Partner — what does it mean?
You may choose two legendary creatures with partner together as your commanders.
Partner appears on 134 cards.
How does Partner work?
Partner is a deck-building ability for Commander. It works before the game even starts. If two legendary cards that can be your commander both have partner, you may use both of them as your commanders instead of one. Your deck is still exactly 100 cards, and that includes both commanders, so you have 98 other cards. Both commanders start the game in the command zone. Your color identity is the combined color identity of the two, which often opens up a three- or four-color deck.
Apart from color identity, the two commanders work independently. The commander tax is tracked separately: each commander costs {2} more for each previous time you cast that specific commander from the command zone, and casting one doesn't make the other more expensive. Commander damage is also counted per commander. A player loses after taking 21 or more combat damage from the same commander, so 12 from one and 10 from the other doesn't add up to a loss. If an effect refers to your commander, it can refer to either one, and you choose when the effect applies.
Partner has several variants, and they can't be combined. Plain partner pairs with any other card with plain partner. Partner with a specific name only pairs with the card it names, and it also has a trigger: when it enters, a target player may search their library for the named card and put it into their hand. That trigger works in any format. There are also partner variants with a subtitle, such as partner—Friends forever, which only pair with cards that have the same subtitle, plus choose a Background, which pairs a commander with a legendary Background enchantment, and Doctor's companion. No combination ever gives you more than two commanders.
An example at the table
You choose a white-blue legendary creature with partner and a black legendary creature with partner. Your color identity is white, blue and black, and you build 98 more cards around them. On turn 4 you cast the first one for its normal 4 mana. It dies and you return it to the command zone, so recasting it costs 6. Your other partner still costs its normal 3, because its tax is separate. Later the first commander has dealt 12 combat damage to an opponent and the second has dealt 10. That's 22 in total, but that opponent hasn't lost to commander damage, because neither commander has reached 21 on its own.
Cards with Partner
Kodama of the East TreeIllustration: Daarken
Sakashima of a Thousand FacesIllustration: Jason A. Engle
Kediss, Emberclaw FamiliarIllustration: Jesper Ejsing
Ardenn, Intrepid ArchaeologistIllustration: Jason Rainville
Rograkh, Son of RohgahhIllustration: Chris SeamanCommon mistakes
- Pairing different partner variants. Plain partner can't pair with partner with, partner with a subtitle, or choose a Background.
- Thinking the commander tax is shared. Each commander has its own tax based on how often you cast that one.
- Adding up commander damage from both partners. The 21 has to come from one commander.
- Building 99 cards plus two commanders. The deck is exactly 100 cards including both.
Frequently asked questions
- Can any two partner commanders be paired?
- With plain partner, yes: any two legendary cards with plain partner can be paired. Partner with only pairs with the card it names, and subtitled partner abilities only pair with the same subtitle.
- Can I have three commanders with partner?
- No. No partner ability or combination of them allows more than two commanders.
- What's my color identity with two partners?
- The combined color identity of both commanders. Every card in your deck has to fit within it.
- Does partner do anything outside Commander?
- Plain partner doesn't. Partner with a specific name still has its trigger that lets a target player search for the named card when it enters.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.124. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
Partner withFlyingFirst strikeMenaceVigilance
Which cards with Partner do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026