MTG: Kings Under the Mountain – Top Five Dwarf Commanders
Just because MTG has a varied set of creature types doesn’t mean they shy away from the classics, and Dwarves are one of the top contenders.
Welcome Planeswalkers and Praetors to our ongoing series about the best casual experience in Magic: Commander.
When it comes to fantasy races, one of the first ones to pop into your mind is probably Dwarves. Whether you think of Snow White’s mining companions or the doughty warriors of Lord of the Rings fame, Dwarves are as core to fantasy as the jewels they dig up. Riding to battle with thick, well-made armor and wielding masteries of craftsmanship and artifice, they are some of the finest fighters to grace the literary fields. In MTG, they are either powerful warriors and barbarians or master builders who perfect machines and weapons of war. However, these five stand above their fellows as masters of the Dawi.
Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Probably the most iconic of the Dwarf Commanders, Magda is an incredible force multiplier. As a 2/1 for two, she’s a bargain and easy to get on the field quickly to start dishing out Commander damage. She also provides a small power buff for her fellow Dwarves and lets them produce Treasure whenever they become tapped. However, her real value is what she can do with those Treasures once she has them.
By sacrificing five Treasures, she can dig out an artifact or Dragon from your deck and put it straight on the battlefield. Whether you dig for a powerful vehicle, a deadly Equipment, or a game-ending Dragon, Magda is happy to spend the coin.
Depala, Pilot Exemplar
If you would rather trade in your axe for an airship, Depala is the Commander for you. She buffs all your Dwarves, and once a Vehicle is crewed, she can buff it, too. Best of all, whenever she attacks OR crews a Vehicle (or becomes tapped for any other reason, but it will likely be those two), you can pay any amount of mana and dig out Dwarves and Vehicles from that deep in your deck. She’s an incredible utility piece and only falls behind Magda because she doesn’t make the resources
The Lady of Otaria
Although The Lady of Otaria is not a dwarf herself, she is still very much a Dwarf kindred Commander. First, you can cast her for free by tapping three Dwarves, meaning you can cheat her out on your third turn or skirt Commander tax. Then, once she’s on the battlefield, she turns your destroyed lands into more Dwarves. If you can recycle your lands, an easy ask in Gruul, then you can dig out all your best Dwarves as often as you want.
Bruenor Battlehammer
The Dwarven warrior of D&D fame, Bruenor is a powerful leader for a Dwarf deck. He gives your creatures extra power for each Equipment they’re wielding and gives you the first equip for free. When some Equipment have equip costs of six or even ten, this is a huge buff.
Magda, the Hoardmaster
Magda got a little different when she made the jump to Thunder Junction. While she doesn’t produce nearly as many Treasure tokens as her predecessor, she also doesn’t need to have targets in your deck for her ability. A surprise 4/4 with haste and flying is well worth the three Treasure costs, and Magda might even overtake her counterpart soon.
What do you think of these Commanders?
What is Commander?
For the uninitiated, Commander is a semi-casual format for Magic: the Gathering. You use a deck of 100 cards led by a legendary creature, your Commander.
Aside from basic lands, you are only allowed one copy of each card in the deck. Moreover, you can only include cards in your Commander’s “color identity” or artifacts. Each color and color combo has a unique playstyle and a wealth of mighty generals to lead your deck to victory. EDHRec.com is an excellent source for Commander info and can give you ideas on how to build your next Commander deck or tune an existing one.
