Commander Damage

Commander · beginner

Commander damage is an extra way to lose the game, unique to the Commander format. It exists so that a single big commander can be a real threat even though everyone starts at a high 40 life.

The rule

A player who has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by a single commander over the course of the game loses the game.

How it is tracked

• Commander damage is counted per commander, separately from life total.
• If two different commanders have each dealt you 15 combat damage, you are fine: no single commander has reached 21. You would track "15 from commander A, 15 from commander B."
• The count is cumulative across the whole game. It does not reset between turns.
• The damage still reduces your life total normally. Commander damage is a second tally kept alongside life, not instead of it.

What counts

• Only combat damage counts toward commander damage. Damage dealt by a commander's activated or triggered abilities, or by a spell, does not.
• The damage must come from a creature that is a commander. A commander on the battlefield dealing combat damage adds to that opponent's tally for that commander.

Practical notes

• Track commander damage on a notepad or life-tracker app, one running total per opponent's commander that has hit you.
• A commander with evasion (such as flying or menace) or one that can attack repeatedly is a serious commander-damage clock.
• Gaining life does not undo commander damage. Even at high life, you can lose to 21 commander damage from one source.

Source

• Official Commander rules: <https://mtgcommander.net/index.php/rules/>