The 34 Best Monarch Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on March 30, 2026

Forth Eorlingas! | Illustration by Filipe Pagliuso

Commander might be Magic's most popular format, but that doesn't mean it's without flaws; a big one is how the format rewards stalling the board. It's hard to make a profitable aggro deck in a format with three opponents with a combined 120 life, where the most efficient forms of removal are board wipes.

In response to this, Wizards developed the monarch, a mechanic that encourages attacking by rewarding players for damaging each other. But the monarch is far more than a multiplayer-only mechanic like myriad or goad; it's become a staple in Cube and Constructed formats like Pauper. It's an incredible mechanic, with a ton of powerful cards.

What Are Monarch Cards in Magic?

Palace Sentinels | Illustration by Aaron Miller

Monarch cards in MTG allow you to become the monarch. These are often creatures or enchantments that make you the monarch when they enter the battlefield, though there are a few niche effects that work in other ways.

The monarch is a special status you gain by playing one of these cards. Games start without a monarch; once an effect makes a player the monarch, the game has exactly one monarch. The monarch draws a card at the beginning of their end step, and players who aren't the monarch can become the monarch by dealing combat damage to the current monarch or by playing their own monarch card. It plays very similarly to the initiative.

Baseline, most of these cards draw you a card the turn you play them because of how the monarchy works. They generally cost 4 mana, but cheaper effects rank highly because it's hard to contest the monarch when you take it early. Since creatures matter so much for this mechanic, cards that remove permanents or otherwise impact the board tend to rank higher than those that don't, though the Court cycles are very strong since they play well with board wipes.

#34. Denethor, Stone Seer

Denethor, Stone Seer is the only monarch card that allows you to become the monarch at instant speed. You can theoretically flicker most monarch permanents or give them flash, but only Denethor lets you do it with no other effects. That said, it needs to survive at least a turn to lose summoning sickness, and probably two for the mana to activate it. That gives your opponents ample time to answer it whereas an Emberwilde Captain offers immediate value on ETB. Its best use case might be in a dedicated monarch deck where the activated ability steals the monarch from an opponent before they draw a card.

#33. Court of Cunning

Court of Cunning is one of the best self-mill enablers in EDH, assuming you keep the crown. That's pretty easy since it only costs 3 mana—you can cast this while your opponents cast Rampant Growth and develop similar value engines. It only takes one mill-10 trigger with the monarch to make this card worth its in a graveyard deck. And it becomes a legitimate win condition in Cube.

#32. Court of Ire

The weakest Court, Court of Ire is worthless without the monarchy and the most expensive of the lot. If you can 100% keep the crown, it does good work, but 5 mana is too much for an enchantment that only deals 2 damage each turn. It might be palatable alongside damage doublers; Solphim, Mayhem Dominus or Torbran, Thane of Red Fell curve into it reasonably well.

#31. Archon of Coronation

Archon of Coronation is pretty vanilla, with a weak damage prevention ability and flying. It's cute against Solphim, Mayhem Dominus and other burn builds, but you'll mostly play this to reach a critical mass of monarch cards.

#30. Feast of Succession

A true Wrath of God that gives you the monarchy would be busted, because your opponents couldn't contest the throne for two turns unless an opponent has a well-timed haste creature. Perhaps wisely, Wizards didn't print that; instead, they gave us a Languish variant. Feast of Succession probably does pretty well around Bracket 2 and in mid-power Cubes, but it costs a little too much to truly excite.

#29. Court of Grace

Court of Grace is another Court on the weaker side since it needs the monarchy to really shine. Still, a deck with a couple of token doublers or an enchantress deck is relatively happy to see this.

#28. Court of Vantress

Court of Vantress is the only Court I’d consider a build-around. You're guaranteed value in your artifact or enchantment deck. But playing it in a deck that isn't themed around those permanents leaves you to your opponent's mercy; sometimes you'll swipe a Bolas's Citadel or Smothering Tithe, others you're lucky to pull a Talisman.

#27. Crown of Gondor

Crown of Gondor does good work in go-wide decks; this buff can be substantial alongside mass token producers like Aligned Heart and Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon. But the monarch ability is inconsistent. Playing multiple monarch cards like Palace Jailer is strong because duplicates steal the monarchy without dealing combat damage, but this equipment can't do it.

#26. Throne of the High City

I like Throne of the High City in 1- or 2-color decks that don't mind having a colorless utility land. This certainly isn't the most exciting monarch effect since it only gives you the crown at the cost of a land, while basically every other monarch card gives you a creature at least, but it gets the job done and a land is fairly unobtrusive. Better to run this and have plenty of lands than to skimp on lands and get mana screwed every game.

#25. Dawnglade Regent

Most permanents that give your team hexproof give it to other permanents or creatures, not itself, which makes Dawnglade Regent unique. Of course, other versions of the effect can't be nullified by combat damage… but it's much harder to sneak through opposing defenses when you can't Swords to Plowshares prominent blockers. This is a fine protection piece, though it can never be your only protection piece due to its cost and the narrow range of protection it offers.

#24. Fealty to the Realm

Fealty to the Realm is an interesting take on Control Magic that opens the door to all sorts of politics at the Commander table. Since the creature has to attack each turn, it isn't a great answer to opposing commanders, like an Imprisoned in the Moon is, but you disrupt decks that rely on a key card or two when you keep a threat out of your enemy’s hands.

#23. Palace Sentinels

Palace Sentinels took Pauper by storm on release in 2016, though it's one of the weaker monarch cards at this point; new creatures like Tolarian Terror and Writhing Chrysalis mean that the 2/4 body doesn't block like it used to.

#22. Jared Carthalion, True Heir

It isn’t a great idea to give your opponents the monarchy. You could say it's actively bad. Jared Carthalion, True Heir is more of a fun card than a competitive powerhouse, but Commander has room for build arounds like that! This works best as a Stuffy Doll commander. Its 3-mana cost is very important since most good monarch cards cost 4, so you should almost always get the crown the following turn.

#21. Keeper of Keys

Most monarch cards care about accruing value or punishing your opponents for taking the monarchy, but Keeper of Keys takes a far more aggressive approach with its unblockable ability. It becomes a finisher if you can keep the crown, dishing out incredibly amounts of damage for a mono-blue card.

#20. Oath of Eorl

I don't love the delayed monarch trigger on Oath of Eorl, as it gives your opponents a few turns to dig for a Reclamation Sage or another answer, but I do appreciate how well it protects itself; four bodies provide blockers for days. Four tokens for 5 mana is also a fine rate, so this ends up decent, if unexciting.

#19. Custodi Lich

Custodi Lich plays best in Cube, where the monarch and edicts are more substantial. Commander players shrug this off pretty well. You can't even flicker this for repeated edicts since the monarch ability only works if you aren't already the monarch. But in Cube, it does pretty good work since the edict and the 4/2 handles two threats to your crown. Your opponent needs three creatures or two creatures and removal to get through the Lich.

#18. Champions of Minas Tirith

Champions of Minas Tirith boasts one of the more interesting protective abilities from a monarch card, a Ghostly Prison-esque tax ability. Playing Commander well requires powerful draw engines, so this could be an interesting card to punish any deck that can maximize Reliquary Tower.

#17. Court of Ambition

Court of Ambition is mediocre without the crown, but it’s quite punishing with it. I wouldn't play this as your only monarch card since you really need to maintain the monarchy for its full potential, but it's just another layer of value in a dedicated deck.

#16. Court of Embereth

Monarch cards that create tokens are great. The knight tokens Court of Embereth creates can chump to defend the monarch or attack to reclaim it as the situation demands; a go-wide deck that keeps the crown for a couple of turns wins in short order.

#15. Court of Locthwain

Court of Locthwain shines in theft or cast-from-exile decks. Free spells are one of the stronger payoffs for maintaining the crown, especially since it comes with two extra cards a turn. You draw an extra card each turn even if another player becomes the monarch, so you have a solid floor to work with.

#14. Court of Ardenvale

The Courts are already powerful monarch cards, but ones that work without the crown are in another class. A free Raise Dead every upkeep—arguably a better one since it recurs sagas and artifacts—is a fine investment considering that you always draw at least one card. Once you maintain the crown, you can establish annoying loops with cards like Cathar Commando and Selfless Spirit that sacrifice themselves to accrue value.

#13. Emberwilde Captain

If Emberwilde Captain sticks, it becomes a punishing card. Your opponent can take the crown, but they lose a ton of life between the triggered ability and the 4/2 that itches to swing back. This works best in Cube and other 1v1 formats with low enough life totals to make taking 2 or 3 damage interesting.

#12. Regal Behemoth

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Cards that produce card advantage and a mana advantage are inherently powerful, if not broken. Regal Behemoth does both. A mana doubler that draws extra cards each turn can only be so bad, and trample means it's no slouch at keeping you in that throne.

#11. Faramir, Steward of Gondor

Faramir, Steward of Gondor is far stronger than it looks. It requires another card to make you become the monarch, which isn't great. But once you have that other piece, it shines. Most effects that reward you for being the monarch trigger in your upkeep, which requires you to keep the crown for a turn; not so with Faramir. In fact, it does an incredible job protecting the crown since you end up with at least four creatures: Faramir, whatever triggered it, and two tokens. This is also pretty much the only monarch card that can retrigger without a flicker effect or something. As long as you have a stream of legendary creatures (hardly a challenge these days), the crown returns to its rightful place turn after turn.

#10. Azure Fleet Admiral

Azure Fleet Admiral puts in work for Pauper players because it maintains the monarchy. The unblockable clause lets you reclaim the crown and ensures that, at worst, you and your opponent pass the crown back and forth.

#9. Court of Bounty

Commander is a slow format that rewards ramp, even slower ramp cards like Court of Bounty. But the games you keep the crown for a turn cycle and plop Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger or some Eldrazi into play are even sweeter. I'm not as excited to play this in Cube, where your opponents are inclined to play faster and only attack you.

#8. Thorn of the Black Rose

All the common monarch cards have had a monumental impact on Pauper—some so much so that they were banned. Thorn of the Black Rose was one of the first, and it holds up well as a strong defender of the monarchy that handles nasty threats like Tolarian Terror in combat.

#7. Crimson Fleet Commodore

Another of Pauper's monarch staples, Crimson Fleet Commodore is a far more aggressive take that puts your opponent in a tough spot. Pretty much anything can attack into a 5/2, but can they afford to take 5 in return? It's not likely they can just drop a 2/2 in front of it since trample secures the crown.

#6. Queen Marchesa

Once the monarch commander of choice, Queen Marchesa has been dethroned. Still, this is a beast of a card. Deathtouch and haste let it play offensively or defensively, and the assassin tokens excel at stealing the monarch; nobody wants to trade their good creatures for a token, after all, and you often benefit either way.

#5. Aragorn, King of Gondor

If you want a good monarch commander, my money's on Aragorn, King of Gondor. Sorry Queen Marchesa, but access to blue trumps black in nearly any format—perhaps that's why this does so well in Duel Commander. Even at the regular Commander table, a cheap monarch card that's always in your opening hand and doubles as a potent finisher with its unblockable ability is well worth building around.

#4. Fall from Favor

Fall from Favor caught a deserved Pauper ban for warping the format, because removal attached to the monarch is insanely powerful. On the play, you can cast this on your opponent's 2-drop, which gives you the monarchy for two turns unless your opponent has a hasty 3-drop. Even on the play, it's a great tempo swing. You can even use it on your own 2-drop to no ill effect. Like many mechanics, the monarch rewards efficiency and any cheap two-for-one has some competitive value.

#3. Court of Garenbrig

Court of Garenbrig is easily the best Court because it's playable without the monarch text as a slightly larger Innkeeper's Talent. Toss in the monarch, and you have one of the game's strongest counter distributors due to the card advantage. Any deck that makes proper use of these counters enjoys the monarch because they have a ton of creatures to defend or secure the monarchy.

#2. Forth Eorlingas!

Flexibility makes Forth Eorlingas! king of 1v1 formats like Cube and Canadian Highlander. You can cast it turn 3 (or turn 2, with a dork) to claim the monarchy before your opponent can contest, or you can dump all your mana into it turn 8 to win with a hasty cavalry. If this crosses your path in Cube, it's always worth splashing.

#1. Palace Jailer

Palace Jailer is the strongest monarch card in 1v1 formats like Cube and Canadian Highlander because it nukes any threat and draws a card. At least one card, that is. This is a particularly devastating Fiend Hunter riff since removing the Jailer doesn't get the creature back, only taking the crown does. It doesn't look like much until you play with it and start to win.

Best Monarch Payoffs

A handful of cards literally reward you for being the monarch, like Throne Warden and Garrulous Sycophant, though those are mostly at the power level of Limited cards. Honestly, the best payoffs for being the monarch are the Courts themselves.

You can also enhance your monarch cards with card draw payoffs. Spells like Nadir Kraken and The Locust God that create tokens as you draw cards are great ways to defend the crown while Psychosis Crawler and Niv-Mizzet, Parun turn the card draw into pressure to wrap the game up.

Magic also has many cards that trigger when you draw your second card, like Minn, Wily Illusionist, On the Trail, Homunculus Horde, and Zimone and Dina that pair perfectly with the monarchy since your draw step and the end step trigger makes them tick.

Wrap Up

Court of Vantress | Illustration by Nino Vecia

Though the monarch has expanded beyond its intended format, I think it's one of Magic's best mechanics. It might have redefined Pauper, but mechanics that encourage people to do things and get aggressive, especially in Commander, are always winners in my book.

What's your favorite monarch card? Do you enjoy multiplayer mechanics? Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading.