Commander 2011
Jun 2011
The original preconstructed Commander release — five iconic tri-color decks introducing legendary commanders that defined the format, from Kaalia to The Mimeoplasm.
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Commander 2011 Precon Decks — click to analyze
Where It All Began
The original Commander precon release in 2011 introduced the format to a mainstream audience and provided the first official paper Commander products. Before these decks, Commander existed solely as a player-created format trading documents among playgroups. Wizards of the Coast's official endorsement and these five preconstructed decks transformed Commander from a niche kitchen-table format into Magic's most popular way to play.
The five tri-color decks introduced legendary commanders who have become permanently iconic in the format: Kaalia of the Vast, Riku of Two Reflections, Ghave, Guru of Spores, Zedruu the Greathearted, and The Mimeoplasm. These commanders defined entire archetypes that players still build around today, more than a decade after their release.
Heavenly Inferno — Kaalia's Free Threat Engine
Kaalia of the Vast attacks, and you cheat in any Angel, Demon, or Dragon card from your hand onto the battlefield for free — tapped and attacking. No mana, no timing restrictions, no restrictions on what can be cheated in. A 6/6 Dragon, an 8/8 Angel, a game-ending Demon all become free on the attack step. The Mardu deck is stacked with the most terrifying Angels, Demons, and Dragons in Magic and exists to deploy them three to five turns ahead of schedule.
Kaalia is simultaneously one of the most beloved and most hated commanders in the format — beloved for the explosive gameplay it enables, and hated for how quickly it can close games when opponents don't have immediate interaction. A Kaalia that attacks even once typically represents a six or seven mana free threat, and tables often coordinate removal just for Kaalia. The deck rewards protecting your commander and planning attacks for maximum impact.
Devour for Power — The Mimeoplasm's Graveyard Mastery
The Mimeoplasm enters the battlefield as a copy of any creature in any graveyard with +1/+1 counters equal to the power of another creature card in any graveyard. The combination of any creature's abilities and any creature's power creates limitless customization — The Mimeoplasm becomes exactly whatever hybrid creature combination is most dangerous in the current game state.
The Sultai deck builds toward filling multiple graveyards with powerful creatures — through mill, reanimation, self-discard, and opponents' natural creature death — before deploying The Mimeoplasm at the optimal moment. The ideal combination in any given game changes based on what's available, rewarding players who survey all graveyards and choose the combination of abilities and power that ends the game most efficiently.