I once put three Auras on a commander, swung for 14, and watched a single Teferi's Protection from the defending player eat the entire turn. The next turn someone cast a wrath and I was down four cards.

That's voltron in two turns. Building one huge threat and aiming it at a single player is the fastest way to win a Commander game with creatures, and the easiest way to lose one to a single removal spell. The commander decides which of those you get more often. Here are the ones worth building around, grouped by how they get to 21.

What makes a voltron commander worth building around?

It has to solve at least one of voltron's three problems. Your threat dies to removal, it gets chump-blocked, and the deck runs out of cards because every card goes onto one creature. A commander that just has big stats solves none of them.

Card spotlight

Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, it gets exalted's +1/+1 and double strike. Double strike halves the number you need: a commander with 11 power kills a player with commander damage in one hit. Rafiq turns every pump into a double pump, costs 17 cents, and in Bant he has access to the best protection in the format. He's the card I'd use to explain the whole archetype.

He doesn't protect himself, so the deck around him has to. Every section below is really about which of the three problems a commander answers for you.

The best Equipment commanders

Equipment stays on the battlefield when the creature wearing it dies, which makes it the more forgiving half of voltron. What holds it back is equip costs, so the best commanders here make equipping free.

Card spotlight

A 4/4 for that attaches an Equipment to himself for free at the start of combat on each of your turns. The other half is what sets him apart. For , he unattaches an Equipment and deals damage equal to its mana value, split among up to three targets, so a board with nothing worth hitting still hands him removal. He came out in June and is already fourth among voltron commanders on EDHREC, and I think he's earned it.

Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER is the most-built voltron commander right now: haste, a free equip when he enters, and a card for each equipped attacker whenever he attacks. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale costs six but equips Knights for and draws off every equipped attacker. Wyleth, Soul of Steel draws a card per Aura and Equipment on her whenever she attacks, which is the fix for running out of cards. The strongest pair is Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist with Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh: Ardenn moves every Aura and Equipment you control at the start of combat, and Rograkh is a free body with first strike, menace and trample to put them on.

Two newer ones are worth a slot. Sokka, Swordmaster attaches an Equipment to himself at the start of your combat and makes Equipment spells cheaper for each Ally you control. That's mono-white Captain America without the throw. Winter Soldier, Icy Assassin is a two-mana menace creature that gets +2/+0 per Equipment. If you let him go to the graveyard instead of the command zone, he comes back for with a finality counter and picks up an Equipment you already control. He costs 15 cents and he's still proving himself, but I like him.

The best Aura commanders

Auras hit harder for less mana than Equipment, and they all go to the graveyard when your commander dies. The Aura commanders worth playing either get you ahead on cards fast or refund the cards you lose.

Card spotlight

Whenever an Aura you cast enters, Light-Paws tutors a different Aura with equal or lower mana value and puts it straight onto her. Every Aura you cast on her brings a second one with it, so three casts can put six Auras on her. She's a 2/2 for two with no protection of her own, so the protective Auras go first. She's the Aura commander I'd hand to anyone starting out.

Killian, Ink Duelist takes off every spell that targets a creature, which covers nearly every Aura you'll cast, and he has menace and lifelink. That's why I'd take him for Orzhov. Tuvasa the Sunlit grows with every enchantment you control and draws on the first one you cast each turn. Zur the Enchanter is a flier that puts an enchantment with mana value 3 or less onto the battlefield every time he attacks. He's slow to start and very hard to beat once he's going.

The new one is Killian, Decisive Mentor from Secrets of Strixhaven Commander. Every enchantment that enters under your control taps and goads a creature, and you draw whenever your enchanted creatures attack. Goading their best blocker is an answer to chump blocks, which is a problem this section usually doesn't solve.

Voltron commanders that protect themselves

Hexproof answers the spot removal that ends most voltron games, but not wraths or edicts. Build with that in mind: these commanders let you skip some protection spells, not all of them.

Card spotlight

A 5/5 hexproof body that gets +2/+2 for every Aura attached to it. Three Auras make Uril an 11/11 before counting what the Auras themselves give, so two hits kill most players. He costs five, and your deck still needs answers to Teferi's Protection-style fogs and board wipes. Hexproof won't help with those.

Sigarda, Host of Herons adds flying and stops opponents' spells and abilities from making you sacrifice anything, so she's hexproof and edict-proof. She's the best-protected commander in this post. Narset, Enlightened Master has first strike and hexproof, and each attack lets her cast free noncreature spells off the top four cards. Geist of Saint Traft is the budget Azorius version: a hexproof 2/2 that brings a 4/4 Angel along on every attack. Kotis, the Fangkeeper is indestructible rather than hexproof, and every hit exiles that many cards off the top of their library and lets you cast the ones with mana value up to the damage dealt for free.

The recent option is Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer. It prevents all damage dealt to it and turns that damage into +1/+1 counters, so blockers and damage-based removal just make it bigger. It does nothing against destroy or exile, and means mono-white only.

Voltron commanders that double their damage

Instead of stacking more Equipment and Auras, these commanders get more out of the damage they already deal. Doubling a commander's damage lowers how much it needs to wear, which is exactly what makes a voltron deck faster.

Card spotlight

Double all damage Wolverine would deal. That includes combat damage to players, so an 11-power Wolverine deals 22 commander damage in one hit. He gets a +1/+1 counter at each end step if he damaged another creature that turn, and regenerates him, which handles blocks and plain destroy effects (though not wraths that say "can't be regenerated"). Three mana in Gruul, the best new card here, and I expect him to climb the EDHREC rankings.

Lightning, Army of One hits with first strike, trample and lifelink, then doubles all damage to that player until your next turn, which sets up the kill for the whole table. Tifa Lockhart doubles her power every time a land enters. A fetchland is two landfall triggers on its own, so a 4-power Tifa cracks one and swings for 16 with trample. Skullbriar, the Walking Grave doesn't double anything, but it keeps its counters when it goes to the command zone, so board wipes set it back less than any other commander here.

The recent red option is Spider-Man, Web-Spinner: double strike and haste for four mana, and his attack trigger stops one creature from blocking. Double strike halves the damage he needs, and the trigger takes one chump blocker out of the way every swing.

Unblockable voltron commanders

Chump blocks are the problem nobody plans for. A pumped commander means nothing if a 1/1 Saproling eats the hit every turn. These commanders get past blockers.

Card spotlight

Double strike, and it can't be blocked. For three mana in Azorius, that's everything a voltron commander needs except toughness. Wraith is a 1/1, so it depends entirely on what you put on it. Get it to 11 power and it deals 22 unblockable commander damage. It costs nine cents and almost nobody is building it. I'd start there.

Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima is the other recent card here, and a strong one: any creature that attacks a player by itself gets double strike or can't be blocked, and Jin draws a card whenever he connects. He's also a Secret Lair card that sells for around $89, which is a hard price for a four-mana commander. Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon is only evasive in the air, but infect means it needs 10 poison counters instead of 21 damage, and it can give itself haste and regenerate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a voltron deck in Commander?

A voltron deck wins by making one creature, almost always the commander, big enough to deal 21 commander damage to each opponent. The name comes from the robot built out of smaller pieces. Here the pieces are Equipment, Auras and pump spells.

What is the best voltron commander for beginners?

Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice is the easiest to learn on. She costs two, tutors an Aura every time you cast one, and her mono-white card pool is cheap. Rafiq of the Many is the best step up once you want more colours.

How much damage do I need to kill with commander damage?

21 combat damage from a single commander, counted per opponent. Double strike halves the power you need to 11, and damage doublers like Wolverine get there with the same 11.

How do voltron decks deal with board wipes?

They run protection that answers a wrath, like Heroic Intervention against destroy effects or Teferi's Protection against nearly everything, and they lean on Equipment, which stays behind after a wipe. Teferi's Protection is on the Game Changers list, so keep it for Bracket 3 tables and up.

Should I use Lightning Greaves on a voltron commander?

Usually not. Lightning Greaves gives shroud, and shroud stops you targeting your own commander too. That means no Auras and no equip costs. Triggers that target the Equipment rather than the creature, like Captain America's, still work. Most voltron decks are better off with protection that only stops opponents.

Which voltron commander should you build?

Pick the commander that solves the problem your table exposes. If your playgroup is full of spot removal, go with Uril or Sigarda. If they chump block forever, Wraith. If you keep running out of cards, Wyleth or Light-Paws. If you want the one that does a bit of everything, Captain America is the pick from this year.

Once you've picked one, Carl will build the 99 with you and tell you where your protection count is thin. Just say which commander in the deck builder. For the shroud-versus-hexproof questions this archetype keeps raising, Trisha handles rulings in chat.