The 27 Best Vehicle and Spacecraft Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on August 27, 2025

Parhelion II | Illustration by Adam Paquette

Starting in July 2025, Magic: The Gathering players will be able to use legendary vehicles and spacecraft as commanders—thanks to a big rules change introduced alongside the Edge of Eternities set. That’s right—you’ll finally be able to build Commander decks around cards like Esika's Chariot or Parhelion II. But why now, and what does this mean for the future of the format? Let’s find out while we rank them!

What Are Vehicle and Spacecraft Commanders in MTG?

Heart of Kiran | Illustration by Jaime Jones

Vehicle and spacecraft commanders are legendary artifact cards that can be your commander, as long as they have a power and toughness printed on the card. These cards usually start as noncreature artifacts, but they can become creatures by being crewed (for vehicles) or stationed (for spacecraft). Once they meet the crew or station requirement, they function just like any other creature on the battlefield.

Wizards of the Coast officially updated the rules in 2025 to allow these legendary vehicles and spacecraft to be played from the command zone. This opens the door to really creative deck-building options using some of the most popular vehicles as your commander!

#27. The Prima Vista

The Prima Vista is sleek and clever, geared for spellslingers who want their vehicles to play along. It flies by default, and if you spend at least 4 mana on a noncreature spell, it animates itself for free. Toss it into a deck full of big instants, sagas, or planeswalkers, and you’ve got a surprisingly aggressive airship.

#26. Weatherlight

Weatherlight is a legendary staple that rewards you for connecting in combat. Whenever it hits a player, you get to dig five cards deep for a historic card—an artifact, legendary card, or saga—and put it straight into your hand. This is perfect for value-focused decks full of legendary creatures or utility artifacts. Think about pairing it with Traxos, Scourge of Kroog for bonus synergy.

#25. Weatherlight Compleated

Weatherlight Compleated is all about death and transformation. When your creatures die, it gains phyresis counters—four or more turn it into a creature, and once you hit seven, you start drawing cards instead of just scrying. It’s a slow-burning value piece that works best in aristocrats decks.

#24. Adrestia

With unblockable potential and a clever tribal payoff, Adrestia rewards you for building around assassins. It has islandwalk by default, but when an assassin crews it, you not only get to draw a card—you also turn Adrestia into an assassin itself until end of turn. That makes it a natural fit in Izzet or Dimir decks featuring cards like Assassin Initiate or Hookblade Veteran, where sneaky hits and tribal synergies go hand in hand.

#23. Golden Argosy

Golden Argosy is one of the most unique vehicles out there. When it attacks, it exiles the creatures that crewed it, then brings them back at the end of the turn. That makes it a perfect commander for blink decks and enter-the-battlefield effects. Cards like Mulldrifter, Panharmonicon, or Recruiter of the Guard shine here, letting you recycle your value engines every combat.

#22. Bessie, the Doctor's Roadster

Bessie, the Doctor's Roadster is a zippy little vehicle that helps your legendary creatures slip past blockers. When it attacks, another legendary creature you control becomes unblockable for the turn. With haste and an easy crew cost, Bessie slides nicely into decks with a legendary theme—pair it with Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender for quick hits and easy value.

#21. Heart of Kiran

Fast, evasive, and full of synergy, Heart of Kiran brings extra value to any superfriends deck. Instead of relying solely on creatures to crew it, you can remove a loyalty counter from a planeswalker to get it going—making it a perfect companion to walkers like Karn, Scion of Urza or Ugin, Eye of the Storms. With flying and vigilance baked in, this 4/4 is always ready to attack and defend without missing a beat.

#20. Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought

Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought is an absolute monster in the command zone. It starts off as a dormant spacecraft, but once you station enough creatures to hit 20 charge counters, it becomes a flying 20/20 that can one-shot creatures or planeswalkers every time you attack. That’s right—100 damage to a target, just like that. If you love over-the-top finishers and building around power-heavy creatures, this is your go-to space juggernaut.

#19. Hearthhull, the Worldseed

Looking to grind out value with land sacrifice and ramp? Hearthhull, the Worldseed delivers. It starts off letting you trade lands for extra cards and bonus land drops, but once you station up to 8, it takes to the skies with flying, vigilance, and haste—while draining your opponents whenever a land hits the graveyard. It’s perfect alongside tools like Zuran Orb or Crop Rotation, giving you a powerful way to outpace and burn the table.

#18. The Last Ride

The Last Ride is as dramatic as it sounds. It’s a 13/13 for just —but it gets -X/-X equal to your life total. That makes it nearly uncrewable early, but it shines in life-manipulation decks. It also has a nifty ability to pay life and draw cards, giving it late-game value even if it’s too small to attack. Think about pairing it with Necropotence, Greed, or anything that messes with life totals in fun ways.

#17. Infinite Guideline Station

Infinite Guideline Station is a 5-color masterpiece that rewards multicolor synergy like crazy. When it enters, you get a 2/2 Robot for each multicolored permanent you control, and once it's stationed up to 12 counters, it becomes a 7/15 flier that draws cards every time it attacks. It’s perfect for 5-color goodstuff decks with cards like Jodah, the Unifier, or with token generators like Nesting Dovehawk.

#16. Inspirit, Flagship Vessel

Inspirit, Flagship Vessel is a Jeskai () artifact-lover’s dream. Before it even becomes a creature, it buffs your other artifacts with counters. Once stationed past 8, it grants hexproof and indestructible to your whole artifact squad. It's tailor-made for go-wide artifact decks, especially ones running Third Path Iconoclast or Bronze Guardian to keep your field unbreakable.

#15. The Seriema

The Seriema offers value the moment it hits the battlefield by tutoring any legendary creature to your hand. Once it’s stationed up to 7, it becomes a flying 5/5 that makes all your tapped legends indestructible—perfect for aggressive builds. Try pairing it with Kytheon, Hero of Akros or Adeline, Resplendent Cathar to maximize that legend synergy.

#14. Valor's Flagship

Valor's Flagship is all about power and utility. Flying, first strike, and lifelink make it brutal in combat, and its cycling ability is surprisingly useful—toss it early and you’ll make Pilot tokens that crew just like stronger creatures. Later on, bring it back to slam into the red zone.

#13. The Prydwen, Steel Flagship

If you're into artifacts and tokens, The Prydwen, Steel Flagship is a solid pick. It creates 2/2 Human Knight tokens whenever another artifact enters under your control—and those tokens get huge if another artifact joins. The crew cost is manageable, and the payoffs get out of hand quickly.

#12. RMS Titanic

RMS Titanic lives up to its name with its massive 7/1 stats and risky reward. When it connects in combat, it hits hard, then sinks—sacrificing itself and creating that many Treasure tokens. If you love going all-in for explosive value, this is your kind of card. Add support like Unleash Fury or Junk Jet to make the crash even more spectacular.

#11. Grond, the Gatebreaker

Grond, the Gatebreaker brings pure menace to any black deck, especially ones with army tokens. If you control an army on your turn, Grond becomes a trampling 5/5 that’s ready to smash through defenses. It's a great pick for decks that build wide or use amass effects like Orcish Bowmasters or Mordor Muster, helping you swing big every turn.

#10. The Regalia

With The Regalia, every attack gives you a land off the top of your library, ramping you forward with ease. It only needs a single power to crew, so even small creatures keep it going. This makes it a smooth fit for landfall decks or strategies that want to thin the deck quickly. Try it in a shell with Oracle of Mul Daya or Wayward Swordtooth for big payoffs.

#9. Esika's Chariot

You’re not just getting cats with Esika's Chariot—you’re getting a token-copying engine that snowballs with every attack. Sure, it enters with a pair of 2/2 green cats, but the real power kicks in when it starts duplicating other tokens you control. That includes Treasure, Clues, creature tokens… or even a token planeswalker like a nonlegendary copy of Ob Nixilis, the Adversary. Yes, really. If you copied it with casualty, the Chariot can make even more planeswalkers. It’s the kind of absurd value that keeps growing until your opponents can't keep up.

#8. The Lunar Whale

The Lunar Whale brings slick blue card advantage to the skies. Not only can you look at the top card of your library anytime, but once this vehicle attacks, you’re allowed to play that card—land or spell. It’s easy to crew and smooths out your draws like a dream.

#7. The Indomitable

If you like drawing cards for attacking, The Indomitable might be your new favorite vehicle. It gives you a card every time one of your creatures deals combat damage, and with trample, it’s tough to block. The best part? You can cast it from your graveyard if you control three tapped pirates or vehicles. That makes it amazing in aggressive blue tempo builds with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator or Kitesail Larcenist.

#6. The Belligerent

The Belligerent doesn’t just hit hard—it generates Treasure tokens and lets you play off the top of your deck for the whole turn. Every time it attacks, you gain resources and knowledge, which makes it a great pick for artifact or impulse draw strategies. Crew 3 is achievable in red-blue builds, especially if you’re already running cards like Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain.

#5. The Falcon, Airship Restored

Built for value and recursion, The Falcon, Airship Restored gives you a flying threat that trades itself in for a creature from your graveyard. After connecting with a player, you can sacrifice it and reanimate something even bigger, then bring the Falcon back later for just 5 mana. It shines in sacrifice or graveyard decks alongside payoffs like Vilis, Broker of Blood or Archon of Cruelty, making sure nothing in your graveyard stays dead for long.

#4. Jackdaw

Jackdaw is a wild ride for artifact-heavy decks. Whenever it connects with a player, you can discard your hand and draw a fresh one for every artifact you control. That might sound risky, but in the right build, it’s an engine for explosive card advantage. Combine this with cards like Mishra's Bauble or Sai, Master Thopterist to refill your grip in a snap.

#3. Parhelion II

While mostly seen in Greasefang, Okiba Boss decks, Parhelion II is a classic that packs a celestial punch. This flying, vigilant, first-striking vehicle creates two attacking 4/4 angel tokens every time it swings. Sure, it costs 8 mana and needs a crew of 4, but when it takes off, it's glorious. Combine it with token doublers like Anointed Procession or Mondrak, Glory Dominus.

#2. Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

Skysovereign, Consul Flagship remains one of the cleanest and most consistent vehicles in the game. Every time it enters or attacks, it zaps a creature or planeswalker for 3 damage. With flying and 6/5 stats, it dominates the air and acts as repeatable removal. Crew 3 is very reasonable, and it fits into nearly any midrange deck that wants pressure and value.

#1. Shorikai, Genesis Engine

Already a fan favorite, Shorikai, Genesis Engine brings serious card selection and token value to the command zone. With just one mana and a tap, you draw two, discard one, and get a 1/1 Pilot that crews as if it had 3 power—making it way easier to power up this massive 8/8 vehicle. It’s right at home in control shells or go-wide token builds, and gets especially silly with cards like Smothering Tithe for ramp or Intruder Alarm for near-infinite loops.

Why Are Legendary Vehicles and Spacecraft Allowed to Be Commanders?

Legendary vehicles and spacecraft can now be commanders because of a rules update from Wizards of the Coast tied to the Edge of Eternities set. As of July 25, 2025, any legendary vehicles or spacecraft that have a power and toughness can be your commander as long as they can become creatures (using crew or station), they qualify.

This change was made to support new mechanics like station and to give players more creative deck-building options.

Technically, the rule counts any permanent type with a power/toughness box, which futureproofs for any new card types we might get in the future.

Can The Eternity Elevator Be Your Commander?

No, The Eternity Elevator cannot be your commander. To be a valid commander, a legendary spacecraft must have a printed power/toughness box, and The Eternity Elevator doesn’t.

Commanding Conclusion

Esika's Chariot | Illustration by Raoul Vitale

As you can see, letting legendary vehicles and spacecraft become commanders isn’t just a fun twist—it opens up entirely new ways to build and play in Commander.

What do you think about this change? Which card would be willing to build your next Commander deck around? Let us know in the comments!

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Take care, and we will meet again in my next article!