In the world ofMagic: The Gathering, four-color cards are somewhat hard to come by – they’re particularly difficult to make distinct from mono-color cards without causing clutter, so they’re produced in much fewer numbers than even three or two-color cards. Even rarer, though, are four-color commanders, who let you use four of the five card colors in your deck.
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If you’re not as interested in thedraw focused style of blue creatures, there are a few commanders that can let you play with every other color identity in the game. The partner keyword is necessary to form most four-color commander decks, meaning you’ll have to be particularly careful when choosing which commander you’ll use to rack up game-winning damage.
8Akiri, Line-Slinger // Ikra Shidiqi, The Usurper
Akiri, Line-Slinger and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper aren’t necessarily awful together, but they’re mismatched when it comes to priorities. Akiri is interested in crowd control so that her partner can focus on dealing commander damage, whereas Ikra Shidiqi wants to buff all attempts on an opponent’s life points.
Like every pairing on this list, it’s still more than possible to play these two together. Akiri can help keep the field clear to allow your creatures to push for a combat damage victory, and Ikra Shidiqi will be there to ensure that you’ll get back health for every risky play.
7Sidar Kondo Of Jamuraa // Vial Smasher The Fierce
Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa and Vial Smasher the Fierce don’t work well as a cohesive unit, instead existing as a grab bag of options you can pull from based on the situation. Vial Smasher’s effect, which deals commander damage for your first spell every turn, remains fantastic– she just works much betterin one of her not-white four-color commander pairings.
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Since both cards are perfectly fine on their own, your best bet is to let them both do their specific jobs when the time comes. Sidar Kondo can provide buffs to Vial Smasher, allowing her to push through enemies without specific keywords and deal a bit of additional commander damage. Otherwise, the pairing is just okay.
6Ravos, Soultender // Tana, The Bloodsower
Ravos, Soultender and Tana, the Bloodsower work together well thanks to the nature of their playstyles: Ravos is an exceptional support partner, which helps Tana get what she wants faster. Each token Tana spawns from her effect will get a power and toughness bonus from Ravos, giving them a greater presence on the field.
With decent enough support from the deck, you may get a lot of momentum against your opponent. Each token can develop into a solid blocker, all while Tana uses her trample keyword to get off commander damage and spawn more tokens.
5Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder // Ikra Shidiqi, The Usurper
Brus Tarl, Boorish Herder and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper are a healing tag team that lets you ignore standard damage, removing it entirely as a threat throughout the game. Since both of their effects give you health back, you’re encouraged to take your opponents out through standard health damage, rather than commander damage.
This deck’s weakness is incoming commander damage; you’ll need to have a plan in mind for withstanding commander damage while your creatures overwhelm and destroy your opponent. As long as you keep up your offense, you should have the advantage in most encounters.
4Tymna The Weaver // Tana, The Bloodsower
Tymna the Weaver and Tana, the Bloodsower are a fantastic pair thanks to the inherent synergy between their goals. For each turn Tana is able to get off an attack on an opponent, you get one token and a draw – that draw may come at the cost of your life, but any method of getting cards into your hands gives you card advantage.
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With the right setup, you can get all your best players into your hand while Tana uses her trample to set up a small army. You’ll be able to overwhelm an opponent in no time flat, resulting in them falling either to your horde or to Tana’s chip damage.
3Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder // Reyhan, Last Of The Abzan
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder and Reyhan, Last of the Abzan synergize thanks to the nature of their supportive roles– Reyhan can already set up a card to be a monster thanks to her counter-moving abilities, butthe incredibly powerful double strike keywordtakes that monster and makes it a superpower.
In the very best case, Reyhan can be powered up to do lethal commander damage in a few turns, only needing eight more +1/+1 counters for the double strike to cross the threshold. The fact that Bruse Tarl’s effect can be used on any creature also means that you can easily pivot depending on the situation.
2Akiri, Line-Slinger // Reyhan, Last Of The Abzan
Where Reyhan loved Bruse’s double strike, she adores Akiri’s artifact power. The right combination of artifacts and +1/+1 counters allows Akiri to bear an incredible power that always has first strike and vigilance. She’s fairly consistent when attempting to break through defenses to earn a commander damage victory.
The big issue with these two is their defense; a deck like this doesn’t want to stretch the game out too long, as chip damage during your set-up can crush you if gone unchecked. When you do end up getting Akiri in the right position, she can serve as an offensive and defensive bastion thanks to her vigilance keyword.
1Saskia The Unyielding
Saskia is the only not-blue four-color commander to exist, and her effect matches the intensity of her color identity: as long as she’s on the field, any damage you do to a player is also done to a player you chose when she first entered play.
With decks focused on dealing combat damage, Saskia can be an absolute pain to fight – even if you’re not the one being attacked, you’re able to still take a terrifying amount of collateral if chosen as a target. The pressure game is superb, especially if you’re not too fond of the partner mechanic.
