The Best Esper (White/Blue/Black) Commanders In MTG

Combining the colors of Magic: the Gathering can bring out their strongest elements. In Esper, the union of white, blue, and black mana, you can gain access to some of the best control and artifact synergies the game has to offer.

Over the years, Magic has pushed the limits of what an Esper commander can do. Traditional Esper archetypes can put players in control of armies of massive artifact creatures or have them sitting back behind a wall of counter spells and board control while more modern ones encourage tons of token generation and card draw combos.

Updated March 7, 2025 by Ryan Hay: Esper is one of the strongest three-color identities in Magic: The Gathering, with plenty of removal to handle any problem, counter spells to stop the biggest threats from even reaching the table, and board wipes and utility cards to get you in the game longer. Three more legendary creatures join the list with Aminatou, Veil Piercer, Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain, and Saruman of Many Colors, each one bringing a new approach to your deck building plans

23

Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant

Tokens, Tokens Everywhere

Though somewhat mana-intensive, Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant is a six-mana Zombie Wizard that synergizes in a powerful fashion with board wipes, potentially even serving as a board wipe itself. While it has hexproof from artifacts, creatures, and enchantments, one of the most notable features of Nevinyrral is that, upon entering the battlefield, it creates a 2/2 zombie token for each creature that had died that turn.

This means that you can create a massive token army if played in the wake of a board wipe. In addition to being able to help you maximize the impact of a board wipe, if you’re behind in a game, this commander can even serve as a board wipe itself. This is because when Nevinyrral dies, if you pay one mana, you can destroy all artifacts, creatures, and enchantments. As this effect is triggered upon Nevinyrral’s death, it’s wise to pair it with sacrifice outlets that may be activated at instant speed, allowing you to wipe the board whenever it’s most convenient for you.

22

Sefris Of The Hidden Ways

Explore To Victory

Sefris of the Hidden Ways is a commander that combines the venture into the dungeon mechanic introduced in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms with graveyard synergies. A 2/3 for three mana, Sefris allows you to venture into the dungeon whenever a creature is put into its owner’s graveyard from anywhere for the first time each turn.

Once you complete a dungeon, you can return a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. This functions as a useful payoff for dungeon-related effects and provides a means of repeatedly recurring creatures from one’s graveyard.

21

Merieke Ri Berit

An Old School Classic

Originally printed in Ice Age, Merieke Ri Berit is an underrated commander that can be used to steal opponents’ creatures or simply function as a repeatable source of removal. A 1/1 Human for three mana, Merieke Ri Berit can be tapped to gain control of a target creature for as long as this creature remains tapped and in play.

If Merieke Ri Berit becomes untapped or leaves the battlefield, a creature stolen with it is immediately destroyed. As you can choose to keep this card tapped during their untap step, Merieke Ri Berit lets you choose to hold onto a stolen creature or let that creature be destroyed to snag an even more enticing target.

20

Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign

Get Your Stuff For Free

An impactful six-mana Sphinx, Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign is a commander capable of repeatedly cheating cards directly into play. A 3/5 with flying, vigilance, and menace, whenever Yennett attacks, its controller reveals the top card of their library. If that card’s mana value is odd, it can be cast for free; otherwise, the revealed card is put in its owner’s hand.

When paired with several scrying effects and spells that can selectively manipulate the top of your library, Yennett can be used to potentially subvert the mana costs of massive, game-winning cards.

19

Aminatou, The Fateshifter

Planeswalker Power

A three-mana Esper Planeswalker that can serve as your commander, Aminatou, the Fateshifter has a distinct suite of abilities that provide unique functionality. With a +1 ability that draws a card, then puts a card from your hand on top of your library, Aminatou can be used to set up effects that rely on the top card of your deck, such as the previously mentioned Yennett or spells with Miracle.

Aminatou comes loaded with an extremely unique and impactful final ability that can cause chaos in any game. By paying six loyalty counters, you can pick a direction, either left or right. Then all players shift control of their nonland permanents (other than your Aminatou of course) in that direction. While a bit too random to really control, it is an immensely fun and powerful ability that can change the course of the game.

18

Bane, Lord Of Darkness

You Come Out On Top

An Esper God printed in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Bane, Lord of Darkness is a highly underrated option for an Esper Aristocrats decks. A 5/2 for four mana, Bane totes a clause that provides it with indestructible for as long as your life total is less than or half your starting life total. While this protection is nice, Bane’s primary appeal is the manner in which it puts your opponents in lose-lose situations.

This is because, whenever a nontoken creature under your control dies, an opponent of your choice may have you draw a card. If that player declines to have you draw, you may play a creature with a lesser or equal toughness directly from your hand without paying its mana cost. When paired with creatures that can be easily returned from your graveyard to the battlefield and sacrifice outlets, Bane can allow you to garner absurd amounts of value.

17

Zur, Eternal Schemer

A Tempered Enchantment

While enchantment creatures were first introduced in Theros block, they haven’t had access to a proper commander option until the printing of Zur, Eternal Schemer in Dominaria United. For the low cost of three mana, this 1/4 Human Wizard provides each enchantment creature under your control with a powerful suite of deathtouch, lifelink, and hexproof, allowing them to gain your life while preventing your opponents from targeting them with removal.

In addition to pairing well with the enchantment creatures associated with Theros, Zur is a great choice for an Enchantment-based commander regardless of if your enchantments are simultaneously creatures to begin with. This is because, for the cost of two mana, Zur can convert one of your non-aura enchantments into an enchantment creature with power and toughness equal to its mana value until the end of the turn. Not only can this allow you to push damage through with your utility enchantments, but it allows you to create blockers at instant speed and prevent enchantments from being removed, as converting them into enchantment creatures bestows them with hexproof.

16

Sydri, Galvanic Genius

Keep Those Artifacts Coming

A flexible artifact-based commander, Sydri can provide great value for one’s non-creature artifacts and artifact creatures alike. A 2/2 for three mana, Sydri has two activated abilities that can synergize with different types of artifacts.

For one blue mana, Sydri can turn a noncreature artifact into an artifact creature with a power and toughness equal to its mana value, while for one black and one white mana, a target artifact creature can gain deathtouch and lifelink until the end of the turn. This not only provides artifact creatures with extra value, but it allows noncreature artifacts to be used in more aggressive ways than normally possible.

15

Kamiz, Obscura Oculus

Sneak That Damage Through

A 2/4 Cephalid Rogue for four mana, Kamiz, Obscura Oculus is a potent Esper commander that allows you to easily make use of strong abilities that trigger when creatures deal combat damage to opponents. Whenever you attack, you can prevent one of your creatures from being blocked while providing another creature with lesser power with double strike.

While double strike allows your high-powered creatures to deal twice as much damage, Kamiz provides flexible evasion that can guarantee that its controller’s creatures can make contact with opponents. This can be used to enable various potent effects, it can also notably allow you to sneak powerful infect creatures and the likes of Phage, the Untouchable through an opponent’s defenses undeterred.

14

Varina, Lich Queen

The Swarm Persists

A great option for an Esper Zombie-themed commander, Varina’s color access allows you to include the Dimir Zombies of Innistrad and the white Zombies of Amonkhet within a single deck. A 4/4 Zombie Wizard for four mana, Varina can allow you to quickly cycle through your deck, as whenever its controller attacks with one or more Zombies, they can draw and discard that many cards, even gaining that much life in the process.

This not only helps find key cards but also fills its controller’s graveyard. Varina can even help create new Zombies, as for the cost of two mana, Varina can exile two cards from its controller’s graveyard to create a tapped 2/2 Zombie token.

13

Queza, Augur Of Agonies

Drawing To Victory

It’s no secret that drawing cards is one of the most powerful things you can do in Magic, providing additional answers and allowing you to make the most out of your resources. Simple yet effective, Queza, Augur of Agonies is an Esper commander for four mana that allows you to convert card draw into potentially game-winning life drain.

This is because whenever you draw a card, you cause an opponent to lose one life while you gain one life. When paired with wheeling effects, and cards that can allow you to draw large numbers of cards at once, Queza can be the source of massive life swings in a Commander game.

12

Arna Kennerud, Skycaptain

Load Her Up

Equipment decks can feel a little single-minded at times, and that’s Arna Kennerud, Skycaptain comes in to give your play group some shake ups. Arna Kennerud, Skycaptain is a five-mana commander that has a solid stat line and both flying and lifelink to keep you healthy throughout the match. Keeping Arna safe is a decent ward protection, forcing your opponent to discard a card if they want to target her with a spell or ability.

Once out, you can create tons of copies of your auras and equipment, since when a modified creature attacks, Arna makes token copies attached to it, while also doubling the number of counters on them. Be careful if you’re copying a legendary equipment though, since you only get to keep one.

11

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

Win From The Command Zone

Regarded as one of the strongest life-gain commanders in Magic, Oloro, Ageless Ascetic can have a notable impact on a game even when it hasn’t been cast. This is because regardless of if Oloro is in play or in the Command Zone, at the beginning of your turn, you gain two life, allowing it to constantly grow your life total with no action required.

Once in play, Oloro can convert life-gain into card advantage, allowing you to pay one mana whenever they gain life to draw a card, even draining each opponent’s life total by one in the process. Turning your life into a resource with spells that can be cast with Phyrexian mana or that have an additional cost of paying life become much easier to cast when your life total is safely above your opponent’s.

10

Sidar Jabari Of Zhalfir

A Returning Power

For a unique twist on Esper decks, try out Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir. This Knight commander brings a more creature-based approach to deck design while still keeping in the tradition of incredible card draw effects. Sidar Jabari also counts itself among the few commanders with the eminence ability, letting it affect the battlefield even from the Command Zone.

Attacking with one or more Knights lets you draw a card and then discard a card, helping you dig through your deck to find the answers you need. Then when Sidar Jabari deals combat damage to a player, you can return a Knight creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. If you’ve discarded a high-cost Knight early on or even had a Knight die that you want back, Sidar can bring them back to the fight.

9

Aminatou, Veil Piercer

Winning Is No Miracle

The former planeswalker Aminatou returns in Duskmourn: House of Horrors with a new version. Aminatou, Veil Piercer lets you take a peek at the top two cards of your deck at the start of your turn, either keeping them on top in whatever order you like or pitching them to the graveyard.

She also gives your enchantments miracle, which is an exceptionally powerful ability that lets you cast them as soon as you draw them so long as it’s the first card you drew this turn. At the same time, Aminatou reduces the cost by four generic mana, so you can cast those expensive enchantments a lot faster than usual.

8

Tivit, Seller Of Secrets

Incredible Power Behind Protection

Making use of the Will of the Council mechanic that allows players to vote on the outcome of an effect, Tivit, Seller of Secrets is capable of providing its controller value in the form of either a card draw or mana ramp. A 6/6 Sphinx Rogue with flying and ward 3 for six mana, whenever Tivit enters the battlefield or deals combat damage to a player, each player votes for evidence or bribery.

For each evidence vote, its controller investigates, while for each bribery vote, its controller creates a treasure token. While this is a flexible source of both clues and treasures, it’s made yet even better by the fact that Tivit allows its controller to cast an additional vote whenever players vote. This means that whenever this ability is triggered, you’ll automatically gain two tokens of your choice in addition to whatever one’s opponents choose to vote for.

7

Urza, Chief Artificer

A Terror In Universe And On The Battlefield

It took years to get Urza as a card and since then the mythical artificer has seen several iterations, including an Esper printing in Urza, Chief Artificer. As a genius inventor, Urza grants all your artifact creature tokens menace, making them harder to block and more likely to drain your opponent’s resources to deal with them.

To boost your artifact army, Urza creates a constant stream of Construct tokens. These tokens, lovingly referred to as ‘Karnstructs’ after Karn, Scion of Urza, which also creates these unique tokens, gain +1/+1 for each artifact you control. Keep pumping out artifacts and other ways to double up your tokens, and you’ll quickly find yourself behind an iron wall.

6

Raffine, Scheming Seer

Keep The Pressure On

A 1/4 with flying and ward 1 for three mana and the leader of New Capenna’s Obscura faction, Raffine, Scheming Seer is an efficient and deadly commander that allows you to easily dig through your deck and grow your creatures by simply attacking. Whenever you attack, you have a target creature connive X times where X is the number of attacking creatures.

With even a small force of creatures, this can provide a creature with a substantial number of +1/+1 counters while simultaneously serving as an impressive card selection for its controller. Since this ability triggers when any creature you control attacks, you can start drawing cards and pumping up your creatures the turn it comes out. Combine Raffine with cards that increase your card draw like Alhammarret’s Archive to boost the number of cards you draw to give you more options to choose from.

5

Alela, Artful Provocateur

A Variety Of Plays

One of the most popular commanders in the entire format, Alela, Artful Provocateur is a creature that synergizes with artifacts, enchantments, and creatures with flying, allowing for a wide variety of potential strategies. A 2/3 with flying, deathtouch, and lifelink, Alela creates a 1/1 Faerie token whenever you cast an artifact or enchantment spell, and provides all creatures under your control that have flying with +1/+0.

This means that not only does each artifact and enchantment come along with an evasive token, but also that these tokens receive an offensive buff that can benefit other key flying creatures. There are tons of directions to take Alela, you can go for a stax shell, with cards to prevent your opponents from attacking or lean into the creature tokens with cards like Mondrak, Glory Dominus to double your tokens.

4

Marneus Calgar

For The Emperor

Printed as part of the Universes Beyond Warhammer 40K Commander decks, Forces of the Imperium, Marneus Calgar is a stellar option for anyone looking to construct a token deck. A 3/5 with double stroke for five mana, Marneus Calgar allows you to convert your token generators into draw engines, as whenever one or more tokens enter the battlefield under your control, you draw a card.

While this ability is already incredible in its own right, Marneus is also capable of creating tokens itself, creating two 2/2 white Astartes Warrior creature tokens with vigilance for the cost of six mana. This means that even if you have no cards in hand, Marneus can build your board state while drawing you additional cards in the process.