Like the shards, the wedges or clans of Tarkir are also three color combinations that have given us some very powerful commanders. I’ve found that there are lot less legendary creatures in the enemy colors than there are in the shards.
Associated Commanders: Anafenza, the Foremost, Daghatar, the Adamant, Doran, the Siege Tower, Ghave, Guru of Spores and Karador, Ghost Chieftan.
Abzan has some of the most unpleasant commanders to see on the other side of the table. Karador and Ghave being the main ones. Despite this, Abzan contains white and black which gives us some powerful removal, the green and white also give us some of the better token producing abilities which work really well in Ghave. The green obviously gives us access to ramp and enchantment removal which is always needed. Be careful though, Abzan legendaries can sometimes be powerful combo engines, or at least there will probably be some in the deck.
Associated Commanders: Narset, Enlightened Master, Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest, Zedruu, the Greathearted, Numot, the Devastator and Ruhan of the Fomorii.
I don’t use jeskai much, Narset’s overused and Zedruu only really has one deck. Ruhan is interesting, especially in a one-on-one setting. Jeskai has white, which gives us useful tech such as permanent exile, total land destruction and some of the better board wipes. Blue and red give us access to Counterflux among other counter spells. And Red gives us access to some really fun chaotic effects that are good in Ruhan and Zedruu decks.
Associated Commanders: Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, Kaalia of the Vast, Tariel, Reckoner of Souls, Zurgo Helmsmasher and Queen Marchesa
And now we come to my favorite of all the three color combinations, or least the one I seem to use the most. Mardu is very aggressive, having red for haste and additional combat steps. White for Double Strike and Anthem effects and Black to drain the life from your opponents as you’re hitting them in the face. Mardu colors give access to some of my favorite legendaries in the format including Obzedat, Ghost Council, Rakdos, Lord of Riots and Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer.
Associated Commanders: Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, Tasigur, the Golden Fang, The Mimeoplasm, Vorosh, the Hunter and Damia, Sage of Stone.
I think that before Leovold was banned, Sultai was the most powerful of the combinations if not one of them. Like Esper and Bant, I find that the legendaries in sultai don’ t really have a specific function, with the exception of The Mimeoplasm. Players usually just build a Tasigur or Sidisi deck, but never use the commander, instead they just build a simic or dimir deck that needs a third color for utility. The green/blue make any three color combination powerful, most of the cards banned in this format are in those colors. The ability to ramp and prevent the casting of spells is already powerful enough, without the addition of black to remove threats and keep hands empty... It’s no wonder that sultai is a popular combination.
Associated Commanders: Animar, Soul of Elements, Riku of Two Reflections, Intet, the Dreamer, Yasova Dragonclaw and Surrak Dragonclaw.
Temur also has some very powerful commanders, In this case Animar and Riku are the two I see the most. Temur also has the green/blue combination meaning you have to be quick to keep up with a temur deck, especially if it’s animar. The red in temur gives rise to some powerful creatures like Inferno Titan and Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker, as well as other powerful effects like Warstorm Surge and Insurrection. Look out for that Craterhoof Behemoth
