The 32 Best Aggro Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on March 14, 2024

Aragorn, the Uniter | Illustration by Javier Charro

There are many deck archetypes in Magic: The Gathering that can guide you on how to build your deck. Control decks, combo decks, Voltron decks… all these strategies have multiple commanders that can lead you to victory. Then there’s aggro decks.

Aggro commander decks have a special slot in Magic’s deck archetype arsenal. No matter what it takes, they want to win the game as quickly as possible whether it’s via normal combat damage, commander damage, or non-combat drain effects reducing opponents' life fast.

What Are Aggro Commanders in Magic?

Winota, Joiner of Forces | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

The goal of an aggro commander is to win the game as fast as possible. Whether that’s making a horde of tokens and landing a boat load of combat damage, distributing +1/+1 counters on one or more creatures to make them bigger threats, or getting more benefits from dealing combat damage to opponents, there are many ways an aggro commander can help you win the game.

In Magic: The Gathering, aggro is a term that’s slang for “aggressive”. An aggro commander is one that has no holds barred tactics in generating the most value to help you win the game.

#32. Fynn, the Fangbearer

Assembling an army of five deathtouching creatures is all it takes for Fynn, the Fangbearer to win the game. For your creatures that don't already have deathtouch, give it to them when they attack with Saryth, the Viper's Fang’s ability.

Win even faster with proliferate effects from Contaminant Grafter and Sword of Truth and Justice. Toxic cards like Tyrranax Rex and Glissa's Retriever can also distribute poison counters to opponents when your deathtouchers aren’t out.

#31. Anowon, the Ruin Thief

Anowon, the Ruin Thief slowly mills an opponent’s library based on how much combat damage your rogues deal to them. Plus, its anthem effect for rogues expedites how much combat damage you deal to opponents to mill more of their cards. Silver-Fur Master pumps rogues while Prosperous Thief gives you a Treasure whenever you connect in combat.

#30. Tovolar, Dire Overlord

Tovolar, Dire Overlord turns it from day to night on your upkeep and transforms into Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge, as long as you have three or more wolves and/or werewolves under your control. Look out for wolf-specific anthem pumps from Nightpack Ambusher and Immerwolf to help push through in combat. Keep growing your pack with Master of the Wild Hunt, which creates a Wolf token on each upkeep.

#29. Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Magda, Brazen Outlaw can go wide with a dwarf army, which is a strong incentive to run seven copies of Seven Dwarves. Whether you’re attacking with your dwarves in one combat phase or multiple combat phases with Moraug, Fury of Akoum, you make a Treasure each time any of them are tapped for whatever reason. Quickly generate enough Treasure tokens an Magda can place your best dragons on the field, like Terror of the Peaks and Ancient Copper Dragon for an in-your-face aggro win.

#28. Giada, Font of Hope

Giada, Font of Hope is a rare mono-white mana dork for angels, but also buffs angels as they come in with +1/+1 counters based on how many of them you already control. That lets you go wide and tall with angels at the same time.

Cast Finale of Glory with X=10 or greater for a serious buff to your board. Parhelion II can keep your Angel token engine going by generating a pair whenever it attacks.

#27. Wulfgar of Icewind Dale

Wulfgar of Icewind Dale doubles up on attack triggers, encouraging this commander and other supporting members to always be on the offensive. Etali, Primal Storm, Grand Warlord Radha, and Tectonic Giant are some synergistic and aggressive creatures with useful attack triggers that Wulfgar of Icewind Dale can double up.

Being able to cast two free spells from each player thanks to Etali, Primal Storm generates some salty playgroup stories while accelerating you to a masterpiece of an aggro win. Grand Warlord Radha already ramps you green and/or red mana based on how many creatures are attacking but Wulfgar of Icewind Dale doubles that ramp output.

#26. Gimli of the Glittering Caves

Gimli of the Glittering Caves thrives in a legendary creatures matter build. If your opponents aren’t too careful, it can get enough +1/+1 counters and swing out for a quick win with double strike. Treasure cards like Magda, Brazen Outlaw and Goldspan Dragon also synergize with Gimli. Don’t forget Rising of the Day for haste and a power bump to all of your legendary creatures.

#25. Seshiro the Anointed

Seshiro the Anointed is a commander that gives a big +2/+2 buff to snakes. Go wide with Snake tokens and other snake creature cards like Sachi, Daughter of Seshiro and Sosuke, Son of Seshiro to draw more cards. For every snake that lands combat damage to an opponent, you get to draw a card. Draw additional cards when your creatures deal combat damage with Ohran Frostfang.

It’s easy to go wide with Snake tokens from Seed the Land and Sosuke's Summons with token doublers like Parallel Lives and Doubling Season. Don’t forget Sakura-Tribe Elder aka Steve for some snake-style mana ramp.

Protect your snake spells from being countered with Prowling Serpopard. Don’t forget Tales of Master Seshiro from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty for thematic flavor and another snake in your army when the enchantment saga transforms into Seshiro's Living Legacy.

#24. Toski, Bearer of Secrets

It doesn’t matter which type of creature you attack with in a Toski, Bearer of Secrets deck. You draw a card for each one of them that lands combat damage on an opponent. Indestructible‘s always nice on your value engine. Toski isn't usually getting through in combat, but some equipment might change that.

#23. Grand Warlord Radha

Grand Warlord Radha rewards you with your choice of any combination of red and green mana depending on how many creatures you attack with. Plus, that mana sticks around until the end of your turn. Goblin Arachnomancer and Rhythm of the Wild are the quintessential Gruul commander deck includes, and they're just as good with Radha as they would be with any other Gruul legend.

#22. Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow whittles down an opponent’s life total based on the mana value of the top card revealed after a ninja deals combat damage. If three ninjas did combat damage to one or more players, there’ll be up to three instances of life loss for all opponents, unless they’re lucky and you hit one or more lands.

Ingenious Infiltrator can get you the card draw you need when your ninjas deal combat damage. Silver-Fur Master can buff your ninjas while Prosperous Thief can help you ramp with Treasure tokens as ninjas land combat damage on opponents.

#21. Neyali, Suns' Vanguard

As long as your creature tokens are attacking, Neyali, Suns' Vanguard gives them double strike. Attacking with at least one token gives you access to the top card of your library, which can be cast on any later turn in which you attack with a token.

This was one of the commanders featured in the Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander release. The precon includes cards like Emeria Angel and Elspeth Tirel as token generators. Roar of Resistance also gives token creatures haste.

Upgrade your precon with Divine Visitation to turn your creature tokens into flying 4/4 Angel tokens. This means each Angel token can potentially land 8 damage if unblocked.

#20. Surrak and Goreclaw

Surrak and Goreclaw pumps nontoken creatures and gives them haste as they enter while giving all other creatures trample, which is an essential evergreen ability for an aggro strategy. Old One Eye and Aggressive Mammoth are good back-up cards to reassure your creatures still have trample even if Surrak and Goreclaw is temporarily removed.

#19. Edric, Spymaster of Trest

Edric, Spymaster of Trest is a combination of aggro and group hug. You and your opponents are more encouraged to attack one another for the benefit of card draw. However, opponents are less likely to attack you because they won’t get to draw a card in doing so.

Incorporate unblockable creatures like Mist-Cloaked Herald and Triton Shorestalker to guarantee combat damage to your opponents, and back them up with extra draw rewards like Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse.

#18. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death lets you bring back smallball creatures on attacks for a small investment of 2 mana. Consider running valuable 2-drops like Charming Scoundrel, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Blood Artist, or lean on black creatures to sneakily win with Gray Merchant of Asphodel.

#17. Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma

Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma supports a build of creatures that are power 4 or greater as it reduces the cost of each of them by . The temporary buff and trample can be the difference between a win and dragging on the game.

#16. Questing Beast

Questing Beast is a combat damage aficionado and hates chump blockers since creatures power 2 or less aren’t allowed to block it. If you deal combat damage to an opponent, that same damage is sent to one of their planeswalkers as well.

Cards like Thunderfoot Baloth and Kaysa can give Questing Beast the buffs it needs for a quick aggro win, especially against opponents that only control creatures with power 2 or less.

#15. Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar

While you can operate Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar as a traditional lone commander, you can also pair it with another legendary creature that has partner. For best results, partner commanders could be Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful, Akroma, Vision of Ixidor, and Akiri, Line-Slinger.

Pump spells like Lunar Frenzy play better with a commander that can spread combat damage around to all of your opponents at once. You could also pair Kediss with equipment like Sword of Vengeance and Golem-Skin Gauntlets to sling extra damage at your opponents, and you only ever need one of your opponents to be open for an attack.

#14. Saskia the Unyielding

Did you know that Saskia the Unyielding is the only legendary creature with black, red, green, and white in its color identity? Besides this unique fact, this human soldier has an insanely powerful ability to bounce combat damage against one player to another chosen player (or double up against the same player).

#13. Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave is a Golgari aggro commander who thrives off of combat damage to increase its power and toughness via +1/+1 counters. The best part? These +1/+1 counters or any other type of counters travel with this creature to the command zone and graveyard.

Synergistic +1/+1 counter creatures include Forgotten Ancient and Winding Constrictor. There's a confusing interaction with The Ozolith, but thankfully it works the way you want it to. Skullbriar keeps its counters and The Ozolith gets those same counters if Skullbriar dies.

#12. Tana, the Bloodsower

Tana, the Bloodsower rewards you with Saproling tokens for every point of combat damage it deals to an opponent. On its own, you can get two Saproling tokens per combat. Pump with hard-hitting aura enchantments like Prodigious Growth and Ancestral Mask to increase your token output as you land more combat damage.

#11. Jetmir, Nexus of Revels

Jetmir, Nexus of Revels is like a cat god of evergreen abilities. Your creatures have the potential to gain vigilance, trample, and double strike in that order based on how many creatures you control with Jetmir, Nexus of Revels under your control.

For the best results, go wide with a creature token strategy so that you always have at least nine creatures under your control. Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation can triple your creature token output, while Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second can make your tokens more threatening on their own. Jinnie is Jetmir's second, after all. Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar can be part of your card draw engine and ensures Jetmir doesn't die mid-combat.

#10. Wasitora, Nekoru Queen

Wasitora, Nekoru Queen encourages you to constantly swing so that the defending player is forced to sacrifice a creature. If they can’t sacrifice a creature, you’re rewarded with a Cat Dragon token instead.

Atarka, World Render gives Wasitora, Nekoru Queen and other attacking dragons you control double strike when they attack. Crucible of Fire gives all your dragons a considerably high buff of +3/+3. Thrakkus the Butcher temporarily doubles the power of all dragons you control until the end of your turn. All these cards combined make a great dragon aggro deck capable of winning fast.

#9. Rankle and Torbran

Rankle and Torbran is a duo that’s a force to be reckoned with. The sacrifice mode is a mirror image of one of Rankle, Master of Pranks’s, while one of the other modes of increasing damage output by 2 is similar to Torbran, Thane of Red Fell’s ability.

The Treasure token output pairs well with Xorn, and Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge is at its best in a deck like this where around 1-4 creatures can be sacrificed during every combat phase.

#8. Winota, Joiner of Forces

Winota, Joiner of Forces thrives best with a mix of non-human and human creatures for its attack trigger. Digging six cards deep for every non-human you attack with is looking at a lot of cards, and those creatures come in tapped, attacking, and indestructible.

Synergistic non-human creatures for this Commander deck can be Giver of Runes, Goblin Rabblemaster, and Dockside Extortionist. Blade Historian is a useful human creature in the build that can give all your attacking creatures double strike. Don’t forget Esper Sentinel for card draw and Cathars' Crusade to pump your creatures for an expedited aggro win.

#7. Valduk, Keeper of the Flame

While Valduk, Keeper of the Flame has some Voltron synergies, there’s a key aggro undertone from how it goes wide with 3/1 Elementals on each combat. You could lean into the elemental typal part of this ability with anthems and temporary buffs from cards like Incandescent Soulstoke and Chandra, Novice Pyromancer.

#6. Lathril, Blade of the Elves

Lathril, Blade of the Elves looks to end the game quickly with a Golgari elfball aggro strategy. Green-themed elf cards are expert at helping you to go wide with Elf tokens, letting you activate Lathril’s tap ability to tap 10 elves and drain each opponent for 10 life.

Marwyn, the Nurturer can ramp your mana exponentially, Lys Alana Huntmaster can get your Elf token army started, and you can pump your Elf token army with anthem effects from Elvish Archdruid, Leaf-Crowned Visionary, and Imperious Perfect.

#5. Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

Who let the dog out? Who, who? Yup, Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful is that dog that we’re going to let out as a formidable aggro commander. As long as you craft the bulk of your deck with legendary permanents, you’ll beef up this doggo with a +1/+1 counters in no time.

Legendary permanents that buff creatures pull double-duty with Yoshimaru. This includes, but isn't limited to: Crovax, Ascendant Hero, Flowering of the White Tree, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, and Day of Destiny.

#4. Torbran, Thane of Red Fell

It’s so easy to throw sources of non-combat damage around in red, which is why opponents tremble when Torbran, Thane of Red Fell hits the board.

A card like Sulfuric Vortex now deals 4 damage to an opponent on their upkeep instead of 2, and, and Torbran's ability stacks with other damage-multipliers like Mechanized Warfare, Solphim, Mayhem Dominus, and Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might. Be careful though, whoever's being dealt the damage is the one who determines with order these replacement effects are applied.

#3. Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

Najeela, the Blade-Blossom is a 5-color aggro phenom that generates a Warrior token for every warrior creature that attacks. If you’re attacking with five warriors, you’ll get another five Warrior token creatures tapped and attacking during combat.

Since you have access to all Magic’s colors, you can utilize all quintessential token doublers including, Parallel Lives, Anointed Procession, Mondrak, Glory Dominus, and Doubling Season. Don’t forget the new creature token tripler, Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation.

Plus, with Najeela, the Blade-Blossom’s activated ability, you can take extra combat steps and create even more Warrior creature tokens. This aggro commander can get out of control quickly.

#2. Krenko, Mob Boss

Goblins come in hordes, and they love attacking! Krenko, Mob Boss gets you where you want to be with a mono-red aggro deck. Cast low mana cost goblins to get the value engine going like Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei and Moria Marauder.

Pump your gobbo army with Goblin Chieftain, Hobgoblin Bandit Lord, Goblin King, and Goblin Trashmaster. Krenko, Mob Boss acts pretty much like a token doubler based on the number of goblins you control, and those tokens love being surrounded by goblin lords.

#1. Aragorn, the Uniter

Aragorn, the Uniter rewards you with something different each time you cast a spell of a specific color. If the spell has two or more colors, you can stack up the triggers as you see fit. White spells generate tokens while casting blue spells lets you scry. Red spells, of course, throw damage to an opponent’s face. Casting green spells gives a creature a temporary +4/+4 buff until the end of the turn. Aragorn's great with other multicolored matters cards like General Ferrous Rokiric.

Best Aggro Commander Payoffs

Many aggro commanders thrive off of combat damage triggers, making the infamous Mirran swords some of the best aggro commander payoffs.

Sword of Fire and Ice lets you deal damage to a target of your choice and draw a card when the equipped creature deals combat damage. Dealing extra damage while drawing extra cards is exactly what aggro decks want to be doing..

Sword of Feast and Famine forces an opponent to discard a card and you get to untap all the lands you control when the equipped creature lands combat damage. This sword is great for Commander decks with a discard theme, and the extra mana it produces lets you keep the pressure up.

Sword of Truth and Justice is one of the best aggro-based swords because it distributes a +1/+1 counter to any of your creatures on the board and lets you proliferate after dealing combat damage with the equipped creature. Place it in an infect or toxic-themed aggro deck for the best results.

Sword of Body and Mind thrives best in token decks, though you're probably not worried about the mill effect in your aggro decks. You add a Wolf token to your army when you hit, which grows out your board and aggro potential over time.

Sword of Sinew and Steel is best played against superfriends decks and artifacts matters since it can destroy a planeswalker and an artifact every time the equipped creature deals combat damage. Sword of Hearth and Home is best for decks with a lot of enter the battlefield effects, and the ramp never hurts.

When building your deck, be sure that you’re wary of what swords you choose so you don't counteract other auras and equipment that share a color with one of the protection abilities.

For example, equipping Sword of Fire and Ice to a creature prevents you from adding red auras like Dragon Breath and Arcane Teachings or blue auras like Sigil of Sleep and Curiosity to that creature, and even knocks off any that were already there.

Wrap Up

Najeela, the Blade-Blossom | Illustration by Matt Stewart

Aggro commanders seek any way to win games expeditiously via combat damage triggers, going wide with creature tokens, or quick +1/+1 counter buffs. It’s a fun deck build archetype that can get competitive for you and your opponents very fast.

Do you need more inspiration on what aggro commander to choose for your next deck? Check out the deck guides on the Draftsim blog. Get updates on the latest deck guides on the Draftsim Facebook page.

Until next time, train yourself to be aggro enough for the aggro club, if that’s a play style you’re willing to try!