BlueLegendary Creature — Human Rogue WizardImoen, Mystic Trickster
Mana value3Rank#9,630
The Commander
Ward 
(Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays .)
At the beginning of your end step, if you have the initiative, draw a card. Draw another card if you've completed a dungeon.
Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)
Guide
Gameplan
Take the initiative early, protect Imoen (and yourself) so you keep ticking through the Undercity each turn, and snowball card advantage off her end-step draws while you complete dungeons. Use mono-blue interaction to stall the board and protect your initiative until you bury opponents in cards or assemble a combo/finisher.
Strengths
- Repeatable, escalating card advantage that snowballs hard if your initiative sticks
- Ward plus blue counters/bounce makes her durable and protects your engine
- Background slot adds flexibility, color access, or a second engine
- Initiative pressure forces opponents to attack you, shaping combat in your favor
Weaknesses
- Mono-blue (or two-color via Background) struggles to remove problematic permanents
- Losing the initiative shuts off half the engine and hands an opponent your value
- Vulnerable to a wide aggressive board that easily takes the initiative back
- Few creatures means initiative defense leans on spells and chump blockers
Key Cards
- Undercity — The initiative dungeon that, paired with Imoen, gives you a second card and powerful rooms each upkeep.
- Initiative — Cards like Caves of Chaos Adventurer and other 'take the initiative' enablers turn on Imoen's bonus draw and Undercity venturing.
- Propaganda — Taxes attackers so you keep the initiative and protect your low creature count.
- Rhystic Study — Doubles down on the card-advantage plan that defines this commander.
- Cyclonic Rift — Premier mono-blue reset to clear blockers, protect the initiative, and push a lethal turn.
- Swan Song — Cheap protection for Imoen and your key engine pieces, stacking with Ward .
Upgrade Path
Pick a Background that supplements your weakness—Raised by Giants or Sword Coast Sailor for evasion, or a card-advantage/protection Background—then add fast mana (Sol Ring, mana rocks) and more proactive initiative enablers. Tighten interaction with the best counters and a compact two-card combo so the engine actually closes games, and lean into pillowfort/taxing pieces to lock down the initiative.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Out-draw the table and close with a big finisher like a fattened token, Stroke of Genius, or an X-spell
- ▸Cyclonic Rift the board and swing with initiative creatures or a Thassa's Oracle/Laboratory Maniac win
- ▸Assemble a blue combo (e.g., Thassa's Oracle + draw-out) enabled by overwhelming card flow
- ▸Grind opponents out with repeated Undercity rooms and incremental advantage
Archetypes
- Initiative/Dungeon Value — Imoen converts holding the initiative and completing the Undercity into a relentless draw engine.
- Control — Mono-blue counters, bounce, and taxing effects let you defend the initiative and grind to inevitability.
- Spellslinger/Combo — The extra cards fuel a build that digs for and protects a game-ending combo.
- Group Slug/Pillowfort — Deterrent enchantments keep your fragile board safe while the engine snowballs.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (U), by popularity.
