The 15 Best Pauper EDH Decks in Magic Ranked

Last updated on February 8, 2024

Tatyova, Benthic Druid | Illustration by Mathias Kollros

Building Commander decks is an expensive hobby. An average EDH deck can run you anywhere from $40 to thousands after years of upgrades, and chances are you’ll be hankering to build another before the first is even “complete.” If only there were a cheaper 100-card singleton format to play, oh woe is me and woe is you!

But what if I told you that you didn’t have to spend so much for every Commander deck? That’s right, Pauper (the superior 60-card format) has spread its budget-friendly deck building to Commander in the form of Pauper Commander, the commons-only (except for your Commander) casual format designed to capture the essence of multiplayer Commander games on a budget! That’s right, at the cheap cost of one uncommon and 99 chaff commons, you can build a competitive Pauper Commander deck for under $40!

Where to start? With over 4000 uncommon creatures and an insurmountable number at common, how are you supposed to pick a commander? Worry not, I’ve ranked some of the most common powerhouse uncommons here just for you! Let’s dive right in and see what makes these paupers so… uncommon! (sorry).

What Are Pauper Commander Decks in MTG?

Terramorphic Expanse | Illustration by Dan Scott

Pauper Commander is a 100-card singleton format, meaning you can only include one of each card that’s not a basic land. As a Commander format, you need to choose one creature to be your commander, which then defines your deck’s color identity. Like EDH, you can only include cards that match your commander’s color identity.

That’s where the similarities end, though. Your commander can be any uncommon creature and doesn’t have to be legendary like a typical EDH deck. In addition, every other card in your deck must be a common. As long as a card has at least one printing at common or uncommon, it counts as either.

These Pauper Commander decks are some examples of the most popular, but this is by no means a definitive list. The pauper commanders listed here are either staple decks in the format or are a good introduction to the format’s slower play speed and smaller advantages.

#15. Scornful Aether-Lich

Scornful Aether-Lich | Illustration by Steven Belledin

Scornful Aether-Lich used to be one of the only 3-color options for a PDH deck. Many more have since been printed, but this Esper-aligned zombie will always have a place in my heart as the original PDH Voltron commander.

Its activated ability grants two semi-relevant keywords; the first being a conditional evasion effect and the second just being vigilance. Neither of these are amazing on their own, especially considering you can’t always predict what colors your opponents are playing, but access to three colors gives Scornful Aether-Lich a larger card pool to draw from. Besides access to the best artifact-themed Voltron card out there (Cranial Plating), you also have the typical Esper-themed artifact combo cards like Disciple of the Vault, or great value combat-steppers like Glassdust Hulk and Glaze Fiend. Run it alongside lots of affinity cards and 0-cost artifacts like Tormod's Crypt and go to town!

#14. Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar | Illustration by Marie Magny

I’m really excited about the possibilities Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar unlocks. Kutzil keeps your creatures safe from counterspells and removal during your turn, letting you buff them up with classic pumpers like Rancor. On its face, Kutzil is an easy-to-build-around uncommon that loves anthem effects and repeatable buffs. Use combat tricks like the humble Giant Growth to own the combat step without fear of counter-play.

Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar’s “out” is good ol’ combat damage. Use the politics at the table to swing at unblocked players and keep your hand full before dropping Fortify or Marshaling Cry to attack for big damage.

#13. Guttersnipe

Guttersnipe | Illustration by Mathias Kollros

Guttersnipe has been printed at both common and uncommon, and it’s been one of the staple commanders of the PDH format since its release in Return to Ravnica. Guttersnipe makes it into the 99 of any burn-themed PDH deck, but its usefulness from the command zone can’t be overstated. Instant access to a Shock that hits every opponent for every instant or sorcery you cast is, honestly, nuts in this environment. Load up on cheap 1- and 2-cost spells to burn your opponents away from turn 3 onwards.

#12. Third Path Iconoclast

Third Path Iconoclast | Illustration by Manuel Castañón

Third Path Iconoclast is an Izzet-colored uncommon with an ability that cares about casting noncreature spells. Creating a 1/1 artifact creature alongside any cheap cantrip or burn spell quickly adds up, especially once you land an Impact Tremors. Even outside of a straight-up spellslinger build, TPI makes for a great “affinity for artifacts” commander and can win games through playing cards like Steelfin Whale and Myr Enforcer. The absolute best for Third Path Iconoclast marries these two strategies into an effective combo where you can cast 0-drop artifacts like Tormod's Crypt over and over again with a Retraction Helix in play, capitalizing on the effects from Kessig Flamebreather and the like.

#11. Balmor, Battlemage Captain

Balmor, Battlemage Captain | Illustration by Bram Sels

Any semi-experienced Pauper player knows how much of a pain Monastery Swiftspear was to deal with, and how out of control it can get if left unanswered. Now take that obnoxious prowess effect and slap it on your entire board. Balmor, Battlemage Captain does basically that, with the bonus of granting trample as well. Balmor is begging you to run the storm cards at common, so I always make room for Grapeshot, Galvanic Relay, and even Ground Rift in my personal lists. The effect is instantaneous and brutal. Wrap Balmor, Battlemage Captain in any typical Izzet spellslinger package by including classics Kiln Fiend, Nivix Cyclops, and Goblin Electromancer and watch the sparks fly. Access to blue means you can always run the Archaeomancer + Peregrine Drake + Ghostly Flicker combo to get infinite mana, which you can then immediately dump into dropping every spell you can get your hands on.

#10. Khenra Charioteer

Khenra Charioteer | Illustration by Chris Rallis

Gruul cards do one thing really well, and that’s combat. Khenra Charioteer really captures that Gruul mentality in a Gruulishly simple way. Giving everything you own trample suddenly turns a deck of mid-level attackers into consistent damage each turn. Some of the best includes for a Charioteer deck are any creature with deathtouch and more than a point of power and toughness – suddenly that’s a guaranteed dead blocker and damage, however small, squeaking by.

There’s nothing too special here, just a simple aggro deck that looks to outpace its opponents by dropping consistent threats each turn.

#9. Izzet Guildmage

Izzet Guildmage | Illustration by Jim Murray

The cycles of Guildmages from the various Ravnica sets have always made for good uncommon commanders. Izzet Guildmage is the pinnacle of spellslinger decks and has everything you’d ever need built right in. Never mind that 2-mana cost restriction – there are plenty of cheap red and blue spells that we’d love to copy as much as possible.

Izzet Guildmage is one of the better payoffs for infinite mana in PDH. Its ability scales well into the late game even without an unlimited supply of mana, and it’ll usually end games by copying a Lightning Bolt a million times to burn the table to ashes.

This Izzet Guildmage deck makes infinite mana in two classic ways; the first being Dramatic Reversal and enough mana rocks to make 4 mana, or the use of Hidden Strings / Izzet Boilerworks / any mana rock that makes 2 or more mana.

Don’t forget your Dizzy Spell, either. Transmute commons are some of the best (and only) tutors in PDH, and digging up that Lightning Bolt once you’re ready is essential to ending the game.

#8. Khenra Spellspear

Khenra Spellspear | Illustration by Artur Nakhodkin

Khenra Spellspear is an aggressive bear with both trample and the dreaded prowess mechanic, but that’s not what makes it a threat. Flipping the Spellspear into Gitaxian Spellstalker for 3 generic mana (why would you ever pay a blue instead of 2 life?) makes it a bigger, better, harder to remove creature with not one but two instances of prowess. Khenra Spellspear is begging you to build a spellslinger deck around it, and it’s not slow about it either. Hitting the field on turn 2 and transforming the following turn gives you the potential to explode if you draw into the right burn spells.

#7. Silver-Fur Master

Silver-Fur Master | Illustration by Carl Critchlow

Ninjas was a semi-successful Pauper deck for a moment, so it’s no surprise they can translate over to PDH fairly well. Silver-Fur Master is both a cost-reducer and anthem effect for ninjas, making for deadly surprises when you swap out an unblocked Tormented Soul for a Ninja of the New Moon. Of course, ninjas have always had access to some of the best hand disruption at common with Okiba-Gang Shinobi and the best repeatable card draw with Ninja of the Deep Hours. Continue to ninjutsu in your valuable ninjas and return them to your hand with Unsummon effects to keep them safe during your opponents’ turns.

#6. Vizkopa Guildmage

Vizkopa Guildmage | Illustration by Tyler Jacobson

Vizkopa Guildmage is a classic lifegain PDH commander that’s seen play since the format’s inception. Acting as a Sanguine Bond on a body, Vizkopa Guildmage decks work similarly to most lifegain decks: It gains a lot of life while draining its opponents’.

There are no shortages of easy lifegain in Pauper – any format where Gray Merchant of Asphodel is running around makes sure of that. The best Vizkopa Guildmage decks make use of the extort cards at common (Syndic of Tithes, Tithe Drinker) while cards like Riot Control and Children of Korlis can become huge Fireballs with your commander’s second activated ability.

#5. Soulherder

Soulherder | Illustration by Seb McKinnon

I once generated infinite mana in my Yarok, the Desecrated deck and cast Villainous Wealth for X=1000, after which a friend of mine said: “Wow, it’s almost like manipulating enters-the-battlefield effects is really good.” This was the understatement of the century, and they’ve since received many awards and accolades for their insight.

Soulherder is the same card within this format, as far as I’m concerned. Free ETB effects immediately doubles the value you get from any common creature with an ETB, meaning your Lone Missionary gets you 8 life for 2 mana, Skyscanner draws you two cards, Kor Cartographer ramps you better than a Wood Elves, and Stonehorn Dignitary locks your opponents out of twice as many combat steps.

A free Conjurer's Closet each end step is good, but Soulherder just gets better when you include the suite of Cloudshift-ing commons like Ephemerate, Settle Beyond Reality, Teferi's Time Twist, and Ghostly Flicker. Top any Soulherder deck off with a typical common control package (being sure to favor exile-based removal like Journey to Nowhere and Gaze of Justice.

#4. Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Yar-har! Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Breeches, Brazen Plunderer combine to make one nasty pirate-themed PDH. While The Lost Caverns of Ixalan released a slew of common pirates you can use to fill out an exclusively pirate deck, the best Malcolm/Breeches decks use type-changing cards to combo out.

Notice that neither of these commanders specifies the damage must be from combat – use this to skip the dangerous combat step and instead ping your opponents directly with either a pirate enchanted with Hermetic Study or by changing something like Guttersnipe to a pirate with Blades of Velis Vel. Reckless Fireweaver combos with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator for infinite damage and Treasure tokens, and with Breeches on the field you can dig through your opponents’ libraries for their game-enders.

#3. Ley Weaver + Lore Weaver

Ley Weaver – Illustration by Livia Prima

The partners Ley Weaver and Lore Weaver are about as straightforward as Simic decks get: They create a bunch of mana and draw a bunch of cards. Freed from the Real loves this deck, instantly going infinite with Ley Weaver to draw as many cards as you need with Lore Weaver. Once you’ve achieved infinite mana, start dumping it into direct damage effects supplemented by an untapper. Using a Viridian Longbow on a Horseshoe Crab is suddenly a devastating combo when mana’s no concern. Really, the only reason this one-two punch of a partner commander combo doesn’t top the list is the steep cost of playing and then sticking two 4-mana commanders.

#2. Gretchen Titchwillow

Gretchen Titchwillow | Illustration by Mila Pesic

There’s a lot of debate over which is better between Gretchen Titchwillow or Tatyova, Benthic Druid. Gretchen’s got Tatyova beat on mana cost and toughness, but its ability runs you 4 mana for each activation. While each commander typically exists to enable or otherwise set up a combo, Gretchen just won’t see as many cards as Tatyova until you’ve already set up the infinite mana combo. Really, the difference between these two comes down to how you like to play your deck, and what the meta around you looks like. If you find yourself staring down a quick Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh deck every week, Gretchen Titchwillow’s two mana value and 4 toughness are probably the better choice.

#1. Tatyova, Benthic Druid

Tatyova, Benthic Druid | Illustration by Mathias Kollros

There are more than a few Simic commanders on this list. That should come as no surprise since Simic has always had a leg up on the other color combinations when it comes to Eternal formats. Access to the best ramp and card draw gives green/blue an advantage when it comes to generating straight-up value, and Tatyova, Benthic Druid may be the best of the best. 5 mana makes Tatyova one of the more expensive PDH commanders on this list, but that’s definitely within reach in the overall slower Pauper Commander environment. Once it hits the field, it’s over.

Tatyova, Benthic Druid is one of those commanders that rewards you for playing the game. The lack of an activation cost in its text box means you won’t waste mana refilling your hand, and cards like Seeker of Skybreak and Walking Atlas can get you two or more triggers per turn. This is all in addition to traditional ramp; Rampant Growth, Cultivate, and Explore are all legal in this format, too.

The end game with Tatyova can really look like anything. Chances are, if you can stick it, you’ll have more mana and cards than you know what to do with, and you can easily start dumping that into any ol’ beater you want (Hand of Emrakul and Ulamog's Crusher come to mind), or you can go truly infinite with a Peregrine Drake, Archaeomancer and Ghostly Flicker.

Wrap Up

Ash Barrens | Illustration by Jonas De Ro

I’m a firm believer that uncommons are the best cards in Magic: The Gathering, full stop. Rares and mythics might make for the huge, splashy plays we love, and commons might hold down the fort for all your basic effects, but uncommons are the missing link between the two. Uncommons always have effects that bridge the gap between “unplayable” and “playable,” standing as shining examples of what any given color can do within the bounds of that set’s design.

Each new set brings plenty more uncommon creatures, so expect this list to shift significantly in the coming years as more players latch onto (the superior) Pauper Commander format in search of a small-ball Magic format that won’t break the bank.

Which of these Commanders is your favorite for PDH? Are there any glaringly obvious choices I neglected? And why are so many of them Izzet or Simic aligned? Let me know in the comments, or over on Draftsim’s TwXtter. Thanks for reading, and keep it simple!