Magic: The Gathering Best Esper Commanders: TheGamer Ranks Entries 26–17 (October 2026)
TheGamer updated its Esper (White/Blue/Black) Commander ranking on October 27, 2026. The excerpt covers entries 26 to 17, from Nevinyrral to Varina.
TheGamer updated its ranking of the best Esper (White/Blue/Black) Commanders in Magic: The Gathering on October 27, 2026, and the entries 26 to 17 are now visible. The report is a press ranking, not a Wizards of the Coast announcement.
The previous update of the list came more than 18 months earlier.
Magic Esper Commander Ranking: What Is Known
The most popular Esper Commander currently sits at the top of EDHREC, according to TheGamer.
Esper Commanders in the Excerpt: Entries 26–17
The card details reported for the visible entries:
- Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant: six-mana Zombie Wizard with hexproof from artifacts, creatures and enchantments. It makes a 2/2 Zombie for each creature that died that turn, and when it dies, one mana destroys all artifacts, creatures and enchantments.
- Sefris of the Hidden Ways: a 2/3 for three mana that ventures into the dungeon the first time each turn a creature goes to a graveyard. Completing a dungeon returns a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. Venture debuted in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
- Merieke Ri Berit: a 1/1 Human for three mana, originally printed in Ice Age. Tapping it steals a creature while that creature stays tapped. If Merieke untaps or leaves, the stolen creature is destroyed.
- Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign: a six-mana 3/5 Sphinx with flying, vigilance and menace. On attack, you reveal the top card: an odd mana value can be cast free, otherwise it goes to hand.
Yennett was the focus of a Secret Lair Commander deck called Odds & Ends.
Planeswalker, God and enchantment picks
- Aminatou, the Fateshifter: a three-mana Esper Planeswalker usable as a commander. Its +1 draws a card, then puts a card from hand on top of the library. Its six-loyalty ability has all players pass nonland permanents left or right.
- Bane, Lord of Darkness: an Esper God from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, a 5/2 for four mana. It is indestructible at or below half starting life, and offers a card-draw-or-free-creature choice when a nontoken creature dies.
- Zur, Eternal Schemer: a three-mana 1/4 Human Wizard from Dominaria United. It gives enchantment creatures deathtouch, lifelink and hexproof.
Artifact and attack-trigger picks
- Sydri, Galvanic Genius: a 2/2 for three mana. It animates noncreature artifacts for one blue mana and grants deathtouch and lifelink for one black and one white.
- Kamiz, Obscura Oculus: a 2/4 Cephalid Rogue for four mana. When you attack, one creature can't be blocked and another with lesser power gains double strike.
- Varina, Lich Queen: a four-mana 4/4 Zombie Wizard, suggested for an Esper Zombie deck mixing Innistrad Dimir Zombies and Amonkhet white Zombies. It triggers when you attack with Zombies.
Why Magic Commander Players Get Different Takes
The ranking sits alongside other Commander build coverage on TCGKing, such as a Bracket 3 guide for Teval, the Balanced Scale. Rankings like this reflect one outlet's judgment, not a format ruling.
What is still unknown
- Which Commanders hold the top 16 spots.
- Which new Esper Commanders were added in the update.
TCGKing updates this article as soon as Wizards of the Coast announces these details. Follow all Magic news or get it in our newsletter.
What it means for players
- If you build Esper, entries 26–17 span Zombies, enchantments, artifacts and steal effects.
- Aminatou can lead a deck as a commander despite being a Planeswalker.
- The top spot is the card most popular on EDHREC, but its identity is not announced yet.
Written with the help of AI from the sources listed below, then checked automatically for accuracy and originality under TCGKing's editorial responsibility. Methodology →
TCGKing never reproduces source text. Every fact links to its origin.