Partner Up and Deal Damage: Understanding Commander Damage with Partner Commanders

So, you’ve decided to dive into the wild world of Commander (also known as EDH), and you’re intrigued by the concept of Partner Commanders. Excellent choice! Partner Commanders open up a huge design space for deckbuilding and can lead to some incredibly fun and powerful strategies. But with this increased power comes increased complexity, particularly when dealing with commander damage.

Here’s the straightforward answer: Commander damage is tracked separately for each Partner Commander. If you have two Partner Commanders, say Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus and Vial Smasher the Fierce, your opponents will need to take 21 combat damage from Kraum specifically, and another 21 combat damage from Vial Smasher specifically, to lose the game due to commander damage. The damage from the two commanders doesn’t combine. It’s like having two completely separate commanders, each with their own damage “scoreboard.” This distinction is crucial to understanding how Partner Commanders function in the format. It’s not enough for an opponent to receive a total of 21 damage from both partners combined. Each partner must individually deal that amount to eliminate a player due to commander damage.

Understanding Partner Commanders

First, let’s quickly recap what Partner is. The Partner mechanic allows you to have two legendary creatures serve as your Commander as long as both have the “Partner” ability. This expands your color identity, gives you more strategic options, and, as we’ve established, changes how commander damage is calculated.

Each Partner Commander resides in the command zone and is subject to the commander tax individually. Meaning if Kraum has been cast twice, it costs {2} more to recast him from the command zone each time. The same holds true for Vial Smasher. They’re treated as distinct entities in almost all ways. The card also mentions If a card or effect refers to “your Commander,” you get to choose which partner it applies to.

The Nuances of Commander Damage

Now, let’s drill down into commander damage itself. Remember the core rule: A player loses the game if they have been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game.

• Combat Damage Only: Commander damage only counts if it’s dealt during combat. Abilities that deal damage, like Vial Smasher the Fierce’s triggered ability, do not contribute to commander damage.

• Tracking Is Key: Keeping track of who dealt what damage to whom is critical. Pen and paper, dice, or even a dedicated app can help. Some playgroups have a shared responsibility, while others place the onus on the attacking player.

• It Stacks Over Time: Commander damage is cumulative throughout the game. Each instance of combat damage from a specific commander adds to the total.

• It’s Commander-Specific: As we established earlier, in the case of Partner Commanders, damage is tracked for each commander separately. It does not combine.

• Life Gain Doesn’t Reset It: Gaining life doesn’t reduce the amount of commander damage you’ve taken. If you’ve taken 15 damage from someone’s commander and gain 10 life, you still need to worry about the next 6 damage from that commander.

Practical Examples with Partner Commanders

Let’s make this concrete with some examples:

• Scenario 1: You have Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper as your Partner Commanders. You attack Player A with Bruse Tarl, dealing 7 combat damage. You then attack Player B with Ikra Shidiqi, dealing 9 combat damage. Player A has taken 7 commander damage from Bruse Tarl and needs to take 14 more to lose. Player B has taken 9 commander damage from Ikra Shidiqi and needs 12 more to lose.

• Scenario 2: An opponent steals your Kraum, Ludevic’s Opus and attacks you with it, dealing 21 combat damage. You lose the game because you’ve taken 21 damage from that specific commander. Even if you’ve taken zero damage from your other Partner Commander, Vial Smasher the Fierce, it doesn’t matter.

• Scenario 3: You are playing with commander Sakashima of a Thousand Faces that has targeted the player you are trying to eliminate. You steal your opponent’s commander and deal 21 damage with the stolen commander you eliminate them since Sakashima of a Thousand Faces does not have partner but is a clone of it.

Strategies and Considerations with Partner Commanders

When playing with or against Partner Commanders, keep these strategies in mind:

• Focus Fire: If you’re playing against Partner Commanders, it might be strategically advantageous to focus all your removal and damage on one of them. Taking out one reduces the overall threat and makes the remaining commander easier to deal with (especially since the cost to play them grows the more they have been played).

• Diversification: As a Partner Commander player, consider spreading the damage around. While focusing down one player is sometimes necessary, spreading damage can weaken multiple opponents simultaneously.

• Removal: Removal is critical. Being able to remove problematic blockers or key creatures that are buffing your opponent’s commanders can easily swing the game in your favor. Be aware that opponents could have protection in the form of spells or abilities.

• Voltron: A “Voltron” strategy (equipping and enchanting one commander into a massive threat) can be particularly effective with one of your Partner Commanders while using the other for utility or card draw. However, be wary of removal!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is commander damage separate for partners?

Yes! Each Partner Commander deals their own commander damage, tracked individually. Damage from different Partner Commanders does not combine.

2. Do Partner Commanders share commander damage?

No, they do not share damage. They each deal their own damage, and it is calculated separately, just like their separate commander taxes.

3. Does commander damage stack with other commanders?

Yes. It’s specific to each commander. So, if you steal an opponent’s commander multiple times in a game, you can add up to 21 damage with their own general.

4. How do commanders with partner work?

A player can have two commanders if both have partner. Because both commanders start the game in the command zone, the remaining library is only 98 cards. Your two commanders are treated individually for all other Commander rules. If either leaves the battlefield, you can return it to the command zone instead.

5. When you steal a commander, does it still do commander damage?

Yes, players can be dealt commander damage with commanders that are not your own if you control them. This includes their own commander.

6. What are the rules for commander damage?

A player that’s been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses the game.

7. Can your commander deal commander damage to yourself?

Yes, the way the rule is worded, a player who takes 21 or more points of combat damage from a single commander loses the game. This includes their own commander should it be stolen and used against them. Remember, it has to be 21 damage from a single commander, not a cumulative total.

8. What is the partner rule in deck building commander?

“Partner with [name]” represents two abilities. One is a static ability that modifies the rules for deck construction. Rather than a single legendary creature card, you may designate two legendary creature cards as your commander if each has a “partner with [name]” ability with the other’s name.

9. Do partner commanders need to be the same color?

The color identity of your deck will then be determined by the combined color identity of both of your commanders. You may use any two cards with “Partner”. So, a mono-red Partner and mono-white Partner may be paired. Enjoy!

10. Does commander damage accumulate?

If a Commander Creature deals Combat Damage to you, and it does not have Infect, then you will both a) lose that much life, and b) accumulate that much Commander Damage from that one Commander.

11. Can commander damage be prevented?

Yes, protection makes it so you cannot be dealt damage, including combat damage. Do note if some effect says damage can’t be prevented, then you still take the commander damage even though no life change occurs.

12. Who keeps track of commander damage?

The responsibility of keeping track of commander damage dealt out is that of the commander’s controller (the attacking player). While this is ultimately up to the playgroup.

13. How does commander damage work with multiple players?

Commander Damage is specific to each Commander/Player pairing, not combined across all Commanders. A player can lose if he or she is dealt 21 points of combat damage by his or her own Commander (i.e., under someone else’s control).

14. Is commander damage separate from life total?

In addition to the normal Magic loss conditions, if a player is dealt 21 points of combat damage from a single commander over the course of the game, that player loses the game. This combat damage total is kept track of separately for each player’s commander and does not reduce if a player gains life.

15. Can you steal an opponent’s commander?

The owner of the commander can only move it from the graveyard to the command zone as a State-Based Action. And we don’t check State-Based Actions while spells are resolving. So, it can steal commanders.

The Importance of Understanding the Rules

Mastering these rules, and understanding how they interact, is crucial for effective Commander gameplay. It allows you to make informed decisions about deck building, combat strategy, and threat assessment. Don’t just take my word for it; explore the game yourself and discover the depths of strategic possibilities Commander offers!

The complexities of games, like Magic: The Gathering, offer fantastic opportunities for learning and developing strategic thinking. To learn more about how games can be used in education, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. The GamesLearningSociety.org promotes the use of game-based learning to educate players and expand their knowledge on a variety of topics. So, go forth, partner up, and may your commander damage be plentiful (and correctly calculated)!