Food inMagic: The Gatheringfelt a little silly at first, but after a few years from its introduction inThrone of Eldraineand a massive influx of Food-related cards and themes across multiple sets, it’s about as commonplace as Treasure. After all, even the most fantastical army in Magic needs to eat.
The key to thistrinket token’s culinary success is that they fit into so many different strategies. Lifegain, artifacts, tokens, sacrifice… you name it, Food’s probably got a place there. Even when it’s not serving as a synergy piece, Food’s a natural source of lifegain to combat aggressive decks. Whatever the use, some commanders absolute cook with Food.
While Food tokens work generically good with lifegain, token, and sacrifice commanders, this list will focus on commanders that reward the creation of Food tokens specifically.
10The Goose Mother
That’s One Honking Bird
Eldraine’s take on Mother Goose is a touch more frightening than the one from classic childrens' tales. Part Food payoff, partramptarget, The Goose Mother makes enough of its own Food that you don’t really have to support it with much else.
This legendary Bird Hydra was designed as a riff on Hydroid Krasis, a wildly popular Standard card during its time. The fact that you’re able to cast The Goose Mother for just two mana, or three mana and not feel bad about it, makes this card much more tenable to modern-day Magic than Krasis ever was.
9Peregrin Took
But Peregrin Always Gives Back
Peregrin Took has three main modes in Commander. The first is as a Food-support piece, where Took essentially doubles your Food output. Alternatively, you’re able to run it in a non-Foodtoken deckand just get a bunch of Food tokens for free anyway.
Took can also be repurposed into a combo machine, combining with various other artifact-matters and Food-related cards to produce infinite combos. One such combo involving Summoning Station results in drawing your entire library, though this requires you already have three or more Foods in play to get started.
8Apothecary White
A Feast Worthy Of An Army
Part of the inherent weakness of Food tokens is that they don’t really affect the board in a meaningful way. You can scarf down all the delicious snacks you want, but if your face is being bashed in combat after combat, they’re only going to do so much. Paying mana to gain small chunks of life only goes so far.
Apothecary White lets you weaponize your Food. Well, not the Food itself, but, rather, Mrs. White creates a troupe of hungrySoldiersready to chow, or engage in glorious combat, whichever’s appropriate for the situation at hand.
7Branard, Ginger Sculptor
Do You Know The Ginger Sculptor?
Brenard’s what you get when a game designer sits down and says: “What if the Muffin Man was a Magic: The Gathering card?” The answer is a foodie keen on turning your vanquished creatures into delectable treats. Kind of like taxidermy, but with more confectioner sugar.
Allowing your creatures that die to come back as 1/1s (3/3s essentially with Brenard’s pump ability) is already pretty good, which gives this legendary creature a bit ofan aristocratic edge. That’s not too common inthe blue-white-green color spectrum.
Brenard also works as typal support for Golems, which makes it the perfect commander for a “Splicer” deck, since all of the Splicers fall into these colors.
6Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
That’s Asmo, For Short
The problem standing between Wizards and printing Asmo was the length of its name, which was long enough that a mana cost couldn’t fit on the card. Their solution was that Asmo wouldn’t have one. Instead, the casting condition is part of its rules text. Clever!
Asmo nets you The Underworld Cookbook upon entering play, which can fueltheir activated ability. Either Asmo’s not very good at following recipes, or there’s something fiendish up their sleeve, since ‘eating’ the Food causes creatures to take a gut punch’s worth of damage. There’s a joke about deviled eggs in there somewhere.
5Pippin, Warden Of Isengard + Merry, Warden Of Isengard
He’ll Have What She’s Having
Food was a prominent theme of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, both in the mainline set andthe accompanying Commander products. The ‘Food and Fellowship’ deck used Food as its central theme, though Merry and Pippin were actually the alternative commanders for that deck.
Merry doesn’t actually expressly mention Food at all, but it’s implied given that shepartners withPippin, Warden of Isengard, who not only creates Food, but also sacrifices them for an Overrun-style effect. It’s a powerful pairing that can lead a deck just as well as the intended precon commanders.
4Rocco, Street Chef
Street Tacos In Magic, Confirmed
Rocco is what some players call a ‘paradox’ commander, one with an ability tied to casting spells from zones other than your hand, which happens very frequently in Commander. Unlike most of these commanders, Rocco’s also on the lookout for opponents who are doing this.
Rocco benefits everyoneat the kitchen table equally, giving each player access to one extra card per turn, but you’ll always come out on top with some Food tokens and +1/+1 counters as those spells get cast. The typical Rocco deck wants to load up on as manyred impulse draw effectsas possible.
3Samwise Gamgee
Will The Real Samwise Please Stand Up?
Hobbits and their food, right? Samwise Gamgee received three cards across the Lord of the Rings crossover, two of which are inherently Food-related. Sam’s namesake card is the most open-ended of these. You might see it as a full-on Food commander, or as part of a ‘historic matters’ build.
Samwise also sees occasionalModernplay, combined with Cauldron Familiar anda sacrifice outletfor an easy one-two-three punch. That’s accessible in Commander too, but Cauldron Familiar means Samwise Gamgee couldn’t be your commander. You’d probably opt for Sam, Loyal Attendant and Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit instead.
2Gyome, Master Chef
A Letter Off From Being A Halo Character
Huge expectations for anyone with the word ‘chef’ in its title. Gyome runs a pretty mean kitchen; he makes the perfect amount of food for all your creatures, thoughtoken creaturesdon’t get to eat for free. At worst Gyome always comes with his own meal when he enters the battlefield.
With enough Food, it can be very hard for opponents to favorable interact with Gyome and his hungry visitors.Indestructibleon a whim makes combat tough, and shrugs off most damage- and destruction-based removal. Unfortunately, even the most nutritious meal can’t save Gyome from exile effects.
1Sam, Loyal Attendant + Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit
But What About Second Partners?
Much like Merry and Pippin, Sam and Frodo made a partner appearance as the head of the ‘Food and Fellowship’ Commander precon. Sam’s the gourmand here, Frodo’s just there to reap the benefits of sacrificing Food and leave Yelp reviews.
‘Make a Food every turn for free’ is an enticing tagline, which makes Sam one of the linchpin cards for this deck and variations of the precon. Frodo converts the lifegain from sacrificing Food into a tangible reward, in this case leveling up The Ring andenhancing your Ring-Bearerin combat.
