What is Commander?
Commander is a constructed format like no other! Unlike most other formats, Commander consists of decks that have exactly 100 cards, no two of which can be the same (except for basic lands). One of these cards is a legendary creature known as your “commander” and that card dictates what cards can be in your deck.  (note: Commander was previously known as EDH, or “Elder Dragon Highlander”, and some players still refer to it as that.)

Specific Commander Rules
– Your commander has to be a legendary creature and it starts the game in your Command Zone. You can cast your commander from the Command Zone anytime you could cast a creature. Each time your commander leaves the battlefield, you can put it into your Command Zone instead. Each time you cast your commander after the first time, it costs you two colorless mana extra for each time you cast it. For example, if Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen is your commander, it would cost 2GG to cast the first time, 4GG the second time, 6GG the third time, and so on and so forth.

– Your commander dictates what color of cards can be in your deck. In a Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen deck, you could only have cards with green and colorless color identity. “Color identity” is determined by what mana symbols are on the card. For example, Yavimaya Coast, while being a colorless card, is considered to have a blue/green color identity and Alesha, Who Smiles at Death has a red/white/black color identity.

– Players have a starting life total of 40 instead of 20. There is also a special kind of damage known as “commander damage”. Each player can only take a maximum of 21 points of combat damage from a commander before they lose.

– A full set of rules for Commander (including the suggested banned list) can found here.  This is where the Commander Rules Committee makes decisions and official announcements!

 

Tips for Starting Commander

Wizards of the Coast has produced several pre-constructed Commander decks in recent years, and all of them are great jumping-off points for new Commander players. Many players have gotten into Commander as well, so finding experienced players at your local game store should not be difficult at all. A quick search on most Magic forums will also give you helpful tips on how to play and build Commander decks in various play styles.

 

Why Run Commander?
Commander is a great format for both new and old players alike. It’s an eternal format, so there isn’t really a constantly changing meta to keep up with, but unlike Legacy, many of the cards that are good in Commander are not that expensive. That, alongside the previously mentioned Commander products from Wizards, makes this format very enticing for newer players. Older players will find fun playing a vastly different format that still allows for a decent amount of competitive play.