Squad Commander is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
When this creature enters, create a 1/1 white Kor Warrior creature token for each creature in your party. (Your party consists of up to one each of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard.) At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you have a full party, creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain indestructible until end of turn.
Complete guide
Squad Commander is a versatile Kor Warrior that rewards you for gathering a diverse band of adventurers. By utilizing the party mechanic, it builds a board presence and leads your army with powerful combat buffs.
Recruiting the Party
When Squad Commander enters the battlefield, it checks your party count. Your party consists of up to one Cleric, one Rogue, one Warrior, and one Wizard. Because Squad Commander is itself a Warrior, it will always count for at least one towards its own enter-the-battlefield ability if it is still on the battlefield when the ability resolves.
Achieving a Full Party
A 'full party' means you control exactly four creatures that together fill the roles of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. At the beginning of combat on your turn, Squad Commander checks if this condition is met. If it is, every creature you control gains +1/+0 and indestructible. This bonus is locked in when the ability resolves; losing a party member later in the turn will not remove the benefits.
Common Mistakes
A common point of confusion is how multi-typed creatures work. Each creature you control can only represent one party role at a time. However, the game always calculates your party size to give you the highest possible number. You cannot choose to have a smaller party size if a larger one is mathematically possible.
When to Play It
Squad Commander is most effective in decks featuring a high density of different party types. Since its second ability triggers at the 'beginning of combat,' you must have your full party assembled before you move from your main phase to the combat phase to trigger the indestructible buff.
Interaction examples
Kor WarriorIf you control no other creatures and play Squad Commander, its ability triggers. Upon resolution, it counts itself as the 'Warrior' in your party. You will create one 1/1 white Kor Warrior token.
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Warrior', Squad Commander's enters-the-battlefield ability triggers twice. If you have no other party members, the first trigger sees two Warriors (the Commander and the Throne) but can only count one for the party, creating one Kor Warrior token. The second trigger then sees the same party and creates another token.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you control Squad Commander and Solemn Simulacrum, your party count is still only one. Because Solemn Simulacrum is a Golem and does not have the Cleric, Rogue, or Wizard subtype, it cannot contribute to the party count, even though it is a creature.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Squad Commander
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Squad Commander's last ability affects only creatures you control at the time it resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won't get +1/+0 or gain indestructible.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Once Squad Commander's last ability has resolved, the affected creatures won't lose +1/+0 or indestructible if you no longer have a full party.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
To determine “the number of creatures in your party,” check whether you control a Cleric, whether you control a Rogue, whether you control a Warrior, and whether you control a Wizard. The number is the total number of those checks to which you answered yes. Each creature you control can be counted for only one of those checks.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature has more than one party creature type, and there are multiple ways to count that creature that could result in a different number of creatures in your party, the highest such number is used. For example, if you control a Cleric and a Cleric Wizard, the number of creatures in your party is two. You can't choose to have it be just one by counting the Cleric Wizard first as a Cleric.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
An ability referring to the number of creatures in your party gets a number from zero to four. Such abilities never ask which creatures are in your party, and you never have to designate specific creatures as being in your party. You can't choose to exclude creatures from this count to lower the number.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Some cards refer to you having a “full party.” This is true if the number of creatures in your party is four.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an ability of a creature counts the number of creatures in your party, that number is counted as the ability resolves. If that creature is still on the battlefield when the ability resolves, it'll be counted if appropriate.
No other card is named in this ruling.
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