2024 saw a huge wave of Magic: The Gathering products hitting the shelves, with the Commander format’s ongoing dominance providing players with a wealth of new options for deck building.
From full premier sets like Bloomburrow and Duskmourn to Universes Beyond pre-cons like Fallout, even products geared towards other formats like Modern Horizons 3 included powerful new Commander picks.
We’ve assessed each of the new Legendary Creature cards to arrive in Magic in 2024 and put together a list of our top ten Commanders for the year.
While the format is often subjective, with players building according to personal taste, these Commanders stood out from the ever-expanding pack, whether it be through inventive mechanics, revitalizing archetypes, or just sheer power.
1. The Wise Mothman — Universes Beyond: Fallout
Fallout proved to be a supremely popular crossover for MTG, with the good luck to release in tandem with the celebrated Amazon series.
While Fallout’s popularity alone could explain these pre-cons becoming Magic’s most successful to date, The Wise Mothman backed up that popularity with power and a tight suite of abilities.
The Wise Mothman packs some classic Sultai strengths, buffing the deck’s Creatures via +1/+1 counters and reaping repeated rewards when paired with Creature cards like Danny Pink, Enchantments like Bloodchief Ascension, and Artifacts like Mesmeric Orb.
To really bring this Commander’s success home, Rad counters are an extremely inventive new mechanic, with Proliferate’s popularity ensuring that the deck will receive pseudo-support for years to come, even if its core mechanic remains unchanged.
2. Voja, Jaws of the Conclave – Murders at Karlov Manor
While Magic’s murder mystery set may not have gone down well with many players, it still managed to introduce at least one incredibly overpowered Commander in the form of Voja.
This Commander supports both Elf and Wolf Creatures, with a healthy mix of both allowing you to keep your hand topped up and boost all your Creatures significantly.
It can be extremely common for Voja to start outputting game-winning power within a few short turns, and its arguably overcosted Ward 3 makes early-game removal a tricky prospect.
A Voja deck might not always be the most fun to play against, but it’s hard to argue that this Commander is one of 2024’s best offerings on sheer strength alone.
3. Arna Kennerud, Skycaptain – Modern Horizons 3
Modern Horizons 3 was hardly short on overpowered Commanders, either in the main set or its four pre-cons, but Arna Kennerud deserves her spot by giving players some serious flexibility in how to build her.
Players looking to construct Arna can go all in on Equipment, Enchantments, or a mix of both, with plenty of ways to Voltron your way to lethal Commander damage in one fell swoop, or otherwise build up a wide board through unorthodox means like Bestow.
If that’s not enough, +1/+1 counter strategies are also in play with Arna, buffing up your whole board to titanic levels in a few quick attacks.
With a Ward ability that leads to some strategic thought over removal without being overly frustrating, Arna Kennerud, Skycaptain is well-rounded, packing power and versatility, as well as breaking from the norm in Esper colors.
4. Ulalek, Fused Atrocity – Modern Horizons 3
The Eldrazi made a huge resurgence in MTG in 2024, with Modern Horizons 3 leading the way.
Usually restricted by their colorless nature, Ulalek and the Devoid ability fully revitalized this archetype, allowing for a five-color Commander that doubles your value, creating copies of the already-colossal threats populating your deck.
Eldrazi have often been splashed into other archetypes as a game-winning threat, making use of high mana production in colors such as Simic.
Now, these eldritch Creatures have an excellent typal Commander that allows you to build across the color spectrum, and the ongoing popularity of Eldrazi means that Ulalek is likely to stay relevant for quite some time.
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5. Stella Lee, Wild card – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
While the consistency and overall strength of Commander pre-cons have shot up in recent years as the format continues to grow, few pre-con Commanders have ever displayed the power that Stella Lee can wield right out of the box.
Thanks to multiple two-card infinite combos, Stella Lee leaves the usual pre-con power level in the dust, puncturing the casual-friendly air of Commander and approaching cEDH gameplay.
Stella Lee’s spell copying is surprisingly easy to achieve and only grows in potential as you fine-tune her deck.
While Izzet Commanders have always cultivated a reputation for spell-slinging, Stella Lee has instantly joined the pantheon of this color combo’s most potent cards.
6. Storm, Force of Nature – Secret Lair X Marvel’s Storm
While Magic’s first crossover with Marvel stirred up controversy by selling out almost immediately, those who managed to get their hands on the Omega-level weather witch found a remarkably explosive spell-slinger in Temur colors.
Storm makes great use of the ability of the same name, empowering your Instants and Sorceries with multiple copies.
When pulling off tricks like double strike and extra combat steps, Storm can turn what would normally be a single impactful spell into an overwhelming flurry of magic, blowing away the rest of the table with ease.
7. Obeka, Splitter of Seconds – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
While Teferi may have reigned as Magic’s most potent time mage for years, Obeka took a real shot at the crown in 2024, upending the game’s usual turn order in your favor.
By granting multiple upkeep steps when dealing damage, Obeka, Splitter of Seconds opened the door for players to exploit all manner of incredible effects, from creating flying tokens to stealing spells to winning the game on the spot.
Obeka may take some setting up and rely on dealing damage to get the ball rolling, but this Commander’s momentum is incredibly difficult to stop once it begins to ramp up.
8. Baylen, the Haymaker – Bloomburrow
Bloomburrow may have been a hit thanks to its adorable aesthetic and bringing MTG back to its fantasy roots, but the Redwall-esque set also launched with some heavy-hitting Legendary Creatures, including an all-rounder in the form of Baylen.
Naya Commanders like Jetmir, Nexus of Revels have historically performed well by boosting Creature tokens, and Baylen, the Haymaker takes this in an interesting direction by tapping tokens to fuel versatile effects.
From card draw to mana production to Commander damage with Trample, Baylen adds both value and payoffs and is a supremely effective centerpiece for a Naya deck.
9. Caesar, Legion’s Emperor – Universes Beyond: Fallout
While not quite reaching the heights established by fellow Fallout Commander The Wise Mothman, Caesar, Legion’s Emperor is a close runner-up, playing aggressively with a token army that can be sacrificed when the time is right.
Caesar builds up his legions at a remarkable clip, with new tokens to replace the old, reliable hand restocking, and burn damage to pierce through any resistance and wipe opponents off the map.
Mardu colors received a handy shot in the arm with this Commander’s debut, and players looking for a speedy, combat-focused Commander who takes no prisoners ought to give Caesar a spin.
10. Aminatou, Veil Piercer – Duskmourn
Enchantment decks have no shortage of strong Commanders to build around, but Aminatou, Veil Piercer made a splash towards the end of 2024 thanks to her unique deck-manipulation abilities — stacking cards to receive a steep casting discount.
Aminatou may not be the most powerful Commander of 2024, but her standout surveil-based playstyle is enjoyable for newbies and seasoned players alike, enabling game-changing Enchantments like One with the Multiverse well ahead of the curve.
