Duel Commander: Get to Know The Format (What to Expect From a Match!)

After all, what are we talking about?

If you'd like to see everything there is to know about this format, check out the official platform!

Nonetheless, let's approach it a bit more philosophically.

In this article, we'll explore Duel Commander: what you can expect from it in terms of meta (superficially, but still), some particular details (banlists and the rules), and which play patterns you can expect.

What Does Duel Commander Look Like?

The first step to understanding this format is understanding that, despite being called "Duel Commander", it is not that similar to proper Commander. When we mention "Commander", the first thing that comes to mind is a multiplayer format, as well as a very casual way to play. Duel Commander (or DC) is the opposite of that: it is a competitive, 1v1 format.

It is named Commander because the deckbuilding rules, regarding color identity, how many copies of each card we can play, and the commander, are the same.

Many of the most iconic and important cards in Commander are not part of DC, either because they don't make sense (Rhystic Study/Smothering Tithe, for instance) or because they were banned, like Sol Ring.

But Wait! What Do You Mean Sol Ring Was Banned?

Anyone who has ever played MTG competitively knows some strategies are simply too strong. The mana advantage Sol Ring offers is just too much, and difficult to overcome. As all DC decks would use Sol Ring if it was available (and the highest skill involved in this would be to, well, draw Sol Ring), this card was banned. And it wasn't the only one!

You can check out the entire list for yourself on the website we mentioned at the beginning. Nonetheless, note all Moxes were banned (Chrome, Diamond, Amber, and Opal), as well as many powerhouses that make a huge difference in the game, like Fierce Guardianship and Deflecting Swat.

This banlist is controlled by a committee that updates it from 2 to 2 months (every last Monday in odd-numbered months).

What Can I Expect from a Duel Commander Match?

This format features a "best of 3" and 20 life points for each player, which means it is a lot more similar to Modern and Legacy than traditional Commander. You'll find all sorts of archetypes in DC, and, though they can all be competitive, they all have their own deckbuilding challenges. Matches often end between turns 4 and 5, and how fast a card is definitely determines how popular it is as well.

A common strategy that shows how DC is incredibly fast is:

Casting Yoshimaru on turn 1.

Then, playing a legendary land (Yoshimaru triggers) and an Urdnan, Dromoka Warrior (Yoshimaru triggers). Yoshimaru would deal 8 damage thanks to Double Strike.

Afterward, you can follow up with a creature with haste and another removal for any potential blockers. You would attack for 13 damage, and that's lethal on turn 3.

Obviously, a hand like this would struggle a lot if the opponent simply removed Yoshimaru, considering its interaction with Urdnan is what makes it so powerful. A "more reasonable" option would be:

Casting the commander on turn 1:

Then cast Merry, Esquire of Rohan or another 2-drop with haste.

Cast another creature with haste on turn 3:

This combination is a lot more realistic, but it also deals 13 damage and forces the opponent to do something. Otherwise, they'll die on turn 4.

Let's consider another type of list, one that uses mana dorks like Elves of Deep Shadow, Llanowar Elves, or even Utopia Sprawl to cast a Slimefoot and Squee on turn 2.

If you follow it up with a few threats, like Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes, Questing Beast, or even a Laelia, the Blade Reforged, you'll often find yourself with a very scary board on turn 3!

But, how would we deal with this, if we were on the other side?

There are many cheap interactions you can use, and practically all decks do. Never forget that, sometimes, 1 mana is a lot...

The pieces in the most important "traditional Commander" combos are banned in DC: Thassa's Oracle, Underworld Breach, Food Chain... Still, we have other interesting options, particularly for decks that take advantage of rituals and Storm.

There are many "combo" decks in DC, in the sense that they don't interact much and try to get ahead all at once. This includes land decks (Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Lumra, Bellow of the Woods) that try to put a Marit Lage Token (with Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage) in play, some Reanimator strategies, and many others.

About Edgar Markov and Banned Cards

Edgar Markov is super popular in all of MTG, and players often wonder how it would be to play it in a 1v1 match. Actually, it is so broken that it is banned. Seriously, you need to check out the official source if you want to understand the format a little better.

27 cards are banned as commanders, and 83 are banned as one of the other 99 cards in your deck. When I started out playing DC, I built more than one deck that wouldn't be valid because I just didn't know (my Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis became a joke in my group of friends).

The database we often use to check the meta is this one.

We Can Play Dual Lands! Is DC Too Expensive?

Some of the most popular decks in the format plays multiple colors, and they really need dual lands. You'd struggle to play Terra, Magical Adept or Breya, Etherium Shaper without them. But two-color decks (like a Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury or a Hidetsugu and Kairi) can easily play without them, and there are several monocolored decks in the meta!

Another interesting advantage to playing this format is that, because it is highly varied, you may often forget the main staples and not even realize it! I mean, obviously Orcish Bowmasters is good, but you'll rarely draw it anyway...

Commander Swap

As this format is played in a best of 3, you may replace your commander for another card in your deck, as long as that change doesn't make your deck invalid.

A common example is Tivit, Seller of Secrets, an Esper control list that plays Chromium, the Mutable in its 99 cards and in its sideboard for control mirrors. Another option that shows up often is Kellan, the Fae-Blooded, which is often played as a commander against combo lists, and as a way to tutor Curse of Shaken Faith.

Please note that, as you need to keep your deck valid, you wouldn't be able to swap your Boros legendary card for a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, for instance.

Partners

You can play partners in DC, but you can only cast one of them per match. The partners that most see play in this format are Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful (with Bruise, Kraum, or Tana) and Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh (with Tevesh Szat or Ikra Shidiq). In both cases, once you cast one of them, you can't cast the other one.

There are two formats (that I know of) that are similar to DC: Leviathan and Canadian Highlander.

The Leviathan banlist is a bit different from the DC banlist, and players have 30 life points in this format. There are more combo pieces in this format. I see it as a Duel Commander that looks more like classic Commander.

Canadian Highlander, in turn, doesn't work with color restrictions or commanders in the command zone. Consequently, it is more similar to 60-card formats, and really resembles Legacy/Vintage Unpowered.

In my humble opinion, though both formats are quite fun, they're really similar, and this ends up splitting the player base, which is bad for both formats. But if you play any of these formats, then you won't have any trouble migrating to the other!

I think this is the most important and relevant question we must answer, and, though I'm far from impartial, I can say that:

This format is challenging, wide, and, most importantly, unresolved! You can use your favorite cards (and they'll often win games for you!) and discover new strategies but stay competitive (something you wouldn't be able to do in other formats). Furthermore, DC doesn't force you to stay updated as other formats do (Vivi Ornitier, for instance, showed up, but it was ignored by most players, so no harm done).

Still, every set has new legendary cards that enable new strategies and inspire new decks. This format is an excellent combination of the best classic MTG can offer and the innovations from the last few years.

The fact it does involve a command zone means decks centered around a certain theme can prosper in DC, like Wilson, Refined Grizzly Tempo lists (can't be countered + Ward are enough for you to fill your deck with auras) and Juri, Master of the Revue lists (sacrifice/Aristocrats). They coexist with "generic" strategies, like UBx Control (Dimir, Esper, Grixis...), Boros/Monored Aggro, etc...

DC is a very open format that welcomes a wide variety of viable strategies, and, despite being competitive, it has space for innovation. DC decks are often quite powerful, but matches are often unique as well, considering we don't see even 20% of our deck as we play (after all, we can only play 1 copy of each card in this format).

It is definitely not beginner-friendly (though we are not stopping you - just warning you regarding what you can expect from DC tournaments), but Legacy players usually take to it quite well.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!