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Best Artifact Commanders in MTG

Artifacts can be your mana, your creatures, your card draw or the resources you sacrifice to keep a turn going. That flexibility is useful, but it can also leave a deck without a focus. Start by deciding what your artifacts should do, then choose the commander that rewards that job.

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Five different ways to build with artifacts

Our picks cover different ways to build the theme. They are editorial recommendations, not a popularity or win-rate ranking.

  • Beginner-friendly A clear plan with few decisions per turn
  • Budget-friendly The commander is inexpensive and the deck works without pricey staples
  • High power Among the strongest versions of the theme
Urza, Lord High Artificer — Magic: The Gathering card

Urza, Lord High Artificer — turn artifacts into blue mana

Color identity: BlueComplexity: HighHigh power

Urza creates a Construct when it enters and lets you tap an untapped artifact you control to add blue mana. Even artifacts without a useful tap ability become resources. That can support powerful turns, so choose your combo and interaction packages to match the table you want to play at.

Strengths

  • Artifacts tap for blue mana, so the board becomes a mana base
  • The Construct grows with every artifact
  • A free spell every turn late in the game

Watch out for

  • A 1/4 for four mana with UU
  • Artifact removal and sweepers hurt

Best for: Experienced players who like engines and large turns.

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Breya, Etherium Shaper — Magic: The Gathering card

Breya, Etherium Shaper — make and spend artifact creatures

Color identity: White, Blue, Black, RedComplexity: MediumBudget-friendly

Breya arrives with two Thopters and can sacrifice artifacts for several different effects. Four colors provide a broad selection of answers and engines. They also put pressure on the mana base. Choose a central plan rather than adding every strong artifact card available in those colors.

Strengths

  • Two Thopters when it enters
  • Sacrifice two artifacts for damage, shrink or life
  • A 4/4 for four mana

Watch out for

  • Four colors and four colored pips
  • Each sacrifice costs board

Best for: Players who like sacrifice and flexible modes.

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Osgir, the Reconstructor — Magic: The Gathering card

Osgir, the Reconstructor — turn the graveyard into copies

Color identity: White, RedComplexity: Medium

Osgir can exile an artifact card from your graveyard to create two token copies with a mana-value-based activation cost. That ability taps Osgir and is used only as a sorcery. His deck rewards useful artifacts you don’t mind sacrificing, but the engine needs time and a graveyard that stays available.

Strengths

  • Exile an artifact card from the graveyard for two token copies
  • Sacrifices artifacts to pump
  • A 4/4 with vigilance for four mana

Watch out for

  • Needs artifacts in the graveyard
  • Slow engine

Best for: Players who like recursion and value.

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Sai, Master Thopterist — Magic: The Gathering card

Sai, Master Thopterist — build a flying army while casting artifacts

Color identity: BlueComplexity: LowBeginner-friendlyBudget-friendly

Sai makes a Thopter token whenever you cast an artifact spell. He can also sacrifice artifacts for card draw through an activated ability. He offers a clear mono-blue token plan, but an artifact entering without being cast won’t create a Thopter through his first ability.

Strengths

  • Every artifact spell makes a 1/1 flying Thopter
  • Three mana and one blue
  • Sacrifice two artifacts to draw a card

Watch out for

  • Needs artifact spells
  • A 1/4 doesn’t attack

Best for: Newcomers who want a clear plan and a flying army.

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Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain — Magic: The Gathering card

Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain — keep cards moving with historic spells

Color identity: Blue, RedComplexity: LowBeginner-friendlyBudget-friendly

Jhoira draws a card when you cast a historic spell: an artifact, a legendary spell or a Saga. Cheap artifacts can keep the deck moving, but casting a long sequence still needs a payoff. Choose whether you’re building toward combat, damage or a defined combo.

Strengths

  • Draws a card for each historic spell
  • Four mana in two colors
  • Fits a deck full of artifacts and legends

Watch out for

  • No board presence of its own
  • Needs many historic spells

Best for: Newcomers who like card draw and cheap artifacts.

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Artifact commanders compared

All five at a glance. Complexity and budget are our judgement; see each commander above for the reasons.

CommanderColorsPlanComplexityBudget-friendlyBuild
Urza, Lord High ArtificerTurn artifacts into blue manaHigh—Build
Breya, Etherium ShaperMake and spend artifact creaturesMediumYesBuild
Osgir, the ReconstructorTurn the graveyard into copiesMedium—Build
Sai, Master ThopteristBuild a flying army while casting artifactsLowYesBuild
Jhoira, Weatherlight CaptainKeep cards moving with historic spellsLowYesBuild

Make your artifacts do more than one job

Ichor Wellspring draws cards when it enters and when it goes to the graveyard from the battlefield. Myr Retriever can return another artifact card from your graveyard to your hand when it dies. Both fit every commander above and reward a deck that reuses its pieces.

Don’t cut all your lands just because you have mana rocks. Artifact removal can remove both your engine and your mana at once. For an initial build, focus on one route to victory and a manageable set of interactions rather than several unrelated combos.

Key cards and synergies for Artifacts

Cards that show up in many Artifact decks, by the job they do. Which ones fit depends on your commander’s colors.

Mana

Artifact decks want mana first.

Cost reducers and payoffs

Cheaper artifacts and a reward for each one.

Card advantage and threats

Keep cards flowing and have something to finish with.

Best budget Artifact commanders

Artifacts are a cheap theme in the middle of the deck: the mana rocks, the cost reducers and many of the best payoffs are inexpensive, and three of these commanders cost very little.

Sai, Master Thopterist

Sai, Master Thopterist

Cheap artifacts each make a flying Thopter, and the commander costs three mana.

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Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain

Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain

Draws for every artifact, legend or Saga, all cheap cards.

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Breya, Etherium Shaper

Breya, Etherium Shaper

Cheap artifacts feed its sacrifice modes.

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Prices change daily, so this page names none. Commandarium shows today’s price for every card in a deck, and counts what you already own.

Artifact Commander FAQ

Are all artifacts colorless?

No. Artifacts can be colored and can have colored mana symbols in their rules text. Check color identity before adding them to a Commander deck.

Do artifact tokens count for artifact abilities?

They can, but the wording matters. A Treasure is an artifact, yet creating one doesn’t mean you cast an artifact spell. Sai and Jhoira require casting for their draw or token engines.

Are Artifact decks always combo decks?

No. Thopters, Constructs and recurring artifact creatures can win through combat. Infinite combos are an optional package, not a requirement of the theme.

Find a plan for your spare artifacts

Import your collection into Commandarium and build around the artifacts you own, from small utility pieces to your main threats.

Build my Artifact deck

Opens Commandarium. Tap New deck on the start screen to see the possible commanders in your collection.

Related reading

Equipment

Equip a whole team, not just one creature, and keep the cards coming.

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Tokens

Go wide with more creatures than the table can block, then pump them all.

Art: Jason A. Engle · Chatterfang, Squirrel General10 commanders compared →

Spellslinger

Turn cheap instants and sorceries into tokens, card draw and damage.

Art: Mathias Kollros · Veyran, Voice of Duality5 commanders compared →

More ways to start

Choose a commander

The legendary creatures you already own, as a starting point.

The deck builder

How Commandarium builds a deck from your collection.

Deck ratios

How many lands, ramp, draw and removal.

All commander themes

Every archetype we have compared.