Enchantments are among some of the best card types in Magic: The Gathering. Enchantments come in all types of flavors, auras, sagas, backgrounds, and more. Playing an important role in Commander, enchantments count themselves some of the most difficult cards to remove while also providing tons of synergies, if played with the right commander.
As there are numerous legendary creatures that directly reference enchantments, it’s no surprise that there are numerous potent enchantment-based commanders for players to choose from when constructing a commander deck. So today we’re going to cover the best of the best.
Updated May 26, 2023, by Ryan Hay: Coming hot off the heels of several powerful enchantment-based releases, support for this Commander archetype has never been better. A new five-color commander in Go-Shintai of Life’s Origin, a Shrine that loves everything to do with even more Shines, has dominates plenty of commander games with its incredible consistency.
The recently depowered Calix, Guided by Fate may no longer be a planeswalker but comfortably takes a high place as an up-and-coming commander all-star. Filling out the list is Tatsunari, Toad Rider, an enchantment-based engine that will slowly drain your opponents until you can smack them with an unblockable Frog.
18 Ertai, The Corrupted
Upon first glance, Ertai, the Corrupted may appear to have little in common with the other commanders on this list. At the cost of one mana and a sacrificed creature or enchantment, Ertai can counter any spell, letting you turn your enchantments into disruption. You’ll want other enchantments like Freed from the Real, which lets you pay a blue mana to untap it, keeping Ertai ready to counter the next spell coming your way.
There are numerous enchantments that synergize well with Ertai’s ability, such as Dreadhorde Invasion, which consistently supplies creatures to sacrifice to Ertai’s ability. Enchantments that either have abilities that trigger when they are destroyed, like Hatching Plans, or those that have worn out their usefulness, like Treacherous Blessing, are great inclusions for Ertai.
17 Zedruu The Greathearted
Group hug commanders can sometimes feel a little too similar at times, but Zedruu the Greathearted takes the archetype to a new level. Zedruu lets you pay three mana to give an opponent one of your cards. In exchange, you gain life and draw cards equal to the number of permanents you’ve given away. While typically you don’t want to give your own cards away, you invested in them after all, there are a few sneaky ways to take advantage of this ability.
Giving your opponents cards like Aggressive Mining to prevent an opponent from playing lands is a fantastic way to shut them down while helping you draw cards. Another popular target is Pyromancer’s Swath, which can force your opponent to discard their hand at the end of their turn. You can also play cards that have universal effects to throw a bit of chaos into the game, like Possibility Storm. It doesn’t matter who owns Possibility Storm, it’ll just cause more disruption the longer it sticks around.
16 Hanna, Ship’s Navigator
A relatively straightforward entry on this list, Hanna, Ship’s Navigator is a commander who can reliably return artifacts and enchantments from her controller’s graveyard at the cost of three mana. When running a Hanna, Ship’s Navigator list, you’ll never have to worry about running out of enchantments or getting your cards destroyed.
You can also intentionally discard, mill, or otherwise get your enchantments into your graveyard, so you can cheat them into play many turns earlier than you’d normally be able to. Discard an Overwhelming Splendor early on only to bring it back a turn or two later. Hanna also works great with sagas, since they naturally run their course after several turns, only to come back and repeat the effects.
15 Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr
For those looking for a flexible mono-white enchantment commander that functions well with a variety of enchantments, Katilda, Dawnheart Prime may be for you. For three mana, Katilda has flying, lifelink, and protection from vampires, notably having power and toughness equal to the number of spirits and enchantments you control.
This means that Katilda can effectively turn your enchantments into raw power with access to evasion and life gain. In the instance that Katilda is removed, it can be cast from the graveyard for its disturb cost, becoming the aura Katilda’s Rising Dawn, providing each of Katalida’s abilities to another creature you control.
14 Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
Released in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor is the premier commander choice for curse decks. Curses are a special type of aura that rather than attaching to a permanent, are attached to players. A 2/4 Human Warlock with deathtouch for four mana, Lynde actually incentivizes attaching curses to yourself, since at the beginning of your upkeep, you can attach one curse from yourself to an opponent of your choice to draw two cards.
You need to be careful about not throwing too many curses on at once since you can only transfer one per upkeep. You can use the enchantment Paradox Haze to give yourself a second upkeep, helping you spread your curses around to other players. Lynde also returns your curses to play if they are destroyed, making them notoriously difficult to get rid of permanently.
13 Daxos The Returned
One of the Commanders printed in Commander 2015 that utilizes experience counters, Daxos the Returned gives you an experience counter every time you cast an enchantment. By playing a deck chock-full of enchantments, Daxos’s controller is capable of amassing large quantities of experience counters very quickly.
Once you have a good amount of counters, you can pay three mana to start pumping out Spirit enchantment tokens that have a power and toughness equal to your experience counters. You can diversify your deck building a little by including plenty of cards that gain power and benefits from having lots of enchantments in play. These tokens work particularly well with the card Hallowed Haunting, which can give your creatures flying and vigilance once you have seven or more enchantments in play.
12 Ghen, Arcanum Weaver
Ghen, Arcanum Weaver is a unique option for an enchantment commander, providing a player access to the color identity of Mardu. For three mana, Ghen is a 2/3 Human Wizard with an activated ability that allows an enchantment to be sacrificed for three mana, putting another enchantment from your graveyard directly into play.
With the right setup and means of putting high-value enchantments into your graveyard, Ghen can be used to subvert mana costs, cheating cards into play while making the most out of cards that want to be in the graveyard. Cards like Faithless Looting and Bitter Reunion can help you pitch cards, while bringing back game-breaking cards like Cruel Reality and Debtors’ Knell.
11 Alela, Artful Provocateur
An extremely synergistic commander, Alela, Artful Provocateur rewards you for casting artifacts and enchantments by creating even more creatures. For each artifact and enchantment you cast, you get a 1/1 Faerie token with flying. Since this is a cast trigger, even if your spell is countered you’ll still get the creature token.
Since you’re in Esper colors, there are plenty of enchantments you can use to buff your token army. Intangible Virtue is an easy inclusion, giving all your tokens vigilance and +1/+1, while also creating another token when you cast it. While you’re at it, Anointed Procession gives you an additional token every time you make one.
10 Narset, Enlightened Master
Extremely powerful and efficient, Narset Enlightened Master is a commander who can be utilized in a variety of strategies, including those that are based around enchantments. Right off the bat, Narset is a notoriously difficult commander to deal with, having both hexproof, so your opponent can’t target her, and first strike, making her more resilient in combat.
When she attacks, Narset exiles the top four cards of your library, letting you cast all noncreature cards exiled this way for free. Often times Narset decks will focus around taking extra turns and combat steps, letting you continuously attack and cast more spells for free. There aren’t many commanders that can cheat cards like Omniscience into play from the top of your library.
9 Karametra, God Of Harvests
One of the strongest Selesnya commanders in all of Magic, Karametra, God of Harvests has the potential to serve as a very capable centerpiece to an enchantment deck. Being in green and white means that a Karametra deck has access to numerous “enchantress” cards that draw additional cards whenever an enchantment is cast. Additionally, being an enchantment itself, Karametra synergizes incredibly well with numerous enchantment-oriented cards that would fit in such a deck.
Bringing Karametra’s potent ramping capabilities together with enchantments that have landfall triggers like Zendikar’s Roil and Felidar Retreat lets you turn your lands into value. You can also pull double protection duty with Sterling Grove, keeping your commander safe along with a large portion of your board.
8 Tatsunari, Toad Rider
If you want to make your opponents croak thanks to all your enchantments then Tatsunari, Toad Rider is the commander for you. Tatsunari, and his froggy friend Keimi, drains your opponents for each enchantment you cast and then can turn around and seal a win with commander damage.
When you cast an enchantment you get to create a Keimi legendary frog token if you don’t already have one. Keimi has the added ability to drain your opponents of one life and heal yourself for one every time you cast another enchantment. Then for two mana you can make it so Tatsunai and another Frog you control, likely Keimi, can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach. Load Tatsunari up with a few enchantments to pump his power, and you’ll be taking players out with commander damage in no time.
7 Uril, The Miststalker
One of the (if not the) most potent Voltron commanders in the entire Commander format, few can compare to the aura synergies found within Uril, the Miststalker. A 5/5 with hexproof, Uril is irritatingly difficult for your opponents to deal with, as it circumvents the vast majority of targeted removal found within the game.
Despite this, a great deal of Uril’s might is found within his second ability, which provides Uril with an additional +2/+2 for each aura attached to it. Toss on an Ethereal Armor or a Spirit Mantle, and you’ll quickly have an unstoppable force of nature for your opponents to deal with.
6 Tuvasa The Sunlit
Though Tuvasa may appear to be straightforward and a bit plain, Tuvasa the Sunlit is not a commander to be underestimated. For the low cost of three mana, Tuvasa is a 1/1 merfolk who receives an additional +1/+1 for each enchantment you control. While Tivasa’s growing size can help to avoid a great deal of damage-based removal found in red and green, Tuvasa also draws a card each time you cast your first enchantment each turn.
This card draw is a very consistent means of making sure your hand never runs dry, synergizing well with enchantments with flash which can be played on an opponent’s turns. Enchantress-style decks are fairly straightforward, but with Tuvasa, you have a chance at taking your opponents out through combat damage if you can get them big enough.
5 Calix, Guided By Fate
Taking a wider approach than most enchantment-based decks, Calix, Guided by Fate rewards you for playing plenty of creatures and enchantments. With its constellation ability, Calix can put a +1/+1 counter on a creature when it or another enchantment comes into play.
Then, when Calix or another enchanted creature you control deals damage to a player, you create a token copy of a nonlegendary enchantment. Playing a bunch of enchantment creatures not only fills the board but also triggers Calix’s ability, helping to grow your creatures. Since you can create tokens from Calix’s second ability, you’ll want a few token doublers like Mondrak, Glory Dominus and Anointed Procession.
4 Sram, Senior Edificer
As far as aura-based Commanders go, it’s hard to argue with the pure value of Sram, Senior Edificer. You are stuck with just playing mono white if you go with Sram, but the trade-off is an incredible card draw ability. Every time you cast an aura, equipment, or vehicle spell, you get to draw a card.
Traditionally, mono-white decks have struggled with consistency and card draw later in games, but with a draw engine in your command zone, you’ll have easy access to a cheap way to keep your hand full. You’ll want to keep Sram around for a while, so use enchantments and equipment to keep it safe. Shielded by Faith and Timely Ward are great auras to keep Sram safe, while any of the Mirran swords can provide protection and other bonuses.
3 Go-Shintai Of Life’s Origin
If you love Shrine creatures, then Go-Shintai of Life’s Origin is the perfect commander for you. Sitting at just four mana, Go-Shintai creates Shrine enchantment creature tokens every time it or another nontoken Shine comes into play under your control. There are sixteen other Shrine creatures available to trigger Go-Shintai, and since Shrines all have abilities that grow the more Shrines you control, you’ll want to include as many as you can.
Since all the Shines are also legendary, you can include a few ways to tutor them up like Search for Glory or Captain Sisay. Another sneaky inclusion can be Jodah, the Unifier, who gives your other legendary creatures +X/+X for each other legendary creature you control, turning your little shrines into an immediate force to be reckoned with.
2 Zur The Enchanter
Two of the most powerful things you can do in a game of Commander are circumventing mana costs, and searching for the exact cards that you need. Zur the Enchanter is an enchantment-based commander who can do both of these things in spades.
Upon attacking, Zur the Enchanter lets you search your library for any enchantment with a converted mana cost of three or less and put that card directly into play. Zur is capable of letting you adapt to practically any situation and is also capable of easily tutoring for numerous game-winning combo pieces, all without paying the costs of the tutored cards.
1 Sythis, Harvest’s Hand
Printed in Modern Horizons 2, Sythis, Harvest’s Hand is the ideal enchantment commander. Like Sram, Sythis only costs two mana to cast, but is Selesnya rather than mono-white, meaning a Sythis deck can access the plethora of powerful green enchantments from the game’s past. Straightforward yet incredible, whenever Sythis’s controller casts an enchantment spell, they gain one life and draw a card.
While the extra life is nice, the ability to turn every enchantment a Sythis deck can include into a self-replacing spell is beyond powerful. Due to its high value and low cost, it’s hard to argue with Sythis’s status as one of the premier enchantment commanders in Magic.