Starting on Dec. 10, MTG Arena players will have access to many new cards introduced to the game, thanks to the latest update. With these additions, Historic Brawl is about to see a shake-up, as players explore fresh strategies and revisit old favorites with new tools. Whether you're looking for a powerful new commander or want to refine an existing deck, now is the perfect time to dive into the format. To help you navigate the options, we've compiled a list of the top five best NEW Historic Brawl commanders that are sure to dominate the battlefield and deliver unforgettable gameplay experiences. Excited to see which? Let's dive into it!
What is Pioneer Masters?
Pioneer Masters is a digital-exclusive Magic: The Gathering set designed to bring key cards from the Pioneer format into MTG Arena. It features reprints and new-to-Arena cards that expand the Historic and Explorer card pools while laying the groundwork for an eventual full Pioneer format in Arena.
How does Pioneer Masters impact Brawl?
Pioneer Masters is a game-changer for Brawl, especially Historic Brawl on MTG Arena. It adds a fresh wave of legendary creatures and powerful cards that expand your commander options, and today, I will go over the top five Commanders and their respective builds that I came up with early for them!
BEST PIONEER MASTERS COMMANDERS
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
If you are just up for playing big creatures and smashing your opponent's creatures before they can react, then Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, is the perfect card to brew around. Putting pressure early with the likes of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Rahilda, Wanted Cutthroat, and Screaming Nemesis to later resolve a big creature that is not only hard to remove but also punishes players that cast noncreature spells is a very hard play pattern to face against. Of course, Ruric Thar, the Unbowed may backfire on you, so you should be careful not to get incidentally killed. Still, it's one of the most straightforward Commanders introduced with Pioneer Masters, so if all you care about is smashing your way through, then, it is one that may fit perfectly for you.
Dragonlord Ojutai
While there are other Azorius commanders like Yorion, Sky Nomad, or Teferi, Hero of Dominaria that can be played on different ends of the spectrum—being either creature-centric or control-heavy respectively— Dragonlord Ojutai combines both spectrums into a deck that relies on “protecting the queen.” Ojutai's hexproof when untapped ensures it stays safe from targeted removal, making it the centerpiece of a strategy that balances defensive control spells and tempo plays with aggressive swings. The card draw provided by Ojutai's attack trigger also keeps your hand full of answers and threats, making it a versatile and rewarding commander.
Keranos, God of Storms
Keranos, God of Storms, is a powerful creature that is very hard to deal with due to its god nature, making it indestructible. Once resolved, you will either have a solid card advantage engine or a Lightning Bolt machine that can quickly make quick work of your opponent's board and to ramp into it, we rely on some cards like Mind Stone and The Celestus to play it ahead of time. The deck ultimately works as an Izzet Control deck that has access to strong board wipes for board states of all sizes, starting with Anger of the Gods and ending with Cyclonic Rift for complex states.
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
If you are looking for a “different” option for a mono-blue commander, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy is a good one to have in a deck that relies on sending things to the graveyard. This can be paired with some of the delve cards the deck already runs, such as Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise, or the newly introduced Temporal Trespass, while running other cards that also send cards to the graveyard like Search for Azcanta. It won't give too much depth to the archetype as you will likely play the draw-go game and counter or bounce every threat to ultimately win the game. That said, like Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, Jace is also a cheap commander that can be flipped into a planeswalker, making it a good substitute or an addition to blue decks that rely on filling the graveyard quickly.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Banned from Duel Commander, Tasigur, the Golden Fang makes its debut on Explorer, and it's a very competitive Commander to brew around. Sultai has a lot of cool things to offer from a deck-building perspective, as you have access to efficient removal such as Fatal Push, Maelstrom Pulse, and Abrupt Decay along with powerful board wipes in the form of Toxic Deluge and Damnation. Card advantage in the form of Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise, backed up with efficient countermagic like Mana Drain and Counterspell. Lastly, green allows running some cool tools like Eldritch Evolution and Neoform, so you can sacrifice your Commander and put into play a Hullbreaker Horror or a Nezahal, Primal Tide to close the game. The only card this deck needs to advance to the next level is Life from the Loam, but hopefully, it can be introduced in future releases. In the early days, I expect this Commander to be dominating early mid-power level builds due to being new thanks to matchmaking, but I fully expect it to rise quickly to Brawl Hell Queue with other powerful ones such as Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, and Rusko, Clockmaker.
Final Thoughts
While most of the commanders on this list are blue, they each offer unique strategies for gaining an edge in the game—whether through card advantage, control, or tempo. Of course, our Gruul pick stands out as a powerhouse against those very blue strategies, leveraging raw power and speed to close games in the blink of an eye. No matter your playstyle, these commanders provide diverse and exciting ways to dominate Historic Brawl. So pick your favorite, refine your deck, and get ready to outplay your opponents in style!