common method, creative players find unconventional ways to exploit commander damage:
- Equipment and Auras: Buffing your commander with powerful equipment (like a Sword of Feast and Famine) or auras (like a Rancor) can drastically increase its damage output.
- Double Strike and Trample: Giving your commander abilities like double strike or trample can significantly increase the damage they deal, potentially ending the game faster. Double Strike makes a Commander deal combat damage twice during combat damage step. Trample means excess damage beyond the toughness of blockers goes to the defending player.
- Stealing Commanders: As mentioned earlier, if you gain control of an opponent’s commander and use it to deal combat damage to them, it still counts towards their commander damage total! This makes cards that steal creatures potent in Commander.
- Commander Politics: While the damage has to come from a single Commander, who controls it can be negotiated through alliances and threats. Players may offer favors in exchange for redirecting the damage output of a huge Commander that is about to knock them out of the game.
Commander Damage vs. Other Win Conditions
Commander isn’t just about commander damage. Other win conditions in Magic: The Gathering include:
- Life Total Reduction: Reducing an opponent’s life total to zero. This is the traditional way to win in most MTG formats.
- Poison Counters: Accumulating ten or more poison counters on an opponent.
- Milling: Causing an opponent to draw a card when they have no cards left in their deck.
- Alternate Win Conditions: Cards with text like “You win the game.” Examples include Approach of the Second Sun or Thassa’s Oracle.
- Infinite Combos: Infinite combos are common in Commander. These include infinitely large creatures, infinite mana, and infinite card draw, which ultimately leads to one of the other win conditions.
Commander: More Than Just a Game
Commander is a unique format that emphasizes player interaction, strategic deckbuilding, and creative gameplay. It’s also a wonderful way to engage with the community. This makes it the perfect avenue to discuss the intersection of learning, games, and society. For more information on this fascinating topic, be sure to check out the GamesLearningSociety.org website.
Commander Damage FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Here are some frequently asked questions about commander damage to further clarify the rules and nuances:
1. Does damage from a Commander’s activated ability count as commander damage?
No. Only combat damage dealt by a commander counts towards the commander damage total. Activated abilities (abilities you manually activate by paying a cost) or triggered abilities (abilities that automatically trigger when a condition is met) do not contribute.
2. If my commander has infect, does that make the damage commander damage?
Infect replaces combat damage with poison counters. While these poison counters can eventually lead to a player losing the game, they are not tracked as commander damage. Commander damage is still tracked independently, in addition to the poison counters. A player with 10 or more poison counters loses the game.
3. If I flicker my commander (exile it and return it to the battlefield), does the commander damage reset?
No. Commander damage persists across zone changes. If a commander is exiled, returned to the battlefield, or otherwise moves zones, the damage it has already dealt to a player remains.
4. Can I use commander damage to defeat multiple players?
Yes! Commander damage is tracked separately for each opponent. You must deal 21 or more combat damage from your commander to each player to eliminate them via commander damage.
5. If my commander is an Equipment, does the equipped creature’s combat damage count as commander damage?
No. Only the combat damage dealt by a commander creature itself counts. Even if that commander creature happens to be an equipment.
6. What happens if I deal 21 commander damage and reduce a player’s life total to zero simultaneously?
The player loses the game. State-based actions are checked simultaneously. If a player meets multiple loss conditions at the same time (21 commander damage and zero life), they lose.
7. If a player gains control of my commander and deals damage to me, does it count towards commander damage?
Yes! Damage dealt by your own commander, even under another player’s control, counts towards your commander damage total. This is a common way to get knocked out of the game.
8. If I play a copy of a commander (e.g., using Clone), does that copy’s damage count as commander damage?
No. While the copy may have the same name and abilities as the commander, it is not the commander. Only the originally designated commander can deal commander damage.
9. If I control two commanders, do I need to deal 21 combat damage from each of them to eliminate a player?
No. The 21 damage rule is that if a player has received 21 or more combat damage from one individual commander, they lose the game.
10. Can I block commander damage with a creature that has protection from that commander’s colors?
Yes. Protection prevents damage, so a creature with protection from the attacking commander’s colors can block the attack.
11. If my Commander is multicolored, does protection from one of those colors prevent combat damage?
Protection from a color prevents all damage from sources of that color, so if your commander has protection from one of the commander’s colors, they can block successfully.
12. Does commander damage reset when a new game starts?
Yes. Commander damage is only tracked during a single game.
13. If my commander is exiled and then returned to the command zone, does it still deal commander damage?
Yes. A commander exiled and returned to the command zone from exile is still the same commander, so previous damage is still counted.
14. What happens if a commander transforms into a non-creature permanent?
Even if a commander transforms into a non-creature permanent, it will still deal commander damage if it re-enters the battlefield as a creature again.
15. Can I use Lifelink to gain life from commander damage dealt by my commander?
Yes. Lifelink triggers on any damage dealt by a source with lifelink, including commander damage. The life is gained as the damage is dealt.
Hopefully, this has shed some light on the intricacies of commander damage. Now go out there, build some awesome Commander decks, and crush your opponents (with consent, of course!). Remember, at the end of the day, Commander is about having fun and making memories. The Games Learning Society is another great way to expand your horizons and find a fun community.