EDH Optimizer
Wheels Commander decks
Wheels make everyone discard their hand and draw a new one. They are only good if you get paid for it: damage per card drawn, value off opponents’ discards or a graveyard you want filled.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis Crawler | 49 | 53% | +50 pts |
| Thought Vessel | 67 | 61% | +39 pts |
| Arcane Denial | 52 | 47% | +37 pts |
| Teferi's Ageless Insight | 34 | 52% | +35 pts |
| Windfall | 34 | 53% | +33 pts |
| Wizard Class | 34 | 52% | +32 pts |
| Chasm Skulker | 29 | 50% | +26 pts |
| Laboratory Maniac | 26 | 49% | +23 pts |
| Howling Mine | 21 | 60% | +23 pts |
| Ominous Seas | 23 | 45% | +23 pts |
| Decanter of Endless Water | 21 | 44% | +22 pts |
| Scrawling Crawler | 20 | 51% | +22 pts |
| Body of Knowledge | 20 | 49% | +22 pts |
| Triskaidekaphile | 19 | 46% | +20 pts |
| Aetherize | 28 | 46% | +17 pts |
| Propaganda | 29 | 47% | +17 pts |
| Temple Bell | 15 | 56% | +17 pts |
| Monument to Endurance | 14 | 58% | +14 pts |
| Jace, Wielder of Mysteries | 14 | 43% | +13 pts |
| Magmakin Artillerist | 12 | 59% | +13 pts |
| Geier Reach Sanitarium | 12 | 51% | +12 pts |
| Mikokoro, Center of the Sea | 11 | 54% | +12 pts |
| Tolarian Winds | 11 | 51% | +12 pts |
| Containment Construct | 12 | 54% | +12 pts |
| Flow of Knowledge | 12 | 49% | +12 pts |
| Glint-Horn Buccaneer | 11 | 61% | +12 pts |
| Magus of the Wheel | 10 | 55% | +11 pts |
| Font of Mythos | 9 | 54% | +10 pts |
| Underworld Dreams | 9 | 56% | +10 pts |
| Proft's Eidetic Memory | 11 | 52% | +10 pts |
Commanders for Wheels
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
Red
Blue · Red
Blue · Black
Blue · Black · Red
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 Wheels deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Nekusar, the Mindrazer, Xyris, the Writhing Storm, Mr. Foxglove. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 196 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Wheels is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Wheels deck?
The three most characteristic are Psychosis Crawler, Thought Vessel, Arcane Denial. 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 Wheels played in?
The most common color identities are Blue, Red, Blue · Red. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Wheels 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.