Yes, You Can Have Multiple Legendary Creatures in Commander
As a passionate Commander player and content creator, one question I hear constantly is: "Can I have more than one legendary creature on the battlefield in Commander?"
The quick answer is yes, absolutely! While the format does have the "legend rule" that limits controlling two copies of the same legendary, you can pack your deck full of legends and slam them onto the board. There are just a few important rules and strategy factors to keep in mind!
Let‘s break down everything you need to know about playing with multiple legendary creatures in your Commander deck. Get ready for some legendary fun!
The Legend Rule Explained
The key rule that impacts legendary permanents like creatures is the "legend rule" which has existed in Magic for years but has evolved over time. Here‘s the current version that applies to Commander:
704.5j If two or more legendary permanents with the same name are controlled by the same player, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners‘ graveyards. This is called the “legend rule.” (MTG Comprehensive Rules)
In simple terms, this means:
- You can only control one copy of any specific legendary card, whether that‘s a creature, planeswalker, land, etc.
- If you play or take control of a second copy, you must immediately sacrifice one of your choice to the graveyard.
- Your opponents can each control their own copy without issue. The rule only checks within each player‘s battlefield.
For example, say I have Atraxa, Praetors‘ Voice on the battlefield. If I cast a second Atraxa, I would have to pick one to sacrifice to the graveyard. But each of my opponents could still cast and control their own Atraxa if they wanted to!
The rule prevents repetitive board states and some degenerate legendary combos across the table. But it doesn‘t restrict you from including multiple legends in your deck that have different names.
This means that Commander gives you tons of flexibility to play exciting legends without limitation!
Recent Rules Changes Around Legendary Permanents
Wizards has made two key changes in recent years to improve gameplay around legendary cards:
1. Introduced the Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule in 2016
They created a new rule making planeswalkers follow the same restrictions as legendary creatures instead of allowing duplicate planeswalkers. Now both card types have the "one copy per player" policy.
2. Updated How the Legend Rule is Checked in 2017
Previously, legendary permanents were checked across ALL players‘ boards globally and "first one played lived." This was very confusing in multiplayer.
Under the current rules, it only checks within each player‘s battlefield individually. This made evaluating the rule far more intuitive.
According to Gavin Verhey, "The legend rule is a lot more understandable now. It adds a lot more strategy to playing legends." By tweaking these rules over time, Wizards has made running legendaries smoother than ever.
Legendary Creatures See Huge Demand in Commander
Part of the reason Commander players love legendary creatures is that these cards open up tons of unique deck strategies and gameplay lines. To look at their popularity, let‘s analyze some real data:
| Set | New Legendary Creatures | Total Cards |
| Commander 2018 | 39 | 254 |
| Commander 2019 | 37 | 261 |
| Commander 2020 | 30 | 271 |
| Commander 2021 | 71 | 307 |
These numbers show that recent Commander preconstructed deck sets are packing more and more legends! With 71 new options in the latest 2021 release, building a legendary-heavy deck has never been easier.
And while Commander precons feature highly in demand legends, even Standard sets are pushing over 20 new options lately like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
Clearly legends drive tons of value and enjoyment for the player base. Having one lead your hundred card singleton deck enables some wild synergies and strategic potential!
Pros and Cons of Running Multiple Legendaries
Building your deck around multiple legendary creatures has advantages but also some challenges you should consider:
Pros
- Unlocks unique and powerful build-around abilities
- Enhances your deck‘s theme/flavor
- Provides needed card advantage via draw triggers etc.
- Having multiple legends reduces risk of one removal spell blowing you out
Cons
- Drawing the second copy of one feels bad
- Requires more setup/resources to maximize value from each
- Potentially inconsistent due to higher mana costs
- More vulnerable to graveyard exile effects
If you build smartly with enough ramp and draw effects, you can overcome the consistancy issues. And the uniqueness of legends is impossible to replicate with other cards!
Comparing Legendary Creatures vs Legendary Planeswalkers
While legendary creatures can lead your deck as commander, legendary planeswalkers have a few extra deckbuilding implications to think about:
| Legendary Creatures | Legendary Planeswalkers |
| – Can be your commander option | – Only legal as commander if they specifically say so on the card |
| – Focus on attacking/blocking | – Provide repeatable loyalty abilities |
| – Occupy creature spell slots | – Don‘t take up normal spell slots |
| – Usually cheaper to cast | – Often have 3+ mana value cost |
As this comparison shows, planeswalkers have tradeoffs but can enable some very broken combos if you untap with them consistently! Building a planeswalker-focused Commander deck is a blast.
But most players will lean heavily on legendary creatures as their commander and supporting cast since they drive action right away when played. Let‘s look at some top options people love to build around…
Popular Legendary Creature Commanders
While any legendary can lead your deck, these creature favorites see tons of action in the format:
[[Edgar Markov]] – Leads ultra fast vampire tribal aggro!
[[Atraxa, Praetors‘ Voice]] – Enables strong +1/+1 counter theme decks.
[[Korvold, Fae-Cursed King]] – Card draw engine for Jund sacrifice.
[[Chulane, Teller of Tales]] – Value creature spam engine.
* [[Kaalia of the Vast]] – Cheats huge angels, demons, and dragons into play!
These examples showcase the unique styles of play you can create when building around a legend. And they‘re just the tip of the legendary iceberg – there are over 1000 options to pick from according to EDHREC data!
The key as you evaluate legendary creatures for Commander is finding ones that synergize with the cards you already own while enabling new archetypes you find fun. Utility legends that draw cards or ramp mana are easy includes to start with.
Key Tips for Running Multiple Legendaries
Through hundreds of Commander games, I‘ve learned a few key tips when it comes to playing with legends:
- Pack plenty of ramp/draw effects to hit land drops and draw your legends consistently every game. I love using 8-12 ramp spells and 10+ draw sources as a starting point.
- Tutor effects like Dimir House Guard let you grab key legends when needed. These help smooth out draws.
- Reanimation spells like Unearth and Brought Back have extra utility since they work with your graveyard legends.
- Effects like Maskwood Nexus that turn all creatures into legends open up explosive turns playing multiples!
Follow these tips and you‘ll have no issues slamming legend after legend onto the battlefield in your games. It‘s a wildly fun way to play Commander!
Closing Thoughts
As you can see, Commander gives you tons of flexibility to pack multiple legendary creatures into your deck without restriction. While the legend rule means you‘ll have to sacrifice duplicates, it creates fun gameplay decisions. And the card design space around legends drives so many possibilities!
So don‘t hesitate to pick exciting legendary creatures as your commander and supporting cast. Just be sure to pack enough ramp and draw power to hit your land drops and draw them reliably every game. Follow the tips above and you‘ll be comboing off legends in style in no time!
As always, if you have any other Commander questions, feel free to reach out. Happy brewing legends!
