Aggro

Aggro decks win through combat damage. Play efficient creatures, turn them sideways, kill opponents before they set up. Simple in concept. Hard in Commander.

The math is the problem. In a 1v1 format, you deal 20 damage to one opponent. In Commander, you deal 40 damage to each of three opponents. That's 120 total life across the table. Aggro decks don't naturally scale to multiplayer the way combo or control decks do.

Viable aggro decks compensate with damage multipliers: extra combats, pump effects, infect, or explosive turns that deal far more than combat math suggests.

How it works

1. Play cheap, efficient threats in the first three turns
2. Apply pressure before opponents' decks come online
3. Use damage multipliers (extra combats, pump, evasion) to deal lethal amounts
4. Close the game before turn 8-10 when control and combo decks take over

Key cards and effects

Extra combat steps:

• Aggravated Assault — repeatable with enough mana
• Aurelia the Warleader — extra combat on first attack each turn
• Combat Celebrant — exert for an extra combat

Mass pump:

• Craterhoof Behemoth — +X/+X and trample to everything
• Shared Animosity — each attacking creature gets +1/+0 for each other creature sharing a type
• Coat of Arms — creatures get +1/+1 per other creature sharing a type (helps opponents too)

Evasion:

• Toski Bearer of Secrets — indestructible, draws on damage
• Champion of Lambholt — grows when creatures ETB, becomes unblockable enabler

Strengths

Speed. You're applying pressure while combo is tutoring and control is holding up mana. If they don't interact, they die.

Simplicity. The plan is clear. Deploy threats, attack, pump, win.

Resilience to counterspells. Your threats are cheap and redundant. Countering one creature doesn't stop the next five.

Weaknesses

Board wipes. A single Wrath of God undoes multiple turns of work. Recovery is hard because your cards are individually low-value.

120 life total. You need to kill three opponents. While you're focused on one, the other two are building boards.

Late game. If the game goes long, aggro falls behind. Your cheap creatures get outclassed by opponents' expensive threats.

Popular commanders

Najeela the Blade-Blossom (5-color) — creates Warrior tokens when Warriors attack, extra combat step with WUBRG. Scales from casual to cEDH. Access to all five colors.

Krenko Mob Boss (R) — tap to create Goblin tokens equal to your Goblin count. Exponential growth. Kills tables if not answered.

Winota Joiner of Forces (R/W) — when non-Humans attack, cheat Humans from the top of your library onto the battlefield attacking. Explosive and fast.

Jetmir Nexus of Revels (R/G/W) — creatures get bonuses at 3, 6, and 9 creatures. At 9+, double strike and trample for the table kill.

Typical colors

Red is core (haste, extra combats, damage). Green adds pump and mana acceleration. White adds anthems and go-wide support. Mono-red works. Naya (R/G/W) is the most common multi-color option.

Ratio adjustments

More creatures, less interaction. You want to be proactive, not reactive. Card draw stays high because running out of gas is what kills aggro decks.