This post helps Commander players pick the best Warhammer 40k commanders by matching each legend to a playstyle, so you can choose a commander you will actually enjoy piloting (instead of building three lists and never sleeving any of them).
TLDR
Best all-around value engine: Marneus Calgar (Esper tokens that also draw cards, which is objectively rude).
Most explosive “I cast one spell and now we’re doing math” commander: Magus Lucea Kane (Temur X-spells, copy every turn).
Most popular and most likely to make the table flinch at every 1 damage ping: Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph.
Best tribal payoff: Be’lakor, the Dark Master (Demons plus card draw plus damage stapled together like it’s a resume).
Best “cascade but make it Commander” option: Abaddon the Despoiler (you deal damage, your spells get free spells).
Best mono-black grind: Imotekh the Stormlord (artifact recursion turns into a robot token factory).
Warhammer 40k Commander decks did something magical: they took grimdark lore and turned it into very readable, very buildable commanders. If you’re searching for the best Warhammer 40k commanders, you’re basically asking: “Which of these legends still slaps after the crossover novelty wears off?” Good news, several do.
How we picked the best Warhammer 40k commanders
“Best” is doing a lot of work here, so I used three filters:
Floor: Does the commander do something useful even when you don’t draw your perfect cards?
Ceiling: Does it scale hard with upgrades without requiring a PhD in stack sequencing?
Support: Are there enough lists, tech, and community reps that you won’t feel like you’re brewing alone in a bunker?
Popularity is not power, but it’s a great proxy for “people keep building this because it plays well.” So I also leaned on Commander deck data as a sanity check.
The quick pick cheat sheet
Pick your commander like you pick a faction: by admitting what kind of person you are.
“I want tokens and cards and to feel smug about it.” → Marneus Calgar
“I want one big X-spell to end friendships politely.” → Magus Lucea Kane
“I want to deal exactly 1 damage 47 times.” → Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph
“I want Demon tribal but with actual payoff.” → Be’lakor, the Dark Master
“I want to cascade but I don’t want to pretend it’s fair.” → Abaddon the Despoiler
“I want mono-black artifacts and graveyard value.” → Imotekh the Stormlord or Trazyn the Infinite
Best Warhammer 40k commanders by playstyle
Here’s the “tell me what you like, I’ll tell you what to build” table.
The actual standouts
1) Marneus Calgar: the “tokens = cards” problem child
Marneus is the cleanest kind of Commander design: do the thing you already want to do, get paid. His key line is simple: whenever one or more tokens you control enter, draw a card. Then he also has an activated ability that makes two Vigilance tokens, which means he even manufactures his own fuel.
Why he’s one of the best Warhammer 40k commanders:
You don’t need to overbuild around him. Token makers, Treasures, Clues, incidental token generators, all count.
He stabilizes. If you get wiped, you can rebuild and refill your hand in the same game.
He scales brutally with upgrades. More efficient token production equals more cards, which equals more everything.
What you give up: You’re playing an engine in the command zone. People will treat you like you’re about to do something criminal, because you are. Quietly. With card draw.
2) Magus Lucea Kane: X-spells, but louder
Magus Lucea Kane is for anyone who has ever looked at an X spell and thought, “What if it happened twice?”
She taps for two colorless, and then sets up a delayed copy effect: the next time you cast a spell with X in its mana cost or activate an ability with X in its activation cost that turn, copy it. She also tosses a +1/+1 counter around at the start of combat, because apparently we had room for more text.
Why she’s elite:
Explosiveness on demand. One copied X spell often swings a whole table.
Build flexibility. You can go “big Hydras,” “Tyranids and counters,” or “X-spell spellslinger,” and it still works.
Clear upgrade path. Better ramp, better untap effects, better payoff X spells.
What you give up: Your commander is a billboard that says “remove me.” The table will not ignore the Temur mana dork that copies spells, because they have read at least one card before.
3) Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph: the patron saint of “exactly 1”
Ghyrson rewards you whenever another source you control deals exactly 1 damage to a permanent or player. When that happens, he deals 2 more damage to the same target. In practice, every little ping becomes a very real threat, very fast.
Why he’s one of the best Warhammer 40k commanders:
You get paid for cheap, common effects. Pingers, tiny burn spells, incidental 1 damage triggers.
It snowballs. Once your board is set up, a single turn cycle can shred life totals.
He’s popular for a reason. Tons of community support and lists exist.
What you give up: Your deck can feel like it’s doing paperwork. You will announce “one damage” more times than you thought possible in a hobby game.
4) Be’lakor, the Dark Master: Demon tribal with real teeth
Be’lakor does two things Demon decks desperately want:
On entry: draw X cards and lose X life, where X is the number of Demons you control.
Whenever another Demon enters under your control: it deals damage equal to its power to any target.
So your “big dumb Demon” is suddenly also a burn spell and sometimes a card draw engine.
Why he’s great:
Real payoff for Demons. Not “I guess I’ll play a 6/6.” Actual synergy.
The deck has a plan. Stick Be’lakor, then chain Demons for value and damage.
Grixis gives you tools. Protection, recursion, and control to keep the party going.
What you give up: Mana curve. If you’re not ramping, you’re watching other people play Magic while you hold seven drops and stare at them.
5) Abaddon the Despoiler: cascade with a damage quota
Abaddon turns your turn into a cascade party based on how much life your opponents have lost that turn. During your turn, spells you cast from your hand with mana value X or less get cascade, where X is that total life lost.
In other words: ping the table, then cast spells that cast spells.
Why he’s top tier:
He rewards doing normal things. Combat damage, pingers, drain, burn.
The ceiling is absurd. Once you reliably turn on cascade, your turns get huge.
He makes mid-cost spells terrifying. Your “reasonable” 4-drop suddenly comes with a bonus spell.
What you give up: Consistency if you don’t build the enablers. If you forget the “damage first” part, you’re just playing a 5/5 trampler who is very proud of his job title.
6) Imotekh the Stormlord: mono-black artifacts that won’t stop making robots
Imotekh triggers whenever one or more artifact cards leave your graveyard, and makes two 2/2 Necron Warrior artifact creature tokens. That’s an engine. Then he also buffs an artifact creature each combat.
Why he’s great:
Mono-black but not mono-boring. You’re looping artifacts and turning that into a board.
He’s resilient. Wipes happen, you rebuild through the yard.
He plays well both “fair” and “spicy.” You can go full grind, or lean into combo-lite loops.
What you give up: Graveyard hate feels personal. It’s not personal. They just don’t want you to make your 18th robot token this game.
7) Magnus the Red: spellslinger that secretly wants tokens
Magnus makes your instant and sorcery spells cost 1 less for each creature token you control. Then, when he hits a player, you make a 3/3 token. So you’re rewarded for making tokens, casting spells, and then making more tokens. It’s a nice little feedback loop, like a functional doom machine.
Why he’s strong:
Cost reduction is real. Spells get cheap fast.
He bridges archetypes. Tokens and spellslinger in the same shell.
He can pivot. Sometimes you win by combat, sometimes by spell chains.
What you give up: If you can’t keep tokens around, he’s much more “fine” than “terrifying.”
8) Trazyn the Infinite: the combo buffet in the command zone
Trazyn is a legendary artifact creature that has all activated abilities of artifact cards in your graveyard while he’s on the battlefield. That’s not synergy, that’s a menu.
Why he’s one of the best Warhammer 40k commanders:
Ridiculous ceiling. Your graveyard becomes your hand’s weirder cousin.
Build identity is clear. Fill the yard with artifacts that have strong activated abilities, then let Trazyn do the work.
You can tune the power. “Value Trazyn” exists, but so does “I accidentally went infinite.”
What you give up: Social friction. If your pod is not into combo finishes, Trazyn can quickly become “that deck.”
The rest, ranked by who they’re for
These aren’t bad. They’re just more niche, more fair, or more “you need to love this specific thing.”
Inquisitor Greyfax: Go-wide vigilance anthem plus tapdown plus Clue generation. Solid “combat control” commander.
The Swarmlord: Counters matter, and you draw when countered creatures die. A good midrange Tyranid shell.
Commissar Severina Raine: Go-wide drain on attacks plus a sac-to-draw outlet. Plays like Orzhov tokens with teeth.
Celestine, the Living Saint: Lifelink flyer that reanimates based on life gained. Great if you enjoy being annoyingly hard to kill.
Szarekh, the Silent King: Attacks to mill three, then draws you an artifact creature or Vehicle from those mills. Necron value without going full combo.
Inquisitor Eisenhorn: Reveals your first draw each turn, makes a Demon token when you reveal an instant or sorcery, and investigates on combat damage. A flavorful spells-and-Clues engine.
Belisarius Cawl: Turns tapped artifacts into tokens, and tapped creatures into artifact selection. Great if you like resource puzzles.
Anrakyr the Traveller: Attacks and lets you cast an artifact from hand or graveyard by paying life equal to mana value. Big “mono-black artifacts” energy.
Illuminor Szeras: Sacrifice a creature to add black mana equal to its mana value. Simple, powerful ramp in the command zone.
Khârn the Betrayer: Attacks or blocks every combat, can change controllers when he’d take damage, and draws you cards when you lose control of him. It’s hilarious until it isn’t.
Lucius the Eternal: Sticky haste threat that comes back after an opponent’s creature leaves the battlefield.
Deathleaper, Terror Weapon: Flash, haste, and grants double strike to creatures that entered this turn. Great for ambush and alpha turns.
Neyam Shai Murad: Political graveyard trade deal. You get something back, they get something back, someone lies about it later.
The Red Terror: Grows whenever a red source you control deals damage. Straightforward, aggressive, and happy to be here.
Old One Eye: Trample, gives your team trample, makes a 5/5 token on entry, and has discard-based regeneration tech. Classic stompy.
If you’re proxying a 40k Commander deck, this is the fun part
Warhammer 40k commanders are basically perfect proxy projects because:
The precons are great, but upgrades get expensive fast if you chase the “best version” of the deck.
Many builds want very specific staples that you might only need for this one deck.
You’ll probably want to test a few commanders before you commit, because “I thought I liked Demon tribal” is a sentence many have regretted.
If you’re going to proxy, your main goal is boring consistency: clean cuts, consistent finish, and a deck that feels uniform in sleeves. That’s the difference between “this works” and “this feels like a real deck night.”
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FAQs
How many Warhammer 40k commanders are there in MTG?
There are 24 legendary creatures from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander release that can helm a Commander deck.
What’s the best Warhammer 40k commander for beginners?
Marneus Calgar is the easiest “strong and straightforward” pick. Make tokens, draw cards, keep playing Magic.
Which Warhammer 40k commander scales the hardest with upgrades?
Magus Lucea Kane and Marneus Calgar both scale brutally. One turns mana into doubled X-spells, the other turns tokens into a full hand.
What’s the most “table-friendly” top pick?
If your group prefers combat games and fewer combo finishes, Greyfax, The Swarmlord, or Szarekh tend to play more “normal Commander” while still being strong.
Which Warhammer 40k commander is best for tribal?
Be’lakor is the cleanest tribal payoff. Demons become card draw and targeted damage instead of just expensive vibes.