EDH Optimizer
ETB Commander decks
If your creatures do something when they enter, the card is not wasted when they die: you already got paid. The archetype repeats those triggers with blink, recursion and doublers, and it is one of the most removal-resilient in the format.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conjurer's Closet | 7 | 49% | +49 pts |
| Panharmonicon | 7 | 64% | +48 pts |
| Ephemerate | 7 | 62% | +46 pts |
| Mulldrifter | 6 | 60% | +44 pts |
| Solemn Simulacrum | 8 | 60% | +42 pts |
| Cloudshift | 6 | 52% | +40 pts |
| Peregrine Drake | 5 | 53% | +37 pts |
| Aether Channeler | 4 | 55% | +29 pts |
| Dour Port-Mage | 4 | 52% | +29 pts |
| Ghostly Flicker | 4 | 56% | +28 pts |
| Charming Prince | 4 | 51% | +28 pts |
| Eerie Interlude | 4 | 44% | +27 pts |
| Teleportation Circle | 4 | 47% | +26 pts |
| Circuit Mender | 3 | 67% | +22 pts |
| Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx | 4 | 39% | +21 pts |
| Flickerwisp | 3 | 42% | +21 pts |
| Sun Titan | 4 | 51% | +20 pts |
| Inspiring Overseer | 3 | 46% | +20 pts |
| Cathars' Crusade | 3 | 51% | +19 pts |
| Wall of Omens | 3 | 49% | +19 pts |
| Spirited Companion | 3 | 57% | +18 pts |
| Enduring Innocence | 3 | 59% | +17 pts |
| Soul Warden | 3 | 39% | +17 pts |
| Path of Ancestry | 4 | 56% | +16 pts |
| Land Tax | 3 | 42% | +14 pts |
Commanders for ETB
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is, according to EDHREC data.
By color identity
White Best cards by color →
Red Best cards by color →
White · Blue Best cards by color →
Black Best cards by color →
White · Red Best cards by color →
Blue 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 ETB deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Munda, Ambush Leader, The Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, Yarok, the Desecrated. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 140 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central ETB is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a ETB deck?
The three most characteristic are Conjurer's Closet, Panharmonicon, Ephemerate. 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 ETB played in?
The most common color identities are White, Red, White · Blue. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a ETB 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.