Currently we're trying to rank them based on performance in 3-4 player pods, so some decks that win via pure Voltron and non-infinite targeted damage aren't rated as highly as they would be in a 1v1 ranking system. And yes, with any luck, once the Tier list is reasonably well organized to everyone's satisfaction, we can hopefully start to list the strongest strategy for each Commander and / or links to the best deck(s) built around them, particularly those in Tier 1 and 2. That's a another project for down the line though, and only if Gigi has the time and energy for it.

Full of time and energy :)

That would be awesome once the list will be near complete!

May be breaking Rule 1, but where does Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts fail so badly that she's a T5 card?

I think it's simply because Teysa isn't a build-around card and there are so many better commanders in WB if you just want a good commander that doesn't need to be built around.

I'd say push her up to tier 4 though, because she's still a good play, even if she's only playable in casual good-stuff decks.

I like that the color pie is pretty even on this deck.

Wizards have done a pretty good job giving each colour a legendary representative :)

She's still listed as Tier 5 because we haven't gotten around to scutinizing that tier too closely yet. Big Teysa should be at least Tier 4, probably 3.

Okay, I'll start;

Braids, Conjurer Adept, Maralen of the Mornsong, and Melira, Sylvok Outcast to Tier 3. Braids basically just lets you run loads of high-cmc bombs and play them for free, and hope that your opponent is playing much more on curve. Maralen is a combo-enabler and shuts down some decks. Melira obviously works really well with anything with persist.

Sakiko, Mother of Summer, Shizuko, Caller of Autumn, Szadek, Lord of Secrets, Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts and Tymaret, the Murder King to tier 4. Sakiko is okay for snake tribal and also a cool ramp commander, though not really as good as other commanders like Azusa; Shizuko is an okay ramp commander, Szadek is a viable mill commander, Teysa has a few combos and is an okay goodstuff commander, and Tymaret is kinda viable for sac decks.

I have to say that I disagree with some of this list. I feel like horsemanship is far more powerful than it seems. And, aren't all of the winningest decks currently using commanders from tier 2 & 3 on this list?

I'm pretty sure Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is tier 1, because not only does he significantly reduce your costs, it taxes your opponents as well, which stops faster strategies. Also, compared to tier 1 control generals like Azami, Lady of Scrolls the access to white gives amazing options such as mass removal Wrath of God Supreme Verdict etc.

Is there a chance that we can have a separate list for Duel Commander? or are they similar enough that they shouldn't merit another list? Me personally I feel they should because some commanders are ok in groups but Duel Commander specifically some can wreck a lot more havoc that in a group (not promoting but for lack of better example Phenax, God of Deception)

"and it can still be quite competitive."No shit Sherlock, my Kozilek deck is a guaranteed turn 1 kill.<3+1 from me.

I might have have missed it but I believe I didn't see Kaalia of the vast. I believe she would be tier one worthy. Thanks.

She's in tier 2.

I still think most of the commanders in tier 1 need to be looked at, as they don't meet the requirements. "Commanders in this catagory are capable of either outright winning or creating nearly unwinnable matches consistently by turn 4 if left unchecked."

Unless you can consistently turn 1 Sol Ring(That's uh... called CHEATING btw), you're not going to be consistently creating unbeatable boardstates by turn 4 with Azami, Lady of Scrolls, Damia, Sage of Stone, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, or... well, just most of them like I said. By turn 6, yes, but not consistently turn 4. So either the requirements need to be changed, or some of the commanders in there need to be moved to tier 2.

Though really, almost no commanders meet tier 1's current requirements. Maybe the requirements should be changed to 'Commanders in this catagory are capable of either outright winning or creating nearly unwinnable matches consistently within a couple turns of their being played if left unchecked.'.

That requirement would encompass all of the commanders already in tier 1, and also Sidisi, Undead Vizier who lets you win the game outright the turn after you play her if your opponent doesn't have a counterspell or targeted discard in hand and land untapped.(or Force of Will)

Derevi can and does lock the board by turn 4 consistently when played correctly. See Glix's deck: Empyre. Azami and Damia are control decks, so their "unwinnable board state" applies more to consistently crushing their opponent's key spells until they run out of fuel, then comboing off on turn 5-6 (though Azami still has the potential to win as early as turn 2 with a strong starting hand). Their slightly delayed wins are allowed because of their incredible control power early game coupled with their resiliency. But yeah, the tier description could stand to be edited. I originally wrote it in a bit of a hurry and didn't spend a massive amount of time mulling over the phrasing.

The only decks currently in Tier 1 that are really questionable are Maelstrom Wanderer and Sharuum the Hegemon.

Wanderer is overcosted, and requires a fair amount of luck to win the turn he's cast. While powerful, he lacks consistency. Both the class cannon Animar-like creature combo list and the midrange list with control elements run into problems when played against most of the true Tier 1 commanders.

Sharuum's well-known combo, while decent, is rather slow. Esper Ad Nauseam Combo with Zur or Oloro at the helm goes off 1 turn earlier on average, runs fewer combo pieces, and is typically more resilient to hate. Since Sharuum so strictly inferior to a deck built in the same colors with the same base strategy, it seems wrong to have her to the same Tier.

Also, keep in mind that the turn 4 win is based off of using the Partial Paris mulligan. In fact, it hinges on it. If a combo deck's pilot doesn't know how to mulligan properly, it can slow the deck's average win speed down by a full turn, sometimes more. That's probably why you're not seeing some of the Tier 1 commanders winning as early as stated.

By the Damia and and Azami logic then what keeps GAAIV from tier 2? It should easily be able to lockdown the board by then.

GAAIV from tier 1*

Arbiter is strong as a utility card. The problem is that he can't play around his own stax elements very well by himself. One of the main reasons that the two Tier 1 Stax/Prison generals( Derevi and Brago) shine is because they make cards like Stasis and Winter Orb entirely one-sided affairs. GAAIV is sadly incapable of doing that. As a result, he can struggle in the late-game once his stax strategy causes him to become the main focus of hate, either by not applying enough pressure to keep his opponents' spells from resolving, or by not being able to untap his own resources to resolve needed spells. His level of power is much more consistent with that of the stronger Tier 2 generals than with those residing in Tier 1. It comes down to this: "He's good, but can he go head to head with the likes of Zur or Derevi with any hope of winning?" Sadly, the answer to that is "Not without favorable politics."

I agree with @ Jazzyboy in regards to moving up Sakiko, Maralen, Teysa, Braids, etc. I have to admit I was floored seeing Tymaret in tier 5, as any cost-efficient body with an okay ability doesn't belong in the same Tier as 7- and 8-mana vanilla junk from Legends. Stitcher Geralf and Sisters of the Stone Death don't really belong there either, as casual generals I wouldn't ridicule someone for sleeving them up. Maybe this means we need a seperate tier for the embarrassing stone unplayables, but that probably opens up a can of worms.

Tier four could to be reworked a bit, since some of the creatures feel safely tier 3 (Brion, Korlash, Michiko) while others seem very much tier 5 (Kataki, Zuo Ci, Sunastian, Blind Seer). Admittedly there are a lot of weird commanders here that probably require some experience to evaluate properly.

Overall, this list is pretty excellent, I'm pleasantly surprised to see Marath and Xira get some love. FWIW, I'm in the "Melek is tier 2" camp, and I'm a little surprised to see Nath and Muzzio in tier 3, but these are all minor quibbles.

FYI:Cromat is at least tier 3. I've played him for years in competitive playgroups, and he holds his own just fine. He blocks everything, attacks through anything, is tough to kill, pumps himself... And has access to literally every legal card. He's more or less a morphing general. He might not be the primary strategy in your deck, but you don't just play him for his colors. Just saying...

But I think the idea is great, and list is pretty close.

I don't think I saw Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed. He's ridiculous in general. He should be tier 1

yavimaya_eldred/Jazzyboy For Tymaret a cost efficient body hardly makes a difference in EDH as a 2/2. If you said that for something with 5 or more power ok fine but not a 2/2. He's also outclassed by Lyzolda, the Blood Witch which has much more utility. He basically does nothing for a deck. Him being a sac outlet is hardly a plus as it not only requires mana but colored mana at that.