The Commander
Flying, first strike, haste
Whenever Rankle and Torbran deals combat damage to a player or battle, choose any number —
• Each player creates a Treasure token.
• Each player sacrifices a creature of their choice.
• If a source would deal damage to a player or battle this turn, it deals that much damage plus 2 instead.
Guide
Gameplan
Drop Rankle and Torbran and start swinging immediately thanks to flying, first strike, and haste, connecting on turn 5-6 for repeatable value. Each hit lets you stack the modes: ramp on Treasures, grind the board with edicts, and—most importantly—pump up all your direct damage by 2 to set up a burn-based kill. You win by combining the damage-boost trigger with a wide or burn-heavy board to one-shot or quickly grind down opponents.
Strengths
- Evasive, hasty 5-mana body that demands an immediate answer and protects itself with first strike
- The +2 damage mode multiplies every burn spell, ping effect, and combat hit across the table
- Built-in card/ramp engine via Treasures and edict pressure that wears down go-wide and reanimator decks
- Three flexible modes mean it stays relevant whether you're ahead or behind
Weaknesses
- Dies to almost any removal and must reconnect each turn to generate value
- Treasure and edict modes can symmetrically help opponents if used carelessly
- Color identity lacks reliable enchantment/artifact removal and big card-draw outside of life-loss effects
- Combat damage requirement means it's blanked by fogs, deathtouch blockers, and flying defense
Key Cards
- Torbran, Thane of Red Fell — Stacks with the commander's damage mode so every red source hits for an extra 5+, enabling explosive burn turns.
- Purphoros, God of the Forge — Each token you make pings everyone for 2, which the +2 mode turns into 4 across all opponents.
- Impact Tremors — Turns your token production into multi-target burn that the damage-boost mode amplifies dramatically.
- Bitterblossom — On-theme Faerie engine that feeds Purphoros/Impact Tremors triggers and provides chump blockers and attackers.
- Reconnaissance — Lets the commander deal damage then back out of combat, dodging blockers while keeping the trigger.
- Sword of Fire and Ice — Adds protection and evasion plus a ping that becomes lethal value when stacked with the damage modes.
Upgrade Path
Lean into the damage-amplification axis with stacking effects like Torbran, City on Fire, and Fiery Emancipation alongside cheap pingers and ETB-damage tokens for one-shot turns. Add protection (Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots) and recursion so the commander reconnects each turn, and tighten the mana base with fast rocks and Treasure synergies (Mayhem Devil, Goldspan Dragon). Trim purely symmetrical effects in favor of one-sided burn and a couple of compact two-card combos to close games before opponents stabilize.
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
- ▸Stack Torbran plus the +2 mode and finish the table with a burn spell or ETB pinger
- ▸Commander damage via equipment and evasion, accelerated by the damage-boost mode
- ▸Aristocrats attrition: repeated edicts plus sac-fueled drain like Blood Artist effects
- ▸Wide token boards triggering Purphoros/Impact Tremors for amplified multi-target damage
Archetypes
- Burn / Spellslinger — The damage-plus-2 mode multiplies every direct-damage spell and ping into a fast burn-based win.
- Aristocrats — The repeatable edict and Treasure sacrifice synergize with death triggers and sac outlets to grind the table.
- Tokens / Go-Wide — Treasures and Faeries fuel ETB-damage payloads like Impact Tremors and Purphoros for amplified table damage.
- Voltron — Flying, first strike, and haste make the commander a strong equipment carrier for fast commander-damage kills.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BR), by popularity.
