Quick Answer
Commander. also called EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander). is the most popular way to play Magic: The Gathering in Australia. At Friday Night Magic events, local game stores, and kitchen tables across the country, Commander is the format most groups are playing. See current prices at /cards/mtg.
Commander. also called EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander). is the most popular way to play Magic: The Gathering in Australia. At Friday Night Magic events, local game stores, and kitchen tables across the country, Commander is the format most groups are playing.
This guide explains what Commander is, why it's taken over the format, and exactly what you need to start playing in Australia.
The Basics
Commander is a multiplayer format. A typical game has four players, though two-player (1v1) Commander is also common.
Each player builds a 100-card deck with one legendary creature (or planeswalker) designated as their Commander. The Commander sits in a special zone called the Command Zone and can be cast from there any time you could normally cast it.
Your 99 other cards form your main deck. Every card in the deck (including the Commander) must have a mana identity that fits within your Commander's colour identity. A mono-blue Commander means your deck can only contain blue cards and colourless cards.
The Singleton Rule
Every card in your deck must be unique. One copy of each card. The only exceptions are basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest). you can have as many of those as you want.
This rule makes every game different. You can't reliably draw the same opening hand twice.
Your Commander Matters More Than Anything
The Commander defines your deck. Its colours determine what cards you can include. Its abilities suggest what strategy to build around. And it's always available: if it's destroyed or exiled, you pay an extra 2 mana (called the Commander tax) to recast it from the Command Zone.
This means even if your opponent kills your Commander three times, you can still cast it. The tax gets higher each time (2, then 4, then 6 extra mana) but the Commander is never truly gone.
Commander Damage
There's an additional win condition unique to Commander: if any single Commander deals 21 or more combat damage to a player over the course of the game, that player loses. regardless of their life total.
This makes aggressive commanders more threatening than their stats alone suggest, and makes players respect combat damage from the Command Zone.
Why Australians Love Commander
Commander's popularity in Australia comes down to a few things:
It's social. Four-player games involve politics, deals, and shifting alliances. You talk to the other players. You make threats and promises. It's a social experience as much as a card game.
It's slower. With 100-card singleton decks and four players, games take longer and feel more like stories than competitions. You'll see card combinations you've never seen before.
Every deck is unique. Because you build around one specific Commander with a unique card pool, two Commander decks are rarely similar. You can play 100 Commander games and not repeat the same experience twice.
The entry point is flexible. Preconstructed Commander decks are sold by Wizards of the Coast for roughly AU$60 to AU$80 and are ready to play immediately. You can also build from scratch around any legendary creature in the game.
What You Need to Start
Option 1: Preconstructed Commander Deck
Wizards of the Coast releases Commander decks with each major set. These decks are 100-card, ready-to-play Commander decks themed around the new set. They retail for approximately AU$60 to AU$80 at Australian game stores.
The advantage: zero build time, playable immediately, designed by the people who make the game.
Option 2: Build From Scratch
Choose a legendary creature you like and build a 100-card deck around it. Budget builds start at approximately AU$50 to AU$80 in singles. Mid-power builds run AU$150 to AU$300. High-power builds can be significantly more depending on card choices.
See our guide to building your first MTG deck in Australia for more detail.
Finding a Commander to Build Around
Not sure which Commander to start with? Use the C3 Random Commander Generator to roll a random Commander. You can filter by colour identity and mana value to find options that match your preferred playstyle and budget.
Checking Card Prices in Australia
Before you build, check prices. The C3 MTG card hub tracks live AUD prices on over 96,000 MTG cards. Search any card and see current eBay AU pricing so you know exactly what your build will cost.
The Commander Community in Australia
Commander is played at virtually every local game store in Australia that runs MTG. LGS nights typically happen weekly. Check your nearest local game store's social media or website for Commander nights.
Online communities include r/EDH on Reddit and numerous Australian Discord servers focused on Commander.
Why Commander Became the Most Popular Format in Australia
Commander didn't always dominate Australian MTG. In the mid-2010s, Standard, Modern, and Draft were the primary formats at local game stores. Commander was a casual kitchen-table format.
Three things changed:
Preconstructed decks: Wizards of the Coast began releasing official Commander precon decks starting in 2011 and scaling up significantly. Suddenly new players had an on-ramp that didn't require building from scratch.
Multiplayer social appeal: Commander's three-to-four player format better suits groups than one-on-one competitive play. A group of four friends can all play simultaneously rather than in pairs. The social dynamics of multiplayer: politics, alliances, threat assessment: create memorable stories that two-player competitive formats don't.
No rotation: Standard requires constant investment as cards rotate out. Commander is eternal: cards from 1993 are legal alongside cards from last month. This means your investment in Commander cards retains value over time rather than deprecating on a yearly schedule.
Commander at Different Power Levels
Commander plays very differently depending on the group's agreed power level. The spectrum runs from:
Precon (Level 2-4): Unmodified Commander preconstructed decks against each other. The default starting experience.
Upgraded Casual (Level 5-6): Decks with thoughtful upgrades targeting specific strategies. Most kitchen table Commander lives here. Synergies are the focus rather than raw power or combo finishes.
Focused (Level 7-8): Decks built around consistent win conditions with well-built mana bases and powerful staples. Functional at Friday Night Magic Commander pods in competitive stores.
cEDH (Level 9-10): Fully improved for competitive tournament Commander play. The fastest, most consistent win conditions. Expensive. A different game experience from casual Commander.
Most Australian playgroups self-identify around Level 5-7. The conversation about power level happens before the game, not during.
The Role Commander Has Played in Australian Card Stores
Australian local game stores have built Commander as a social anchor. Weekly Commander pods: often free to enter, sometimes with small fees for prize support: fill tables on Friday and Saturday nights and drive ongoing card sales and community engagement.
For game store owners, Commander is valuable because players regularly upgrade decks and buy new precons, creating consistent revenue that tournament-only formats don't generate. This alignment of player and store interests has made Commander the primary supported format at most Australian game stores.
The C3 Release Calendar tracks Commander-relevant set releases and major events in Australia. The Random Commander Generator helps players find their next Commander from 10,000+ legendary creatures.
The C3 Take
The decisions you make with your TCG collection matter more than most guides suggest. Whether you are buying, selling, or holding, the difference between a good outcome and a poor one almost always comes down to checking current AUD prices before you act. Use the live data at /cards/mtg to make price-informed decisions every time.
What to Read Next
- Browse MTG singles and prices at /cards/mtg
- Find your MTG colour identity at /quizzes/mtg-colour
- Calculate booster box expected value at /tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Commander deck for a new player in Australia?
Any Commander preconstructed deck from a recent set is a good starting point. Pick the theme or colour combination that appeals to you most. Current options from Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Lorwyn Eclipsed are available on Amazon AU.
Can I use a Commander precon in tournament play?
Commander preconstructed decks are legal for casual Commander play and official Commander events. The individual cards are legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage. The precon as a whole is not competitive at high-level play but works fine for regular Commander nights.
Where can I find Commander singles in Australia?
Singles for Commander deck upgrades are listed at the C3 eBay store. Use the C3 Card Compare tool to check prices across specific cards you want.