Rankings for All 63 March of the Machine Commanders

Last updated on April 24, 2024

Urabrask / The Great Work | Illustrations by Campbell White

With every new Magic set comes a new round of commanders and usually a few reprints. March of the Machine is no exception, and the newest Magic set has some of the most unique new commanders ever printed. These are the legendary team-up cards that combine two legendary creatures on a single card while combining their color identities and abilities into a brand-new card.

March of the Machine also has the five new Praetor cards which can transform into sagas, a few legends that flip into compleated versions of themselves, and standard legendary creatures. This gives you a lot of interesting options for new cards to build around.

Let’s look at all the legendary creatures from March of the Machine to determine which are the best commanders to head a deck!

How Many Commanders Are There in March of the Machine?

Ayara, Furnace Queen | Illustration by Anna Podedworna

There are 63 commanders in March of the Machine and its supplemental Commander product. Of these commanders, 25 are reprints and 38 are new in this set.

#63. Haakon, Stromgald Scourge

Haakon, Stromgald Scourge is one of the reprinted commanders in this set. This card technically can be your commander, but you can’t cast it from the command zone. It’s easily the worst commander in this set and most that it’s printed in.

#62. Josu Vess, Lich Knight

Josu Vess, Lich Knight’s kicker ability can give you a decent number of zombies, but it’s hard to cast and kick this spell multiple times in a game of Commander. Most of the time, you end up with a 4/5 menace creature, which is a decent attacker but you usually want a commander that does more.

#61. Kogla and Yidaro

Because Kogla and Yidaro’s activated ability requires you to discard it, you won’t really be able to use it. You’re limited to only using the ETB effect. In a different color identity with more blink spells, this wouldn’t be a huge issue. As a Gruul commander, Kogla and Yidaro is a bit underwhelming. You could try to build a deck focused on commander damage, but I think you have better options for that, even in this set.

#60. Pia and Kiran Nalaar

Pia and Kiran Nalaar makes for an interesting build. You can focus on creating artifact tokens like Treasure, Food, or Clues, then use this card’s activated ability to turn them into burn spells. I think that the cost of Pia and Kiran’s activated ability is a little high to make this card a super powerful commander, but I think it’s perfectly fine for a more casual deck.

#59. Arvad the Cursed

Arvad the Cursed is a card I enjoy running in the 99 of legends matter decks. Unfortunately, I don’t think it does enough to be a powerful commander. You could try to build an Orzhov legends deck around it, but Ratadrabik of Urborg is a much better option for that type of deck.

#58. Syr Elenora, the Discerning

With the right build, Syr Elenora, the Discerning can get pretty strong. Pair that with some blue spells that grant evasion, and you have a creature that can take players out with commander damage. As a bonus, Syr Elenora can keep itself safe by taxing spells that target it.

#57. Rishkar, Peema Renegade

Rishkar, Peema Renegade is a fun commander for a counters deck. Turning each of your creatures into mana dorks can allow you to ramp quickly and cast some pretty splashy spells. If you’re looking for a good straightforward deck, Rishkar is a great choice.

#56. Surrak and Goreclaw

While Surrak and Goreclaw is a pretty expensive commander, since you’re in mono-green you can include a lot of ways to ramp quickly and get them on the field earlier than you expect. This commander does a lot for your creatures and is a good attacker itself.

#55. Alharu, Solemn Ritualist

Alharu, Solemn Ritualist can be a good way to generate tokens and makes it less of a setback when your creatures are removed. Partnering this commander with Reyhan, Last of the Abzan can make for a powerful counters deck where you’re constantly replacing any character that gets removed with tokens.

#54. Glissa, Herald of Predation

Glissa, Herald of Predation offers you the chance to build around the new incubate mechanic. Creating some new creatures for free each turn is never a bad thing, and I think this commander will only get stronger if Wizards decides to print more incubate cards in future sets.

#53. Mikaeus, the Lunarch

Mikaeus, the Lunarch can make all your creatures pretty strong, and I like it as an option for a token deck. Being able to buff a wide board of tiny creatures each turn eventually gives you an army that’s pretty tough for your opponents to deal with.

#52. Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor

Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor’s activated ability is helpful, though you need a way to create artifact tokens you don’t mind sacrificing. Partnering with Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith can be a good solution.

#51. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

Adeline, Resplendent Cathar is another good token commander. Not only does it generate tokens, but it also gets stronger each time it does. Go wide enough, and you’ll even be able to start eliminating players with commander damage.

#50. Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive

Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive can be a powerful commander in a few different ways. It can be good for decks built around combat damage triggers because you’ll usually be able to sneak a few creatures past your opponents’ blockers. There are also a decent number of toxic and infect creatures with low enough power or toughness to be unblockable in this deck.

#49. Vona, Butcher of Magan

Having built-in removal at all times can be very powerful, especially when Vona, Butcher of Magan can destroy anything but a land. Seven life might seem like a steep price, but it isn’t too bad if you build a lot of lifegain into your deck, which is very doable in Orzhov colors.

#48. Rankle and Torbran

Thanks to all its keyword abilities, Rankle and Torbran can be difficult for your opponents to block. This gives you a lot of chances to choose one or more of its triggered abilities. Thanks to having first strike, you also resolve any triggers from this card before the traditional damage step, which can force opponents to sacrifice blockers or just allow you to deal extra damage.

#47. Zimone and Dina

Zimone and Dina’s ability to essentially cast a Growth Spiral once or twice a turn makes this card a very useful commander for ramping. You want to make sure you’re casting or generating enough creatures so that you can consistently activate Zimone and Dina’s ability if you want to get as much out of this commander as you can.

#46. Hamza, Guardian of Arashin

Hamza, Guardian of Arashin offers you some pretty great cost reduction in a +1/+1 counters deck. Selesnya is also a pretty good color combination for this theme. Make sure to include some early spells that give counters so that you can get Hamza on the field faster and start benefitting from its effect.

#45. Slurrk, All-Ingesting

Slurrk, All-Ingesting is great for supporting a counter-based deck. This is another commander that pairs well with Reyhan, Last of the Abzan because they both buff your creatures each time one of your creatures with counters dies, and you essentially conserve any counters similar to if you had The Ozolith.

#44. Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy

At first glance, Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy might seem underwhelming if you don’t realize how many differently named artifact tokens exist in Magic. Because there are upwards of 50 possible options, you can be making some seriously strong Gremlins with this deck. Make sure to build in a lot of cards that create different artifact tokens.

#43. Zurgo and Ojutai

I think I’d like Zurgo and Ojutai more if it were cheaper to cast, which would make it more tempting to consistently return to my hand and then cast on subsequent turns. I still think its combat damage trigger is interesting and can be helpful for finding cards. There are likely other dragons whose ETB effect you can abuse thanks to Zurgo and Ojutai returning them to your hand.

#42. Etali, Primal Conqueror / Etali, Primal Sickness

Etali, Primal Conqueror’s ability being an ETB effect instead of an attack trigger makes it a lot more likely that you’ll get to trigger it than the previous version of Etali, but it’s a shame that it’s not repeatable. Transforming this card into Etali, Primal Sickness essentially gives you a Blightsteel Colossus as your commander, which is hard to beat. That said, you better make sure you have a way to keep Etali on the battlefield while you wait to transform it.

#41. Ghalta and Mavren

I like the versatility that Ghalta and Mavren offer you when it comes to making tokens. It allows you to decide if you want to go wide or if it’s better to just have a big stompy creature. Since this card is in Selesnya colors, you have access to all the token doublers you could want.

#40. Inga and Esika

Inga and Esika’s abilities may be simple, but they’re also pretty powerful. Extra cards and extra mana are two of the most important things to have on hand at any given time, and this commander gives you both. As a bonus, the card features cute cats pulling a chariot across a rainbow bridge. What’s not to love?

#39. Heliod, the Radiant Dawn / Heliod, the Warped Eclipse

Heliod, the Radiant Dawn isn’t too impressive, so it’s nice that it won’t cost you too much mana to transform it into Heliod, the Warped Eclipse. The back side of this card offers you a very interesting way to play the game, essentially allowing you to sit back and let your opponents discard your cards for you on their turns, dropping spells whenever they’re convenient and more reasonably priced.

#38. Rona, Herald of Invasion / Rona, Tolarian Obliterator

Rona, Herald of Invasion can be very helpful in cycling through your deck, especially if you’re running a lot of legendary cards. Since you’re in Dimir, you also have access to some good ways to get cards back out of your graveyard, so it doesn’t matter too much that you’re discarding. When transformed into Rona, Tolarian Obliterator, you have a very good blocker that either gets you some great spells or make your opponents too afraid to swing at you. Make sure to include some ways to keep Rona safe in your deck.

#37. Djeru and Hazoret

Djeru and Hazoret is a different type of legends matter commander that I think could lead to some interesting builds. While it’s usually bad that a Boros deck struggles to keep a full hand, this commander turns that to your advantage.

#36. Aryel, Knight of Windgrace

Both of Aryel, Knight of Windgrace’s abilities are very helpful, and it can both attack and use those abilities thanks to thanks to its vigilance. I really enjoy having a repeatable source of removal attached to this card, and you should be able to make enough knights to keep it active.

#35. Hidetsugu and Kairi

Hidetsugu and Kairi is strange because it might give you the most value when it dies. If you can find ways to abuse its death trigger, this commander can get you a lot of free spells and deal out a good amount of damage.

#34. Borborygmos and Fblthp

I don’t think Borborygmos and Fblthp is an exceptionally powerful commander, but I still really enjoy this card. Temur is also a good color combination, and it has ways to get your lands back from the graveyard and make use of the excess damage you deal with this commander’s attack trigger.

#33. Errant and Giada

Errant and Giada can give you access to additional spells each turn and could be very powerful if you’re running a lot of flash cards. This is the type of commander that depends heavily on how you build your deck as opposed to being a powerhouse on its own.

#32. Polukranos Reborn / Polukranos, Engine of Ruin

Polukranos Reborn is pretty cheap to cast for such a big creature with reach, so it’s a very useful blocker. When transformed into Polukranos, Engine of Ruin, this commander ensures you get more value out of all your Hydras. A good tribal commander.

#31. Kasla, the Broken Halo

Kasla, the Broken Halo’s ability isn’t super splashy, but it’s a good way to make sure you’re consistently fixing your draws. This can make your game go a lot more smoothly. Just make sure you include a lot of convoke cards.

#30. Kroxa and Kunoros

If you build in lots of ways to fill your own graveyard, Kroxa and Kunoros can cheat out big creatures for you. Wheels and looting effects are helpful in this deck, as are cards like Buried Alive.

#29. Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin is a fun goblin commander which can get out of hand if your opponents don’t deal with it quickly. Just slap a Whispersilk Cloak on this commander and you’ll be sitting pretty behind an army of goblins.

#28. Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener

Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener can really help make itself or another one of your creatures incredibly strong over the course of a few turns. If you like winning through combat damage, you’ll probably have a lot of fun building around this commander.

#27. Moira and Teshar

Moira and Teshar makes it relatively easy to cheat out big creatures from your graveyard. While you only get one use out of it, but the right card can still have a huge impact even if it’s just out for a turn.

#26. Feldon of the Third Path

Feldon of the Third Path is another commander that’s great at cheating out big creatures. What’s better is that you won’t lose your original card, so you can also repeat this process. Thanks to red having access to wheels and looting effects, you can easily fill your graveyard with good fuel for Feldon.

#25. Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink

Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink can create some explosive turns, especially if you have a powerful creature like Etali, the Primal Storm to copy. This commander also pairs well with ETB triggers like Purphoros, God of the Forge.

#24. Sheoldred / The True Scriptures

Sheoldred is nice and easy to transform in a game of Commander because it’s likely that one of your opponents has a full enough graveyard. The True Scriptures allows you to take out the biggest threats on the battlefield and put them on your own side of the battlefield. Once it transforms back to Sheoldred, you also get another ETB trigger, clearing the field even further.

#23. Katilda and Lier

Bant Humans is already a pretty good type of Commander deck, and it only gets better when Katilda and Lier essentially turns every creature in your deck into a Snapcaster Mage.

#22. Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos

Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos can create many token creatures and add value to any Phyrexian or artifact you cast. Thanks to its proliferate ability, you’re also be able to consistently buff your Incubator and Phyrexian tokens. Expensive artifacts and cards like Sorin, Grim Nemesis and Twilight Prophet are good inclusions for this deck.

#21. Omnath, Locus of All

Omnath, Locus of All can generate lots of mana for you and store it up if you aren’t able to use it each turn. This makes it easier for you to cast big spells and pairs well with any mana sinks or X spells.

#20. Drana and Linvala

Drana and Linvala can be a very oppressive commander. Building in more stax, tax, and control cards can make for a very difficult deck for your opponents to deal with. You won’t be popular at the table, but you’ll walk away with a win.

#19. Jin-Gitaxias / The Great Synthesis

On its front side, Jin-Gitaxias is a decent way to draw some extra cards. This commander’s true power comes from transforming it into The Great Synthesis. This fills your hand with cards, allows you to keep them all, and allows you to cast them all for free as long as it makes it all three turns. Even if it doesn’t, drawing seven or more cards for only four mana is still an excellent deal.

#18. Goro-Goro and Satoru

Having a consistent way to give your creatures haste at a cheap price already makes Goro-Goro and Satoru an effective commander. Giving your creatures haste also makes it easier to hit your opponents when their blockers are tapped down, allowing you to create a dragon with Goro-Goro and Satoru’s triggered ability.

#17. Yargle and Multani

I never thought I’d recommend an expensive vanilla creature as a commander, but Yargle and Multani proved me wrong. It only takes a small buff to make this creature able to take out your opponents in a single attack thanks to commander damage. It’s pretty easy to make Yargle and Multani stronger in Golgari, and there are also good cards for giving them trample.

#16. Saint Traft and Rem Karolus

Saint Traft and Rem Karolus may be the alternate commander in Divine Convocation, but I think it’s better than the deck’s face card. Since it untaps each time you play a convoke spell, it can also help pay for multiple convoke spells each turn. If you add other ways to untap Saint Taft and Rem Karolus, you can also generate a lot of tokens.

#15. Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir

Eminence is always a great addition to a commander because you won’t have to cast Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir to start getting to work on your strategy. Using Sidar Jabari’s draw ability, you can start filling your graveyard with knights. Then, when it hits the field, you can start getting those knights back each turn.

#14. Elenda and Azor

Elenda and Azor offers you a consistent draw engine and can also generate a lot of tokens at a pretty cheap price each turn. This is the kind of commander it’s easy to build around because it offers you lots of value that can help with various strategies.

#13. Syr Konrad, the Grim

Syr Konrad, the Grim is a very punishing commander because there are a lot of ways to trigger its damage ability. You also have the flexibility to build Syr Konrad in a variety of ways including mill, discard, or aristocrats, or you can build a combination of these strategies.

#12. Shalai and Hallar

Putting counters on creatures can sometimes be a wasted effort if that creature gets removed. Shalai and Hallar make the act of putting +1/+1 counters on your creatures also have value. You can double up counters with several green cards, and double or triple the damage you output with red cards like Fiery Emancipation. All Will Be One is another good inclusion for this deck.

#11. Quintorius, Loremaster

Quintorius, Loremaster gives you the chance to recast your noncreature cards, and sometimes at a good discount. It also puts the cards back into your library, meaning you could potentially cast them even more times. Filling your own graveyard with big spells can also let you cast them cheaper with Quintorius’s ability.

#10. Slimefoot and Squee

Slimefoot and Squee’s abilities work really well together. You don’t have to worry about this card dying when it attacks because you can use the Saproling from its attack trigger to bring it back. You’ll also get another creature card from your graveyard along with Slimefoot and Squee, allowing you to cheat in some big creatures.

Even if you’re just getting another small creature, it’s worth the mana cost and you get to avoid commander tax. If I were building this deck, I’d make sure to include Sneak Attack.

#9. Vorinclex / The Grand Evolution

Vorinclex’s ETB effect is nice for thinning out your deck and ensuring you don’t miss land drops. Its transformation cost is expensive, but it also has no other stipulations, a nice change of pace for this cycle of Praetor cards. Transforming into The Grand Evolution can get you a few free creatures, making it worth the cost of activation. If you get through the other stages, you also end up with some very powerful creatures which you can potentially use to clear the field with the fight abilities this card grants.

#8. Rashmi and Ragavan

Rashmi and Ragavan is a very powerful commander. Even if you aren’t able to cast the cards you exile, you’re still taking resources away from your opponents. Getting a Treasure token every time you cast your first spell helps you with ramping and mana fixing.

#7. Elesh Norn / The Argent Etchings

Elesh Norn’s ability is a good way to punish players for attacking you, which often makes them turn their attention to other players instead. The Argent Etchings can make you a good amount of token creatures, which can then deal a lot of damage with double strike. If you build your deck right, you can ensure that the final step of this saga won’t hit any of your own permanents, but it’ll likely clear a good amount of your opponents’ permanents.

#6. Ayara, Widow of the Realm / Ayara, Furnace Queen

Ayara, Widow of the Realm gives you the chance to turn your creatures and artifacts into damage spells. Combine this with powerful death triggers and you’ll have a pretty punishing deck. Once you’ve flung a lot of your permanents at your opponents, you can transform this card into Ayara, Furnace Queen and get them back one by one each turn for another use. This is another great deck to include Sneak Attack.

#5. Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

Thalia and The Gitrog Monster is one of the best combined legendary creatures. It takes the best aspects of both the original legends while taking away the punishing forced land sacrifice from the original The Gitrog Monster.

#4. Baral and Kari Zev

Baral and Kari Zev essentially allows you to cast two spells for the price of one. This can be very powerful, and you can start doing it early thanks to the cheap mana value of this commander.

#3. Urabrask / The Great Work

Urabrask makes it easy to cast a lot of spells in a single turn while also punishing your opponents each time you do. This also makes it easy to transform Urabrask into The Great Work. The saga side can be very punishing to token decks with its damage wipe, and it also gives you access to a lot of spells to cast.

This is also probably the Praetor you’re most able to flip back and forth regularly.

#2. The Locust God

The Locust God generates lots of tokens that are able to immediately start doing damage to your opponents. Wheels are definitely your friend in this deck. This is an expensive commander, you don’t have to worry about commander tax as much since it returns to your hand after being destroyed.

#1. Kykar, Wind’s Fury

Kykar, Wind's Fury is an incredibly powerful spell slinger commander, and it’s been a popular choice since its original printing in Core Set 2020. While there are a lot of great new commanders in this set, I’m not sure any of them will see as much play as Kykar has.

Wrap Up

Kogla and Yidaro | Illustration by Chris Rahn

March of the Machine has introduced a lot of new legendary creatures that make for some fun Commander decks. Not all these commanders are equally powerful, there are still a lot of fun builds even amongst the less competitive options.

Which March of the Machine commander is your favorite? What builds are you thinking of from this set? Let me know in the comments or on Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!