How do you do Commander Damage?
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To do commander damage, a player must deal combat damage to an opponent with their commander, which is a Legendary Creature or a card that says it can be your commander, and this damage is tracked throughout the game, with a player losing if they take 21 or more points of combat damage from the same commander. The commander damage is specific to each commander/player pairing, meaning that damage dealt by different commanders is tracked separately, and a player can lose if they take 21 points of combat damage from their own commander, even if it’s under someone else’s control.
Understanding Commander Damage
Commander damage is a unique aspect of the Magic: The Gathering format, and understanding how it works is crucial for players to develop effective strategies and win games.
Tracking Commander Damage
Commander damage is tracked separately for each player, and players must keep track of how much combat damage they’ve taken from each of their opponents’ commanders.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does commander damage work in 1v1?
In a 1v1 game, commander damage works the same way as in multiplayer games, with a player losing if they take 21 points of combat damage from their opponent’s commander.
2. Can you do commander damage to yourself?
Yes, a player can take commander damage from their own commander if it’s stolen and used against them, and this damage is tracked the same way as damage dealt by an opponent’s commander.
3. What happens if a commander goes to the hand?
If a commander would be put into its owner’s hand or library from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead, which is an exception to the normal rules for handling cards that change zones.
4. Can an opponent steal your commander?
Yes, an opponent can take control of a player’s commander, and if they use it to deal combat damage to the original owner, that damage is tracked as commander damage.
5. Does commander damage count as damage?
Commander damage is a type of damage that is tracked separately from a player’s life total, but it can still cause a player to lose the game if they take 21 points of combat damage from the same commander.
6. What are the rules for a commander deck?
A commander deck must contain exactly 100 cards, including the commander, and follow the color identity and singleton rules, with the exception of basic lands.
7. Can Planeswalkers do commander damage?
Yes, Planeswalkers can deal commander damage if they are able to attack, such as when equipped with Luxior, Giada’s Gift, which turns a Planeswalker into a creature.
8. What sets are legal in commander?
The Commander card pool consists of all regulation-sized Magic cards publicly released by Wizards of the Coast, with the exception of cards with silver borders, gold borders, or acorn-shaped security stamps.
9. How does commander tax work?
Commander tax is an additional cost of {2} for each previous time a player has cast their commander from the command zone that game, which increases the cost of casting the commander.
10. What is a commander deck?
A commander deck is a unique type of Magic deck that is made up of 100 cards and is used to play the Commander format, with one card serving as the commander.
11. How do battles work in commander?
Battles are a type of card that enter the battlefield with a predetermined number of defense counters, which indicate the amount of damage required to defeat them.
12. What is illegal in commander?
In Commander, everything is legal except for cards with silver borders, gold borders, or acorn-shaped security stamps, as well as cards that are specifically banned in the format.
13. How much commander damage kills a player?
A player loses the game if they take 21 or more points of combat damage from the same commander, regardless of their life total.
14. Does commander have a hand limit?
Each player has a maximum hand size of seven cards, and they must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size as part of their cleanup step.
15. What happens if your commander dies?
If a commander dies, it can be sent to the command zone instead of the graveyard, which allows the player to cast it again and continue dealing commander damage.