The Commander
Double strike
All creatures have haste.
At the beginning of each player's end step, Kratos deals damage to that player equal to the number of creatures that player controls that didn't attack this turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Kratos is a mono-red aggro/punisher commander that wants everyone's creatures to be attacking every turn or taking damage for it. You curve out fast, swing with a double-striking commander, and use the haste anthem to chain hasty threats while the end-step ping punishes go-wide and durdle decks alike. Close games by pressuring life totals from multiple angles—combat, the ping, and burn.
Strengths
- Double strike on a 3-mana commander makes him an immediate clock and great with equipment/auras
- Global haste lets your whole board attack the turn it lands, ignoring summoning sickness
- The end-step ping passively punishes opponents for hoarding blockers or playing wide token strategies
- Mono-red gives access to the best fast mana, burn, and impulse draw in the format
- Cheap to recast and rebuild after removal
Weaknesses
- The haste anthem and ping help opponents' creatures too, aiding aggressive rivals
- Mono-red struggles with card advantage and lacks instant-speed interaction
- The ping hurts you as well if your own creatures sit back to block
- Vulnerable to board wipes and flyer/evasion gaps red can't easily address
- Limited removal for problematic enchantments and resilient combo decks
Key Cards
- Embercleave — Turns Kratos's double strike into a one-shot kill and is cheap to cast after a wide attack.
- Fireshrieker — Redundant double strike enabler and protection against Kratos losing his keyword.
- Hellkite Charger — Haste already online, and with infinite-combat enablers it threatens lethal swarms.
- Aggravated Assault — Extra combat steps multiply Kratos's double strike damage and can go infinite with ritual lands.
- Sword of Fire and Ice — Protection, card draw, and burn that stack with double strike for huge tempo.
- Hammer of Nazahn — Indestructible plus free equip turns Kratos into a resilient, evasive threat.
- Goblin Bombardment — Sacrifice outlet that converts your hasty attackers into reach and avoids the self-ping.
Upgrade Path
Lean into the double strike with premium equipment (the full Sword cycle, Embercleave, Hammer of Nazahn) and add extra-combat enablers like Aggravated Assault and Savage Beating for explosive turns. Improve consistency with fast mana (Sol Ring, Jeska's Will, Ragavan-style value) and card advantage from Outpost Siege and impulse draw, plus a sacrifice outlet like Goblin Bombardment to dodge your own ping. Tighten the curve and add protection (Lightning Greaves, Champion's Helm) so Kratos survives to deliver lethal damage.
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
- ▸Commander damage via Embercleave/Sword-equipped Kratos with double strike
- ▸Infinite or extra combats with Aggravated Assault/Hellkite Charger
- ▸Go-wide hasty alpha strikes backed by anthem effects
- ▸Accumulated end-step ping plus direct burn to finish low totals
Archetypes
- Voltron — Double strike makes equipment and auras hit twice, letting Kratos kill quickly with commander damage.
- Aggro — Global haste lets every creature you deploy attack immediately for relentless pressure.
- Stax/Punisher — The end-step ping taxes opponents who keep blockers back, pairing with attack-forcing effects.
- Combo — Extra-combat and ritual effects exploit double strike for explosive, sometimes infinite, damage turns.
Combos
- Breath of Fury + Kratos, God of War
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Sword of Hearth and Home + Combat Celebrant + Kratos, God of War
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite combat phases
- Godo, Bandit Warlord + Sword of Hearth and Home + Kratos, God of War
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite combat phases
- Breath of Fury + Otharri, Suns' Glory + Kratos, God of War
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite combat damage
- Krenko, Mob Boss + Skirk Prospector + Kratos, God of War
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
