The 34 Best Spellslinger Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on March 14, 2024

Niv-Mizzet, Parun | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov

Part of the joy of Magic is its complexity. It gives the game tons of depth and replayability. Of course, it would be hard to parse all that information without deck archetypes, categories that give us a starting point for what a deck wants to do to help narrow down our options.

One of the most iconic archetypes is spellslinger. The idea of hurling as many instants and sorceries at your opponents as possible to bury them beneath a ton of value is fun. Because it’s such a well-known archetype, it has lots of depth and support, with several sub-archetypes spawning from its general plan. But which legendary creatures are the best spellslinger commanders?

Let’s dive in!

What Are Spellslinger Commanders?

Wort, the Raidmother | Illustration by Dave Allsop

Spellslinger commanders are legendary creatures that work well with the spellslinger strategy, extracting maximum value from casting instants and sorceries. This strategy is overwhelmingly within blue-red, where it has the greatest support, and often splashes other colors. Not every spellslinger commander needs to interact with instants and sorceries directly; it’s enough to play well with the strategy’s general play patterns.

Most spellslinger decks fall into three broad categories: quick aggro decks, explosive combo decks, and controlling decks trying to win a long game. Even when spellslinger decks aren’t dedicated combo decks, it’s easy to slip in a combo or two. Blue-red is the color pair of combos, and lots of good spellslinger cards are another card away from winning. For example, Dualcaster Mage is a fine value card for spellslinger. Add in a Heat Shimmer or Ghostly Flicker and suddenly you can go infinite, all with great value cards for this strategy. Sometimes, spellslinger decks combo by accident.

These strategies are powerful ways to build a spellslinger deck, provided you pair the right commander with the right strategy. The spellslinger archetype has plenty of depths, with token decks, burn decks, and storm decks all comfortably falling within the limitations of extracting the most value from your instants and sorceries (with some modern cards including other noncreature spells), so there’s a little something for everybody.

#34. Saruman, the White Hand

Spellslinger decks can struggle with building a board presence, as they play so many instants and sorceries. Saruman, the White Hand gives these decks a honker by Amassing a ton. This ability plays well with extra turn spells; Time Warp into Walk the Aeons into Nexus of Fate creates a massive orc with enough combats to kill a player from nowhere later in the game. Making a single large creature can leave you vulnerable to spot removal, but ward helps.

#33. Urabrask / The Great Work

Storm decks, at least those not reliant on artifacts like Jhoira or Birgi, fall comfortably within the realm of spellslinger. Storm decks need two things to succeed: mana to cast a dozen or more spells, and card advantage to find those spells. Urabrask provides both while dealing damage to make winning easier. You need to transform it into The Great Work and have it survive to the third chapter to get the card advantage, but crossing that threshold puts you in a fantastic position to win the game.

#32. Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper gets your lands into combat. A great way to use these lands is alongside cards like Displacement Wave and Flood of Tears, which return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands. This often leaves you with a board presence while your opponents get hit by Cyclonic Rift. Animating your lands can leave you vulnerable; Wrath of God goes from an annoyance to a game-ending threat, so this may not be the ideal commander if your playgroup runs a lot of wraths.

#31. Extus, Oriq Overlord / Awaken the Blood Avatar

Extus, Oriq Overlord breaks away from blue entirely for some Mardu () spellslinging, but has an inherent tension. It wants you to cast instants and sorceries while having plenty of creatures in your graveyard. You can likely set up some powerful loops using Extus alongside cards like Ardent Elementalist to get spells and Ashnod's Altar to send the Elementalist to the graveyard. You even get a big sorcery attached to Extus that synergizes with sacrifice cards.

#30. Wort, the Raidmother

GRUUL SMASH but sometimes Gruul sling spells too. Any effect that allows you to copy spells for free, or close to free, has tons of potential. Red excels at creating tokens with cards like Dragon Fodder and Hordeling Outburst, giving Wort, the Raidmother plenty of creatures to conspire with. Getting to copy ramp spells like Three Visits or Harrow generates a potent mana advantage, which you can pour into X spells like Comet Storm or Bonfire of the Damned to burn your opponents out of the game.

#29. Melek, Izzet Paragon

Melek, Izzet Paragon was once a fearsome Izzet () commander, but power creep catches up with all of us. Melek still offers some power in the command zone. Getting a Future Sight that copies spells you cast with it isn’t a terrible package. It’s just a little slow compared to its contemporaries. Cards that protect Melek, such as Slip Out the Back or Shore Up, are important so your commander isn’t sent straight to the command zone before copying anything.

#28. Zada, Hedron Grinder

Zada, Hedron Grinder is a very, very specific spellslinger commander – but that specificity makes them unique. Zada also plays well with token-producing cards and magecraft cards that count spells copied as well as cast – especially Storm-Kiln Artist. You’ll win by copying a bunch of combat tricks like Infuriate or Titan's Strength across a wide board. Don’t forget cantripping spells like Ancestral Anger to draw two or eight cards for 1 mana.

#27. Balmor, Battlemage Captain

Balmor, Battlemage Captain makes for another aggressive spellslinger commander. You’ll want to pair this bird with cards that make tokens while casting spells, with Third Path Iconoclast and Saheeli, Sublime Artificer being two notable examples. Once you’ve built up the board, Balmor gives you plenty of damage to win with after you’ve cast a bunch of spells.

#26. Taigam, Ojutai Master

Taigam, Ojutai Master provides value, but also protection. Making your spells uncounterable gives you a massive edge, especially against other blue decks. Not only do you ensure your haymakers resolve, but your opponents also can’t stop you from countering their spells. Taigam helms a controlling shell quite well, giving you the final say in what happens on the stack while providing plenty of card advantage by giving spells like See the Truth and Sea Gate Restoration rebound. Even just casting Swords to Plowshares multiple times gives you a huge edge.

#25. Velomachus Lorehold

Velomachus Lorehold forgoes blue in favor of a Boros () spellslinger commander that mostly cares about attacking. This desire makes Velomachus pair incredibly well with all the extra combat spells. World at War, Relentless Assault, and Savage Beating all get you more spells. This commander also plays well with wraths that leave each player with a single creature, like Single Combat or Slash the Ranks, as this 5/5 flying vigilance often ends up as one of the better creatures in play.

#24. Rionya, Fire Dancer

Rionya, Fire Dancer is one of the more creature-focused spellslinger commanders. You’ll want plenty of cantrips and rituals to get your spell count high, but you’ll funnel those storm points into creatures instead of Grapeshot. You’ll want creatures with powerful ETBs, like Terror of the Peaks or Dockside Extortionist, or creatures with great attack or damage triggers, like Ancient Copper Dragon and Combat Celebrant.

#23. Anhelo, the Painter

Anhelo, the Painter requires creatures, but doesn’t require nontokens specifically. Grixis () has plenty of ways to make 2-power tokens, like Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia, or the very on-theme Talrand, Sky Summoner. Once you’ve got tokens to sacrifice, you can copy all sorts of big spells, like Crackle with Power, Army of the Damned, or Nexus of Fate to bury your opponents beneath endless value.

#22. Firesong and Sunspeaker

Firesong and Sunspeaker offer a unique twist on spellslinger by making you want to play big spells. Cards like Star of Extinction and Blasphemous Act gain 80-100 life with this pair. The desire for these spells makes this deck perfect for Stuffy Doll and its variants, like Brash Taunter or Boros Reckoner.

#21. Katilda and Lier

Katilda and Lier balance human synergies with flashback for an interesting combination. There’s some overlap between humans and spellslinger strategies, with cards like Archaeomancer and Snapcaster Mage. Spells like Visions of Glory and Increasing Devotion flood the board with tokens to get buffed by the likes of Coppercoat Vanguard and Thalia's Lieutenant. While copying extra turn spells is always powerful, an aggressive leaning deck such as this can maximize that power by using them to close out the game. Just make sure to run ones like Time Warp and Temporal Manipulation that don’t exile themselves as they resolve.

#20. Zevlor, Elturel Exile

Spot removal can be awkward in Commander, but it’s largely necessary disruption. It’s much better to run removal that hits multiple targets, but that often comes at a more expensive cost. Zevlor, Elturel Exile lets you run powerful spells that aren’t quite good enough for Commander because they only target a single player or permanent. Really fun ones like Sinkhole and Hymn to Tourach. This commander can do some spicy things; Multiple copies of Jeska's Will give you a ton of cards and mana, and you can copy Snap for a surprisingly robust ramp spell. Two mana and tapping is a pretty reasonable cost for two extra copies of powerful spells.

#19. Ovika, Enigma Goliath

Ovika, Enigma Goliath is powerful, but expensive. Ward helps keep it around on the battlefield. If it sticks, you get to do some silly things. This commander works with lots of typal synergies. Kindred Discovery and Mana Echoes generate absurd card advantage and mana, respectively. You can convoke spells like Meeting of Minds and Transcendent Message to draw tons of cards without going down on goblins. It’s easy to tie everything together with a few choice spells, like Surge to Victory or Shared Animosity.

#18. Sevinne, the Chronoclasm

Sevinne, the Chronoclasm offers free spells if you can cast a few instants and sorceries from your graveyard. Thankfully, flashback is a well-established mechanic to do just that. Copying spells like Devil's Play and Deep Analysis is always welcome. Having such a high concentration of graveyard synergies makes Faithless Looting and Faithful Mending much more appealing. Don’t just lean on flashback. Retrace is another mechanic to replay your instants and sorceries, a job also accomplished with cards like Torrential Gearhulk.

#17. Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph doesn’t directly interact with instants and sorceries, but this ability does a lot for spellslinger strategies. One common way to win, or at least keep the pressure up, is through cards such as Thermo-Alchemist, Firebrand Archer, and Ral, Storm Conduit. These deal plenty of damage while you cast spells, but Starn essentially turns every spell you play into a Lava Spike. Throw a Curiosity into the mix, and you have a deck that dishes out lethal damage in no time.

#16. Lord of the Nazgûl

Lord of the Nazgûl has put Talrand, Sky Summoner to rest. There’s an argument to be made for 2/2 flyers being stronger than 3/3 ground creatures, but those arguments are moot with an Overrun-adjacent effect and access to black. This legend is one of the more controlling spellslinger commanders. You want to play Lord as fast as possible, then spend the rest of the game holding up interaction, countermagic, and card draw to ensure nobody else wins while you amass an army worthy of Sauron.

#15. Niv-Mizzet, Supreme

Niv-Mizzet, Supreme is a fantastic value engine. You’ll never have to worry about flooding since excess lands can get pitched to spells like Growth Spiral, Bring to Light, or Expressive Iteration. Hexproof from monocolored offers protection from lots of common spot removal. The biggest choice with this commander will be how you use this value engine: Do you want to assemble some combos or grind the game out?

#14. Queza, Augur of Agonies

Drawing cards is an essential part of spellslinging strategies, so Queza, Augur of Agonies is an appealing commander for players interested in exploiting that side of the archetype. You can burn out a table surprisingly quickly by copying spells like Blue Sun's Zenith and Sphinx's Revelation alongside Marauding Blight-Priest and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. The lifegain positions you well for a grindy, controlling deck looking to win a long game.

#13. Lier, Disciple of the Drowned

Making all spells uncounterable can be a downside for a mono-blue deck, as countermagic is their primary form of interaction. Lier, Disciple of the Drowned is more of a protective piece. You’ll play them when you’re ready to win, likely by storming off. Getting to flashback your spells is…well, just think about casting High Tide, then casting it again, then getting to Turnabout twice. Cards like Mental Note and Thought Scour do a fine Ancestral Recall impression with Lier in play, and extra turn spells give you time to dig for a win.

#12. Nekusar, the Mindrazer

Wheel decks are a specific subcategory of spellslinger, and Nekusar, the Mindrazer is one of the strongest commanders for the archetype. This card is a great beginner commander, as the general strategy is simple: Casting a bunch of Wheel of Fortune effects and burning your opponents out with Nekusar and cards like Underworld Dreams and Spiteful Visions that punish your opponents for drawing cards. Punishing draws has been a bit of a theme recently, and Nekusar has picked up some powerful upgrades in Orcish Bowmasters, Faerie Mastermind, and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

#11. Cormela, Glamour Thief

Good, honest ramp in Grixis? Cormela, Glamour Thief helps make all your spellslinger dreams a reality by ramping you into big spells, like Cruel Ultimatum and Breach the Multiverse. The death trigger also opens the door to some interesting, convoluted loops involving cards like Saw in Half or Exhume that often generate infinite mana for instants and sorceries.

#10. Tor Wauki the Younger

Tor Wauki the Younger is a fantastic burn commander. The deck starts with every damage multiplier you can get your hands on – Furnace of Rath, Fiery Emancipation, City on Fire, all of them. Then comes the burn. You want to hit all your opponents at once, so cards like Bonfire of the Damned and Comet Storm are important finishers.

Don’t be afraid to damage yourself to get efficient burn spells like Price of Progress and Flame Rift. Thanks to Tor Wauki’s lifelink, you’ll come out ahead on the exchange as you’ll damage your opponents faster than yourself.

#9. Elsha of the Infinite

Elsha of the Infinite is a fantastic spellslinger commander. This commander is a broad Future Sight that includes artifacts and enchantments for greater versatility. The extra card advantage makes this a powerful option for combo'ing off. Elsha excels alongside deck manipulation, like Mystical Tutor or Sensei's Divining Top. Throw in a Cloud Key with the Top, and you get to draw your entire deck.

#8. Kykar, Wind’s Fury

Kykar, Wind's Fury opens us to some of the same typal synergies we explored with Ovika, Enigma Goliath, such as Mana Echoes and Kindred Discovery. Adding white gives access to Mondrak, Glory Dominus, and Anointed Procession, as well as powerful enablers like Jeskai Ascendancy and Whirlwind of Thought. A red-heavy deck easily exploits the mana-production ability to defeat your opponents in a flurry of spells and feathers.

#7. Kess, Dissident Mage

Kess, Dissident Mage offers incredible value from the graveyard. Another of the many spellslinger commanders that work well with extra turn spells, Kess offers infinite value. It plays well with wheels that discard, letting you stock your graveyard. An important rule interaction to understand is that putting a new Kess into play by reanimating or flickering the original gives you another spell. It pairs incredibly well with Displacer Kitten because of this, letting you cast spells from your graveyard until you’ve run out of mana – if you run out of mana.

#6. Narset, Enlightened Exile

Narset, Enlightened Exile is one of the few Aftermath cards I find truly interesting. Giving your team prowess adds pressure to the board and provides the spellslinger deck with a clear path to victory. Casting spells for free is also good. Acceptable. This card would be amazing if it cast spells from just your graveyard, but hitting any graveyard gives this so much more versatility. A few incidental mill spells, like Winds of Rebuke, help this out by stocking your graveyard and guaranteeing you have one spell to cast, while maybe getting some spicy options in your opponents’ graveyard.

#5. Kalamax, the Stormsire

Free copies are good. Kalamax, the Stormsire is restricted to copying one spell a turn, but you can easily get two or three copies a turn cycle since it only copies instants. You’ll want a few spells like Citanul Stalwart and Loam Dryad to help tap Kalamax when it can’t attack. Once you get copying, the best choices are ramp spells for a massive mana advantage and card draw so your opponents can’t keep up with you. Doubling counterspells is also fantastic, making it hard for your opponents to counter back without Flusterstorm.

#4. Galazeth Prismari

Making Treasure tokens is practically as easy as making land drops these days, so Galazeth Prismari is a great way to capitalize on those tokens by making them tap for mana instead of sacrificing them. They’re great with cards like Academy Manufactor or Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, which produce tons of artifacts, which can then make tons of mana to pump into large spells. What makes Galazeth truly powerful is the stax build. Like with Urza, Lord High Artificer, you can use Galazeth to tap stax pieces such as Winter Orb and Static Orb before your untap step, giving you access to all your mana while denying your opponents.

#3. Codie, Vociferous Codex

Codie, Vociferous Codex makes for a fun and exciting spellslinger deck. Since you can’t play permanents once Codie is in play, any creatures you run should have other abilities. It plays well with cyclers, especially Vizier of Tumbling Sands to untap it. The sky’s the limit when it comes to instants and sorceries. The cascade offers tons of value, and Codie fixes your mana so color isn't much of a restriction. This card makes for the perfect commander deck to toss your trade binder into or collect your favorite Magic cards over the time you’ve been playing.

#2. Narset, Enlightened Master

Once one of the most formidable commanders in all of EDH, Narset, Enlightened Master isn’t nearly as feared as they once were – but hasn’t lost its teeth, either. You’ll typically pair Narset with extra turn spells, like Time Stretch or Temporal Mastery, alongside extra combats from Relentless Assault and World at War so your opponents never have another turn. This deck is all about getting Narset down ASAP and swinging. An evasive element or two, like Aqueous Form or Whispersilk Cloak, helps Narset get in every combat without dying to blockers.

#1. Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Niv-Mizzet, Parun is a fundamentally broken card, toeing the line between powerful and fun, and miserably overtuned. This commander offers tons of card advantage, board control, and a win condition, just for being in play. Once you land Niv-Mizzet, you don’t have to take any extra steps. It’s also incredibly hard to interact with favorably.

It can’t be countered, and the most common spot removal is instants and sorceries, so the Niv-Mizzet player is up a card at the end of the day. If they have protection, then they’ll get two cards. If you want a powerful spellslinger commander, it’s hard to do better than a card that will score free wins by punishing every opponent at the table for playing instants and sorceries.

Best Spellslinger Commander Payoffs

The best spellslinger payoffs depend on the route you went with your commander, but there are a few common winners.

Cards that generate value on cast are essential. Niv-Mizzet, Parun, Storm-Kiln Artist, and Archmage Emeritus are such great value engines, any spellslinger deck is happy to have them.

Copying spells is great, especially if your commander leans into casting bigger spells. Dualcaster Mage is a simple piece that opens the door to a bunch of combos, but Galvanic Iteration and Fork has the benefit of being instants and sorceries themselves.

More aggressive spellslinger decks benefit from cards that deal damage whenever you cast your spells. Firebrand Archer and Kessig Flamebreather are both powerful since they trigger off all noncreature spells, not just instants and sorceries, but Guttersnipe and Thermo-Alchemist are still perfectly respectable cards.

Cantrips are also very important. Ponder, Preordain, Brainstorm, and Consider are a couple of powerful options. All spellslinger decks want to cast a bunch of spells, so these cheap cards that replace themselves and set up your next couple of draws are essential to firing off the flurry of spells it takes to win.

How Many Creatures Should You Put in a Spellslinger Commander Deck?

I’d generally say less than 20, with 20 pushing it, but this can vary depending on your commander. Elsha of the Infinite and Codie, Vociferous Codex are two examples of commanders that greatly benefit from as few creatures as possible. This desire contrasts sharply with commanders like Rionya, Fire Dancer or Narset, Enlightened Exile, that are interested in some number of creatures to maximize their abilities.

Commanding Conclusion

Kalamax, the Stormsire | Illustration by Nicholas Gregory

Spellslinger is an old archetype with a lot of support. Since instants and sorceries have always been part of the game, unlike more contemporary card types like battles and sagas, we have 30 years of powerful instants, sorceries, and cards to help support them.

When picking out a spellslinger commander, consider which sub-archetype you want to play. Are you going for an explosive combo, aggressive tokens, or playing the long game with control elements? Whatever you want to play, there’s a spellslinger commander for you!

What’s your favorite spellslinger commander? Do you like spellslinger, or do you prefer a different archetype? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and keep slinging spells!