At the start of the game, each player puts their commander face up into the command zone. A commander can be cast from the command zone for its normal costs, plus an additional two mana for each previous time it's been cast from the command zone this game. If your commander would be put into your library, hand. Abilities will only work while a permanent is on the battlefield unless otherwise specified. There are very few commanders who do things in the command zone or allow abilities to be used in the command zone, an example being Oloro, Ageless Ascetic.

Partner is a keyword ability specifically used in the Commander format. Partner was introduced in Commander 2016.^[1][2]

• 1Description

Description[edit | edit source]

A player can have two commanders if both have partner. Because both commanders start the game in the command zone, the remaining library is only 98 cards. Your two commanders are treated individually for all other Commander rules. If either leaves the battlefield, you can return it to the command zone instead. The 'commander tax', the additional cost of 2 for every time you've cast a commander from the command zone, applies individually. Combat damage dealt by each commander is similarly tracked individually. If either commander can deal 21 or more combat damage to a single player over the course of the game, that player loses.

If any card refers to your commander (or commanders in general), it means either one of the two.

Partner with[edit | edit source]

Battlebond introduced this variant for Two-Headed Giant. It limits which other card can be used as co-commander, but allows a player (expected to be on your team) to search their library for the [other card] and put it in their hand.^[3][4] Cards with 'partner with' always appear alongside their counterpart in booster packs. Note that not all the partners in Battlebond are legendary. The ones that aren't can't be commanders.

Legendary partner[edit | edit source]

The non-legal Heroes of the Realm card Sol, Advocate Eternal experimented with legendary partner (You can have two commanders if [this] is one of them. The other one is promoted to legendary.)

Do Commander Abilities Count As Cmdr Dmg 1

Rules[edit | edit source]

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From the Comprehensive Rules (January 24, 2020—Theros Beyond Death)

• 702.123.Partner
  • 702.123a Partner is an ability that modifies the rules for deck construction in the Commander variant (see rule 903), and it functions before the game begins. Rather than a single legendary creature card, you may designate two legendary creature cards as your commander if each has partner.
  • 702.123b Your deck must contain exactly 100 cards, including its two commanders. Both commanders begin the game in the command zone.
  • 702.123c A rule or effect that refers to your commander’s color identity refers to the combined color identities of your two commanders. See rule 903.4.
  • 702.123d Except for determining the color identity of your commander, the two commanders function independently. When casting a commander with partner, ignore how many times your other commander has been cast. When determining whether a player has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander, consider damage from each of your two commanders separately. See rule 903.11a.
  • 702.123e If an effect refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to either one. If an effect causes you to perform an action on your commander and it could affect both, you choose which it refers to at the time the effect is applied.
  • 702.123f “Partner with [name]” is a variant of the partner ability. “Partner with [name]” represents two abilities. One is a static ability that modifies the rules for deck construction. Rather than a single legendary creature card, you may designate two legendary creature cards as your commander if each has a “partner with [name]” ability with the other’s name. You can’t designate two legendary cards as your commander if one has a “partner with [name]” ability and the other isn’t the named card. The other ability represented by “partner with [name]” is a triggered ability that means “When this permanent enters the battlefield, target player may search their library for a card named [name], reveal it, put it into their hand, then shuffle their library.”

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (January 24, 2020—Theros Beyond Death)

Partner, “Partner with [name]”

A keyword ability that lets two legendary creatures or planeswalkers be your commander in the Commander variant rather than one. “Partner with [name]” is a specialized version of the ability that works even outside of the Commander variant to help two cards reach the battlefield together. See rule 702.123, “Partner,” and rule 903, “Commander.”

Examples[edit | edit source]

Example 1

Akiri, Line-Slinger
Legendary Creature — Kor Soldier Ally
0/3
First strike, vigilance
Akiri, Line-Slinger gets +1/+0 for each artifact you control.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)

Example 2

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Ley Weaver
Creature — Human Druid
2/2
Partner with Lore Weaver(When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put Lore Weaver into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
: Untap two target lands.

Do Commander Abilities Count As Cmdr Dmg 1

References[edit | edit source]

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1. ↑Matt Tabak (October 24, 2016). 'Commander 2016 Mechanics'. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
2. ↑Mark Rosewater (October 24, 2016). 'Howdy Partner'. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
3. ↑Gavin Verhey (May 18, 2018). 'Find Your Partner with Battlebond'. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
4. ↑Matt Tabak (May 21, 2018). 'Battlebond Mechanics'. magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.