Partners & Backgrounds
Core concepts
The five ways a Commander deck is allowed to run two commanders.
How it works
A Commander deck normally has exactly one commander. Five keywords let you have two: plain Partner (any two cards that both have it), "Partner with [name]" (that named pair and nothing else), Friends forever, Doctor's companion (pairs with a legendary Doctor), and Choose a Background (a legendary creature with that ability, plus a legendary Background enchantment).
Both cards start in the command zone and your deck is 98 other cards rather than 99. Nothing else about singleton construction changes.
The reason people build these is colour: your deck's colour identity is the COMBINED identity of both cards. Two mono-coloured partners give you a legal two-colour deck with two commanders to draw on, which is why partner pairs dominate lists built around a specific colour pair.
Common confusions
“Can I pair any two cards that say Partner?”
Two cards with plain Partner, yes. But "Partner with [name]" only ever pairs with the named card, and the mechanics don't mix — a Friends forever card can't be paired with a plain Partner card.
“Do the two share one commander tax?”
No. Each commander tracks its own tax, rising {2} for each time that particular commander has been cast from the command zone.
“Do their commander damage totals add together?”
No, and this is the big one. Commander damage is tracked per commander, so each of the two must deal 21 on its own. Two partners hitting a player for 11 each have killed nobody.
“My Background isn't a creature.”
Correct — a Background is a legendary enchantment. It sits in the command zone and can be cast from there like any commander, but it never attacks and can never deal commander damage.
Commanders with partner
Ranked by how often Commander decks actually play them.
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