All 5 Monkey Commanders in Magic Ranked

Kibo, Uktabi Prince | Illustration by Zoltan Boros

If you don’t like the character of Ragavan in any way, this discussion isn’t for you. Not to spoil it too much, but nearly every plausible monkey commander mentions Ragavan. The guy gets around, what can I say?

There aren’t that many monkeys in Magic, and fewer among them can be your commander. But maybe you feel like getting a little silly and running as many monkeys as you can get your hands on. Or maybe you want an excuse to run Uktabi Orangutan that isn’t Volo, Guide to Monsters.

Whatever your reasons for monkeying around in Commander, we’ve got you covered for the best command zone picks.

What Are Monkey Commanders in MTG?

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider | Illustration by Brad Rigney

This is a bit of a sticky question. You could say that monkey commanders are only the legendary creatures that are monkeys in their type line. That gives us a whopping… three. At least, as of Wilds of Eldraine/Doctor Who.

I also want to pay lip service to the cards that generate Ragavan tokens, because those tokens are monkeys too. That brings our total to… five. Not quite a barrel, is it?

Apes are often paired with monkeys. No, this isn’t foreshadowing. Buta there are no legendary apes that care about monkeys, nor are there any legendary apes that have been errata’d to monkeys. So no apes make the list…. Yeah, this should be quick.

#5. Kari Zev, Skyship Raider

Apart from making a Ragavan token and being mono-red, Kari Zev, Skyship Raider doesn’t do much to lead your monkey deck. It’s a cheap commander, which is also appealing, but this is really just here to fill out the list.

#4. Baral and Kari Zev

Baral and Kari Zev isn’t the best monkey commander, mostly because it’s got no green in its color identity. Magic’s monkeys are mostly green and red, so you miss out on a lot here. Moving right along….

#3. Rashmi and Ragavan

Hear me out: Ragavan Typal. No, really. Rashmi and Ragavan is the only monkey commander that’ll let you run every monkey in Magic, including every Ragavan token generator. I knew there was a reason Baral and Kari Zev and the other Kari Zev were here.

Jank aside, I’m always a fan of the flavor that comes with characters like Ragavan enabling spell theft, and the guaranteed Treasure is just gravy.

#2. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Apologies to Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Anyone who’s up on their pirate commanders and treasure commanders knows what’s going on here. I don’t need to tell you why it’s good. So, why #2? Simply, there’s no green, which cuts down the pool of monkeys that can fill out the roster. That’s it.

#1. Kibo, Uktabi Prince

I don’t think Kibo, Uktabi Prince should be too controversial as a #1 here. It lets you run all your favorite monkeys, but it also cares about apes. No need to check what’s been errata’d or not; just toss in the ones or you have or the ones you want and go! Yet another reason not to sleep on Jumpstart products.

Remember that all those tokens like Bananas, Treasure, Food, etc. that we sacrifice to get perks temporarily hit the graveyard before they vanish into nothingness. If you see an opponent relying on any of those sweet, sweet tokens, you’ll be salivating.

Best Monkey Commander Payoffs

There aren’t really that many payoffs for running a bunch of monkeys other than Kibo, Uktabi Prince. You could run Rashmi and Ragavan if you’re wanting to go the Ragavan completionist route, but Kibo is pretty much all you need. Since Kibo tosses out counters, doublers are a good addition.

Commanding Conclusion

Rashmi and Ragavan | Illustration by Joshua Cairos

I’m sure that there’s a set coming that’ll improve this roster. Gotta love Ragavan, but this group feels a little one-dimensional, no?

Which is your favorite monkey commander? What kinds of monkey commanders do you want to see, and on which planes do you think we’ll meet them? Are you clamoring for another Ragavan card? Let me know in the comments below or over on Draftsim’s Discord.

Time to make like a banana and split!