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Best Blink Commanders in MTG

Why settle for drawing a card from a creature once? Blink decks exile their own permanents and return them to reuse abilities that trigger when they enter the battlefield, often called ETB abilities. The best choice of commander depends on what you want to blink and how often you need to do it.

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Find the right engine for your enters abilities

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
Brago, King Eternal — Magic: The Gathering card

Brago, King Eternal — blink several permanents after combat

Color identity: White, BlueComplexity: MediumBudget-friendly

When Brago deals combat damage to a player, it can exile and return any number of your target nonland permanents. That covers more than creatures. Getting through combat is the requirement, so build in ways to protect Brago and keep a path open rather than assuming flying will always be enough.

Strengths

  • Blinks any number of nonland permanents when it connects
  • Flying and four toughness
  • Four mana in two colors

Watch out for

  • Needs to deal combat damage to a player
  • Slower than a flash blink spell

Best for: Players who like attack triggers and Azorius control.

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Roon of the Hidden Realm — Magic: The Gathering card

Roon of the Hidden Realm — choose a creature and wait for its return

Color identity: White, Blue, GreenComplexity: MediumBudget-friendly

Roon’s activated ability exiles another target creature and returns it at the beginning of the next end step. You can reuse your own creature or temporarily remove someone else’s. The delay matters: it won’t always return in time for the combat or blocking job you had in mind.

Strengths

  • Blinks a creature for {2} and a tap, back at the next end step
  • Also removes a blocker or dodges removal
  • A 4/4 with vigilance and trample

Watch out for

  • Three colors
  • The creature returns only at the end step, and only one blink per turn

Best for: Players who want one steady enter-the-battlefield trigger every turn.

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Aminatou, the Fateshifter — Magic: The Gathering card

Aminatou, the Fateshifter — blink without attacking

Color identity: White, Blue, BlackComplexity: HighHigh power

Aminatou can exile another permanent you own and return it under your control with a loyalty ability. Her card explicitly allows her to be your commander. She supports a careful value game without needing combat damage, but a planeswalker commander needs creatures or interaction to defend it.

Strengths

  • Blinks every turn without attacking
  • The +1 digs for your best card, the −1 blinks
  • A planeswalker commander dodges creature removal

Watch out for

  • Three colors
  • Weak to attackers when the board is empty

Best for: Experienced players who want a controlling blink engine.

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Emiel the Blessed — Magic: The Gathering card

Emiel the Blessed — spend mana to reuse a creature

Color identity: White, GreenComplexity: Medium

Emiel can repeatedly exile and immediately return another creature you control for three generic mana per activation. You don’t need to tap Emiel, which makes spare mana useful throughout the turn cycle. Her green-white identity comes from her full card text, not just the mana cost at the top.

Strengths

  • {3}: blink a creature at instant speed
  • Puts +1/+1 counters on creatures that enter
  • A 4/4 for four mana

Watch out for

  • Each blink costs three mana
  • Few cards can follow once the mana is spent

Best for: Players who like to spend mana at instant speed.

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Yorion, Sky Nomad — Magic: The Gathering card

Yorion, Sky Nomad — return a whole board at the end step

Color identity: White, BlueComplexity: LowBeginner-friendlyBudget-friendly

Yorion can exile any number of other nonland permanents you own and control when it enters, returning them at the beginning of the next end step. It works as a commander without meeting its companion condition. Reusing Yorion itself gives a dedicated Blink deck another way to repeat the effect.

Strengths

  • A 4/5 flyer that blinks your board when it enters
  • Hybrid mana: castable in mono-white or mono-blue
  • A big payoff after a turn of enter-the-battlefield creatures

Watch out for

  • Blinks only when it enters
  • Five mana

Best for: Newcomers who want one big turn that resets the whole board.

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Blink commanders compared

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

CommanderColorsPlanComplexityBudget-friendlyBuild
Brago, King EternalBlink several permanents after combatMediumYesBuild
Roon of the Hidden RealmChoose a creature and wait for its returnMediumYesBuild
Aminatou, the FateshifterBlink without attackingHigh—Build
Emiel the BlessedSpend mana to reuse a creatureMedium—Build
Yorion, Sky NomadReturn a whole board at the end stepLowYesBuild

Give every blink a useful target

Mulldrifter draws cards when it enters and fits the blue commanders above. Eternal Witness returns a card from your graveyard to your hand and fits Roon or Emiel. Choose targets that cover different needs: cards, mana and answers. A hand of blink spells with no useful permanent in play doesn’t achieve much.

You can also use some blink effects to avoid removal, but read when the card returns. Temporarily losing your blockers or an important static ability can change the whole turn.

Key cards and synergies for Blink

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

Blink spells and creatures

Reuse an enter-the-battlefield effect, or dodge removal.

  • Ephemerate — One white mana, and it comes back next upkeep for free.
  • Cloudshift — A one-mana blink that also saves a creature from removal.
  • Restoration Angel — Flash and flying, and it blinks a non-Angel creature when it enters.
  • Soulherder — Blinks a creature each end step and grows when creatures are exiled.
  • Ghostly Flicker — Blinks two artifacts, creatures or lands at once.

Enter-the-battlefield creatures

Cards that are worth getting twice.

Engines and protection

Get more value from every blink.

Best budget Blink commanders

Blink is a cheap archetype: most of the best enter-the-battlefield creatures and the blink spells cost very little, and expensive extras like Teferi’s Protection are optional.

Yorion, Sky Nomad

Yorion, Sky Nomad

Two hybrid colors, so it also works as a mono-colored deck.

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Roon of the Hidden Realm

Roon of the Hidden Realm

A repeatable blink with cheap creatures as targets.

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Brago, King Eternal

Brago, King Eternal

Flying and a mass blink, without expensive Equipment or Sagas.

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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.

Blink Commander FAQ

Do tokens come back after being blinked?

No. A token that leaves the battlefield cannot return. Don’t treat a blink effect as a way to save your token army.

Do creatures keep their counters and Equipment?

Normally no. The returning card is a new object. Counters don’t carry over and Equipment becomes unattached; attached Auras usually go to the graveyard.

Can Yorion be my Commander without being my companion?

Yes. These are different roles. As your commander, Yorion doesn’t impose its companion deck-size condition, and your Commander deck still contains exactly 100 cards including your commander.

Make more of the creatures in your collection

Use Commandarium to start a Blink deck around your existing creatures and the enters abilities you want to repeat.

Build my Blink deck

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

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