'Magic: The Gathering' Commander Cards That Put A Target On The Opponent's Back
In a multi-player game of ‘Commander’, things can get very political. Bargaining, pleading, alliances, betrayals, it’s really fun. The ideal size for a multi-player game is usually 4 people, although things get pretty wild if you play with five or more. There are endless variations for the way Magic: The Gathering, the world’s most complex game, can go. We’ve written about cards that break the game, Commander variations, and popular deck archetypes in the game’s most popular format. Today we’re going to cover some of our favorite ways to turn the table to our advantage, namely, how you can put a big old “please attack me” target on your opponents. Whether it’s making them an early game threat or incentivizing other players to attack them, these cards will make any game a whole lot spicier. Some of these cards fall into a sort of “pillow fort” category. That’s the Commander term for disincentivizing players to attack you, therefore turning them on each other. Other cards we list here are just straight diabolical.
An Offer You Can’t Refuse
Wizards of the Coast
This card may seem a little counter intuitive, but countering someone’s spell and giving them extra mana right off the bat disrupts their game plan. And all the other players at the table see that that player can now ramp into something bigger, making them pull ahead early on and drawing focus.
Curse of Opulence
Wizards of the Coast
Incentivizing other players to attack someone is exemplified in this card. This not only ramps you, it ramps the other players attacking. Making the curse-ee feel very unlucky.
Thantis, the Warweaver
Wizards of the Coast
Not only does it make everyone else want to attack someone other than you, it speeds up lengthy Commander games.
Smothering Tithe
Wizards of the Coast
This scales with multiple opponents and if someone at your table casts this, they need to be merc’d immediately.
Sanguine Bond
Wizards of the Coast
If you see this card, your opponent is about to combo off and go infinite. Deal with them or the game is lost.
Curse of Shallow Graves
Wizards of the Coast
Zombies, zombies everywhere. This card rewards players for attacking a single opponent by giving them swarms of undead.
Curse of Vitality
Wizards of the Coast
Like other aura curses, this one majorly incentivizes folks to attack the cursed player.
Curse of the Nightly Hunt
Wizards of the Coast
Enough shenanigans, this enchantment makes it so the targeted player must attack every turn. Very deadly if you have a strong board and the other players must fight amongst themselves.
Assault Suit
Wizards of the Coast
Make everyone else fight each other while you bide your time.
Bitter Feud
Wizards of the Coast
This one puts a target on TWO opponents’ backs. Make them ignite in a bloody fury of battle while you kick back and build up your board.
Disrupt Decorum
Wizards of the Coast
Spark a blood bath and let your opponents know the biggest threat on the table is someone other than you.
Rhystic Study
Wizards of the Coast
This is a great way to get value that scales the more opponents you have. But it also puts a target on the casters back. If an opponent casts this, they’re public enemy number one and must be dealt with asap.
Gahiji, Honored One
Wizards of the Coast
Making all the creatures on the table a little bit bigger while they attack other players is a winning strategy.
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Wizards of the Coast
There’s a reason this guy is banned in 1v1 Commander. He’s just too good.
Furnace of Rath
Wizards of the Coast
Another great way to speed up games and incentivize folks to go all out and attack each other.
Orzhov Advokist
Wizards of the Coast
This card really embodies the spirit of Orzhov. Make a sneaky deal to create strong creatures… that can’t hurt you.
That's the list! It's not in a particular order, we just wanted you to know what cards to look out for if someone else has cast them, and a few nasty ways to make everyone hate you win the game.
