Quick Links

  • Card Draw
  • Ramp
  • Removal
  • Counterspells
  • Board Wipes
  • Tricksy Critters
  • Big Monsters
  • Playing Your Opponent's Spells For Them
  • Mill
  • Lands

Manipulating minds, stealing plans, and finally striking from the shadows. That's the game plan of the Dimir Commander, a fitting strategy for Magic: The Gathering's most Machiavellian color combination. Blue brings cleverness and calculation, while black brings decisive and deadly action.

Related: Magic: The Gathering – Golgari Commander Staples Guide

Dimir Commander decks can go in a lot of different directions, from Zombies and Ninja typals to milling opponents' libraries. But there are some cards that every Dimir mage should be aware of, and we've gathered them all into this handy guide. Read on to discover Dimir’s Commander staples.

Card Draw

With access to blue mana, Dimir has no problem casting Factor or Fiction, Deep Analysis, or the dreaded Rhystic Study, while black provides Phyrexian Arena, Night's Whisper, and Necropotence. Dimir often mixes combat with card draw, providing you with sneaky critters that love to draw upon dealing damage.

Shadowmage Infiltrator, Dimir Cutpurse, and Thief of Sanity are all examples of little critters that attack for the Dimir mage's benefit. Mask of Riddles also takes advantage of Dimir's tendency for unblockable creatures.

Besides that, Kaito loves to draw cards regardless of what form he comes in, and don't forget Dimir spells like Lim-Dul's Vault, Consult the Necrosages, or Siphon Insight. Sygg, River Cutthroat is also a noteworthy addition for how often he'll trigger in a multiplayer format.

  • Kaito Shizuki
  • Lim-Dul's Vault
  • Thief of Sanity
  • Sygg River Cutthroat
  • Ringsight
  • Siphon Insight
  • Shadowmage Infiltrator
  • Kaito, Dancing Shadow
  • Mask of Riddles
  • Consult the Necrosages
  • Dream Salvage
  • Dimir Cutpurse
  • Dire Undercurrents
  • Rhystic Study
  • Notion Thief

Ramp

Dimir doesn't ramp, so we're down to the usual suspects here. Solemn Simulacrum, Sol Ring, Burnished Hart, and Command Sphere, are all good choices, as are the Dimir Cluestone, Signet, and Keyrune. Don't forget Journeyer's Kite, Mistvein Borderpost, and Darksteel Ingot.

Stormscape and Nightscape Familiars are also noteworthy additions for being creatures, which black has an easy time reanimating when they die. They're also decent trade fodder for tricksy cards like The Trickster-God's Heist.

  • Dimir Cluestone
  • Talisman of Dominance
  • Dimir Signet
  • Dimir Keyrune
  • Solemn Simulacrum
  • Burnished Heart
  • Journeyer's Kite
  • Mindstone
  • Darksteel Ingot
  • Mistvein Borderpost
  • Stormscape Familiar
  • Nightscape Familiar

Removal

What's good about Dimir is that it has a lot of removal spells that also double as counterspells. Think Drown in the Loch, Ertai Resurrected, Dimir Charm, and Silumgar's Command. Connive/Concoct also provides extra utility by being able to reanimate a dead critter, and Recoil is basically a Vindicate once your opponent's hand is empty.

Hostage Taker, Evil Twin, and Dragonlord Silumgar highlight Dimir's tendency to simply take problematic permanents away from their enemies. Agony Warp is a potential two-for-one spell in the right combat scenario, and Tyrant's Scorn bounces what it can't kill.

Don't forget that Dimir has access to all the usual black kill spells like Murder, Terror, Bone Shredder, and Shriekmaw.

  • Drown in the Loch
  • Ertai Resurrected
  • Hostage Taker
  • Evil Twin
  • Dragonlord Silumgar
  • Tyrant's Scorn
  • Connive/Concoct
  • Recoil
  • Agony Warp
  • Clutch of the Undercity

Counterspells

We've already discussed some of Dimir's flexible counterspells, but there are a few more we should point out.

Soul Manipulation, Shadow of Doubt, and Muddle the Mixture are all counterspells that can do something else when a counterspell isn't warranted. Muddle the Mixture brings up Dimir's extremely useful Transmute ability, which lets you tutor for cards of the same converted mana cost.

Psychic Strike, Undermine, and Soul Manipulation are just better counterspells, but you can never go wrong with two blue mana to say "no."

  • Counterspell
  • Countersquall
  • Perplex
  • Soul Manipulation
  • Psychic Strike
  • Dimir Charm
  • Silumgar's Command
  • Undermine
  • Shadow of Doubt
  • Muddle the Mixture

Board Wipes

Black is good at wiping creatures off the board, while blue is better at bouncing. Getting rid of everything else will likely require the trio of board-wiping artifacts, Nevinyrral's Disk, Oblivion Stone, and Perilous Vault. Dimir has a tendency to like artifacts, so consider these when building for board wipe.

There's also Damnation, Evacuate, Cyclonic Rift, Decree of Pain, and Toxic Deluge to go along with the usual suspects for board wipes. Special note goes to Rags/Riches, which has some added late-game utility, and Silumgar, the Drifting Death, who can wipe out small armies on the attack.

  • Silumgar, the Drifting Death
  • Damnation
  • Rags/Riches
  • Cyclonic Rift
  • Evacuate
  • Pestilence
  • Toxic Deluge
  • Decree of Pain
  • Nevinyrral's Disk
  • Oblivion Stone
  • Perilous Vault

Related: Magic: The Gathering – The Best Commanders For A Treefolk Deck

Tricksy Critters

While Dimir loves to draw cards from its smaller creatures, it can do way more than that. Baleful and Tidehollow Strixes are excellent early-game rattlesnakes alongside Oona's Gatewarden. Obsessive Stitcher is card cycling attached to a reanimation effect, while Araumi of the Dead Tide can surprise opponents with whatever is in your graveyard.

Dimir Guildmage deserves a special note for being able to eliminate your opponent's hand in the late game, while Cavern Harpy provides an easy combo to repeat your creatures' come-into-play effects. Ertata, the Silencer is a hilarious way to win games and also pairs well with another card category that we'll get to later.

  • Baleful Strix
  • Grima, Saruman's Footman
  • Dimir Infiltrator
  • Master of Death
  • Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
  • Halo Forager
  • Obsessive Stitcher
  • Araumi of the Dead Tide
  • Etrata, the Silencer
  • Tomebound Lich
  • Cavern Harpy
  • Dimir Guildmange
  • Tidehollow Strix
  • Oona’s Gatewarden
  • Aven Hearstabber

Big Monsters

Dimir doesn't have as many large creatures as other colors, but it does have a few. Lord of the Nazgul is from the new Tales of Middle-earth set and can become a terrifying threat if left unchecked. Gyruda, Doom of the Depths can do a lot for a little and is easy to find if you only play with even-mana cards.

Consuming Aberration is likely to be the biggest creature you can field in Dimir colors and pairs well with mill strategies (more on that later). Mindleech Mass is expensive, but it pays for itself if it manages to get through. Runo Stromkirk works best with Leviathans, Krakens, Octopuses, and Serpents, so be sure to pair him with appropriately blue monsters.

Other than that, you've got access to blue and black's big critters, so don't forget Grave Titan, Rune-Scarred Demon, Harvester of Souls, and Jin-Gitaxias.

  • Lord of the Nazgul
  • Consuming Aberration
  • Gyruda, Doom of Depths
  • Runo Stromkirk
  • Mindleech Mass
  • Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

Playing Your Opponent's Spells For Them

Blue is good at theft, but blue and black are better. Steal your opponents' cards before they even have a chance to play them--that's the Dimir way.

Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, Nightveil Specter, Silent-Blade Oni, and Mnemonic Betrayal will all let you play your opponent's decks for them. This often mitigates Dimir's lack of large creatures and can even provide an unexpected answer to big threats.

But most of all, it's a lot of fun to watch your opponent's face fall as you play the spell they were hoping to draw.

  • Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
  • Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
  • Nightveil Specter
  • Extract Brain
  • Silent-Blade Oni
  • Rogue Class
  • Mnemonic Betrayal
  • Memory Plunder

Mill

Take cards from a library and make them disappear. Do it enough to your opponents and you'll win the game. It's not easy with Commander's 100-card decks, but it's still possible, and there are quite a few Dimir cards that can get the job done.

There are also cards that can turn mill into damage, like Duskmantle Guildmage, Oona, Queen of the Fae, and Umbris, Fear Manifest don't just wait for your opponents to run out of cards. They can use those cards to turn them into big damage.

Special note goes to Traumatize and Glimpse the Unthinkable to get the mill party started.

  • Invasion of Amonkhet
  • Krydle of Baldur's Gate
  • Phenax, God of Deception
  • Oona, Queen of the Fae
  • Mind Grind
  • Soaring Thought-Thief
  • Glimpse the Unthinkable
  • Duskmantle Guildmage
  • Umbris, Fear Manifest
  • Ashiok, Dream Render
  • Traumatize

Lands

Dimir wants a lot of lands that produce black and blue mana, and there are lots of those to choose from. Besides that, there are a few more lands that players should always include.

Because Dimir loves to draw cards, it can sometimes find itself with more than seven cards in hand; Reliquary Tower fixes that. Dimir also has lots of critters that do stuff upon dealing damage to opponents; Ghost Quarter and Rogue's Passage ensures they get through.

Other than that, have a few cycling lands like Barren Moor and Remote Isle, and Waterfront District can be a good way to get cards in the late game after your mana is established.

  • Ghost Quarter
  • Rogue's Passage
  • Reliquary Tower
  • Waterfront District
  • Various Blue/Black Lands
  • Cycling Lands

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