Positive Momentum
Players climb from 0 points instead of slowly being removed from the game.
Format Philosophy
Hello everyone, Welcome to the Social Commander Club, the official home of Points Commander: a casual Magic: The Gathering Commander format born from a desire to stop killing each other in Commander and make the game feel more like a race to the top.
Still Commander
Politics, threat assessment, commander damage, combat, big swings, strange decks, and table drama all still matter.
Placement Play
When someone finishes first, the rest of the table can keep playing for second, third, and fourth.
Rule Zero First
This is a casual format. Agree expectations, power level, house rules, and awkward card interactions before the game starts.
Points Commander Rules
Use Commander as per the Commander Format Panel's rules as the foundation, then apply these Points Commander changes.
Objective
- Start at 0 points.
- Reach 50 points to claim the next placement.
- Deal 21 commander damage in total to claim the next placement, regardless of which opponent received it.
Damage and Points
- When you deal damage to a player, you gain that many points.
- Damage taken does not reduce your points.
- Your commander damage dealt is tracked as a total across all opponents.
Life Effects
- Life gain gives you points.
- Life loss removes points, to a minimum of 0.
- Pay life by spending points.
- If a card checks life total, use points total.
Suggested Adjustments
- Annihilator gives the attacking player that many points instead of causing sacrifices.
- If you would draw from an empty library, you win instead.
- Use Rule Zero for any unclear edge case.
Banned Cards
Points Commander currently uses normal Commander legality as its baseline, unless your table agrees otherwise.
Points Commander Committee
Points Commander is maintained as a casual, community-first format focused on multiplayer fun, expressive deckbuilding, and memorable table experiences.
Head of Committee & Founder
Creator of the Points Commander format and tracker app.
Reddit: u/apcebo
Brews: Moxfield
Reddit: u/apcebo
Brews: Moxfield
Committee Members
• u/HarryFF
Additional members and community representatives may be added as the format grows.
Additional members and community representatives may be added as the format grows.
The committee exists to support the health, identity, and casual spirit of the format rather than enforce competitive balance.
☕ Support Points Commander on Ko-fi
All donations go directly towards keeping the project alive, including domain costs, commissioning artists for logos and assets, and continued app and format development.
FAQs
Is Points Commander still Commander?
Yes. It uses Commander as the base format, then replaces life with a points race.
Do players start at 40 life?
No. In Points Commander, players start at 0 points.
What happens when I deal damage?
You gain that many points. The damaged player does not lose points just because they took damage.
What happens with commander damage?
Commander damage is tracked as the total commander damage you have dealt across the game. If you deal 21 commander damage in total, regardless of which opponent received it, you can claim the next placement.
What happens when I reach 50 points?
You claim the next placement. If nobody has finished yet, that means you are first.