Starter Commander Decks: Are They Worth It?

Last updated on September 4, 2025

Liliana, Untouched by Death | Illustration by Bastien L. Deharme

The Starter Commander decks are definitely emblematic of Wizards' push of the Commander format. These decks are designed to help new players get into the format at a low entry price. They’re a good product to get new friends into Magic, or for veteran players to just mix things up with a cheap precon battle.

I think it’s important to consider how well the decks play since these are intended as an introductory product. Trying to get your friends into the game with precons that aren’t any fun is more likely to turn them off Magic. It’s also important to see if these decks are really worth it for playgroups that are already established.

So let’s take a look at Starter Commander and see if it’s really worth grabbing, or if it’s a product you should skip. Ready? Let’s get started!

All About Starter Commander

What Is Starter Commander?

Curse of Disturbance | Illustration by Kieran Yanner

Starter Commander is a set of five preconstructed Commander decks that were released on December 2, 2022. They’re an easy entry point for new players or a good way for existing players to introduce their friends and family to the game.

How Does Starter Commander Compare to Other Commander Products?

Starter Commander is a little different than typical Commander precons in a few ways.

The first is that there are no new cards introduced in this set. This was definitely a smart move on Wizards’ part because cards unique to a certain product can drive the price through the roof, like what Dockside Extortionist did with Commander 2019’s Mystic Intellect precon. The commanders here also aren’t new cards but some existing legendary creatures.

The other difference is that Wizards says they put emphasis on “practical” cards for these precons. That means the strategies are pretty straightforward and easy for new players to pick up.

Should I Buy Starter Commander?

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Most Fun

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Top Pick

Most Valuable

Most Competitive

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – First Flight (White-Blue) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games First Flight Single

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

$22.90

$26.06

$26.46

$30.00

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

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Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – First Flight (White-Blue) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games First Flight Single

$22.90

Buy on Amazon

Most Fun

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$26.06

Buy on Amazon

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Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$26.46

Buy on Amazon

Top Pick

Most Valuable

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$30.00

Buy on Amazon

Most Competitive

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

I think Starter Commander is a great product to introduce players to Magic or Commander. The Starter Commander decks generally cost less than the price to put together the singles, so they're a good deal.

Most of the commanders crack the top 500 most popular on EDHREC, which means that these decks are good jumping-off points for players who want to continue their Magic journey. On the flip side, this isn’t really the product for you if you’ve been playing for a while and are looking for some good value. Most cards in the decks are worth less than $3, and the most expensive card in the entire set is less than $10.

Starter Commander definitely gets my recommendation as a good introductory product. For established players, I say you should buy this if you plan to introduce new players to the game or want to grab some new decks at a low cost to play out of the box with your playgroup.

And if you search for value, skip this one. Even though the card totals are much higher than the asking price, there aren’t enough individually valuable cards for these decks to be worth it as an investment for collectors.

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck Bundle – Includes All 5 Decks

• Bundle of all 5 Starter Commander Decks—First Flight, Grave Danger, Chaos Incarnate, Draconic Destruction, and Token Triumph
• Each deck contains 100 cards—1 Foil-Etched Legendary card + 99 nonfoil cards
• Each deck also comes with 1 deck box, 10 double-sided tokens, punchout counters, a strategy insert, and a reference card
• The perfect introduction to Magic’s most popular format—join your friends in epic multiplayer battles with a ready-to-play MTG deck
• Commander Game Format 2–5 players, around 120 minutes to play

Buy on Amazon

First Flight

Commander, Theme, and Strategy

Isperia, Supreme Judge | Illustration by Maxime Minard

The commander for First Flight is Isperia, Supreme Judge, and this judge reigns supreme. All these decks have very simple strategies similar to the old planeswalker starter decks since they’re meant to introduce players to the game.

Your goal here is to get flying creatures out and buff them with cards like Gravitational Shift and Favorable Winds. Isperia provides decent card draw once it’s out and there are also cards like Staggering Insight that help with this. There are some counterspells and removal that give this deck a bit of a control subtheme, but it doesn’t lean too heavily on it.

There are several cards in the deck that players can use to try and get their opponents to attack them, like Angler Turtle and Bident of Thassa. This is helpful with Isperia, Supreme Judge on the board because it can draw you a good number of cards.

Notable Cards: Reprints and $$

The most notable cards in the deck are Sephara, Sky's Blade plus dual lands like Port Town and Prairie Stream. Nice inclusions for any Azorius () mana base.

The Verdict

First Flight’s strategy is definitely nice and simple for new players. It performs well against most of the Starter Commander decks since they aren’t all super well-equipped to deal with flying creatures.

That said I can’t really get too excited about this one. It’s a little too simple for my taste, and Isperia, Supreme Judge’s effect is good card draw but there aren’t enough specific payoffs to make it feel like the essential commander for this deck.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – First Flight (White-Blue) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games First Flight Single

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, First Flight (White-Blue), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD WHITE-BLUE DECK: With the First Flight deck, take wing with the sphinx Isperia, Supreme Judge, and overwhelm foes with a squadron of flying friends
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$22.90

Buy on Amazon

Grave Danger

Commander, Theme, and Strategy

Gisa and Geralf | Illustration by Karla Ortiz

The commander for Grave Danger is Gisa and Geralf, Innistrad’s zombie-loving brother-sister duo. This is a zombie tribal deck with a reanimation theme.

Grave Danger’s strategy largely revolves around filling your own graveyard with good zombie creatures and then reanimating them. Gisa and Geralf’s abilities clearly signal to players what this deck is meant to do making it an easy strategy to pick up on, if not slightly more complex than some of the other decks. Newer players have to get used to the idea of milling themselves and being less attached to their own creatures since they have ways to get them back.

This deck includes some aristocrats elements because the reanimation theme makes sacrificing a creature a lot less of a loss. It also includes several board wipes that are theoretically much more devastating for its opponents.

Notable Cards: Reprints and $$

One of the best cards in this deck value-wise is Liliana, Untouched by Death. It’s also a great inclusion for this deck because this Liliana perfectly fits the theme and is definitely a good card to keep if you’re looking to upgrade this deck. Havengul Lich is an underrated card that has lots of flexibility and turns the graveyards into second hands.

The deck also includes some great zombie tribal cards like Cemetery Reaper and Gleaming Overseer, which are nice for new players to have if they want to stick with this precon. Then there’s Gray Merchant of Asphodel, A.K.A. Gary in Magic slang, which is a staple in mono-black Commander decks.

The Verdict

The theming in this deck is really tight, and I think it perfectly straddles the line between “simple to understand” and “effective at higher levels of play.” As someone who’s been wanting to build Gisa and Geralf, I’m considering picking this deck up just to get a jump start on it.

While I really like this deck it is potentially discouraging to play in the environment of Starter Commander decks specifically. It doesn’t have a lot of ways to deal with flying creatures and has trouble against First Flight and Draconic Destruction. But I still think it is fun enough that players won’t care.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Grave Danger (Blue-Black), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD BLUE-BLACK DECK: With the Grave Danger deck, ally with the human wizards and siblings Gisa and Geralf and overwhelm foes with a multiplying army of zombies
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$26.06

Buy on Amazon

Chaos Incarnate

Commander, Theme, and Strategy

Kardur, Doomscourge | Illustration by Helge C. Balzer

Kardur, Doomscourge helms Chaos Incarnate. While there are some chaos cards, the idea behind the deck is more of just to make stuff happen. There’s a bit of goading, some direct damage spells meant to punish other players, and a few true chaotic cards like Explosion of Riches and Wildfire Devils.

The deck’s strategy is to use cards like Spiteful Visions and Kaervek the Merciless to chip away at your opponents’ life totals. Kardur’s ability can also help with this since it spreads damage out across all your opponents on a somewhat consistent basis. The damage doubler payoff in Dictate of the Twin Gods is one that gives the game some real momentum.

Goading your opponents’ creatures is a good way to make sure that they continue to deal damage to one another and keeps them from attacking you. You can use cards like Deadly Tempest and Rakdos Charm to close things out once you’re up on life.

Notable Cards: Reprints and $$

One of the more expensive cards in Chaos Incarnate is Lightning Greaves, and it’s also one of the more notable inclusions. It’s a Commander staple and honestly isn’t terrible in any Commander deck since it’s great for preventing commanders from being targeted and disrupts a lot of removal.

Archfiend of Depravity is also relatively valuable for these decks and definitely does some work against your opponents. It’s likely to be one of the meanest cards played in games using just Starter Commander precons. Blasphemous Act is another format staple. It’s also one of red’s better board wipe options, so it’s nice to see it included here.

The Verdict

I think Chaos Incarnate makes Starter Commander games a lot more fun for players. Forcing players to attack speeds games up and prevents stalemates that are likely to bore new players. Cards like Chaos Warp can also lead to fun and unexpected moments that liven things up.

I think this precon holds up pretty well against other decks in Starter Commander. It has a decent number of answers and goad abilities to help point big threats at other players. I do think a lot of effects in this deck might come off as scary to new players, so whoever grabs Chaos Incarnate might get early experience with being hated off the table.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD BLACK-RED DECK: With the Chaos Incarnate deck, embrace the chaos of war with the demon berserker Kardur, Doomscourge, and overwhelm foes with a multiplying army
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$26.46

Buy on Amazon

Draconic Destruction

Commander, Theme, and Strategy

Atarka, World Render | Illustration by Karl Kopinski

Atarka, World Render is the head dragon in charge of Draconic Destruction. This is a relatively straightforward dragon tribal deck without any specific sub-themes.

Your strategy for this deck is mainly to drop some big dragons and swing with them. Atarka and cards like Crucible of Fire help increase your dragons’ damage output. Aside from buffing up your dragons, you also have ways to give them trample with cards like Garruk's Uprising which help punch through the decks that are heavy on fliers in Starter Commander.

Notable Cards: Reprints and $$

The most valuable card in Draconic Destruction is Dragon Tempest. It’s incredible in any dragon deck and can even help close out a game.

This is actually the most valuable of all the Starter Commander decks. It includes a few cards that go for more than $3 including Scourge of Valkas, Elemental Bond, and Vandalblast.

This precon also includes great dragon tribal cards like Spit Flame, Dragonmaster Outcast, and Magmaquake. A few more cards see plenty of play in Commander: Dragon Mage as a wheel card that allows players to discard and draw entire hands, Swiftfoot Boots is solid equipment that is helpful in virtually every Commander deck, and Cinder Glade which is a slow land of the red and green color identity.

The Verdict

I think Draconic Destruction is my first choice right out of the box. It plays well against the rest of the Starter Commander precons and can possibly even stand up to some Bracket 3 decks if you’re interested in trying the deck elsewhere. I think the deck suffers from a steep mana curve and little ramp, though, but there’s a decent amount of cost reduction to help make up for that.

I think this precon also serves as a good starter dragon deck since it gives you two of the more important colors for dragon decks. This is a good starting point for players to splash some blue and convert it into a Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm deck.

This deck also has a few good lands to get players started. Haven of the Spirit Dragon works for any color dragon deck, and Cinder Glade benefits from having basic land types to work in conjunction with Game Trail.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Draconic Destruction (Red-Green), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD RED-GREEN DECK: With the Draconic Destruction deck, go on the attack with Atarka, World Render, and double down on dragon damage to overwhelm foes with a multiplying army
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$30.00

Buy on Amazon

Token Triumph

Commander, Theme, and Strategy

Emmara, Soul of the Accord | Illustration by Mark Winters

Token Triumph is commanded by Emmara, Soul of the Accord. This precon’s theme is creature tokens, and the strategy revolves around making said creature tokens.

There are plenty of ways to make these tokens, whether it’s creature abilities like Hornet Queen or spells like Aura Mutation and March of the Multitudes. There are also cards like Presence of Gond that allow you to safely tap Emmara while doubling up on the number of tokens it makes.

You also want to make your tokens bigger so they can stand up to your opponent’s creatures. This deck includes a couple of handy anthems in the form of Dictate of Heliod and Collective Blessing. There’s also the ever-helpful Hour of Reckoning, which is a great way to clear your opponents’ boards while keeping yours intact.

Notable Cards: Reprints and $$

Citanul Hierophants is a very helpful tool in a token deck, but it’s disappointing that it wasn’t swapped for the slightly cheaper Cryptolith Rite, which is a bit better. This is kind of a pattern in this deck.

Ajani, Caller of the Pride can be a fun wincon and is also just a helpful way to buff your tokens. Curse of Bounty is an interesting inclusion that I really enjoy in this deck, and I think it helps speed up potentially slow precon games. Felidar Retreat is always great in a token deck.

The Verdict

While Token Triumph has some good cards it suffers the most from the strict pricing restrictions Wizards seems to have put on cards in these decks. Forget big-ticket items like Doubling Season and Parallel Lives, but cheaper options like Heraldic Banner, Finale of Glory and Anthem of Champions are great upgrades.

There’s even a much clearer commander in the form of Rhys the Redeemed, but it seems like Wizards wanted to go with commanders that are inexpensive. Avenger of Zendikar is under $2 and found in tons of precons. To include would have still kept this deck’s value lower than Draconic Destruction.

While it may be disappointing to see some great Selesnya () tokens staples missing, this deck does have a solid foundation to build from. This deck will have trouble against Draconic Destruction and First Flight seeing as it doesn’t have as many cards to deal with fliers, but I think Token Triumph is a decent starting deck. Just maybe not the best-out-of-the-box deck here.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Token Triumph (Green-White), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD GREEN-WHITE DECK: With the Token Triumph deck, ally with the elf cleric Emmara, Soul of the Accord, and overwhelm foes with a multiplying army
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

The Best Starter Commander Decks

For Value

In terms of card value, Draconic Destruction is the best bang for your buck. You just about break even with the deck’s price, and the value of the cards. This precon also has a good distribution of worthwhile cards as instead of just having one very valuable card while the rest are super cheap.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Draconic Destruction (Red-Green), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD RED-GREEN DECK: With the Draconic Destruction deck, go on the attack with Atarka, World Render, and double down on dragon damage to overwhelm foes with a multiplying army
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$30.00

Buy on Amazon

For Competitive EDH

This was a hard call since none of these precons are competitive out of the box and mostly just have good potential. But with the understanding that all these decks need to be upgraded, I think I’d have to go with Token Triumph as the best cEDH precon.

It has a solid enough foundation that can be built on with some staples like Second Harvest and Avenger of Zendikar. Emmara, Soul of the Accord should likely be replaced by Rhys the Redeemed, while Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar and King Darien XLVIII are solid upgrades.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Token Triumph (Green-White), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD GREEN-WHITE DECK: With the Token Triumph deck, ally with the elf cleric Emmara, Soul of the Accord, and overwhelm foes with a multiplying army
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

For Fun

I think Grave Danger is the most fun of these precons as-is. It uses a fun playstyle and is powerful enough to stand up to the other Starter Commander decks. I also think it does one of the best jobs with its theme, which is always a bonus.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

• READY-TO-PLAY COMMANDER DECK FOR NEWCOMERS AND FANS: Join friends in epic battles! This Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck, Grave Danger (Blue-Black), is ready to play straight out of the box
• INTRO TO MAGIC’S MOST POPULAR FORMAT: Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic! Learn how to play with your own deck, easy-to-follow rules, strategy tips, and reference card
• 100 CARD BLUE-BLACK DECK: With the Grave Danger deck, ally with the human wizards and siblings Gisa and Geralf and overwhelm foes with a multiplying army of zombies
• FOIL-ETCHED LEGENDARY CREATURE CARD: Includes 1 legendary creature card with gorgeous art and a foil-etched treatment. This card serves as your "commander" with unique abilities that make plays even more powerful
• INCLUDES ACCESSORIES AND DECK BOX: Also comes with 10 two-sided tokens, a deck box for storage, and punchout counters to keep track of creature buffs

$26.06

Buy on Amazon

Where to Buy Starter Commander

Starter Commander decks can be bought at your local game store as well as from online Magic retailers. There are reviews from more than one person who ordered the 5-pack bundle of Starter Commander decks from Amazon, and got five of the same decks. Keep that return information handy just in case you need to take action after your package arrives.

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck Bundle – Includes All 5 Decks

• Bundle of all 5 Starter Commander Decks—First Flight, Grave Danger, Chaos Incarnate, Draconic Destruction, and Token Triumph
• Each deck contains 100 cards—1 Foil-Etched Legendary card + 99 nonfoil cards
• Each deck also comes with 1 deck box, 10 double-sided tokens, punchout counters, a strategy insert, and a reference card
• The perfect introduction to Magic’s most popular format—join your friends in epic multiplayer battles with a ready-to-play MTG deck
• Commander Game Format 2–5 players, around 120 minutes to play

Buy on Amazon

What are Some Good Beginner Commander Decks?

Magic: The Gathering The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Deck - Explorers of The Deep (100-Card Deck, 2-Card Collector Booster Sample Pack + Accessories)

Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities - Commander Deck - Counter Intelligence

Our pick

Magic: The Gathering Modern Horizons 3 Commander Deck - Tricky Terrain (100-Card Deck, 2-Card Collector Booster Sample Pack + Accessories) Green-Blue

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Sultai Arisen

Magic: The Gathering Bloomburrow Commander Deck Bundle - Includes All 4 Decks (Animated Army, Family Matters, Peace Offering, and Squirreled Away)

Best for New Players

Best Budget

Best Value

Best Competitive

Best Bundle

-

$71.98

Price not available

$53.68

$63.22

$154.98

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Magic: The Gathering The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Deck - Explorers of The Deep (100-Card Deck, 2-Card Collector Booster Sample Pack + Accessories)

Best for New Players

$71.98

Buy on Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities - Commander Deck - Counter Intelligence

Best Budget

-

Price not available

Buy on Amazon

Our pick

Magic: The Gathering Modern Horizons 3 Commander Deck - Tricky Terrain (100-Card Deck, 2-Card Collector Booster Sample Pack + Accessories) Green-Blue

Best Value

$53.68

Buy on Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander Deck - Sultai Arisen

Best Competitive

$63.22

Buy on Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Bloomburrow Commander Deck Bundle - Includes All 4 Decks (Animated Army, Family Matters, Peace Offering, and Squirreled Away)

Best Bundle

$154.98

Buy on Amazon

There are lots of good commander decks for beginners beyond what WotC designated as “Starters”. These are more preconstructed Commander decks that are straightforward, yet effective ones from our collection of best overall Commander precons:

• Riders of Rohan is powerful and easy to pilot.
• Death Toll does a lot of work for not a lot of money.
• Explorers of the Deep is solid out of the box and competitive with upgrades.

These are a good route to take if you want to branch out from the starter decks, and want a deck with more theme and unique mechanics.

Commanding Conclusion

Curse of Bounty | Illustration by Kieran Yanner

Starter Commander is a great product for what it’s trying to do. These decks do a good job of introducing popular themes and tribes to players and make picking up the game easier. I don’t know if there’s as much here for veteran players looking for value or competitive decks, but I think it is a fun activity to get together with your playgroup and try these out for a more casual game.

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Most Fun

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Top Pick

Most Valuable

Most Competitive

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – First Flight (White-Blue) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games First Flight Single

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

$22.90

$26.06

$26.46

$30.00

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

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Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – First Flight (White-Blue) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games First Flight Single

$22.90

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Most Fun

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Grave Danger (Blue-Black) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$26.06

Buy on Amazon

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Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Chaos Incarnate (Black-Red) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$26.46

Buy on Amazon

Top Pick

Most Valuable

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck – Draconic Destruction (Red-Green) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games

$30.00

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Most Competitive

Magic: The Gathering Starter Commander Deck - Token Triumph (Green-White) | Ready-to-Play Deck for Beginners and Fans | Ages 13+ | Collectible Card Games Token Triumph Single

$22.94

Buy on Amazon

Did you test out the Starter Commander decks with your playgroup? Which precon caught your attention the most? Do you think this is a good product for new players, or should Wizards make more competitive decks at a slightly higher price? Let me know what you think in the comments or over on Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!

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