How Much Interaction Should a Commander Deck Have?

Many players think interaction simply means removal.

Removal is certainly part of it.

But interaction is much broader than that.

Interaction is any card that lets you respond to what your opponents are doing instead of simply watching it happen.

That includes things like:

• Destroying or exiling permanents.
• Countering spells.
• Protecting your own board.
• Removing cards from graveyards.
• Forcing sacrifices.
• Bouncing problematic permanents.
• Stopping a combo at instant speed.
• Preventing combat damage when the situation calls for it.

If a card changes the outcome of an opponent's plan, it's interaction.

Commander is a multiplayer format.

You're not trying to beat one opponent.

You're trying to beat three.

That means there are three different game plans developing every turn, and eventually one of them is going to become a problem.

Maybe someone assembles a combo.

Maybe someone resolves an enchantment that takes over the game.

Maybe someone creates enough Treasure tokens to buy an actual treasure chest.

You don't need to stop everything.

You simply need to stop the things that matter.

That's exactly what interaction is for.

If you've already read our guide about removal, you'll know that most Commander decks should play between 8 and 12 removal spells, including targeted removal and board wipes.

That's an excellent starting point.

But interaction goes beyond destroying permanents.

Sometimes the most important spell you cast isn't removal at all.

It might be the counterspell that stops a game winning combo.

The protection spell that saves your entire battlefield.

Or the graveyard hate that prevents an opponent from recurring the same threat over and over again.

A good interaction package covers more than one angle.

One of the biggest mistakes newer Commander players make is only thinking about interacting with opponents.

Sometimes the best answer isn't destroying their spell.

It's making sure yours survives.

Giving your creatures indestructible before a board wipe.

Protecting your commander from removal.

Stopping an exile effect at the perfect moment.

Those plays generate just as much value as removing an opposing permanent.

Sometimes even more.

Blue doesn't own interaction.

Every color has powerful tools.

White excels at efficient removal and protecting its board.

Black destroys creatures, attacks graveyards and forces sacrifices.

Red answers artifacts, deals direct damage and punishes explosive turns.

Green removes artifacts and enchantments while fighting creatures.

Blue controls the stack, counters spells and bounces problematic permanents.

The best interaction package depends on your colors, but every deck has access to meaningful answers.

The ideal amount of interaction depends heavily on who you play with.

If your friends enjoy slower games with upgraded preconstructed decks, you probably don't need to fill your deck with reactive spells.

If your local game store is full of highly optimized decks that can threaten a win early, interaction becomes much more valuable.

Commander isn't played in a vacuum.

Build for the games you actually play.

Your deck probably needs more interaction if you regularly find yourself saying:

"I couldn't do anything."

Or if you often lose because:

• A combo player won uncontested.
• A single permanent stayed on the battlefield for most of the game.
• Someone resolved a board wipe and you had no way to protect your board.
• You spent several turns hoping another player would deal with the biggest threat.

Those are usually clear signs that your deck isn't running enough answers.

There's a common misconception that interaction makes Commander less fun.

In reality, it usually does the opposite.

Games where nobody can answer anything often end as soon as one player gets ahead.

Games with healthy interaction create memorable moments.

The removal spell that saves the table.

The counterspell that stops the winning combo.

The protection spell that completely changes combat.

Those are the stories people remember long after the game is over.