Krenko, Mob Boss is the most built mono-red commander, with 45,203 decks on EDHREC as of November 13, 2026, more than twice as many as any other. Magda, Brazen Outlaw (18,223) and Zada, Hedron Grinder (16,306) come next. Krenko is cheap too, at about $2.37, and Zada is the cheapest commander in the top 12 at about $0.14.
Updated November 13, 2026 · Deck counts: EDHREC, November 13, 2026 · Prices: TCGplayer market price of each card’s cheapest printing, via Scryfall, checked November 13, 2026
Red is the color of Goblins, Dragons, burn spells and attacking every single turn. Mono-red decks are fast, easy to build, and they run on basic Mountains, so you don’t need expensive lands to fix your mana.
We ranked these by how many decks each commander leads on EDHREC, the biggest Commander deck database, so this is what players actually build, not just our opinion. Then we added the best budget commanders, the easiest ones for new players, and why two of the top 12 cost so much more than the rest. Every card links to its TCGplayer page.
Table of Contents
Best mono-red commanders at a glance
| # | Commander | Decks | Deck style | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krenko, Mob Boss | 45,203 | Goblin tokens | $2.37 |
| 2 | Magda, Brazen Outlaw | 18,223 | Dwarves and Treasure | $6.70 |
| 3 | Zada, Hedron Grinder | 16,306 | Spell copying | $0.14 |
| 4 | Tannuk, Steadfast Second | 10,812 | Haste and warp | $2.32 |
| 5 | Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might | 10,284 | Burn | $24.67 |
| 6 | Kratos, God of War | 10,037 | Forced attacks | $43.65 |
| 7 | Norin the Wary | 9,457 | Enter-the-battlefield damage | $18.14 |
| 8 | Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos | 8,914 | Passes around the table | $0.63 |
| 9 | Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant | 7,847 | Red devotion | $3.08 |
| 10 | Jaws, Relentless Predator | 7,120 | Blood tokens | $164.37 |
| 11 | Imodane, the Pyrohammer | 6,673 | Burn spells | $0.36 |
| 12 | Lathliss, Dragon Queen | 5,820 | Dragons | $0.47 |
Prices move fast. Follow @HelloNerdsnack on X for price drops and new chase cards.
Decks = decks led by that commander on EDHREC on November 13, 2026. Price = TCGplayer market price of the cheapest printing, via Scryfall. Kratos and Jaws have only ever been printed in Secret Lair drops.
What are the best red commanders in MTG?
These are the 12 most built mono-red commanders. Tap any card to see it on TCGplayer.
45,203 decks · $2.37
18,223 decks · $6.70
16,306 decks · $0.14
10,812 decks · $2.32
10,284 decks · $24.67
10,037 decks · $43.65
9,457 decks · $18.14
8,914 decks · $0.63
7,847 decks · $3.08
7,120 decks · $164.37
6,673 decks · $0.36
5,820 decks · $0.47
1. Krenko, Mob Boss
The Goblin deck, and the most popular mono-red commander by a mile. Tap Krenko to create a 1/1 Goblin for each Goblin you control, so your army doubles every turn. Give Krenko haste or an untap effect and the board fills up fast. It first came out in Magic 2013, it’s been reprinted many times, and it costs about $2.37.
2. Magda, Brazen Outlaw
The Dwarf deck. Your other Dwarves get +1/+0, and whenever a Dwarf becomes tapped (attacking, crewing a Vehicle) you make a Treasure. Sacrifice five Treasures to put any artifact or Dragon from your library onto the battlefield. It’s a 2-mana commander that ramps hard.
3. Zada, Hedron Grinder
Cast an instant or sorcery that targets only Zada, and it gets copied for every other creature you control. Pair cheap pump and “draw a card” spells with lots of tokens, and one spell turns into a team-wide attack. At about $0.14, it’s the cheapest commander in the top 12.
4. Tannuk, Steadfast Second
From Edge of Eternities. Your other creatures have haste, and artifacts and red creatures in your hand have warp: cast them for {2}{R}, they leave at the end of the turn, and you can cast them again later from exile. That means big creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects come out early and keep coming back.
5. Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
The burn commander. When a red source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent that’s less than Ojer Axonil’s power (4, to start), it deals damage equal to its power instead, so every 1-damage ping becomes 4. When it dies, it comes back as a land, Temple of Power. It costs about $24.67.
6. Kratos, God of War
The God of War hero, from a Secret Lair drop. Kratos has double strike, every creature has haste, and at each player’s end step Kratos hits them for each of their creatures that didn’t attack. Everyone has to attack every turn, which makes for fast, wild games. It’s only been printed in a Secret Lair drop, so it costs about $43.65.
7. Norin the Wary
A 1-mana commander that flickers itself: whenever anyone casts a spell or a creature attacks, Norin leaves and comes back at the next end step. Players build it with cards that deal damage whenever a creature enters, so every time Norin comes back, the whole table takes a hit. Its cheapest printing is about $18.14.
8. Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos
From the Assassin’s Creed set. Alexios changes hands every upkeep: each player in turn takes control of it, untaps it, gives it a +1/+1 counter and must attack with it, but never against its owner. It grows as it travels the table, and it costs about $0.63.
9. Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant
From the Final Fantasy set. When Clive enters, you can discard your hand and draw cards equal to your devotion to red (each red mana symbol among your permanents). Later you can pay 6 to transform him into Ifrit, Warden of Inferno. It rewards stacking red permanents.
10. Jaws, Relentless Predator
A Shark with trample and haste. Its combat damage makes that many Blood tokens, and whenever a noncreature artifact is sacrificed or destroyed, Jaws deals 1 damage to each opponent, so the tokens become burn. It’s the most expensive commander here by far, at about $164.37.
11. Imodane, the Pyrohammer
Whenever an instant or sorcery you control that targets a single creature deals damage to it, Imodane deals that much damage to each opponent. Aim a big burn spell at a creature and the whole table takes the hit. From Wilds of Eldraine, for about $0.36.
12. Lathliss, Dragon Queen
The red Dragon deck. Whenever another nontoken Dragon enters, Lathliss makes a 5/5 flying Dragon token, and for {1}{R} all your Dragons get +1/+0. It’s from Foundations and costs about $0.47.
What kinds of red commander decks are there?
The top 12 fall into a few groups, which helps you pick one you’ll enjoy:
- Tribal (one creature type): Krenko (Goblins), Magda (Dwarves) and Lathliss (Dragons).
- Burn: Ojer Axonil, Imodane and Jaws turn small hits into real damage.
- Spells: Zada copies them across your team.
- Chaos for the whole table: Kratos and Alexios force everyone to attack.
- Big creatures and value: Tannuk, Clive and Norin.
Why are Kratos and Jaws so expensive?
Because they’ve only been printed once. Kratos, God of War and Jaws, Relentless Predator both exist only as Secret Lair cards, sold for a limited time on Secret Lair’s store, and Scryfall lists no other printing of either. That’s why Kratos costs about $43.65 and Jaws about $164.37, while most of the top 12 cost under $7. If Wizards reprints either one in a regular product, the price will likely drop, but nothing has been announced. If you just want the deck, a budget commander below plays a similar game for a fraction of the price.
What are the best budget red commanders?
Zada, Imodane, Lathliss and Alexios from the top 12 all cost under $1. These six are also popular and cost under a dollar:
$0.77
$0.36
$0.86
$0.64
$0.12
$0.46
- Herigast, Erupting Nullkite ($0.77, 5,147 decks): an Eldrazi Dragon that gives every creature spell you cast emerge, so you sacrifice a creature to cast big threats cheaply
- Rionya, Fire Dancer ($0.36, 3,427 decks): makes hasty copies of one of your creatures every combat, and more copies for each instant and sorcery you cast that turn
- Daretti, Scrap Savant ($0.86, 3,351 decks): a planeswalker that can be your commander, recycling artifacts from your graveyard
- Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms ($0.64, 3,302 decks): from the Final Fantasy set, it pulls Equipment off the top of your library whenever it enters or attacks
- Valduk, Keeper of the Flame ($0.12, 2,697 decks): makes a 3/1 trample, haste Elemental each combat for every Aura and Equipment on it
- Etali, Primal Storm ($0.46, 2,485 decks): whenever it attacks, it exiles the top card of every library and you cast any of them for free
A cheap commander is only half the deck. Our budget Commander decks under $100 guide shows how to build the other 99 cards cheaply, and the best budget Commander staples under $5 covers the red staples.
Which red commander is best for beginners?
Krenko is a great first commander: it does one simple thing and it’s cheap. These four are also easy to learn and fairly cheap:
$3.72
$3.56
$0.32
$2.33
- Torbran, Thane of Red Fell ($3.72, 4,391 decks): every red source you control deals 2 extra damage to opponents and their permanents. Simple, and it makes every Goblin token scary.
- Gornog, the Red Reaper ($3.56, 4,740 decks): a Warriors deck: each time your Warriors attack a player, one of that player’s creatures becomes a Coward, and Cowards can’t block Warriors.
- Laelia, the Blade Reforged ($0.32, 2,246 decks): whenever it attacks, you exile the top card of your library and can play it, and Laelia grows each time.
- Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh ($2.33, 3,690 decks): pings opponents for 1 and untaps whenever you cast a red spell, then flips into a planeswalker.
New to Commander? Our beginner’s guide to building a Commander deck walks through all 100 cards.
Are any red commanders Game Changers?
No. Commander’s bracket system rates decks from 1 to 5, and the Game Changers list is a set of cards strong enough to push a deck into a higher bracket. None of the commanders in this guide are on it, per Scryfall’s Game Changer data on November 13, 2026. That doesn’t make them weak: a fast Krenko or Kratos deck can still win early, so tell your table what to expect.
What cards does every mono-red deck need?
Red is great at damage and fast attacks, but it runs out of cards quickly and can’t remove enchantments. Most mono-red decks want:
- Mana rocks and Treasure, because red has very little land ramp. See the best mana rocks in Commander.
- “Impulse” card draw, red’s version of drawing: exile the top cards of your library and play them this turn.
- Board wipes, including damage sweepers and artifact wipes. See the best board wipes in Commander.
- Colorless answers to enchantments, since red can’t destroy them on its own.
Read next: Best Rakdos (Black-Red) Commanders · Best Mono-Black Commanders · The Best Commander for Every Color Combination · Best Board Wipes in Commander
Red commanders
Sources: commander deck counts from EDHREC’s mono-red commanders page, November 13, 2026; card text, printings, legality and Game Changer status from Scryfall; prices are TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, checked November 13, 2026. Card images: Wizards of the Coast.
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