The 11 Best Mutate Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on January 15, 2024

Illuna, Apex of Wishes | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths stands out as one of the finest expansions in Magic: The Gathering, and for various compelling reasons. Most recall it as the set that gave us companions, powerful creatures that can be put into your hand from outside of the game to assist you. Others remember that it was the set with giant dinosaurs like Ixalan, and just a handful are familiar with how strong the cycling strategy was in Limited.

However, there’s one small mechanic that most people forget was introduced in Ikoria: mutate. Want to find out what this ability does? Let’s go over the best commanders for mutate!

What Are Mutate Commanders in MTG?

Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt | Illustration by Viktor Titov

Mutate allows you to cast a creature spell for its mutate cost into another non-human creature. The creature that mutates has the combined abilities of both creatures and the body of the creature of your choice.

Mutate commanders are legendary creatures with this ability, so they can mutate into others directly from the command zone as an alternative casting cost.

For this article, I’ll also include a few commanders who are also great mutate targets and that enable powerful combinations.

While some of them can act as pseudo-Voltron strategies, there are multiple other playstyles mutate commanders can have.

#11. Vadrok, Apex of Thunder

I like Vadrok, Apex of Thunder for all of the wrong reasons: it nuked Lukka. But jokes and lore aside, it can return non-creature cards and you get to cast them for free. While it may not be a good idea, aside from casting sorceries for free, it can return valuable artifacts, enchantments, and even planeswalkers to the battlefield that meet the criteria. Speaking of planeswalkers, there are some like Saheeli, Sublime Artificer that go particularly well with Vadrok because they can create creatures that Vadrok can mutate into later even if the planeswalker dies.

#10. Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt

Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt is a more aggressive commander that can be used in reanimator shells given the colors it has. There are multiple other mutate cards in this color pair, like Everquill Phoenix, Necropanther, and Dirge Bat, that are extremely good, and they should be taken into account when building a Snapdax deck.

#9. Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief

Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief actually has some use in mutate strategies! The single-target trigger works with mutate, meaning you get double mutates! One goes to the primary creature being targeted, and the copy goes to Ivy. That's a lot of value and power per card, which is certain to pull you ahead over time.

#8. Sigarda, Host of Herons

This is the first commander on the list that doesn't have a mutate ability, but it's a great mutate target. It fits very well with them as Sigarda, Host of Herons has hexproof, meaning opponents won't be able to interact with it. If you start placing multiple mutate creatures on Sigarda like Auspicious Starrix, Gemrazer, and Sawtusk Demolisher, you’ll soon start to create value with a hexproof flier that can’t be answered cleanly with regular removal.

#7. Uril, the Miststalker

Following the thread of good commanders to mutate into, Uril, the Miststalker is an excellent addition to have because you get access to a third color. While there aren't many good mutate cards in red outside of Everquill Phoenix, you get access to powerful removal and other cards like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker that are proven to be solid staples of multiple formats.

#6. Brokkos, Apex of Forever

This is my favorite commander of them all. I like it because its ability can be used from the graveyard, but more importantly, the best mutate creatures are in Sultai .  Trumpeting Gnarr is particularly powerful at amassing insane board presence. In contrast, Souvenir Snatcher and Cavern Whisperer can impact Commander boards with their mutate effects.

#5. Nethroi, Apex of Death

In Abzan colors, the plan for Nethroi, Apex of Death is also to reanimate things on the battlefield, with a tendency to ramp in the process. You get to trigger its ability whenever it mutates, and you can use cards like Buried Alive or Final Parting to put multiple creatures in the graveyard that later can enter the battlefield for free.

#4. Otrimi, the Ever-Playful

This is another Sultai commander like Brokkos, Apex of Forever, except Otrimi, the Ever-Playful can return mutate creatures to your hand from the graveyard whenever it deals combat damage. This is particularly handy if those creatures died during the game or had already mutated into something like the commander and were eventually dealt with.

#3. Ramos, Dragon Engine

If you like to play all the mutate creatures available, Ramos, Dragon Engine is one of the best choices around. You get to put +1/+1 counters on it whenever you cast a creature, and since mutate effects count as casting, you get to put a counter on your commander and grow it bigger.

#2. Animar, Soul of Elements

Animar, Soul of Elements is very similar to Ramos, Dragon Engine in the sense that Animar is a commander that grows whenever you cast a creature spell. What makes this one better despite the color restriction is that it gets protection from both white and black, and that it makes your other creature spells cheaper based on how many +1/+1 counters Animar has. What mutates does for this commander is add a more robust body and some functional abilities like flying.

#1. Illuna, Apex of Wishes

In my personal experience, the best mutate commander around is undoubtedly Illuna, Apex of Wishes. Why? Because it has a very niche way of cheating an Omniscience into play for free.

The plan is to run token maker cards that create creatures like Hard Evidence or Forbidden Friendship to later mutate into them with the help of counter backup, then take over matches with your enchantment in play.

It may seem niche, but trust me, it's something very real.

Best Mutate Commander Payoffs

Their payoffs depend on the commander in question, but generally, creatures with useful keywords that are small and easy to mutate into like Glistener Elf or Slippery Bogle are excellent targets to mutate into.

Progenitor Mimic and Scute Swarm are also entertaining to mutate into because the copies get the abilities and body on the card. If you mutate, let's say, a Gemrazer into either of those, you start making copies of Gemrazer. And if you start adding other mutate effects to the card, those continue to be passed along.

You can also use your creature lands like Inkmoth Nexus as mutate targets, and by the end of your turn, those remain as creatures.

Commanding Conclusion

Otrimi, the Ever-Playful | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

At the end of the day, despite having the same ability, mutate commanders have many unique ways in which they can be played. From aggressive strategies to control and combo-oriented ones, you can build around them to your heart's content.

I personally love Brokkos, Apex of Forever because of the versatility on it, but which one is your favorite? Are there some particular synergies that you love on these kinds of decks? Let me know in the comments!

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Take care, and see you next time!