The Best Mono-Blue Commanders In Magic: The Gathering
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Magic The Gathering – The 19 Best Mono-Blue Commanders
From Naban to Urza, these are the best of the mono-blue commanders in Magic: The Gathering. Highly regarded for its penchant for drawing cards and its instant speed shenanigans, mono-blue is often noted as a great color option for control decks in . This is no exception in the Commander format, in which blue can accumulate incredible value by focusing on its various strengths. Various blue commanders possess different strengths that utilize different elements of the color, and we're here to talk about the best of the best! Updated August 30, 2022, by Paul DiSalvo: A stellar color in Commander, blue has access to various tribes such as Merfolk and Wizards, synergies with artifacts, and the ability to negate the effects of opponents' spells through the use of counterspells. As a multifarious color with a variety of areas of expertise, it should be no surprise that the mono-blue commanders that players have access to when building decks are quite different from one another, allowing for distinct strategies. As many sets in recent history have introduced countless impressive new cards to the Commander format, it should be no surprise that great new blue commanders are also introduced to the format every year. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Naban Dean Of Iteration
With the ability to double the value of numerous triggered abilities, Panharmonicon is a very strong artifact that has a home in countless Commander decks. Naban, Dean of Iteration is one of the closest chances you have to put a Panharmonicon in your command zone. Naban's ability only triggers when Wizards are entering the battlefield, rather than the more flexible, similar ability of Panharmonicon. Luckily, being in mono-blue, Naban decks have access to many of the strongest Wizards that magic has to offer, creating a great depth of potential. Sai Master Thopterist
Blue has the benefit of having a great deal of synergy and support for artifact-based strategies. As this list will show, numerous artifact-centric commanders can interact with artifacts in different ways. One such commander is Sai Master Thopterist, who creates a 1/1 Thopter artifact creature token each time you cast an artifact. This allows you to utilize a massive amount of artifacts at a time, and get the most value out of cards like Affinity and Improvise that value large numbers of artifacts and mechanics. Braids Conjurer Adept
Braids, Conjurer adept is often brought up in discussions about "group hug" commanders that assist other players' strategies due to the universal benefit of her effect. However, due to the build-around potential of Braids, she has much more in common with the powerhouse card Show and Tell than group hug commanders like Phelddagrif. Braids allows players to play an artifact, creature, or land from their hand without paying its cost each turn. While opponents will be able to reap the benefits of this effect, as the Braids player you are capable of preparing huge and overcosted threats such as Blightsteel Colossus for free. Memnarch
The only thing worse than having your permanents destroyed or exiled is having them stolen. Once a card is taken control of, not only do you lose its utility, but all of its benefits are given to your opponent. Memnarch is a commander who allows you to repeatedly steal your opponent's cards. While Memnarch's ability to gain control of a target artifact may appear linear, Memnarch's other ability is to turn any permanent into an artifact, in addition to its other types. This means that Memnarch is capable of stealing anything, as long as you have the mana to invest. Creatures? Planeswalkers? Even lands can be controlled with Memnarch. Due to the fact that Memnarch does not tap when his abilities are activated, if paired with any infinite mana-generating combo, a Memnarch deck is capable of gaining control of every permanent in play. We're just happy that getting such a combo in operating order is pretty mana intensive. Jin-Gitaxias Progress Tyrant
Jin-Gitaxias Progress Tyrant is the second iteration of the blue Praetor of New Phyrexia and is a powerful - albeit mana-intensive - commander option. For the steep cost of seven mana, this 5/5 copies the first artifact, instant, or sorcery you cast each turn, potentially doubling the value of some of the most impactful spells in the entire game. Even those that can allow you to take additional turns. While this can provide you with a significant source of additional value, Jin-Gitaxias can be a major headache for your opponents. The first artifact, instant, or sorcery your opponent casts each turn is automatically countered, meaning they essentially need to spend mana and sacrifice other spells just to cast key cards Talrand Sky Summoner
If there's something that Commander players enjoy, it's cards that reward them for doing things that are already part of their strategy. This is exemplified in the mono-blue Drake machine, Talrand Sky Summoner. Talrand creates a 2/2 flying Drake token every time its controller casts an instant or sorcery. Coincidentally, Talrand happens to be in the mono-color that most often wants to cast instants and sorceries. This means that as long as you control Talrand, you'll be accruing additional value for playing cards you already would be. Donal Herald of Wings
Rather than serving as a commander for a specific tribe, Donal Herald of Wings is a commander that offers great synergies to all creatures with flying. A Human Wizard for four mana, while Donal lacks flying itself, whenever you cast a nonlegendary creature with flying, you create a 1/1 Spirit copy of that creature. While Donal isn't able to copy the offensive value of high-impact flying creatures, it can be used to double the value of impressive flying utility creatures, such as the ever-stellar Consecrated Sphinx. Emperor Mihail II
Printed within Dominaria United, Emperor Mihail II is an excellent option for those looking to build a mono-blue deck around one of the color's most iconic tribes: Merfolk. For the reasonable cost of three mana, Emperor Mihail II allows you to look at the top card of your library, letting you cast that card as long as it's a Merfolk. This means that you'll reliably be able to continue to cast spells, regardless of how many cards are in your hand. As blue is also the color most associated with card draw, even if the top card of your library isn't a Merfolk, you can reliably ensure castable spells are atop your library through the use of card drawing effects and scrying. Furthermore, if you have access to additional mana sources, you can pay an additional one mana to create a 1/1 Merfolk token whenever you cast a Merfolk. This synergizes in a powerful fashion with the litany of potent Merfolk lords that are legal in Commander. Svyelun of Sea and Sky
Like the previously mentioned Emperor Mihail II, Svyelun of Sea and Sky is a powerful option for those looking to build a Merfolk tribal deck. Similarly costing three mana, this 3/4 Merfolk God is notably indestructible - as long as you control two or more other Merfolk. Additionally, whenever Svyelun attacks, you can draw a card. When paired with its indestructible, you can reliably swing Svyelun into your opponents with little to no risk, drawing cards in the process. In addition to providing consistent card draw and protecting itself, Svyelun provides an additional layer of protection from opponents' removal to each of your other Merfolk, in the form of Ward 1. For those looking for a reliable means of protecting your Merfolk whilst using them to draw cards, Svyelun may be the commander for you. Teferi Temporal Archmage
Art by Tyler Jacobson with background art by Tomasz Jedruszek While many planeswalkers serve as incremental value engines, few do it as well as Terferi, Temporal Archmage, and even fewer can be your commander. Teferi's -1 ability to untap up to four target permanents is extremely versatile, as it can be used to either untap previously tapped lands or other mana sources, or it can be used to untap permanents that possess powerful activated abilities. Additionally, Teferi's +1 ability allows players to selectively draw from the top two cards of their library, making sure that all goes according to plan and its controllers have access to the resources they need. Emry Lurker Of The Loch
Another -based commander, Emry, Lurker of the Loch utilizes very different tactics and strategies than a commander like Sai Master Thopterist. Costing one less mana for each artifact you control, Emry is one of the few commanders who can consistently be cast for only one mana, even if her controller is paying commander tax. Emry possesses an ability that allows her controller to cast selected artifacts from their graveyard. This allows players to use artifacts that sacrifice themselves repeatedly, to effectively multiply their effects and usefulness. Emry also synergizes incredibly well with cards like Mirran Spy and Chakram Retriever, which allow Emry's ability to be used repeatedly on a single turn. Azami Lady Of Scrolls
If there's one thing that blue players enjoy, it's drawing cards. Few commanders in the Commander format allow for their controllers to draw cards as cheaply and effectively as . Allowing for her controller to simply tap Wizards they control to draw a card with no additional mana investment, Azami transforms previously unimpressive Wizards into card drawing engines - and provides already potent Wizards with an additional level of value. As Azami is tapping these Wizards herself, they can even be tapped for cards the turn that they come into play - regardless of whether or not they have summoning sickness. Baral Chief Of Compliance
Blue's instant speed capabilities and ability to efficiently counter spells have long haunted non-blue players, and have given the color a less than pleasant reputation. Baral, Chief of Compliance runs with these abilities and is the epitome of a blue-hater's nightmare. For only two mana, Baral reduces the cost of instant and sorcery spells you cast by one mana, allowing Blue players to more easily interfere with others' plans. Additionally, whenever you successfully counter a spell, Baral allows you to draw and discard a card, cycling away any unneeded assets. Lier Disciple Of The Drowned
Printed in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Lier Disciple of the Drowned is a 3/4 for five mana. Despite being blue, the color of counterspells, it states that spells can't be countered. While this may initially seem like a drawback for a blue creature, Lier's second ability more than makes up for it, providing flashback to each instant and sorcery in its owner's graveyard. This means that while a Lier player won't be able to counter spells, they'll be able to consistently cast powerful spells such as Temporal Manipulation an additional time. Minn Wily Illusionist
Despite being a gnome wizard, Minn Wily Illusionist is the premier commander option for Illusion-tribal decks. A 1/3 for three mana, whenever Minn's controller draws their second card each turn, they create a 1/1 Illusion token that gets +1/+1 for each Illusion that the player controls, meaning they progressively grow more dangerous the more illusions are in play. Minn even provides all Illusions with additional utility. Whenever an Illusion dies that Minn's owner controls, that player can put any permanent directly into play - as long as its mana value was less than or equal to the power of that illusion. This allows anything from additional lands to game-winning threats into play. Bruvac The Grandiloquent
A simple and elegant card design, Bruvac the Grandiloquent was printed in Jumpstart and is among the strongest options a player looking to build a mill deck can choose for their commander. A 1/4 Human Advisor for the cheap cost of three mana, Bruvac simply states that if an opponent would mill, they mill twice as many cards instead. As this doubles the speed that a mill deck can dig through an opponent's deck, Bruvac is a stellar choice for those who aim to win by putting their opponents' cards directly into their graveyards from their libraries. Sakashima Of A Thousand Faces
A partner commander option from Commander Legends, Sakashima of a Thousand Faces is an incredible card that allows for synergies and combos normally not allowed within the game's rules. While Sakashima can enter the battlefield as a copy of another creature its owner controls, regardless of what form it takes, it gains an ability that states that its controller ignores the "Legend Rule." While the rules of Magic dictate that a player can only control a single copy of a given legendary creature at once, this means that a Sakashima deck is able to use clone effects to reliably create copies of powerful legendary creatures to multiply their effects. Orvar The All-Form
Printed in Kaldheim, Orvar the All-Form is a stellar commander that is able to multiply its controller's permanents with ease. A 3/3 Shapeshifter with changeling for four mana, Orvar states that whenever its controller targets another permanent they control with an instant or sorcery, they create a copy of that permanent. This means that not only can Orvar decks produce copies of noteworthy creatures, but they can easily mana ramp by targeting their lands with instants and sorceries that can do so, such as Thermal Flux and Dream's Grip. Urza Lord High Artificer
Art by Grzegorz Rutkowski with background art by Tomasz Jedruszek It's fair to say that Urza Lord High Artificer is not merely one of the strongest mono-blue commanders, but one of the most impressive commanders in the entire Commander format. Though Urza creates an artifact creature token upon entering the battlefield, the true might of Urza lies within his latter two abilities. Firstly, the ability to provide each of your artifacts with the ability to tap for one blue mana is unparalleled through its utility and versatility. This ability can effectively convert any of your artifacts with converted mana costs of zero into Mox Sapphires, and can even give equipment cards additional uses. As if this ability to create mass amounts of mana was not potent enough, Urza also supplies a sink in which it can be pooled, allowing players to pay mana to cast cards directly from their library.