EDH Optimizer
Artifacts Commander decks
Artifact decks exploit pieces that are cheap, colorless and recursive: they ramp on artificial mana, draw off every artifact entering and close with payoffs that count how many you control. Mass artifact removal hurts them badly.
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 | 197 | 58% | +41 pts |
| Solemn Simulacrum | 205 | 52% | +32 pts |
| Buried Ruin | 160 | 49% | +30 pts |
| Darksteel Citadel | 144 | 54% | +30 pts |
| Seat of the Synod | 119 | 58% | +28 pts |
| Etherium Sculptor | 104 | 59% | +24 pts |
| Inventors' Fair | 103 | 45% | +23 pts |
| Emry, Lurker of the Loch | 82 | 49% | +19 pts |
| Mystic Forge | 102 | 56% | +18 pts |
| Great Furnace | 76 | 57% | +17 pts |
| Thought Monitor | 73 | 50% | +17 pts |
| Academy Ruins | 73 | 45% | +16 pts |
| Scrap Trawler | 75 | 50% | +16 pts |
| Academy Manufactor | 74 | 59% | +16 pts |
| Dispatch | 69 | 51% | +16 pts |
| Sai, Master Thopterist | 67 | 51% | +15 pts |
| Myr Retriever | 64 | 51% | +14 pts |
| Ancient Den | 60 | 55% | +14 pts |
| Unwinding Clock | 56 | 51% | +13 pts |
| Thoughtcast | 55 | 43% | +13 pts |
| Ornithopter of Paradise | 61 | 47% | +12 pts |
| Jhoira's Familiar | 63 | 48% | +12 pts |
| Sculpting Steel | 53 | 51% | +11 pts |
| Padeem, Consul of Innovation | 48 | 48% | +11 pts |
| Steel Overseer | 51 | 57% | +11 pts |
| Kappa Cannoneer | 47 | 51% | +11 pts |
| Reckless Fireweaver | 47 | 50% | +10 pts |
| Ichor Wellspring | 44 | 60% | +10 pts |
| Archway of Innovation | 43 | 45% | +10 pts |
| Vault of Whispers | 42 | 58% | +10 pts |
Commanders for Artifacts
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is, according to EDHREC data.
By color identity
Red
Blue
White
White · Red
White · Blue
Black
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 Artifacts deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Breya, Etherium Shaper, Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch, Urza, Chief Artificer. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 947 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Artifacts is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Artifacts deck?
The three most characteristic are Foundry Inspector, Solemn Simulacrum, 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 Artifacts played in?
The most common color identities are Red, Blue, White. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Artifacts 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.