EDH Optimizer
Theft Commander decks
Stealing opponents’ permanents is removal and a threat in one card. It pairs especially well with sacrifice: you keep the creature forever even when the effect was temporary.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fellwar Stone | 42 | 42% | +25 pts |
| Lightning Greaves | 47 | 46% | +23 pts |
| Gonti, Night Minister | 22 | 53% | +21 pts |
| Gonti, Lord of Luxury | 21 | 50% | +20 pts |
| Brainstealer Dragon | 16 | 50% | +15 pts |
| Conjurer's Closet | 18 | 50% | +13 pts |
| Dauthi Voidwalker | 15 | 46% | +13 pts |
| Agent of Treachery | 13 | 46% | +12 pts |
| Etali, Primal Storm | 15 | 54% | +12 pts |
| Captivating Crew | 11 | 51% | +10 pts |
| Treasure Nabber | 11 | 56% | +10 pts |
| Hostage Taker | 11 | 63% | +10 pts |
| Cunning Rhetoric | 10 | 59% | +10 pts |
| Thief of Sanity | 10 | 58% | +9 pts |
| Thieving Varmint | 9 | 54% | +9 pts |
| Bribery | 9 | 45% | +9 pts |
| Zealous Conscripts | 9 | 43% | +9 pts |
| Tinybones, the Pickpocket | 9 | 51% | +8 pts |
| Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx | 15 | 41% | +8 pts |
Commanders for Theft
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is.
By color identity
Blue Best cards by color →
Black Best cards by color →
Blue · Black Best cards by color →
Red Best cards by color →
Black · Red Best cards by color →
Blue · Black · Red 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 Theft deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Gonti, Canny Acquisitor, Gonti, Night Minister, Edea, Possessed Sorceress. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 212 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Theft is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Theft deck?
The three most characteristic are Fellwar Stone, Lightning Greaves, Gonti, Night Minister. 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 Theft played in?
The most common color identities are Blue, Black, Blue · Black. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Theft 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.