EDH Optimizer
Affinity Commander decks
Affinity and its cousins make spells cost less for each permanent of a type you control. With a wide board the curve disappears and the deck casts three or four things in the same turn.
Cards that define the archetype
Ranked by how much MORE they are played inside the archetype than in the rest of Commander. Generic staples (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet…) fall out for exactly that reason: they are played everywhere equally.
| Card | Commanders | Avg. inclusion | Excess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundry Inspector | 18 | 59% | +75 pts |
| Darksteel Citadel | 17 | 65% | +72 pts |
| Buried Ruin | 14 | 47% | +56 pts |
| Mystic Forge | 12 | 53% | +50 pts |
| Inventors' Fair | 11 | 43% | +45 pts |
| Etherium Sculptor | 11 | 65% | +45 pts |
| Seat of the Synod | 11 | 71% | +45 pts |
| Solemn Simulacrum | 13 | 58% | +41 pts |
| Sai, Master Thopterist | 9 | 54% | +38 pts |
| Thought Monitor | 9 | 53% | +38 pts |
| Jhoira's Familiar | 8 | 48% | +34 pts |
| Unwinding Clock | 8 | 51% | +34 pts |
| Emry, Lurker of the Loch | 8 | 52% | +32 pts |
| Myr Retriever | 7 | 52% | +31 pts |
| Sculpting Steel | 7 | 52% | +30 pts |
| Great Furnace | 7 | 77% | +29 pts |
| Treasure Vault | 6 | 51% | +27 pts |
| Academy Ruins | 7 | 49% | +27 pts |
| Scrap Trawler | 6 | 52% | +25 pts |
| Ornithopter of Paradise | 6 | 55% | +25 pts |
| Cloud Key | 6 | 53% | +24 pts |
| Fellwar Stone | 8 | 39% | +24 pts |
| Phyrexian Metamorph | 6 | 46% | +24 pts |
| Lightning Greaves | 9 | 48% | +23 pts |
| Darksteel Forge | 5 | 48% | +23 pts |
| Myr Battlesphere | 5 | 48% | +23 pts |
| Liquimetal Torque | 5 | 51% | +22 pts |
| Everflowing Chalice | 6 | 50% | +21 pts |
| Padeem, Consul of Innovation | 5 | 55% | +21 pts |
| Archway of Innovation | 5 | 42% | +21 pts |
Commanders for Affinity
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is, according to EDHREC data.
By color identity
Blue Best cards by color →
Blue · Red Best cards by color →
Colorless Best cards by color →
White · Blue Best cards by color →
Red Best cards by color →
Blue · Black Best cards by color →
Paste your list and we tell you whether the deck actually does what it wants to do: curve, ramp, interaction and a 10,000-game simulation.
🛠️ Build a deck like this 📥 Analyze my deckFrequently asked questions
What is the best commander for a Affinity deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Damocles Base, Sword of Kang, Armix, Filigree Thrasher, Donatello, Turtle Techie. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 131 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Affinity is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Affinity deck?
The three most characteristic are Foundry Inspector, Darksteel Citadel, Buried Ruin. They are not the most-played cards in the format, but the ones that appear far more inside this archetype than in the rest of Commander — which is what actually makes them essential here.
What colors is Affinity played in?
The most common color identities are Blue, Blue · Red, Colorless. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Affinity deck cost?
It depends on the price cap PER CARD you set. Each commander page lists the best cards in three tiers (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.