Who needs colors anyway?
What are the best colorless Commanders in Magic: The Gathering, and why should you care? Commander is a format that’s, if we’re all being honest, almost too popular for its own good. It’s also a format where your commander dictates what colors you can put in your deck, and because of this, the allure of colorless Commanders remains ever-present.
After all, in a format where the restrictions and themes are a large part of the fun for a lot of people (winning also helps, let’s be honest), removing access to the vast majority of Magic cards is one heck of a restriction. While there aren’t as many truly colorless Commanders as we’d like, as a lot of them end up with color identities via special abilities, the ones we do have are pretty solid. So, let’s talk about them.
The Best Colorless Commanders in MTG
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If you’re wondering why there are 11 best Colorless Commanders here, and not any other numbers, it’s because in a fair and just world, Void Winnower would be a legendary creature, and while it costs 9 to cast, the number we think of when dreaming of it, as we often do, is 11. Now you know!
#11 Emrakul, the Promised End
Emrakul, the Promised End
Secret Lair Drop Series, Mythic
We end with the Promised End, which is poetic. Emrakul, the Promised End is a 13-mana 13/13 which costs one less to cast for each card type in your graveyard, and lets you gain control of a player in their next turn, then they get an extra turn. It’s an interesting prospect, but it can potentially let you finish off a player with another player, which is a lot of fun. Emrakul could be higher up in this list depending on what kind of playground you’ve got, but it’s not as covered in power as the other options on this list.
#10 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Double Masters 2022, Mythic
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, is a 10-mana 12/12 that lets you draw four cards and has annihilator four. The cards are nice, for sure, but outside of being big and making people sacrifice things, this card doesn’t offer all that much, making it a powerful, but not especially interesting, Commander.
#9 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Double Masters 2022, Mythic
Our second Ulamog is the Infinite Gyre. This version is an 11-mana 10/10 with indestructible, annihilator 4, and the ability to destroy a permanent when you cast it. It’s not fancy in the slightest; it’s just a big old hitting stick that’ll ruin your foes’ board state with a frightening degree of speed, and one that’s a pain in the butt to get rid of.
#8 Marvin, Murderous Mimic
Marvin, Murderous Mimic
Duskmourn: House of Horror, Rare
Now for a Toy, because MTG is just all kinds of strange. Marvin, Murderous Mimic is a two-mana 2/2 that gets all activated abilities of other creatures you control, as long as they’re not also called Marvin. This is a very cool concept, but you already have access to those abilities on other creatures, so until you get a few cards on the field, like Pili-Pala, which can untap Marvin, it can feel slow to start. Still, it’s a lot of fun to mess around with.
#7 The Capitoline Triad
The Capitoline Triad
Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed, Mythic
Sometimes a creature in Magic is just flat out interesting, and this is definitely one of those times. The Capitoline Triad is a ten-mana 7/7 that gets cheaper for each historic card in your graveyard, which is pretty easy to manage, and technically works with Commander tax too, which means you could theoretically just keep casting it for free all game long. You can then use them to exile a number of historic cards from your graveyard with a mana value of 30 or more, and all of your creatures will be 9/9 monstrosities all of a sudden. It’s an absurdly funny way to win the game, especially if you love Thopter tokens.
#6 Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
Commander Masters, Mythic
Omarthis is cool. Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate is an XX creature with 0/0 stats that comes in with X +1/+ counters on it, and also gets a +1/+1 counter on it whenever you put counters on another colorless creature. If you combine this with things like Hangarback Walker, Steel Overseer, The Ozolith, and anything with Modular, and you end up with an obnoxious deck, Oh also, when Omarthis dies, you get to Manifest cards equal to the number of counters on it, which is a wonderful way to refresh your board.
#5 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Commander Masters, Mythic
If you want a Commander which is also a lot of counterspells on a stick, then you want Kozilek, the Great Distortion. This version of Kozilek costs ten-mana, is a 12/12 with menace, and lets you draw up to seven cards when cast. Along with that, you can discard a card with a mana value equal to a spell being cast to counter it. It’s hard to understand how much power that gives you, but if you build your deck with a lot of varied mana values, you can just stop anything that’s going to be an issue without even spending mana.
#4 Emrakul, the World Anew
Emrakul, the World Anew
Modern Horizons 3, Mythic
Emrakul, the World Anew sure is a Magic card that does a lot of stuff. This 12 mana 12/12 lets you gain control of all of the creatures a player of your choice controls, it has protection from spells and permanents that were cast on that turn, and it has flying. Along with that, you can technically play it for six mana if you can discard it thanks to madness. You do have to sacrifice all the creatures you control if Emrakul leaves the battlefield, but they probably weren’t your creatures anyway, so who cares?
#3 Liberator, Urza’s Battlethopter
Liberator, Urza’s Battlethopter
The Brothers’ War, Rare
Liberator is a little faster than a lot of the other options on this list, and not just because it only costs three mana. Liberator, Urza’s Battlethopter is a 1/2 with flash and flying, and it grants all other Colorless spells and Artifact spells you have flash as well. Along with that, it gets a +1/+1 counter on it if you spend more mana on a spell than Liberator has power, so it even gets bigger as the game goes on. The main appeal here is being able to cast everything at Instant speed, but it’s not a bad battler either.
#2 Karn, Legacy Reforged
Karn, Legacy Reforged
March of the Machine: The Aftermath, Mythic
Karn has a lot of interesting iterations, but Legacy Reforged is just such a powerhouse as far as commanders go. This five-mana beast gets power and toughness equal to the number of Artifacts you control, which should be roughly all of them if you’re playing your cards right. Along with that, you get colorless mana in your upkeep, which lasts all turn, equal to the number of Artifacts you control. It can’t be used to cast nonartifact spells, but who cares? Power, mana, and a big shiny head, it’s got it all.
#1 Ulamog, the Defiler
Ulamog, the Defiler
Modern Horizons 3, Mythic
Ulamog, the Defiler is aptly named, because it’s going to spoil friendships, Commander games, and maybe even your local games store. This 10-mana 7/7 has so very much text. It was Ward – Sacrifice two permanents, which is a nice deterrent. As it’s cast, you get to choose an opponent and they have to exile half their library rounded up, then it enters with +1/+1 counters on it equal to the greatest mana value among cards in exile, and it gets annihilator X where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on it. It just feels mean.