by Johnny Cycles, September 18th, 2026
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Welcome to another Commander write-up, this time of a Mono Red Dragons deck looking to make and abuse Treasure tokens. And while the majority of Mono Red Commander decks trying to make Treasures are building around Smaug the Magnificent right now, I’m here to make the case for Magda as the better of the two legendary creatures for this strategy. Why? I’m glad you asked.
But first, here’s the decklist:
Decklist – Treasure Dragons with Magda, the Hoardmaster
| Magda, the Hoardmaster |
Creatures (24)
| Gorilla Shaman | .29 cents |
| Walking Ballista | $7 |
| Bonecrusher Giant | .32 cents |
| Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge | .40 cents |
| Professional Face-Breaker | $5.96 |
| Atsushi, the Blazing Sky | .44 cents |
| Magmatic Hellkite | .56 cents |
| Parapet Thrasher | $2.07 |
| Smaug the Magnificent | $26 |
| Storm-Kiln Artist | $1.97 |
| Thunderbreak Regent | .38 cents |
| Bonehoard Dracosaur | $15 |
| Fury | .68 cents |
| Glorybringer | .31 cents |
| Goldspan Dragon | $11 |
| Nova Hellkite | .50 cents |
| Obsidian Charmaw | $1.24 |
| Scourge of Valkas | $3.65 |
| Skarrgan Hellkite | .30 cents |
| Stormbreath Dragon | .40 cents |
| Terror of the Peaks | $26 |
| Thundermaw Hellkite | .61 cents |
| Volatile Arsonist | .85 cents |
| Akoum Hellkite | .33 cents |
Total Cost: $106.26
Artifacts (9)
| Mox Amber | $93 |
| Tormod’s Crypt | .48 cents |
| Basilisk Collar | $5 |
| Relic of Progenitus | $7.53 |
| Liquimetal Torque | $2.90 |
| Ruby Medallion | $14 |
| Unlicensed Hearse | .48 cents |
| Dragon’s Hoard | .55 cents |
| Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver | $14 |
Total Cost: $137.94
Enchantments (9)
| Footfall Crater | .32 cents |
| Sticky Fingers | .30 cents |
| Dragon Tempest | $2.85 |
| Spiteful Banditry | $8.04 |
| Death to Our Enemies | .34 cents |
| Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $7.13 |
| The Misty Mountains Cold | .40 cents |
| Alchemist’s Talent | $15 |
| Rain of Riches | $8.99 |
Total Cost: $43.37
Instants (11)
| Galvanic Blast | $2.20 |
| Lightning Bolt | .86 cents |
| Redirect Lightning | $13 |
| Abrade | .25 cents |
| Draconic Roar | .25 cents |
| Great Train Heist | + $5.15 |
| Scorching Dragonfire | .20 cents |
| Deflecting Swat | $74 |
| Sarkhan’s Triumph | $2.37 |
| Big Score | .46 cents |
| Unexpected Windfall | $4.07 |
Total Cost: $102.81
Sorceries (8)
| Hell to Pay | .61 cents |
| Impolite Entrance | .35 cents |
| Strike It Rich | $2.24 |
| Price of Freedom | .87 cents |
| Pillage | .25 cents |
| Seize the Spoils | .25 cents |
| Season of the Bold | $1.89 |
| Blasphemous Act | $1.01 |
Total Cost: $7.47
Lands (38)
Desert $1.45
Field of Ruin .30 cents
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx $53
Urza’s Saga $42
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle $12
Mountain (33)
Total Cost: $108.75
Overall Cost: $499.10
Stay tuned for a budget build!
Possible Additions:
Xorn
There and Back Again
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Magmatic Galleon
Ancient Copper Dragon
Cavern-Hoard Dragon
Ganax, Astral Hunter
Descent into Avernus
Furnace Reins
Generous Plunderer
Deck Tech
Stay tuned!
Which is the better commander for a Treasure deck?
Smaug vs. Magda
Smaug the Magnificent is the new hotness, but is the card really better at helming a Dragon-Treasure Commander deck than Magda, the Hoardmaster? The short answer is, you can’t really go wrong with either in the command zone. However, your 99 will (should) look different with Smaug the Magnificent as commander.
All that being said, let’s compare the two Treasure-generating commanders.
First, Magda is only 2 mana. Playing a 2-mana commander on turn 2 puts opponents in an unenviable position. Spend one of a few targeted removal spells on a creature that will be recast again on turn 4, or save it for the bigger creatures to follow? Furthermore, turns 2 and 3 are prime for setting up and ramping. Most people don’t want to take that turn to kill a commander that poses no serious threat…yet.
Advantage: Magda
Second, with the right amount of set-up, we won’t even need to untap with Magda on turn 3 to get a Treasure token. Relic of Progenitus is our best way of triggering Magda on turn 2, but we could also run cards like Gut Shot and Soul-Guide Lantern. Of course, as mentioned above, there is a good chance we DO untap with her, meaning we start making Treasure tokens on turn 3.
Advantage: Magda
Third, Magda can make a Treasure per turn – ours and our opponent’s, while Smaug makes a single Treasure every turn cycle. Sure, Magda needs some help, but in reality, that help is just playing Magic – interacting with our opponent’s board in a variety of ways.
We’d be playing similar kill spells with Smaug as with Magda. Ditto land destruction, artifact hate, and answers to the graveyard. Furthermore, the Dragons both decks play are the same – most of which are great at targeting opponents or their permanents, as well.
Advantage: Magda
This leads me to my next point. Many of the Red spells that make Treasure tokens are just bad cards in Commander. Or, at least, unimpactful. Playing something like Charming Scoundrel for 2 mana to get a Treasure leaves you with a 1/1. Using that same 2 mana to interact with your opponent’s board, say with Abrade, nets a Treasure and slows down our opponent. This is inherently more powerful than a 1/1 dork.
Wizards has given Treasure players a lot of top-end creatures that can help fill out a Smaug the Magnificent deck, but the 2- and 3-mana creatures that bring Treasures with them are largely underwhelming in Commander.
Advantage: Magda
Are 4/4 Scorpion Dragon tokens better than Smaug’s direct damage?
Let’s do the math. 3 Treasures = 3 damage from Smaug on an attack trigger. 3 Treasures = a 4/4 hasty flier from Magda. 4 is greater than 3, of course. AND, Smaug has to survive combat to repeat this damage, while Magda can keep making 4/4 fliers as long as we have Treasures. However, assuming our opponent has no blockers or kill spells, in this scenario, Smaug is hitting for seven, while Magda is hitting for six.
Advantage: Smaug
There is one place Smaug is strictly better. Hellbent on an empty board. There is no doubt that Smaug the Magnificent is better at taking over a game all by itself, whereas Magda, the Hoardmaster becomes Grizzly Bear without support.
Advantage: Smaug
Finally, let’s talk about synergistic cards. Magda, the Hoardmaster makes Dragons, which synergize with cards like Dragon Tempest and Scourge of Valkas. Meanwhile, Smaug the Magnificent deals damage, which synergizes with cards like Torbran, Thane of Red Fell and Hawkeye, Young Avenger.
Advantage: even
I love both Magda and Smaug. Both offer powerful and unique build-around abilities outside of wanting Treasure production. And whichever one isn’t your commander should be an auto-include in the 99.
But outside of Treasure generation, Magda incentivizes us to play repeatable and cheap ways to target our opponent and their permanents. Once we get to three Treasures, we will almost always sacrifice them to make a Scorpion Dragon token.
Meanwhile, Smaug will swap out the cheap interaction for more powerful, costlier spells that are more impactful by themselves. There is no limit to the amount of Treasure Smaug wants and, ideally, we will never use our Treasure for anything other than burning our opponent out. Talk about a flavor win!
Primary Game Plan
Our primary game plan is to make an army of 4/4 flying, hasty Scorpion Dragon tokens with Magda, the Hoardmaster and swing in for lethal. Guess that was kind of obvious, huh?
How do we make all the Treasures we need to execute this game plan?
We have three main ways to generate Treasures. First, we play a ton of different ways to target our opponent and their permanents to trigger Magda. Second, we play a variety of cards that make Treasure tokens, usually as one-time effects. And finally, we have ways to repeatably make Treasures outside of our commander.
Secondary Game Plan
Dragons are some of the most powerful creatures in all of Magic. And even avoiding the massive 6-, 7-, and 8-drop Dragons we have access to, our deck can still simply beat face with its hasty fliers. This constitutes our secondary game plan if and when our opponent reacts to Magda, the Hoardmaster and our Treasure generation. Stop Magda or shut down our Treasures and we can still send an army of Dragons to win the game.
Treasure Production
Our three chief ways of making Treasures are: cards that target our opponent and their permanents; cards that make Treasures as a one-time effect; and cards that can repeatedly creature Treasures. We have 34 ways to commit a crime and trigger Magda. We have nine ways to make Treasures once. And we have 12 repeatable means of producing Treasures.
Crime Spree
These are our bread-and-butter cards to trigger Magda’s static ability. And while many of these could make the cut in a Smaug the Magnificent deck, none would bring a Treasure with them, while several only really shine with Magda, the Hoardmaster in play. I’ve divided this group into three parts: creatures, instants and sorceries, and other permanents.
Creatures
Akoum Hellkite – turning our Mountains into Shocks and Treasures makes this old card an all-star in our deck, even if it’s largely been outclassed over recent years.
Fury – the jig is up! We aren’t a true Dragon Tribal deck, as we have a number of powerful creatures that trigger Magda outside of the tribe. However, considering my other Mono Red Dragon deck runs a bunch of non-Dragon ramp creatures, I think it’s fine.
Glorybringer – the best Dragon ever printed.
Gorilla Shaman – this is my diamond-in-the-rough card, even though the deck is not built on a budget. Other than the fact that we need a target, we can activate this on anyone’s turn ensuring we never miss an opportunity to get a Treasure. is a bit steep, but when you take into account all the many, many artifact tokens running around, we should have cheap targets more often than not.
Magmatic Hellkite – one of my favorite recent Dragons. Wizards printed this soon after I posted my Dragon wish list for Modern Horizons III that you can see here. Coincidence? I think not.
Nova Hellkite – this Dragon is emblematic of Wizards’ overreaction to Dragons. This 5-mana, 4/5 hasty flier has good stats, while being able to cast it on turn 3 is super sweet. And yet, it still didn’t see competitive play. Give us a 4-mana hasty Dragon with upside!!!
Obsidian Charmaw – another Dragon that can blow up a land. Sure, our opponents may get salty over our land hate, but it fits with our strategy!
Parapet Thrasher – this is Wizards’ Commander treatment of a Dragon. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good card, but it could be better. Like giving us until the end of our next turn to play the exiled card. Or having haste. Or being a 4/4.
Scourge of Valkas – this Dragon can run away with some games with our commander out. Burn three Treasure tokens, make a 4/4 Scorpion Dragon, deal (at least) 2 damage to any target, get a Treasure token.
Skarrgan Hellkite – a repeatable way to target our opponent’s things on anyone’s turn. Otherwise, this Dragon is just underwhelming.
Terror of the Peaks – this is a great Dragon, but it needs haste to have any chance in a Dragons in Modern deck. Otherwise, it functions mostly as a combo piece. Furthermore, if you thought Scourge of Valkas synergized well with Magda, the Hoardmaster, Terror of the Peaks is just about strictly better.
Volatile Arsonist – I really thought this card would see more play in Standard. It’s just more evidence that 5 mana is a lot in any format and creatures that cost that much have to be really, really pushed. Still, I love this Human Werewolf and its ability to trigger Magda.
Walking Ballista – every time I look at this card in this deck I think I should cut it. But then I remember that we can ping at instant speed and I leave it in.
Instants and Sorceries
Abrade – flexibility is key, here.
Deflecting Swat – you could play this in any Red deck, but I don’t. I’m playing it here because it gives us another way to trigger Magda on our opponent’s turn.
Draconic Roar – seeing as we’re not all-in on the Dragon Tribal angle, is there a more efficient removal spell than this? Perhaps Mizzium Mortars, one of my go-to budget-friendly cards? I’m sticking with this. I like the flavor and the extra damage.
Galvanic Blast – seems like an auto-include in a deck built to make artifacts.
Hell to Pay – one of the great things about Magda is that we don’t care if the Treasure tokens are tapped or not. This is a kill spell that can also produce Treasures. A perfect fit!
Impolite Entrance – I love these kinds of cantrips. Unfortunately, this one is a sorcery, but we can target an opponent’s creature in a pinch if we need a Treasure token. Crimson Wisps and Expedite are both viable options, but we lose trample.
Lightning Bolt – still the best at what it does, even in a format like Commander.
Pillage – flexibility is why we’re playing this over some other land destruction.
Price of Freedom – land destruction that draws us a card, with the flexibility of artifact removal. For the record, I think every Commander deck should have a couple of ways to deal with problematic lands. And if you’re the type that gets salty when an opponent destroys your Cabal Coffers, then it’s time for some self-reflection.
Redirect Lightning – my #3 card from Avatar for Modern, it also happens to be really good in Commander.
Scorching Dragonfire – ditto what I said about Draconic Roar for this card, but this brings the bonus of exiling, rather than the extra damage to the creature’s controller.
Bonecrusher Giant – not just a targeted removal spell to trigger Magda, but also a way to get around Fog effects (looking at you Constant Mists).
Noncreature Permanents
Desert – that’s right! An OG utility land. It’s a repeatable way to trigger Magda on our opponent’s turn.
Dragon Tempest – another wonderful synergistic piece with our commander.
Field of Ruin – having lands that target is great. We could find room for Wasteland and Ghost Quarter.
Footfall Crater – another way to target an opponent’s creature at any point after their combat phase. Cycling ensures it’s never a dead card.
Liquimetal Torque – a 2-mana ramp spell that also synergizes with our commander. Yes! Please also note its synergies with all of our artifact destruction.
Relic of Progenitus – graveyard hate and Treasure generation with Magda out.
Tormod’s Crypt – more graveyard hate that targets.
Unlicensed Hearse – ditto. I’d play Agatha’s Soul Cauldron if I had a copy. That card is stupid expensive.
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle – another land that can target for us.
One-and-Done Treasure Production
Alchemist’s Talent – 4 mana for two Treasure tokens, even if tapped, is fine by us…we don’t care if they’re tapped or not. We still get our Scorpion Dragons with Magda out.
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky – in a world full of exile effects, we may not get this Dragon Spirit’s death trigger, but as a 4/4 flying trampler for 4 mana, it’s a nice on-curve threat.
Big Score – I made a short video about this type of card. This card is currently around .50 cents, while its twin, Unexpected Windfall, costs $4. Either way, an instant-speed draw two, get two Treasures is a powerful effect for our deck.
Great Train Heist – these modal spells are super powerful and I imagine most will see heavy play in Commander, if they don’t already. For , we get the chance to make a bunch of Treasures. Meanwhile, for , we get a second combat phase, making this card a legitimate finisher with the right board state.
Rain of Riches – 5 mana for two Treasure tokens is one mana too many without the second block of text. And, let’s be honest, no one is playing this card for the first block… I kind of think this enchantment will prove to be win-more or a dead card, but I could be wrong.
Strike It Rich – I love the additional value flashback brings to a Commander game. Too bad this isn’t instant speed.
Seize the Spoils – more card draw attached to Treasure production. Honestly, the card draw more than the Treasure production is what we really care about. With so many ways of making Treasures, we just need cheap ways to find what we’re missing, whether lands or action.
Season of the Bold – another modal spell that brings flexibility and power, even if for 5 mana.
Unexpected Windfall – the $4 version of Big Score.
Repeatable Treasure Production
Bonehoard Dracosaur – nothing like card advantage, creature production, and Treasure generation all on a 5/5 first strike flier.
Death to Our Enemies – we aren’t a Spellslinger deck, but we shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting Treasures from this enchantment.
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker – technically we can repeatedly get a Treasure from attacking with the Goblin Shaman token, but the reality is that it will most likely die the first time we do.
Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge – I like this card as another way to generate Treasures. We may not ever attack with it, but that’s okay. It can still block.
Goldspan Dragon – by far our best Treasure producer, we get the added bonus of Treasures producing two mana of any one color.
Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver – maybe this is win-more, too, but I think there will be times when we really need this to generate one or two Treasures.
Professional Face-Breaker – probably our second best Treasure generator. The card advantage is a powerful plus.
Smaug the Magnificent – the Dragon, the myth, the legend itself. Don’t think there’s any more for me to say about this card.
Spiteful Banditry – I was really high on this card when it was first spoiled. I really thought it would be on par with The Meathook Massacre. Time has proven me wrong, but it’s getting more traction now. I really like that we can cast it for on turn 2 to ensure a Treasure for our kill spells moving forward. If only it didn’t say “once each turn.”
Sticky Fingers – a great follow-up play to a turn 2 Magda. I’m not sure I’d play this enchantment it if didn’t replace itself when the enchanted creature dies.
Storm-Kiln Artist – this Dwarf Shaman can get out of hand quick for us, particularly when we get a Treasure from it while casting something like Big Score…
The Misty Mountains Cold – with Magda, this saga gives us two Dragons to play towards.
The Rest
The remainder of the deck is made up of a handful of Dragons, ramp, a sweeper, a tutor, and a 1-mana utility artifact to tutor up off of Urza’s Saga.
Dragons
Stormbreath Dragon – protection from white can randomly win us games, while its monstrosity is great against all those greedy card draw decks.
Thunderbreak Regent – I like this card as a 4-mana flying 4/4 with a bit of upside, but I think it’s the first cut for something more impactful.
Thundermaw Hellkite – the first 5-mana 5/5 flier that is all upside. I own a Russian copy and there’s a typo in the text. Instead of “1 damage to each creature with flying your opponents control,” it says “1 damage to each creature without flying.”
Ramp
Dragon’s Hoard – too good to pass up with all the Dragons we play/can make. The card advantage should keep us in any game.
Mox Amber – I was lucky enough to open up a few copies of this mythic back when everyone considered it just another bad Mox. I don’t play them in all my decks, but I like them in decks with cheap commanders.
Ruby Medallion – what can be said about this cycle that hasn’t already been said? So powerful in mono-colored decks.
Sweeper
Blasphemous Act – this is probably the single most played card across my 40+ Commander decks. I don’t actually run it in every R/X deck, but it’s simply too powerful to leave out generally. It is the best at what it does.
Tutor
Sarkhan’s Triumph – the more I play restricted tutors like this one in Commander, the more I think they are woefully underplayed. Obviously we wouldn’t run this in a non-Dragon deck, but in a Dragon Tribal deck, it’s an all-star.
Utility Artifact
Basilisk Collar – I decided I wanted another Urza’s Saga target to shore up the deck’s weaknesses. In this case, we don’t have a lot of ways to gain life. If an aggressive deck has a fast start, we may be within range of death even after we’ve stabilized. Basilisk Collar gives us some insulation against that scenario. Originally, I was going to run Shadowspear, but I don’t have any copies in my binders.
Lands
I’ve written about Field of Ruin, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, and Desert. There is a lot of room for improvement here. I originally conceived of this deck as similar to my Mono Red Dragons deck meant to teach beginners. I didn’t want to complicate the experience with a bunch of utility lands. That being said, I’ll include a list of possible inclusions for those who want to upgrade the mana base. But first…
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx – we play a lot of permanents with in them. This land can pull us way far ahead of our opponents.
Urza’s Saga – the Constructs synergize with our Treasure production, while the third chapter can snag us a Relic of Progenitus to help make those Treasures moving forward.
Additional Lands to Consider
Barbarian Ring
Cavern of Souls
Ghost Quarter
Mines of Moria
Shivan Gorge
The Gold Saucer
Treasure Vault
Ramunap Ruins
War Room
Wasteland
Flex Spots
I’ve already mentioned Thunderbreak Regent as a possible cut. Otherwise, you can easily swap out some of the 2-mana kill spells for other targeted removal or sweepers, depending on your meta. Scorching Dragonfire, Draconic Roar, and Galvanic Blast could all be swapped out for other cards that target, whether removal or otherwise.
If your play group is particularly anti-land destruction (even while playing lots of utility lands), then you could cut Price of Freedom and Pillage for something else. Impolite Entrance may be a little too cute since it’s a sorcery.
As you can see, there is a ton of room for creativity, innovation, and your own take on Magda, the Hoardmaster.
Ideal Hand and Game Play
A turn 1 Relic of Progenitus into Magda, the Hoardmaster, followed by a kill spell on turn 3, while making a third land drop is our ideal start. Our final card in that opening 7 could be anything that can produce Treasure tokens, but something like Big Score would be ideal.
This deck is great at putting opponents between a rock and a hard place. When they answer Magda, the Hoardmaster, our suite of powerful Dragons start attacking. When they leave Magda alone, then we start pumping out Scorpion Dragon tokens. Once again our opponent must choose which threats to answer: the 4/4 flying tokens or our many flying Dragons.
The deck essentially plays two strategies concurrently once we reach 4 or 5 mana. We have Treasure production that make Scorpion Dragons and we have big Dragons to hard cast.
Thus, in the early game, we want to stick Magda, the Hoardmaster as early as possible and start committing crimes to trigger her. We don’t really want to hold on to those Treasure tokens, but rather cash them in for 4/4 Scorpion Dragons. If our draw is heavy on interaction, we can sit back, draw cards, make Scorpion Dragons, and keep targeting our opponents stuff to keep the party going.
At this point, our opponent will have to find a sweeper. We can either follow this up with our commander again, since its so cheap to cast, or start deploying the Dragons we’ve been holding on to.
Weaknesses
This deck is no doubt very powerful, but I see it having issues with Combo and Control decks, particularly the former. We can have fast starts, but we still won’t be killing anyone before turn 6 or 7, at the earliest. Decks that don’t care about what we’re doing and can win faster, particularly with the help of hard-to-deal-with permanents (enchantments), will give us problems.
Control is good at keeping the board clean and plays the kind of sweepers that can take out our support cards that aren’t creatures. I don’t think the match-up is as bad for us as Combo, because we play so many powerful threats, have a cheap commander, and can rebuild quickly.
Finally, very aggressive decks that can go wide and big quickly may overwhelm us before we can turn the corner. We’re good at making one to two big threats a turn by turn 4 or 5, but if our opponent has a ton of creatures on the board alongside an anthem effect, it may prove too late.
Conclusion
The more I write about Magda, the Hoardmaster, the more I’m convinced she is the best Mono Red Treasure commander in the game. Smaug the Magnificent is undoubtedly powerful, but without more Treasure production attached to powerful cards, I don’t think it’s as good as it reads.
So if you’re interested in a fun, powerful commander that supports two powerful lines of attack, give Magda, the Hoardmaster a chance! And if you’re tired of your commanders getting killed and not being able to recast them very often, then the 2-mana Dwarf Berserker might just be the legendary creature for you!
Thanks for reading and watching!
