Magic: The Gathering is a game of rules. Thousands of them. Some are simple. Others, like the background Magic the Gathering mechanic introduced in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, feel like someone tried to translate a Dungeons & Dragons character sheet into a card game while half-asleep. It works, though. It actually works really well.
If you played during the original Commander Legends, you remember Partners. They were broken. Putting two legendary creatures in the command zone meant you started with an extra card in hand. Backgrounds are the "fixed" version of that. They give you the flavor of a multiclass character without completely shattering the competitive balance of your Friday night pod.
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What Exactly is a Background Anyway?
Think of a Background as a second commander that isn't a creature. It’s an enchantment. Specifically, it’s a legendary enchantment with the subtype "Background."
But there is a catch. You can't just shove any enchantment into your command zone. You need a leader. You need a legendary creature that explicitly says "Choose a Background" on the card text. If your commander doesn't have that specific line of text, you can’t have a Background chilling in the command zone. You can still put them in your 99-card deck, sure, but they won't be your co-commander.
It’s a flavor win. Basically, you’re saying, "This is my hero, and this is their origin story." Maybe your hero is a "Street Urchin" or a "Cloakwood Hermit." That backstory changes how the hero plays. It’s modular. It’s smart design.
The Technical Stuff: How the Color Identity Works
Color identity is usually the biggest headache for new players. In a standard Commander deck, your deck's colors are dictated by the mana symbols on your commander. With background Magic the Gathering pairings, your color identity is the combination of the creature and the enchantment.
If you pick Wilson, Refined Grizzly (who is Green) and pair him with Cultist of the Absolute (which is Black), your deck is now a Black-Green (Golgari) deck. This opens up a massive pool of cards.
Why Choose a Background Over a Traditional Partner?
Partners like Thrasios, Triton Hero or Tymna the Weaver are legendary for a reason. They provide raw card advantage. Backgrounds are different because they are almost entirely "force multipliers."
Most Backgrounds don't do anything on their own. They sit there and buff your commander. Take Raised by Giants. It’s a six-mana enchantment that turns your commander into a 10/10 Giant. If your commander isn't on the battlefield, that enchantment is basically a decorative piece of cardboard.
That is the risk. You’re putting all your eggs in one basket. If your commander gets removed, your Background becomes a dead permanent. But if they stay? The power ceiling is astronomical.
The Best Background Combinations You Should Actually Try
People slept on these cards when they first dropped in 2022. They shouldn't have. Some of these pairings are genuinely mean.
The "Voltron" Menace: Wilson + Anything
Wilson, Refined Grizzly is a 2-mana bear with reach, trample, and ward 2. He can’t be countered. He’s already a nightmare to deal with. If you give him the Flaming Fist background, he gains double strike. A 2-mana uncounterable bear hitting for 4-8 damage on turn three is a quick way to lose friends at the local game store.
The Token Engine: Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward
Abdel is a white creature that exiles permanents you control when he enters, then makes 1/1 soldiers. Pair him with a blue background like Candlekeep Sage. Now, every time Abdel enters or leaves the battlefield, you draw a card. You can loop this. It gets out of hand. Fast.
The Chaos Factor: Karlach, Fury of Avernus
Karlach gives you extra combat phases. If you pair her with Hardy Outlander, you're suddenly buffing creatures based on her power every time you swing. Since she swings twice, the math gets stupidly high very quickly.
Common Mistakes and Rules Blunders
I see people mess this up constantly. Let’s clear the air.
- Tax applies to both. Yes, the "Commander Tax" is tracked separately. If your creature dies twice, it costs 4 more mana. If your Background gets destroyed once, it costs 2 more mana. One doesn't affect the other.
- Backgrounds in the 99. If you draw a Background card from your library and play it, it only buffs "Commander creatures you own." It doesn't buff every creature you have. It specifically looks for your leader.
- The "Choose a Background" keyword. You cannot use a "Partner" creature with a "Background" enchantment. The keywords are not interchangeable. It’s a bummer, I know. You can’t pair Vial Smasher the Fierce with Dungeon Delver. The rules just don't allow it.
The Impact on the 2026 Meta
Looking back from where we are now, the background Magic the Gathering cards have aged surprisingly well. While they haven't power-crept the top-tier competitive EDH (cEDH) decks, they have become the backbone of "high-power casual" play.
They provide a level of customization that a single legendary creature just can't match. You can take the same commander and swap the Background between games to completely change the deck's archetype. It’s the ultimate budget-friendly way to keep the game fresh.
How to Build Your First Background Deck
Don't overthink it.
Start with a "Choose a Background" creature that you actually like. Don't look at the power level yet. Look at the art. Look at the vibe.
Once you have your creature, look for a Background that covers their weakness. If your creature is small, find a Background that buffs stats. If your creature is a glass cannon, find one that provides protection or ward.
- Check your curve. Since you have two "cards" in the command zone, you have guaranteed plays on certain turns. Plan for it.
- Protect the enchantment. People carry Disenchant effects. If your whole strategy relies on your Background, run some counterspells or protection.
- Synergize with the "Commander" status. Use cards that care about you controlling your commander, like Fierce Guardianship or Deadly Rollick. Since you have two possible commanders, these cards are "online" more often.
The beauty of this mechanic is the variety. There are over 30 Backgrounds and over 30 creatures with the ability. That is roughly 900 possible combinations. Most of them haven't even been fully explored by the community yet.
Go find a weird one. Pair a Tavern Brawler with a scrawny wizard. See what happens. Worst case scenario? You lose a game of Magic but have a cool story about a wizard who got way too into bar fights. Best case? You find the next broken combo that everyone else missed.
To get started, look for the "Faceless One" if you want a true wildcard. It's a Background that can be any color, allowing you to bridge gaps in a deck that otherwise wouldn't work. From there, prioritize cards that trigger "whenever a commander you control attacks" to maximize the value of having your Background on the field. Focus on mana fixing early, as many Background decks end up being three colors if you aren't careful with your selection. Keep an eye on the ward costs of your commanders; protecting your engine is more important than building a bigger one.