MTG Murders at Karlov Manor: Best Commanders

From returning favorites to brand-new gods, there are many new potential Commanders to choose from in MTG’s Murders at Karlov Manor.

MTG’s latest set has been released and fans can get their hands on all of Murders at Karlov Manor’s best options for the Commander format.

Now that the set’s spoilers have been fully revealed and the cards are out in the wild, we’ll walk you through our choices for the best Commanders coming out of Murders at Karlov Manor, and ensure you’re well-informed of the options for building powerful new decks.

Best Commanders in MTG Murders at Karlov Manor

#5: Massacre Girl, Known Killer

WOTC

Often you’d expect older mechanics to eventually be power-crept out of usefulness, but the return of Wither thanks to Massacre Girl proves that some of MTG’s best options are more than fit to return from retirement.

Massacre Girl, Known Killer granting Wither to all your creatures gets around usually-reliable protection like Indestructible, with -1/-1 counters dragging your opponents’ forces down into oblivion. What’s more, when those counters reduce an opposing creature’s toughness to 0 – as they will frequently – Massacre Girl allows you to draw a card.

Featuring an incredible draw and an unusual board-wide buff, Massacre Girl, Known Killer can set up exciting new strategies in black and enable you to topple overconfident opponents with ease. Quickly rising in the price rankings and standing toe to toe with the set’s other powerhouses, this Commander is one to watch in early Murders at Karlov Manor play.

#4: Voja, Jaws of the Conclave

WOTC

As a hybrid Commander for both Elves and Wolves, Voja loses little focus and instead packs a coherent, exceptionally powerful game plan.

Whenever Voja attacks – which should be as often as possible given its inherent power and evasion – all your creatures receive buffs to power and toughness based on the number of Elves you control. You then draw cards for the number of Wolves you control. While the initial attack with Voja may be a risky proposition, any further swings will be nigh-impossible for opponents to block.

With just a single swing from Voja, players can begin to utterly run away with the lead. Build up a board presence with cheap, low-power elves that become huge beaters thanks to Voja, and restock your hand every turn with new wolf and elf Creatures. What’s more, many elves can serve as sources of ramp, allowing you to build up a towering stock of mana incredibly quickly.

This Commander is proving to be kill-on-sight for many MTG players, as Voja can end games remarkably quickly. With some way of granting haste on the board – Rhythm of the Wild for example – Voja can lock in a victory with surprisingly little buildup.

#3: Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods

WOTC

The Gruul Clans have had an exceptionally good showing in Murders at Karlov Manor. It’s genuinely surprising to say that Yarus isn’t the top-ranked Gruul Commander on this list, especially since this card performs so incredibly in its own right.

Yarus grants haste to each of your other Creatures, setting you up for speedy and devastating plays right away. But what sets Yarus apart is his unorthodox cost reduction, allowing you to deal damage and cheat out your best creatures through exploiting Murders at Karlov Manor’s Disguise mechanic.

Yarus incentivizes getting your creatures onto the board as fast as possible with Disguise, drawing you cards whenever you deal damage with a face-down creature. But what’s more, if opponents want to prevent this and block your hasted face-downs, those creatures will immediately flip face-up and transform thanks to Yarus.

No matter what your opponent chooses, this tricky combat Commander will enable you to come out on top.

#2: Judith, Carnage Connoisseur

WOTC

Judith is an incredible new spellslinger Commander in Rakdos (red/black), with her own unique flavor and enough power to rival current favorites, Rowan and Prosper.

By granting damaging spells deathtouch and lifelink, Judith can clear up the board in a moment and create a huge bugger of life for opponents to chew through. Taking advantage of red options like Blasphemous Act can set Judith up with so much life that opponents will have to resort to clever tricks and Commander damage to take you down.

Judith also works well with incremental damage, setting up small sources of reliable burn to chip away at your opponents again and again. Rakdos has thrived with this type of ‘pinger’ strategy before, and it’s entirely possible to build Judith mainly in this direction too.

As a truly unique Rakdos Commander with the strength to match, Judith is one of the absolute best cards to come out of Murders at Karlov Manor. Rakdos is proving itself as an incredible place for Spellslinging again and again, to the point that Izzet may soon have a genuine rival for its once-uncontested crown,

#1: Anzrag, the Quake-Mole

WOTC

Murders at Karlov Manor’s strongest Commander is one of the best MTG creatures in recent memory, with incredible stats, a startlingly low cost, and fantastic abilities.

With 8 power for just 2RG (two generic mana, one red, and one green), Anzrag is a tremendous threat that any player will be sorry to see tunneling towards them. While the temptation will no doubt be to block this massive mole, doing so is just what Anzrag players are hoping for, leading to a whole new combat step.

If Anzrag’s combat tricks weren’t enough, this creature’s secondary ability forces opponents to block and trigger the second combat step. With a whole host of additional options to compel blockers, Anzrag decks can sweep their way to an early victory with remarkable consistency.

This new Gruul god has rightfully made a huge splash among MTG players since its reveal, and its price is soaring to match. We expect it to see heavy play throughout 2024 and beyond.

If you click on a product link on this page we may earn a small affiliate commission.