8 of the Funniest Commander Decks to Troll Your Table

Last updated on March 25, 2024

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician | Illustration by Michael Komarck

When it comes to making a Magic deck, not everybody starts out with the same goal. Some players try to build the most efficient and competitive decks, while others like to experiment and see if they can pull off specific interactions. One thing that helps keep Magic fun is remembering that you don’t always have to build a deck that aims to win. In fact, sometimes building a deck that’s purposely bad in a funny way can be a lot more enjoyable than just trying to win all the time.

Now, a funny deck and one that wins aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. The main difference here is that the main goal of the deck is getting laughs and winning is just a bonus if you’re able to pull it off. If your deck is funny enough, it may even win over your opponents and get them to root for you to win after they’ve been eliminated.

If you’ve only ever built decks with the aim of winning, it can be a bit difficult reframing your approach to the process. Luckily, I’ve found some funny builds for you to check/test out to get a feel for how you might want to go about it. While these are the best I could find, it’s important to remember that part of the fun of building a funny Magic deck is putting it together yourself. Once you get a feel for the kind of shenanigans that can be had, I encourage you to try your hand at making your own funny build.

What Are Funny Commander Decks in MTG?

Urza's Fun House | Illustration by Dmitry Burmak

A funny Commander deck is one that’s designed to make people laugh. Because humor is very subjective, there aren’t strict criteria for how to do that in Magic. However, one piece of advice I’d give you is to make the deck funny for the whole table, not just yourself. If you’re sitting at the table cackling at the frustration or misfortune of other players, there’s a solid chance people aren’t going to want to keep playing with you.

One good way to make your deck easier for the whole table to enjoy is to make it an underdog as well as funny. Maybe it’s built to rely on random elements like dice rolls or coin flips, or maybe it’s funny because your strategy seems a bit counter-intuitive to how you’d normally play Magic. If you really want your deck to be funny for everyone, then you should let your competitive side take a back seat.

Honorable Mention: Phage the Untouchable

Phage the Untouchable | Illustration by Ron Spears

While this deck itself isn’t uproariously funny, Phage the Untouchable is just an inherently funny creature to use as your commander. If players have never seen Phage before, they’ll likely stare at the card with a look of confusion before asking you if it means what they think it means. Then you get to tell them, yes, if you cast your commander from the command zone, you lose.

Of course, savvy players will know that you probably have cards like Netherborn Altar and Command Beacon to get around this issue, but this commander is still good for an initial laugh. There’ll probably also be some appreciative laughs if you manage to actually get a kill off with this deck.

This is a solid choice if you want a somewhat funny deck but still want to be in the game. I totally get it if you don’t have a consistent playgroup and don’t want to waste one of your games at the LGS on just clowning around. This is essentially the deck building equivalent of doing stand-up at an open mic but stacking the crowd with your friends. Some Magic players find it mildly amusing that you’re playing a janky commander, but this deck isn’t objectively funny.

#8. Braids, Conjurer Adept

Braids, Conjurer Adept | Illustration by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Braids, Conjurer Adept can be a scary commander to see on the board, and for good reason. It lets you cheat out some massive creatures and powerful artifacts pretty early on. Luckily for your opponents, it’ll do the same for them, too. One way to make a game with this deck funnier is to let everyone know ahead of time that you plan on playing a Braids deck. This gives them a chance to play their deck with the steepest mana curve, or slot in a bunch of bombs they wouldn’t normally include.

This can result in super swingy games where each turn someone’s dropping a new massive threat and everyone’s terrified until the next upkeep gives them something even scarier to worry about. That’s also why this deck is full of expensive creatures. You can guarantee to be playing something that’ll get a big reaction each turn like Blightsteel Colossus or Void Winnower.

While this deck does run some spells that could make it mean, like Counterspell and Pact of Negation, these won’t stop players dropping big cards with their Braids trigger. I prefer to use them to keep Braids on the field in case someone tries to remove it. This way the chaos keeps going.

#7. Pinkie Pie Smile Deck

Pinkie Pie | Illustration by Rudy Siswanto

Quick disclaimer, Pinkie Pie isn’t a legal Commander, but since it isn’t cEDH level powerful, I don’t see anyone having a big issue with that. This Pinkie Pie build is one of my favorite kinds of funny decks, one that’s built around a specific art motif as opposed to mechanical synergy. While this build is a good start, I’d encourage you to do your own browsing through Boros () cards just to see who’s smiling. This could lead to a totally different build based on cards with art you prefer.

Part of the fun of this deck comes from ambiguously smiling cards. Nobody is going to question that Outlaws' Merriment has smiles in the art, but Mass Hysteria may lead to a debate. Is that a smile? How about Kabira Outrider? The rider isn’t smiling, but is the bird? If you have bad eyesight like me, you might say yes.

I find these kinds of spirited debates to be a lot of fun. Try to find ways to justify why you think Shadowfax, Lord of Horses is smiling and see what kind of funny responses your opponents have. I’ll note that while this can be a lot of fun, you’ll want to gauge the table’s reactions to it. Don’t just make it seem like you’re trying to pull a fast one on them; make sure you’re making it clear it’s a joke for the whole table to enjoy.

#6. Oloro Chairs Matter

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Similar to the Pinkie Pie build, this is another art-based deck. What makes this one slightly funnier to me is that there really isn’t any mechanical reason for it to exist. Variations of this deck have been floating around for a while, so it’s hard to say exactly where it started. At some point someone just thought, “Oloro is sitting in a chair, so I’ll build a deck where everyone is in a chair.”

Apart from the commander, Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, you have creatures like Vengeful Pharaoh and Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts relaxing on their chairs. Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter is actually sitting so similarly to Oloro that your opponents may double check that you don’t have two copies of your commander in the deck.

The chairs don’t stop with your creatures though. The theme carries over into artifacts like Throne of Bone, instants like Inspiration, and even in your land base with Throne of the High City.

You don’t have to stick to this build specifically, the chairs come before anything else. If you want to swap in something like Throne of Eldraine, it doesn’t really matter. This deck also prompts some fun discussions as to what you consider a chair. Is Azor, the Lawbringer really on a chair, or is he just sitting? What makes something a chair? How much can you take away from the typical chair and still consider it a chair? These are the types of very important questions this Commander deck makes you consider.

#5. Ashling the Pilgrim All Lands

Ashling the Pilgrim | Illustration by Wayne Reynolds

The brilliance of the Ashling the Pilgrim all lands deck is in its simplicity. You play a Mountain, pass, play a Mountain next turn, cast Ashling, nobody sees anything wrong with it. After three or four turns, someone might remark that you seem to be mana flooded. Maybe you make a big show like you’re deciding if you want to cast something or pump mana into your commander.

The laughs come as someone at the table begins to suspect what your deck is. As each player slowly realizes that you only have lands in your deck, there’ll likely be a big laugh. Or maybe you want to throw a single other card in there just to see if you ever draw it, maybe throw people off. Play your first non-commander card after like nine turns of just putting down lands. However you want to make it work, this deck can be a lot of fun, and it’s a very inexpensive joke compared to some of these other funny decks.

Ashling also isn’t terrible when run with just 99 Mountains. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not very good either, but you can still sort of do stuff. If your opponents aren’t running that much interaction, you might even be able to get off a big blast with your commander before the game is over. If you have the patience for Ashling, another fun 99-land commander deck has Child of Alara at the helm.

#4. Gabriel Angelfire Rampage 3

Gabriel Angelfire | Illustration by Daniel Gelon

This Gabriel Angelfire deck may be the perfect balance between funny and good. It can definitely win some games, especially at a casual table, but it’ll do so in a funny and unexpected way. This is all thanks to the outdated rampage mechanic that Gabriel Angelfire can give itself.

Rampage 3 gives your commander +3/+3 for each creature blocking it. At first glance, this might seem like a simple block deterrent, a way for you to get your overpriced 4/4 through your opponents’ blockers. However, the true brilliance and big laughs comes when you force your opponents to block Gabriel Angelfire.

Cards like Lure and Seton's Desire force your opponents to block Gabriel Angelfire. If you’ve given Gabriel rampage 3, you can swing at your opponent with the widest board and watch your commander become massive and likely clear out their creatures. Cards like Unflinching Courage that can give it trample might also allow you to finish off some players, especially anyone running a token deck that creates a bunch of 1/1s.

The combination of janky old mechanics, splashy effects, and your unexpectedly huge commander will definitely earn some laughs because opponents simply won’t believe what’s happening. This deck does a great job capturing old school EDH vibes where janky builds like this were a bit more common.

#3. Norin the Wary Chaos

Norin the Wary | Illustration by Heather Hudson

This deck may be a slightly controversial pick. My playgroup and I happen to find chaotic games to be pretty funny, and Norin the Wary is the perfect commander for this type of deck. Whenever you start to cast some of your shenanigans, Norin excuse itself only to return after the chaos.

Cards like Grip of Chaos and Possibility Storm introduce an element of random chance to the game that makes everything very exciting. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the chaos and Norin’s ability with cards like Warstorm Surge or Confusion in the Ranks. Pandemonium is a bit of both, allowing you to deal damage each time Norin nopes out, but also allowing your opponents a chance to deal serious damage, making the game feel a lot more dangerous.

I find chaotic games like this often disrupt tried, true, and ultimately boring strategies. Instead, players have to get a little inventive to deal with the chaotic elements you introduce, which can lead to some creative and hilarious plays throughout the game.

#2. Crab Rave

Ancient Crab | Illustration by James Paick

Forgive me if the meme is dead by now, but I still love the Crab Rave. When I found out players had been creating decks specifically made to tap and untap as many crabs as possible to replicate the image of dancing crabs, I knew I had to check it out.

This version of the crab rave deck is led by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, the perfect commander for tapping and untapping crabs. It also includes the classic two-card crab rave combo, Horseshoe Crab and Cryptolith Rite. You also have a Seedborn Muse to help keep the party going on other players’ turns.

There aren’t really many levels to this one. It’s just a mostly functional deck that allows you to make crabs dance.

#1. Twilight Sparkle Everybody Wins

Princess Twilight Sparkle | Illustration by Jennifer L. Meyer

I may be biased here because this is my personal deck that I’ve had a lot of funny experiences with. That said, playing a deck built around Princess Twilight Sparkle with the goal of making everyone win creates some very funny and interesting scenarios.

You’ll get to learn a lot about your opponents and their approach to the game when they’re all faced with imminent victory. Some players think it’s great and jump on board with your crusade to make everyone the winner. Others are vehemently against this strategy and do everything in their power to stop you from making them win.

The entire scenario ends up being somewhat ridiculous but also allows you to get to know the people you’re playing with a bit better. You’ll learn that some players don’t care about winning, they just want to play with their deck for as long as possible. Others don’t actually feel like they’re winning unless someone else is losing. No matter what the reactions are, I’ve always found that this conflict between personality types at the table creates the kind of humorous low-stakes arguments that I personally find very fun to engage in.

As for how you pull off winning in this deck, that’s also kind of funny. Since I built this deck before the announcement of Ponies the Galloping 2, you’ll need to win with a combination of Princess Twilight Sparkle and _____. Just activate _____’s ability and change its name to “Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.” Then you can activate Princess Twilight Sparkle’s ability and, since you control “Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity” you technically meet its requirements to have everyone win. While you’ll need to check that your playgroup is okay with you using silver-border cards, I’ve never had an issue once I explained that my goal was for everyone to win.

Commanding Conclusion

Archetype of Imagination | Illustration by Robbie Trevino

I hope you found some of these decks worth trying out, or at least worth a long exhale from your nose while reading. At the end of the day, the kind of decks you find funny might be completely different, but I hope this list has at least inspired you to try building decks in a new way, whether that’s to make people laugh or just entertain yourself.

Do you have any funny decks you like to play? What commanders lend themselves to funny builds? Let me know in the comments below or on Draftsim’s Twitter/X.

Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next time!