Dragons are one of the most beloved creature types in all of Magic. They originated in Alpha and are still with us today! In this article, we are going to look at the best dragons for Commander in each color. I’ll also sprinkle in some of my personal favorites that I think deserve to see more play

I will be using EDHREC as my reference point for “most played” dragons. However, EDHREC is sometimes skewed, especially if a dragon was printed in a precon deck.

Best White Dragons for Commander

Sunscorch Regent – Highest EDHREC Score

Sunscorch Regent has seen print in three Commander precon decks, as well as its original printing in Dragons of Tarkir. It does a pretty good impression of Managorger Hydra. It has the potential to go unnoticed and gradually grow over time. This was a fun include in the 2017 Commander deck. Today, however, it has fallen off. In my opinion, it is one of the more mediocre dragons we will discuss today since there are enough dragons in the game today that simply do a lot more.

Nadaar, Selfless Paladin – Bolt the Bird Recommendation

Nadaar and the Dungeon mechanic might seem like an unusual fit at first. He is not the traditional huge flying monster. Nadaar has two key advantages, though. Low mana cost, and high value over time.

Dragon players are spoiled for choice at five mana and higher. However, many Dragon commander decks struggle early in the game as they are still setting up. Nadaar helps ease that transition in the early game. The first turn Nadaar comes down, you enter the “Lost Mine of Phandelver.” From here, Scry one. Next turn, attack and get a treasure. This sets us up nicely as we have a treasure to cast our next monster, even if it is off-color.

Additionally, Nadaar being a small dragon synergises well with effects that say “whenever this or another dragon attacks.” He can allow us to get immediate value from larger dragons (we will see some of these later).

Nadaar can do so much to set up a dragon deck while still remaining on theme and relevant later in the game.

Best Blue Dragons for Commander

Ancient Silver Dragon – Highest EDHREC Score

Ancient Silver Dragon is exactly what I want from a dragon in Commander. It is big, silly, and has the potential to be incredibly powerful. When it deals combat damage to a player, roll a d20. Draw that many cards. You have no maximum hand size for the rest of the game.

This effect can be huge. It could also be a complete flop, but I like the tension. Drawing one card feels bad, but even two or three cards can snowball. Dragon decks can run out of steam. Sometimes, you have a big board but no way of getting through. Drawing a couple of cards off the dragon can put you miles ahead. Ancient Silver Dragon is simple fun.

Renari, Merchant of Marvels – Bolt the Bird Recommendation

Renari is certainly not as big and scary as Ancient Silver Dragon. With that said, giving Dragon spells flash is a terrifying prospect! I love Renari for the surprise element. Holding up five, six, or even ten mana and then casting your threat on the opponent’s end step is incredibly strong.

Imagine combining Renari with Ancient Silver Dragon. Hold up eight mana. Cast it on the end step. You now have a dragon ready to attack and draw a bunch of cards!

Best Black Dragons for Commander

Junji, the Midnight Sky – Highest EDHREC Score

Junji surprised me when I saw them on top of the list for the best black dragons for Commander. A five-mana 5/5 with Flying and Menace offers great versatility and is very hard to block. This is a nice midgame play for consistent damage.

When the dragon die you get a choice. Each opponent discards two cards. Or you can return a non-dragon from a graveyard to the battlefield under your control. The reanimation aspect of Junji is definitely the most powerful. However, emptying your opponents’ hands of their last few cards can’t be underestimated.

The non-dragon clause can return key cards such as Sarkhan, Soul Aflame, Bloom Tender, and Rivaz of the Claw. However, Junji can also target your opponent’s graveyard! This makes Junji a unique play every game. You never know what it will reanimate!

Brainstealer Dragon- Bold the Bird Recommendation

Brainstealer Dragon is my favorite big draconic beater. It offers pseudo card advantage by stealing from your opponents. This could be anything: extra threats, removal spells, or extra lands. The life loss when you cast your opponent’s spells is just icing on the cake. Similar to Junji, no game with Brainstealer is ever quite the same! Give this one a try if you want to bring some variety to your dragon deck.

Best Red Dragons for Commander

Goldspan Dragon – Highest EDHREC Score

Goldspan is an awesome dragon. I think it is slightly inflated in the ratings because it is a great card in more than just dragon decks. Generating treasure is crucial for dragon decks, though. Dragons often have strict mana requirements, and Goldspan Dragon helps ease that burden. At only five mana, Goldspan fits nicely into the middle of the pack by setting you up for bigger, scarier dragons.

Invasion of Tarkir/Defiant Thundermaw – Bolt the Bird Recommendation

Some of you will say I am cheating with this recommendation. Invasion of Tarkir is a Battle that transforms into a dragon. For two mana, you reveal any number of dragons from your hand. You deal damage equal to two plus the number of dragons you reveal to any target. Plain and simple, this can be a nice removal spell allowing any dragon-focused Commander deck to interact with your opponents early in the game.

On the opposite side, we have a 4/4 dragon. It has, whenever a dragon you control attacks, deal two damage to any target. For how early this comes down, that two damage has the potential to keep the board clear of small threats. Once you amass a large enough board there is great potential to outright kill large creatures or a player!

Best Green Dragons for Commander

Old Gnawbone – Highest EDHREC Score

Old Gnawbone is very often free. Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, create that many treasure tokens.

By the time you reach seven mana, you will likely have several dragons in play already. They can swing in and generate treasures to continue your draconic onslaught! The best bit is this is every time you deal combat damage. Old Gnawbone gives you a mana advantage unlike any other! That’s why it’s green’s EDHREC candidate for the best dragon for commander.

Kura, the Boundless Sky- Bolt the Bird Recommendation

Kura is much more low-key than Old Gnawbone. A 4/4 with Flying and Deathtouch makes it a great defensive option. When Kura dies, you get the choice of searching for three lands and putting them into your hand or creating an X/X creature where X is the number of lands you control.

I tend to prefer the lands. This allows you to grab non-basic lands. Kura can be a great aid in fixing your colors. Alternatively, you can use it to get your most powerful lands. Some of my favorites are Boseiju, Who Endures for interaction. Arena, for consistent removal. Or The World Tree for mana fixing.

Best Dragon Commanders for MTG

The Ur-Dragon

A surprise to no one, The Ur-Dragon, creator of all dragons, is the top dragon commander on EDHREC. The Ur-Dragon has a lot to like. A cost reduction from the Command Zone helps accelerate your game plan. If you do muster up ten mana to cast it, you draw cards and put something straight into play! It is a quintessential dragon! I do not have a lot to add here. The abilities are all solid. This is powerful no matter what!

Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm

In second place, Miirym is a great dragon commander. While The Ur-Dragon goes for cost reduction, Miirym lets you copy dragons. This makes powerful effects outright terrifying. Copying dragons can quickly get out of hand.

Enter the battlefield effects are particularly potent. Terror of the Peaks, Gannax, Astral Hunter, and Scourge of Valkas all become much more powerful when there are two! Miirym is an explosive deck that gets out of hand fast!

Conclusion

That wraps up our discussion on the best dragons for Commander. I hope this has inspired you to add some spice to your next dragon deck! Let us know what you think! What are some of your favorite dragons not mentioned today?

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