Top 50 Commander Staples Under $5: Budget-Friendly Cards for Every Deck

You don't need to spend $500 on staples to build great Commander decks. Many of the format's most powerful effects cost under $5 - and some are under $1.

This guide covers 50 essential cards that improve virtually any Commander deck, organized by category and color.

What Makes a "Staple"?

Staples are cards that:

• Work in many decks (not narrow)
• Provide essential effects (ramp, draw, removal)
• Offer good rate (efficient mana cost vs. effect)
• Stay relevant (don't get powercrept quickly)

Why budget staples matter:

• Build multiple decks without rebuy expensive cards
• Test strategies before investing
• Play competitively at casual tables
• Spend budget on unique theme cards instead

Mana Ramp (Under $2 Each)

Sol Ring (~$1.50)

• What it does: Tap for 2 colorless mana
• Why it's essential: Best mana rock ever printed
• Goes in: Literally every deck

Arcane Signet (~$1)

• What it does: Tap for any color in your commander's identity
• Why it's essential: Perfect color fixing
• Goes in: Every 2+ color deck

Mind Stone (~$0.50)

• What it does: Tap for 1 colorless, sacrifice to draw
• Why it's essential: Ramp early, value late
• Goes in: Any deck

Fellwar Stone (~$0.50)

• What it does: Tap for mana opponent could produce
• Why it's essential: Usually hits what you need
• Goes in: Most decks (4-player pods)

Commander's Sphere (~$0.50)

• What it does: Tap for commander colors, sacrifice to draw
• Why it's essential: Fixing + late game value
• Goes in: All 2+ color decks

Wayfarer's Bauble (~$0.25)

• What it does: Sacrifice to fetch basic land
• Why it's essential: Land ramp in non-green
• Goes in: Non-green decks

Rampant Growth (~$0.25, Green)

• What it does: Fetch basic land to battlefield
• Why it's essential: Reliable land ramp
• Goes in: All green decks

Cultivate (~$0.50, Green)

• What it does: Fetch 2 basics (1 to battlefield, 1 to hand)
• Why it's essential: Fixes mana + ensures land drop
• Goes in: All green decks

Kodama's Reach (~$0.50, Green)

• What it does: Identical to Cultivate
• Why it's essential: Run both!
• Goes in: All green decks

Nature's Lore (~$4, Green)

• What it does: Fetch Forest or dual land untapped
• Why it's essential: Ramp without tempo loss
• Goes in: Green decks with dual lands

Card Draw (Under $3 Each)

Sign in Blood (~$0.25, Black)

• What it does: Draw 2, lose 2 life
• Why it's essential: Cheap, instant speed option
• Goes in: All black decks

Night's Whisper (~$0.50, Black)

• What it does: Draw 2, lose 2 life (sorcery)
• Why it's essential: Efficient draw
• Goes in: All black decks

Read the Bones (~$0.25, Black)

• What it does: Scry 2, draw 2, lose 2 life
• Why it's essential: Selection + draw
• Goes in: All black decks

Brainstorm (~$1, Blue)

• What it does: Draw 3, put 2 back
• Why it's essential: Digs for answers
• Goes in: All blue decks

Ponder (~$1, Blue)

• What it does: Scry 1, draw 1 (with shuffle option)
• Why it's essential: Smooths draws
• Goes in: All blue decks

Preordain (~$0.50, Blue)

• What it does: Scry 2, draw 1
• Why it's essential: Fixes bad draws
• Goes in: All blue decks

Fact or Fiction (~$0.50, Blue)

• What it does: Reveal 5, split into piles, take one
• Why it's essential: Always get what you need
• Goes in: All blue decks

Harmonize (~$0.50, Green)

• What it does: Draw 3 cards
• Why it's essential: Green card draw
• Goes in: All green decks

Return of the Wildspeaker (~$1, Green)

• What it does: Draw cards equal to power or +3/+3 to non-humans
• Why it's essential: Flexible, scales
• Goes in: All green decks

Reckless Impulse (~$0.25, Red)

• What it does: Exile 2, play until end of next turn
• Why it's essential: Red card advantage
• Goes in: All red decks

Removal (Under $3 Each)

Swords to Plowshares (~$1, White)

• What it does: Exile creature, controller gains life
• Why it's essential: Best spot removal
• Goes in: All white decks

Path to Exile (~$2, White)

• What it does: Exile creature, controller fetches basic
• Why it's essential: Second-best spot removal
• Goes in: All white decks

Generous Gift (~$0.50, White)

• What it does: Destroy any permanent, controller gets 3/3
• Why it's essential: Hits anything
• Goes in: All white decks

Beast Within (~$0.50, Green)

• What it does: Destroy any permanent, controller gets 3/3
• Why it's essential: Green's best removal
• Goes in: All green decks

Chaos Warp (~$1, Red)

• What it does: Shuffle permanent, reveal until permanent
• Why it's essential: Red's only "removal"
• Goes in: All red decks

Counterspell (~$1, Blue)

• What it does: Counter target spell
• Why it's essential: Clean, efficient
• Goes in: All blue decks

Swan Song (~$2, Blue)

• What it does: Counter instant/sorcery/enchantment
• Why it's essential: 1 mana interaction
• Goes in: All blue decks

Murder (~$0.25, Black)

• What it does: Destroy target creature
• Why it's essential: Unconditional removal
• Goes in: All black decks

Feed the Swarm (~$0.50, Black)

• What it does: Destroy creature or enchantment
• Why it's essential: Black enchantment removal
• Goes in: All black decks

Blasphemous Act (~$1, Red)

• What it does: 13 damage to all creatures (often costs R)
• Why it's essential: Best budget wipe
• Goes in: All red decks

Utility Lands (Under $3 Each)

Command Tower (~$1)

• What it does: Tap for any commander color
• Why it's essential: Perfect fixing
• Goes in: All 2+ color decks

Temple of the False God (~$0.25)

• What it does: Tap for 2 colorless if you have 5+ lands
• Why it's essential: Ramp in land slot
• Goes in: Most decks

War Room (~$2)

• What it does: Pay 3 life, draw a card
• Why it's essential: Colorless card draw
• Goes in: Non-blue/black decks

Reliquary Tower (~$2)

• What it does: No maximum hand size
• Why it's essential: Keep all cards with big draw spells
• Goes in: Draw-heavy decks

Rogue's Passage (~$0.50)

• What it does: Make creature unblockable
• Why it's essential: Wins games with commander damage
• Goes in: Creature-based decks

Castle Locthwain (~$2, Black)

• What it does: Pay life, draw cards
• Why it's essential: Repeatable draw
• Goes in: Black decks

Protection (Under $3 Each)

Swiftfoot Boots (~$2)

• What it does: +1/+0, haste, hexproof
• Why it's essential: Protect commander, attack immediately
• Goes in: Creature-based decks

Lightning Greaves (~$3)

• What it does: +0/+0, haste, shroud
• Why it's essential: Free equip, instant haste
• Goes in: Creature-based decks

Heroic Intervention (~$4, Green)

• What it does: Your permanents indestructible + hexproof
• Why it's essential: Stops board wipes
• Goes in: All green decks

Deflecting Swat (~$2, Red)

• What it does: Free redirect if you have commander
• Why it's essential: Protects commander, redirects removal
• Goes in: All red decks

Recursion (Under $3 Each)

Eternal Witness (~$2, Green)

• What it does: Return card from graveyard to hand
• Why it's essential: Gets back anything
• Goes in: All green decks

Regrowth (~$1, Green)

• What it does: Return card from graveyard to hand
• Why it's essential: Cheaper Eternal Witness
• Goes in: All green decks

Animate Dead (~$2, Black)

• What it does: Reanimate creature
• Why it's essential: Cheap reanimation
• Goes in: Graveyard decks

Sacrifice Outlets (Under $2 Each)

Viscera Seer (~$0.25, Black)

• What it does: Free sac outlet, scry 1
• Why it's essential: Enables aristocrats, costs nothing
• Goes in: Aristocrats, combo

Carrion Feeder (~$0.50, Black)

• What it does: Free sac outlet, gets +1/+1 counters
• Why it's essential: Grows while enabling death triggers
• Goes in: Aristocrats, combo

Ashnod's Altar (~$1)

• What it does: Sac for 2 colorless
• Why it's essential: Mana from sac triggers
• Goes in: Sacrifice decks, combo

Token Support (Under $2 Each)

Impact Tremors (~$1, Red)

• What it does: 1 damage per creature entering
• Why it's essential: Kills through tokens
• Goes in: Token decks

Purphoros, God of the Forge (~$20, Red)

• Alternate: Raid Bombardment ($0.50)
• What it does: Damage when creatures enter/attack
• Goes in: Token aggro

Graveyard Hate (Under $2 Each)

Bojuka Bog (~$1, Land)

• What it does: Exile all cards from graveyard
• Why it's essential: Stops graveyard strategies, land slot
• Goes in: All black decks

Soul-Guide Lantern (~$0.50)

• What it does: Exile 1 card, or sacrifice to exile graveyard + draw
• Why it's essential: Flexible graveyard hate
• Goes in: Any deck

Total Budget Staple Package

50 cards = ~$60-80 total

These 50 cards slot into multiple decks, so you can:

• Build Deck A with 20 staples + 40 theme cards
• Build Deck B with same 20 staples + different 40 theme cards
• Share staples between decks (swap as needed)

Using Our Site for Budget Brewing

Find Budget Staples

1. Visit card search
2. Sort by: Price (low to high)
3. Filter by: Card type, color
4. Discover: Budget options you didn't know existed

Find Budget Alternatives

1. Use assistant
2. Ask: "Budget alternatives to [Expensive Card]"
3. Get: Functional replacements at fraction of cost

Check Prices Before Buying

1. Use scanner at LGS/card shows
2. Compare: Store price vs. TCGplayer market
3. Negotiate with price data

Build Budget Decks

1. Use deck builder
2. Set power level to 5-6 (budget-friendly)
3. Review suggested cards
4. Swap expensive staples for budget versions

Budget Upgrades Over Time

Priority 1: Mana Base (~$50)

• Sol Ring
• Arcane Signet
• Basic ramp (Cultivate, etc.)
• Command Tower
• 5-10 budget dual lands

Impact: Cast spells on curve, hit colors.

Priority 2: Card Draw (~$20)

• Sign in Blood / Night's Whisper
• Brainstorm / Ponder
• Fact or Fiction
• Harmonize

Impact: Don't run out of gas.

Priority 3: Removal (~$30)

• Swords to Plowshares / Path to Exile
• Beast Within / Generous Gift
• Counterspell / Swan Song
• Board wipes (Blasphemous Act)

Impact: Answer threats.

Priority 4: Theme Cards (~$100)

• Now invest in commander-specific synergies
• Unique cards that make deck special
• Finishers and win conditions

Impact: Deck identity and fun factor.

Priority 5: Expensive Staples (~$200+)

• Only after above priorities met
• Examples: Rhystic Study, Smothering Tithe, Cyclonic Rift
• Nice to have, not essential

Impact: Slight power increase, but not necessary.

Most Important Lesson

Budget ≠ Bad

Many budget cards are format staples because they're efficient and well-designed. A $50 deck with good fundamentals beats a $500 deck with poor construction.

Focus on:

• Mana curve (play spells on time)
• Card advantage (don't run out of resources)
• Interaction (answer threats)
• Clear win condition

Don't focus on:

• Expensive cardboard
• Flashy but inefficient cards
• "Cool factor" over function

Where to Buy Budget Cards

TCGplayer (Our Affiliate)

• Competitive prices
• Buyer protection
• Easy search
• Click "Buy" on any card page on our site

Local Game Stores

• Support local business
• Immediate pickup
• Build relationships
• Sometimes trades available

Card Shows

• Bulk bins (hidden gems)
• Negotiate prices
• Use our scanner to verify values
• Cash usually gets discounts

---

Build smarter, not more expensive. Use our card search to find budget staples, our assistant to discover alternatives, and our deck builder to construct balanced lists.