It’s time to grab that 100 card, Plains powered deck – as we check out the best Mono-White Commanders in MTG!
The Commander format in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has arguably never been more popular or more well supported from an official standpoint as it is now.
Starting life in the mid-90s as a game variant named Elder Dragon Highlander – named due to the fact that the Commander card back then was one of the game’s Elder Dragon cards, with the Highlander part referencing the fact that of each card, there could be only one – the format’s official name was changed to avoid copyright issues.
Building a deck from 100 cards – and no duplicates allowed, barring very rare exceptions such as Relentless Rats – with one Legendary Creature as its Commander (hence the format’s current name), it’s a format that allows for some genuinely exciting deck construction and inventiveness, not to mention a great deal of experimentation.
Another rule with Commander decks is that the deck can only be built using the colours that make up your Commander’s colour identity, explained in the official rules as follows:
‘A card’s colour identity is its colour plus the colour of any mana symbols in the card’s rules text.’
Mono-White Commanders are usually not the most popular of choices – especially as White is often seen as the weakest of colours for a game of Commander.
Of course, the format does still see popular and successful Commander decks that are Mono-White, with many Commander cards being very popular choices.
Which are the best though?
Let’s find out, as we check out the best Mono-White Commanders in MTG!
1. Kenrith, the Returned King
Though Kenrith, the Returned King’s mana cost is mono-white, the card’s colour identity covers all colours.
So you could argue that we’re cheating by placing good old Kenrith at the top of a list of Mono-White Commanders.
Yet one of the things that MTG players are known for is their ability to bend and shape the rules of the game to fit their plans – and it’s clear that Kenrith, the Returned King allows players to do exactly that!
It’s not difficult to see why Kenrith, the Returned King would prove to be such a popular choice for Commander players – just check out that list of abilities, for one thing.
As long as you’re not going for the double rainbow foil card, you won’t need to pay an extortionate amount to get your hands on a Kenrith, the Returned King card either – it’s available in numerous variants for less than $1!
2. Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
Look, it’s a fair cop.
With Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, we seem to once again be breaking the rules of what constitutes a Mono-White Commander (and we promise you we’ll try not to break those rules again on this list!).
Just like Kenrith, the Returned King, you’ll note that Sisay has a White mana cost, but each colour is mentioned in the card text.
Though Sisay’s power and toughness makes her potentially vulnerable, her cost isn’t too high to ensure she can come back into the fray if needed – which will likely prove very useful later in the game, if you’ve been able to get Legendary permanents in each colour on the battlefield.
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain isn’t a costly card either – so it shouldn’t be difficult or expensive to build a deck around this popular Commander!
3. Giada, Font of Hope
With entry number three on the best Mono-White Commanders list, we finally get ourselves a Mono-White Commander that really is Mono-White!
Giada, Font of Hope is a card that has lots of great abilities – Flying and Vigilance being just the tip of the iceberg.
If you’re looking to build a Mono-White Commander deck, the chances are that it’s going to feature plenty of Angels – and Giada, Font of Hope allows you to make the most of an Angel-heavy deck.
Not only does the card’s bonuses improve the more Angels you have in play, but Giada, Font of Hope also allows you to cast Angels at a reduced cost too.
Much like Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, you’ll need to be mindful of Giada’s low power and toughness – but her mana cost is cheap enough that you should have no problem being able to bring her back into play if she happens to be sent back to the Command Zone.
4. Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice
Another ‘true’ Mono-White card, Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice is a great choice as a Commander.
Its ability is perhaps a bit restricted in standard games of MTG, but with it being useful for Aura cards that each have a different name to other Auras you control, it’s perfect when Commander rules dictate that each card in a deck only has a single copy anyway.
It also allows you to impressively buff Light-Paws too, making this low cost card much more formidable in the process!
Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice is yet another card that won’t break the bank in terms of the cost to actually purchase it either; it’ll cost you pennies to get yourself a copy, though effectively using it might be a bit trickier.
Of course, that’s part of the fun of Commander – finding ways to build decks around a specific card’s ability.
Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice lends itself pretty well to Commander decks that won’t cost the earth overall too, making this a great budget choice for cost-conscious players.
5. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
You might be wondering why it’s taken so long to get to an Elesh Norn card on a best Mono-White Commanders list, because the Phyrexian is definitely a popular card!
However, we’re ranking our list by the current best performing Mono-White Commanders – and though Elesh Norn is of course way up there in MTG in general, she’s not quite the top of the list.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is also a pretty expensive card to acquire, which speaks to her popularity in general – though that of course is likely to mean that she’s proven popular in other formats of MTG, not just Commander!
It’s easy to see why Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is middle on this list, rather than at the very top though – and that’s mostly due to her card cost, in our opinion, at 7 mana in total.
That said, if you can make use of her she’s fantastic – not only does Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite have Vigilance, but she also adds +2/+2 to all other creatures you control, while penalising all creatures under control of your opponents with a -2/-2 to their power and toughness.
6. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
At first glance, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben seems fairly unremarkable.
Sure, First Strike is always useful – but with only 2/1 Power/Toughness, that’s perhaps a little limited in effectiveness.
Even Thalia, Guardian of Thraben’s text ability – causing the cost of all non-creature spells to rise by 1 – seems underwhelming at first.
That is, until it clicks that this applies to all players and not just Thalia’s controller.
It’s a wide-reaching, if subtle, effect that could just knock the plans of your opponents off-kilter enough to give you the edge you need in your games of Commander!
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is another cost-effective card to build your deck around too; it sells online for well under $1, so it won’t be prohibitively expensive to acquire either!
7. Archangel Avacyn
The best Mono-White Commanders list was always going to feature a number of Angels, given how prevalent they are for the colour in MTG.
So here we are with the next one: Archangel Avacyn.
It’s not difficult to see what makes Archangel Avacyn a great choice for a Commander deck.
Firstly, it has Flash, Flying and Vigilance – so you can cast Archangel Avacyn as if it’s an Instant.
Despite a relatively high initial mana cost, it’s a card that initially becomes very useful when moved from your Commander Zone, making all creatures under your control indestructible until the end of your turn.
Then, if one of your non-Angel creatures dies, you get to transform the card – when flipped to its second face, it deals three damage to each other creature and opponent.
If you need a primer on this, check out our how to use double-faced cards in Magic: The Gathering article!
Timing is of course key here, because your creatures can be harmed as well as those belonging to your opponents.
Still, in the right hands it’s clear that Archangel Avacyn is a potent Commander – though it can be a little more expensive than other Commander cards on this list, often selling for at least a few dollars at the absolute cheapest.
8. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
There’s a saying we have in the UK that some things are like buses – you wait ages for one to turn up, then two turn up at once!
It’s the same with Elesh Norn – though she didn’t make an appearance until halfway down the best Mono-White Commanders list, here she is again!
Almost certainly the most expensive card on our list of Mono-White Commanders in real world terms, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is incredibly powerful in games of Commander.
With Vigilance and 4/7 power and toughness, it’s a reasonably powerful card even without its text ability.
Used correctly and in conjunction with other triggered card effects, however, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines can make a huge impact – as it can cause triggered effects on other cards under the owner’s control to trigger an additional time.
That’s not all though – Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines will also block opponents from taking advantage of effects on their own cards triggering as cards enter the battlefield.
So it’s definitely not difficult to see why Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is such a popular Commander – but her real world cost can make her an expensive, perhaps prohibitive, choice for some players.
9. Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
As we head down to the bottom of the best Mono-White Commanders list, it’s clear that any one of these ten cards would make a great choice for a Commander, regardless of where they’re ranked in terms of their current popularity.
Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist is no exception in that regard – and has a standout keyword that may well increase its attractiveness massively to players who can make good use of it.
That keyword is Partner, which allows players to use two Commanders – as long as they both have the Partner keyword.
Though it does add a bit of complication to the game – when it comes to tracking the cost of Commanders and effects on them – it can make a huge impact on your MTG session.
That aside, Ardenn also allows you to attach any number of your in-play Auras and Equipment cards to any permanent or player – which is also a pretty useful ability, as I’m sure you’ll agree.
Ardenn sells for pennies too – so you won’t be left out of pocket by buying this card!
10. Iona, Shield of Emeria
By far the most expensive card on our best Mono-White Commanders list in terms of its mana cost, Iona, Shield of Emeria is an immediately appealing Commander card.
Note that in actual money terms, Iona, Shield of Emeria can be quite expensive too, though!
A 7/7 Flying creature, Iona, Shield of Emeria can stop an opponent from casting spells of a chosen colour (chosen by you as Iona’s controller) as the card enters the battlefield.
This can, of course, prove to be devastatingly effective if used correctly.
It’s a much more straightforward ability than some of the others on this list – and can prove to be difficult to deal with almost immediately.
So there you have it: our picks for the best Mono-White Commanders in MTG.
If you’re looking for ways to store your newly constructed Mono-White Commander decks, check out our picks for the best Commander Deck boxes!
Or, if you want to check out your options when it comes to Commanders using only those from the Lord of the Rings MTG set, check out our list of all LOTR MTG Commanders.
