Commander League Points and Achievements: 112 Ideas

Every Commander league eventually has the same argument: "Should killing someone be worth a point?"

The answer is yes, probably, and while you're at it you should also give a point to whoever casts a spell with mana value 10 or more, and take one away from the player who spent eleven minutes deciding whether to attack. Achievements are what turn a Commander league from "who won the most pods" into "remember when Dave won with his commander still in the command zone."

Below are 112 ideas, sorted into piles. Pick eight to twelve for a season. Swap a few out each month so nobody builds a deck that just farms the same three. And read the short bit on fairness before you go wild, because some of these are traps.

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First, How Commander League Scoring Works

Achievements sit on top of your base scoring. Base scoring is what you get for how you finished in the pod. The two most common setups:

Base scoring	Points	Vibe
Placement	1st 3, 2nd 2, 3rd 1, 4th 0	Surviving matters. Great for casual leagues.
Win-based	Win 3, draw 1, loss 0	Only the win counts. Pushes games to actually end.

Then achievements add (or subtract) a point or two for specific things that happened. Most of the ideas below are worth 1. A few are worth 2 because they're genuinely hard. Penalties are negative.

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Five Rules So Achievements Don't Ruin Your League

1. A win should always beat a pile of bonuses. If someone can lose every game and still top the standings by farming achievements, your bonuses are too big. Keep them at 1 point and cap them at about 3 per player per game.
2. Only reward things everyone can see. "Had the nuts in hand" can't be checked. "Eliminated two players in one turn" can.
3. Don't reward ganging up. "Eliminate the league leader" sounds fun until the same person gets focused out of every game for a month.
4. Rotate them. Bring in a few new ones each month and retire a few old ones. It stops people building decks that exist purely to farm one bonus, and it gives the season some shape.
5. Match your power level. Achievements belong in casual and mid-power leagues. For a cEDH event, skip them and use straight 5-1-0 scoring. Nobody at a cEDH table wants a point for "cast a Saga."

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Winning With Style

12 IDEAS

You already get points for winning. These are for winning in a way people will talk about.

• Voltron Victory+1Win with commander damage.
• Alt-Win Artist+2Win with a card that says "you win the game."
• Poison Pen+1Win with a player on 10 poison counters.
• Mill Them All+1A player loses to drawing from an empty library, and you did it.
• Last One Standing+1Win after being the first player targeted by an attack.
• Photo Finish+1Win at 1 life.
• Clean Sweep+2Eliminate every opponent in a single turn.
• Speedrun+1Win on or before your turn 6. (Not in cEDH. In cEDH that's called Tuesday.)
• Marathon Man+1Win a game that went past turn 15.
• Pacifist+2Win without ever attacking with a creature.
• Hand Me Down+1Win using a card you stole from an opponent.
• Commander Who?+1Win without ever casting your commander.

Take-Downs

10 IDEAS

For the players who come second but make the game happen. Placement leagues especially need these, or nobody ever attacks.

• First Blood+1Eliminate the first player to leave the game.
• Double Tap+1Eliminate two players in the same turn.
• Giant Slayer+1Eliminate a player who had more life than you at the start of your turn.
• Board Wipe Bandit+1Destroy 10 or more creatures with one spell or ability.
• Commander Tax Collector+1Force an opponent to cast their commander for the third time or more.
• Big Swing+1Deal 40 or more damage in one combat.
• Self Defense+1Eliminate the player who eliminated someone else earlier that game.
• Graveyard Shift+1Exile an opponent's entire graveyard at a moment it actually mattered.
• Counter Culture+1Counter a spell that would have won someone the game.
• Not Today+1Stop a combo with a single card at instant speed.

Big Plays

12 IDEAS

The moments people describe in the group chat the next morning.

• Big Mana Energy+1Cast a spell with mana value 10 or more.
• Army of One Hundred+1Control 30 or more creatures at once.
• Storm Warning+1Cast 8 or more spells in a single turn.
• Extra Credit+1Take two extra turns in the same game.
• Life Is Good+1Reach 100 life.
• Copy That+1Copy an opponent's spell and use it against them.
• Wheel of Misfortune+1Make every player discard their hand and draw a new one.
• Lifelinked+1Gain 20 or more life in a single turn.
• Token Economy+1Create 20 or more tokens in one turn.
• Planeswalker Party+1Control three planeswalkers at once.
• Full Grip+1Hold 12 or more cards in hand at end of turn. (Then discard to 7 like a normal person.)
• The Long Game+1Bring back a card from your graveyard that died on turn 3 and win the game with it.

Commander Moments

10 IDEAS

It's in the name of the format. Make the commander the star.

• Day One+1Cast your commander on the earliest turn its mana value allows.
• Third Time Lucky+1Cast your commander for the third time and still win.
• Untouchable+1Your commander never leaves the battlefield after its first cast.
• Command Zone Tour+1Every player's commander was on the battlefield at the same time.
• Partner in Crime+1Both of your partner commanders deal combat damage in the same turn.
• Ship of Theseus+1Your commander has four or more equipment or auras attached.
• Mirror Match+1Copy your own commander or an opponent's.
• Kingslayer+1Deal the final point of commander damage to a player whose commander is also on the battlefield.
• New Commander, Who Dis+1Play a commander you've never played in the league before.
• EDHREC Doesn't Know+1Your commander has fewer than 1,000 decks on EDHREC. Check at the table. Cheer when it's under 100.

Underdogs and Comebacks

8 IDEAS

Great for keeping players who are behind in the standings interested past week four.

• Back From the Brink+1Win after being at 5 life or less.
• Mulligan to Glory+1Win after taking a mulligan down to 6 or fewer cards.
• Land Drought+1Win after missing two land drops.
• Survivor+1Be the last player eliminated, with a board of zero creatures at the end.
• Upset Special+1Win a pod that includes the current league leader.
• First Win+1Your first pod win of the season.
• Snap the Streak+1Beat someone who won their last two games.
• Rookie Season+1A new player's first pod win at your store. Make it loud.

Deckbuilding Flex

12 IDEAS

Rewards for the deck, not just the game. Check these at registration or when a player submits their decklist.

• Budget Brewer+1Win with a deck under $50, not counting the commander.
• Precon Pride+1Win with an unmodified precon.
• Tribal Council+1Win with a deck where 25 or more creatures share a creature type.
• Mono Madness+1Win with a mono-colored deck.
• Five-Color Fever+1Win with a five-color commander.
• No Tutors Allowed+1Win with a deck that runs zero tutors.
• Newest Set Only+1Win with a commander from the most recent set.
• Old School+1Win with a commander printed before 2010.
• Art Show+1Every basic land in your deck is a different art.
• Full Foil Jacket+1Win with a deck that's all foils. The shuffle is its own penalty.
• Rebrew+1Change at least 10 cards in your deck since last week and win.
• One Deck Season+2Play the same commander every week of the season. Awarded at the end.

Table Talk and Politics

8 IDEAS

Commander is a social game, so a few of these are great. Use them lightly. Politics bonuses are the easiest way to accidentally reward kingmaking.

• Deal Maker+1Make a public deal with another player and both of you keep it.
• Honest Villain+1Announce exactly how you're going to win a full turn cycle in advance, then do it.
• Monarch Mayor+1Hold the monarch for three of your turns in a row.
• Taking Initiative+1Complete the Undercity dungeon.
• Vote of Confidence+1Win a council's dilemma or voting card vote you started.
• Goad Father+1A creature you goaded eliminates a player.
• Gift Economy+1Give another player a card or permanent and still win.
• Diplomatic Immunity+1Go the whole game without being attacked. (Suspicious. Award anyway.)

Good Citizen

10 IDEAS

The ones that make your league a better place to be. Store owners, these are the ones that bring people back.

• New Friend+1Play in a pod with someone you've never played with before.
• Loaner Legend+1Lend a deck to a new player so they can join a pod.
• Rule Zero Hero+1Have an honest pre-game chat about power level and brackets. Everyone in the pod gets it.
• Recruiter+1Bring a friend who joins the league.
• Perfect Attendance+2Play every week of the season. Awarded at the end.
• On Time, Every Time+1Report your pod's result within an hour of the game ending.
• Snack Diplomat+1Bring snacks for the pod. Surprisingly effective politics.
• Good Game+1Voted by the other three players as the most fun person at the table.
• Teacher's Pet+1Walk a newer player through a tricky interaction without taking over their turn.
• Clean Up Crew+1Help the store reset tables at the end of the night.

Gloriously Dumb

12 IDEAS

No strategic value. Maximum joy. Pick two or three per season, tops.

• Flavor Text Reader+1Read the flavor text of every spell you cast, out loud, for the whole game.
• Hat Trick+1Wear a hat that matches your commander. Judged by the pod.
• Chaos Agent+1Cast a spell that uses a coin flip or die roll and have it go your way.
• Oops, All Lands+1Draw five lands in a row and narrate your suffering.
• Sad Trombone+1Lose to your own card.
• Accidental Kingmaker+1A card you played is the reason someone else won. Awarded with sympathy.
• Seat Warmer+1Get eliminated first in three different games this season.
• Lucky Dice+1Win the roll to go first three games in a row.
• Scooped+1Somebody concedes to a board state you built. Not to a combo. To vibes.
• Group Hug+1Make every player draw a card on your turn and still win.
• Rattlesnake+1Nobody attacks you all game because of one card on your board.
• Nailed It+1Draw the exact card you said you needed, out loud, before drawing it.

Weekly Themes

8 IDEAS

One theme per week, worth a point to anyone who plays along. Easy to run, and great for getting people to dust off old decks.

• Throwback Week+1Play the first Commander deck you ever built.
• Precon Week+1Unmodified precons only. Surprisingly balanced. Surprisingly fun.
• Color of the Week+1Your commander includes this week's color.
• Creature Type Night+1Your commander shares a creature type with this week's pick (Dragons, Elves, Zombies...).
• Swap Night+1Play someone else's deck, with their permission and under their supervision.
• Pauper Week+1Play a deck made entirely of commons, with an uncommon commander.
• Spooky Season+1A horror-themed commander in October. Costumes optional. Encouraged.
• Box League Week+1Play the deck you built for this set's Commander Box League.

Penalty Points

10 IDEAS

Sparingly. A league with ten penalties feels like a tax office. Two or three clear ones set the tone without anyone feeling watched.

• The Long Pause-1Take more than five minutes on a single turn, after a friendly warning.
• No-Show-2Miss a scheduled pod without telling anyone.
• Salt Mine-1Rage-scoop, or get genuinely mean about losing.
• Wrong Bracket-1Show up with a deck clearly above the power level everyone agreed on.
• Infinite Monologue-1Take a solo combo turn over ten minutes long without offering to just show the loop.
• Late Report-1Your pod's result gets reported more than a day late.
• Proxy Surprise-1Break the league's proxy policy.
• Phone Zombie-1Miss your own trigger because you were scrolling. The pod decides.
• Table Flip-2Anything involving physically disturbing the board on purpose. Please don't.
• Mystery Deck-1Refuse to say what your commander does when asked.

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Setting This Up Without a Spreadsheet

Tracking bonus points by hand is where most Commander leagues die. Somebody forgets to write down First Blood, the spreadsheet says one thing and the whiteboard says another, and by week five nobody trusts the standings. Here's how it works on MTGSL's Commander league software:

1. Pick your base scoring when you create the league: Pod Points (Placement), Commander Win Based, or your own custom points for 1st through 4th.
2. Add your achievements in the league's Settings under Custom Achievements (Scoring). Give each one a name and a point value. Penalties just get a negative value.
3. Tag them when the pod is reported. Whoever reports the result ticks off who earned what, and the points land on the standings with everything else.
4. Rotate by adding, not deleting. Add new achievements any time. To retire one mid-season, just stop tagging it. Bonus points are totalled from the league's current list, so deleting an achievement also removes the points people already earned for it.

Pair it with a Commander Brackets cap if your league has a power level, and "Wrong Bracket" mostly takes care of itself: a deck declared above the cap can't be submitted. Achievements are a Commander league feature on purpose. cEDH leagues on MTGSL stick to win and draw points (5-1-0 by default), because that's how competitive EDH is played.

For the rest of the league (pods, scheduling, power levels, proxies), read the complete guide to running a Commander league.

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Frequently Asked Questions