Commander damage rules: how 21 damage works
Take 21 combat damage from one commander and you lose, no matter your life total. Here's what counts, what doesn't, and how partners, copies and infect change things.
In this article
Commander games start at 40 life, which is a lot to chew through. The commander damage rule is the shortcut: one big commander connecting a few times can take a player out long before their life total hits zero.
The rule
The current Comprehensive Rules put it in one line (rule 903.10a):
A player who’s been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses the game.
It’s a state-based action, so the moment a player has taken their 21st point from one commander, they’re out. Nobody has to cast anything and there’s no window to respond.
Commander damage is still damage. The 7 you take from a commander also comes off your life total like any other combat damage. You’re tracking two numbers at once: your life, and how much each commander has hit you for.
What counts
- Combat damage only. It has to be dealt in the combat damage step by an attacking or blocked commander.
- One commander at a time. You track a separate total for every commander at the table, including your own if it ever ends up hitting you.
- The whole game. The count never goes back down. A commander that dies, gets bounced or goes back to the command zone is still the same commander when it’s recast.
- Double strike counts twice. First strike damage and regular damage both go toward the total.
What doesn’t count
- Noncombat damage. Abilities, fight effects and “deals damage equal to its power” spells hit your life total but don’t add to commander damage.
- Copies and tokens. A token copy of a commander isn’t a commander. Damage from it is just damage.
- Prevented damage. If it’s prevented, it wasn’t dealt, so it doesn’t count.
- Damage to your planeswalkers or battles. Only damage dealt to you as a player counts.
Lifegain doesn’t help
This one catches people out. Say you’re at 50 life after a lifegain turn and a commander has hit you for 18. Gaining another 20 life does nothing about the 18. Three more points from that commander and you lose at 47 life.
Partners and backgrounds
Two partner commanders are two different commanders, so they get two separate tallies. If Tymna hits you for 12 and Thrasios hits you for 12, you’ve taken 24 damage but you’re still alive by commander damage. Each one needs to reach 21 on its own.
The same goes for a commander paired with a Background. The Background is an enchantment, so it never deals combat damage. Only the creature commander counts.
Commander damage and infect
An infect commander deals its combat damage as poison counters instead of life loss. It’s still combat damage dealt by a commander, so it goes toward the 21 as well. In practice, 10 poison usually gets there first. More on that in our guide to poison counters.
Formats without commander damage
| Format | Commander damage? |
|---|---|
| Commander (EDH) | Yes, 21 |
| Pauper Commander (PDH) | Yes, 16 (30 starting life) |
| Brawl | No |
| Oathbreaker | No |
| Duel Commander | No |
PDH, Oathbreaker and Duel Commander rules come from their own format committees, not the Comprehensive Rules. Check the version your group plays.
How to keep track at the table
Counting commander damage on dice works fine until a 5-player game where three commanders have connected. You end up with a pile of d20s next to each player and an argument about which die belongs to whom.
Lotus keeps a separate commander damage total for every commander against every player, partners included. When one reaches 21, that player is marked as dead by commander damage, so nobody has to do the maths after a big combat step.
