How to Decide the Rules for Your Commander Cube (Without Starting a 45-Minute Group Chat War)
Commander Cube is the best kind of Magic night: everyone drafts, everyone gets to cook, and nobody has to pretend their precon is “basically tuned.”
It’s also the kind of Magic night where one missing rule turns into chaos fast.
So let’s build you a ruleset that actually works at a real table.
TLDR
Write it on a one-page sheet. Put it in the box. You’re done.
Copy what already works: Commander Draft rules (pick two cards, build a 60-card deck, play Commander).
Your big decisions are: how drafters get commanders, deck size, color identity strictness, life total, and partner rules.
If you want the cleanest first run: Pick-two draft + 60-card decks + 40 life + a commander “failsafe.”
Why Commander Cube needs house rules
Normal cube is easy: draft 45 cards, build 40, shuffle up, play.
Commander Cube adds three complications:
- Decks want a commander (and commanders want specific colors/themes).
- Multiplayer games run longer (so your “limited curve” assumptions change).
- Draft variance is higher (because you’re not drafting from a constructed decklist you tuned for months).
Your rules exist for one purpose: make sure everyone leaves the draft with a playable deck and a fun game.
The five knobs that matter
These are the decisions that actually change your Commander Cube experience.
1) How do players get commanders?
If players can’t reliably draft a commander that fits their pool, your draft will feel like a slow-motion car crash.
2) Draft structure
Pack size, number of packs, and whether you “pick two” directly affects how coherent decks feel.
3) Deck size
Commander is 100 cards in the wild. Commander Draft is usually 60 for a reason: time, cohesion, and basic human stamina.
4) Color identity strictness
Do you enforce strict commander color identity? Loosen it? Ignore it? Each choice has tradeoffs.
5) Life total and pacing
40 life is classic Commander. In draft-built decks, 40 can be either “perfect” or “we’re still playing this?” depending on your cube’s power and fixing.
Draft structure options that actually play well
You’ve got a few proven templates. Pick the one that matches your player count and how long you want the night to run.
Option A: Commander Draft style (the safe default)
Three 20-card packs. Pick two cards each pick. Build 60 cards.
This is the Commander Draft model used in Commander-focused draft sets, and it’s popular because it helps decks come together without turning the whole thing into a five-hour event.
Best for: 6–8 players, you want “real draft” vibes, you want synergy to show up.
Option B: Commander Cube “league” style (great for 4-player pods)
Four 15-card packs. Pick two cards each pick. Build 60 cards.
This plays fast and clean with four players, and it’s very cube-friendly because you’re already used to 15-card packs.
Best for: exactly 4 players (or you frequently split into 4-player pods).
Option C: “Commander pack” + normal draft (training wheels for commanders)
- Start with a small commander-only pack (all legends, backgrounds, etc.).
- Then do a normal cube draft (15-card packs, pick one or pick two).
Best for: newer drafters, groups that hate trainwrecks, cubes with lower legend density.
Option D: Pick-Two Draft for four players (bonus mode)
Wizards also formalized a 4-player pick-two draft variant meant for Commander-sized friend groups. It’s not Commander rules by default, but it’s a handy structure to steal when your pod is always four.
(If you want it to still feel like Commander Cube, you’ll usually keep the 60-card Commander deck idea rather than switching to 40-card 1v1 decks.)
Best for: 4-player nights where speed matters.
Commander access: how players get a commander (and don’t trainwreck)
This is the #1 make-or-break decision.
Method 1: High legend density (simple, but you must commit)
You can just include enough legends that commanders show up naturally.
Rule of thumb: if commanders are rare, your draft will be painful. If they’re common, your draft will be fun.
Method 2: A dedicated commander draft step (my favorite “it just works” solution)
Do one of these:
- One commander pack each at the start (all legends / backgrounds / partner-adjacent stuff).
- Or a face-up commander row (everyone can take one commander from the row at set times: before pack 1, after pack 1, etc.).
This keeps decks pointed in a direction early, which is half the battle.
Method 3: Add a failsafe commander (non-negotiable for first-time runs)
Commander Draft formats often include a “break glass in case of emergency” commander like The Prismatic Piper. The point is not that people will use it often. The point is that nobody ends the night with “I literally can’t build a legal deck.”
Method 4: House partner rules (the spice that fixes everything)
The most common, best-feeling house rule is some version of:
- All monocolor (and sometimes colorless) legendary creatures have partner.
- Two-color legends do not get extra partner help.
- Three-color legends don’t partner at all.
This dramatically reduces “my colors don’t line up” drafts while still keeping color identity meaningful.
If you want a proven example: Magic Online’s Commander Cube adds partner to mono-color and colorless legends and has specific pairing restrictions to prevent accidental 4-color soup from being the default. (It’s a good model to copy.)
Deckbuilding rules: 60 vs 80 vs 100, singleton, color identity
Here’s the practical breakdown.
Deck size
- 60 cards: best for cohesion, shorter build time, shorter games.
- 80 cards: if you want more “Commander feel” but still draftable.
- 100 cards: only if your group loves long drafts and long games. Most groups do this once and never again. (A brave choice.)
Singleton rule
Most cubes are singleton anyway, so this usually solves itself.
But if you include duplicates (or you draft from boosters), it’s normal in draft formats for deck card limits not to apply. That’s one more reason commander draft decks can actually function.
Color identity: strict vs flexible
You have three reasonable settings:
Strict (classic Commander):
Everything in your deck must match your commander’s color identity.
Flexible (best for most Commander Cubes):
Color identity is enforced, but you add:
- partner house rules
- a failsafe commander
- better fixing
Loose (chaos-friendly):
Ignore color identity restrictions, or treat commanders as “suggestions.”
This can be fun, but it also makes draft signaling weird and pushes players toward 4–5 color piles unless your cube fights back hard.
Gameplay rules: life total, commander damage, and game length
You can run “normal Commander,” but draft-built decks change the pacing.
Starting life total
- 40 life: classic, splashy, more time for big plays.
- 30 life: faster games, less “we’re on turn 14 and nobody is dead.”
- 25 life: only if your cube is slow and grindy and games drag.
Commander damage
Most groups keep it. It gives combat decks a real win condition and stops “lifegain forever” from becoming the default endgame.
Pods and match structure
Commander Cube is happiest in 4-player pods. If you draft with 6–8, split into two games after the draft if you can.
Three ready-to-run Commander Cube rulesets
Pick one. Print it. Put it in the box. Become unstoppable.
1) The “First Time” Ruleset (recommended)
- Draft: 3 packs of 20, pick two each pick
- Build: 60-card Commander deck (commander(s) + lands count)
- Rules: 40 life, commander damage, commander tax, normal Commander gameplay
- Commander support: monocolor legends have partner
- Failsafe: Prismatic Piper (or equivalent) available to all
Why it works: it’s basically the most tested Commander Draft structure, but with your cube card pool.
2) The “4-Player Night” Ruleset
- Draft: 4 packs of 15, pick two (perfect for one Commander pod)
- Build: 60 cards
- Life: 30–40 depending on your cube speed
- Partner: monocolor + colorless legends have partner
- Failsafe commander included
Why it works: it’s fast, coherent, and you don’t need an 8-person miracle to fire a draft.
3) The “Veteran Chaos” Ruleset
- Draft: whatever you want (just keep pick-two)
- Build: 60–80 cards
- Life: 30
- Color identity: loosened (partial or full)
- Partner: liberal
- Expectation: the table likes wild drafts more than perfect balance
Why it works: it’s fun when your group is experienced and doesn’t mind a little anarchy.
One-page rules sheet (copy/paste)
Commander Cube Rules
- Draft: __ packs of __ cards, pick two cards each pick
- Decks: 60 cards minimum (including commander(s)); basic lands are free
- Color identity: cards in your deck must match your commander(s)’ color identity
- Partner rule: __ (example: “All monocolor and colorless legends have partner”)
- Failsafe commander: __ is available to any player if needed
- Gameplay: __ starting life, commander tax, commander damage, normal Commander rules
- Pods: play in 4-player games when possible
Quick pregame line you can say out loud:
“Draft two cards each pick, build 60, keep to your commander colors, and if your commander situation gets weird we’ve got a failsafe so nobody’s stuck.”
FAQs
Do I have to do “pick two”?
No, but it’s the easiest way to make Commander draft decks feel coherent. Commander draft formats lean on it for a reason.
How many commanders should be in the cube?
More than you think. If commanders are scarce, the whole experience collapses into “draft good cards and pray.” Start commander-heavy, then trim later.
Should I let planeswalkers be commanders?
You can, but it’s a big power knob. If you do it, write it on the rules sheet so nobody is surprised.
What’s the single best quality-of-life rule?
A failsafe commander plus monocolor partner. Those two solve the majority of “I can’t build this” problems.
Where does Hundreddollarcube.com fit in?
If you’re building a Commander Cube list from scratch, the best moment to print is after you lock your rules and your card pool. And if you just want to draft now, a ready-to-go 540-card cube (Modern or Vintage) is the “skip the homework” option.