Regardless of whether they’re a force to be reckoned with or just a novelty, Tribal decks have always had a home in Commander. From Angles to Zombies, there are plenty of tribal decks to choose from. However, they’re not all worth your time.
Dogs may not be the strongest tribal deck in Commander; however, the format’s beauty still makes this niche deck fun to play. With a handful of powerful creatures and a suite of enchantments, even Dogs can become a powerful and playable Commander deck.
Before we get into things, it’s important to note that all Hounds have been errata’d to be Dogs.
Ruff, Underdog Champ
Ruff, Underdog Champ
All Hounds are Dogs. (We'll errata this to be true.)
First strike, lifelink
Underdog — If you've lost a game this match, Ruff, Underdog Champ and other Dogs you control get +1/+1.
has even been printed to prove it.
Without any further ado, let’s get into which MTG Dogs are the best and the goodest boys for your next Commander deck!
Honorable Mention – Underworld Cerberus
We’re starting our list of the top 10 Dogs in MTG with an honorable mention. This time the dubious honor of not quite making the list goes to Underworld Cerberus. With the possibility to go very right and very wrong in equal measure, Underworld Cerberus doesn’t have the consistency to merit a spot on this list.
Nevertheless, in the right deck, Underworld Cerberus can be a powerhouse that’s deserving of not just inclusion in the 99 but being tutored. While potentially powerful, Underworld Cerberus is unfortunately also hampered by its colors. Being black and red makes Underworld Cerberus practically unplayable in Commander, as there are no Legendary Dogs in those colors.
10 – Pako, Arcane Retriever
When played with its partner,
Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Partner with Pako, Arcane Retriever (When this creature enters, target player may put Pako into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
You may play lands and cast noncreature spells from among cards you exiled that have fetch counters on them, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast those spells.
, Pako, Arcane Retriever can be an effective mini
Karn, Scion of Urza
Karn, Scion of Urza
+1: Reveal the top two cards of your library. An opponent chooses one of them. Put that card into your hand and exile the other with a silver counter on it.
−1: Put a card you own with a silver counter on it from exile into your hand.
−2: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with "This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control."
. Even on its own,
Pako, Arcane Retriever
Pako, Arcane Retriever
Partner with Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Haste
Whenever Pako attacks, exile the top card of each player's library and put a fetch counter on each of them. Put a +1/+1 counter on Pako for each noncreature card exiled this way.
is still a good boy capable of denying your opponent’s threats.
As a symmetrical effect, Pako, Arcane Retriever also risks denying your own threats from being topdecked. Thankfully this potential risk is offset by the reward of a +1/+1 counter for each noncreature card exiled this way. This allows Pako, Arcane Retriever to elevate beyond a consistently annoying threat to a powerful one.
9 – Tanuki Transplanter
While not cheap,
Tanuki Transplanter
Tanuki Transplanter
Whenever this creature or equipped creature attacks, add an amount of {G} equal to its power. Until end of turn, you don't lose this mana as steps and phases end.
Reconfigure {3} ({3}: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)
gives Dogs some much-needed ramp. By gaining green mana equal to the power of itself or what it’s equipped to when attacking, Tanuki Transplanter can set you up for some huge plays with
Finale of Devastation
Finale of Devastation
Search your library and/or graveyard for a creature card with mana value X or less and put it onto the battlefield. If you search your library this way, shuffle. If X is 10 or more, creatures you control get +X/+X and gain haste until end of turn.
and other X-costed cards.
8 – Loyal Warhound
With many MTG Dogs costing a remarkable amount of mana,
Loyal Warhound
Loyal Warhound
Vigilance
When this creature enters, if an opponent controls more lands than you, search your library for a basic Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
is a must-have in this tribal deck. Even after fetching a Plains, provided that your opponents have more land than you, Loyal Warhound still proves its worth as a valuable blocker capable of taking down some more expensive threats.
7 – Komainu Battle Armor
Thanks to its ability to Goad each of an opponent’s creatures, Komainu Battle Armor can be a seriously chaotic powerhouse. To mitigate the requirement of dealing combat damage for the Goad effect,
Komainu Battle Armor
Komainu Battle Armor
Menace
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has menace.
Whenever this creature or equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, goad each creature that player controls.
Reconfigure {4} ({4}: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)
even has, or gives an equipped creature, Menace.
If Menace isn’t enough, Komainu Battle Armor is a prime target for
Aqueous Form
Aqueous Form
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't be blocked.
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
and other enchantments that’ll let this Dog cause havoc.
6 – Kunoros, Hound of Athreos
As a 3/3 for three mana,
Kunoros, Hound of Athreos
Kunoros, Hound of Athreos
Vigilance, menace, lifelink
Creature cards in graveyards can't enter the battlefield.
Players can't cast spells from graveyards.
is already a powerful Dog just for being on curve. With Vigilance, Menace, and Lifelink, Kunoros, Hound of Athreos can be a very potent threat in the early game.
Alongside its ability to dish out damage, Kunoros, Hound of Athreos also shuts down graveyard strategies. Similar to the invaluably helpful
Grafdigger’s Cage
Grafdigger’s Cage
Creature cards in graveyards and libraries can't enter the battlefield.
Players can't cast spells from graveyards or libraries.
, this can be used to completely nullify several decks you’ll face in Commander.
5 – Isamaru, Hound of Konda
As a 2/2 for just one white mana,
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
is straight value. With the ability to poke in Commander Damage from the start of the game, Isamaru, Hound of Konda is a consistent threat your opponents need to be wary of.
When combined with Auras and Enchantments such as Aqueious Form and Finest Hour, Isamaru, Hound of Konda can even threaten to take opponents out of the game with Commander Damage alone.
4 – Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second
Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second may not technically be a Dog; however, they’re an excellent card for generating Dog tokens. With the ability to create 3/1 Dog tokens with Vigilance in place of other tokens, Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second allows you to create a powerful army of Dogs quickly.
When combined with White Sun’s Zenith or Felidar Retreat, Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second can easily be the core of any dog tribal deck, despite none of those cards actually being dogs.
3 – Selfless Savior
As an aggressive staple and friend of
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.)
Lifelink
Once during each of your turns, you may cast a permanent spell with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard.
Selfless Savior can provide much-needed protection in the early game. Whether Selfless Savior dies valiantly protecting your commander or just a blocker, you’ll want it in your deck.
On top of its useful ability, Selfless Savior has the added benefit of being one of the cheaper dogs you can play, making it great for expanding your board and going wide.
2 – Pack Leader
Unlike Cats who get a whole cattery of lords, Dog tribal decks only get Pack Leader. Thankfully, Pack Leader is more than just a basic +1/+1 lord to make up for this. That’s because, alongside its buffing ability, Pack Leader also prevents all combat damage to dogs you control when it attacks.
When played with Overrun and Titanic Ultimatum, this can turn a once adorable army into a game-ending force that doesn’t fret with survival.
1 – Rin and Seri, Inseparable
Other dogs may be cute, but Rin and Seri, Inseparable is the only real choice for an MTG Dog tribal commander. Offering a broad color identity for your deck and powerful token-generating abilities, Rin and Seri, Inseparable makes Dog tribal work.
Alongside generating tokens, Rin and Seri, Inseparable is also an excellent tool for removal and life gain. As a Dog Cat, Rin and Seri, Inseparable may disrupt the theme of the deck thanks to generating cat tokens; the sacrifice is well worth it for the sheer power of this Commander.
Filling out the deck
With few creatures acting as lords to provide juicy buffs, making the MTG Dog tribal deck work rests on the shoulders of artifacts and enchantments. With Rin and Seri, Inseparable, and Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second providing us with powerful tokens, we’d recommend going wide with an aggressive deck that keeps the pressure on.
To accomplish this aggressive strategy, we’ll need a lot of tokens and a lot of buffs. Parallel Lives and
Doubling Season
Doubling Season
If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead.
If an effect would put one or more counters on a permanent you control, it puts twice that many of those counters on that permanent instead.
are both fantastic options for just that. Mirari’s Wake, Rally the Ranks, and Cathar’s Crusade will also ensure we’re attacking with more than just a 1/1.
With board wipes like Damnation being a constant threat, we’ll also need plenty of protection. This makes Heroic Intervention and
Teferi’s Protection
Teferi’s Protection
Until your next turn, your life total can't change and you gain protection from everything. All permanents you control phase out. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.)
Exile Teferi's Protection.
incredibly important picks. To ensure consistency in the deck, we’d also recommend tutors like Enlightened Tutor and Idyllic Tutor.
Read More: The best MTG tutor cards for EDH
Overall, while MTG Dogs may not be the strongest tribal decks, they are one of the most beloved. With adorable faces and a smattering of good abilities, it’s obvious why this deck can be a ton of fun. Ultimately, however, we’d recommend fusing Cats and Dogs together for a potent Commander deck that’s the best of both worlds.