How to Play Kenrith, the Returned King in Commander

Bracket 4 · Our Kenrith decklist

Our Kenrith list is five-color stax and value built around activated abilities. Kenrith has five abilities, one per color: haste and trample, +1/+1 counters, life gain, card draw and reanimation.

The deck cuts their costs with Training Grounds, Biomancer's Familiar, Agatha and Zirda, ramps with dorks and fast mana, slows opponents with Drannith Magistrate, Opposition Agent and Teferi, Time Raveler, and wins by drawing itself out with Kenrith into Thassa's Oracle.

Bracket
4
Avg. mana value
2.12
Lands
34
Shop the deck · $70See the decklist

01The Commander

Kenrith, the Returned King is a five-mana 5/5 with an ability for every color: {R}: all creatures gain trample and haste. {1}{G}: put a +1/+1 counter on a creature. {2}{W}: a player gains 5 life. {3}{U}: a player draws a card. {4}{B}: return a creature card from a graveyard to the battlefield.

Training Grounds, Biomancer's Familiar and Zirda, the Dawnwaker make his abilities much cheaper, and Agatha of the Vile Cauldron cuts them further. His draw ability can cost as little as one blue.

With a big mana turn, Kenrith draws your whole library one card at a time. Then Thassa's Oracle wins on entry, and Kenrith's black ability can reanimate it if needed.

02How This Deck Wins

  1. 1

    Ramp fast

    Noble Hierarch, Bloom Tender, Mana Vault and Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy make big mana early.

  2. 2

    Lock the table

    Drannith Magistrate, Opposition Agent, Teferi, Time Raveler and Grand Abolisher stop opponents from interacting.

  3. 3

    Draw out and win

    With cost reducers out, Kenrith's draw ability empties your library. Thassa's Oracle wins the game.

03Deck at a Glance

Bracket 4 · 100 cards

Composition

  • Commander1
  • Creatures26
  • Instants & sorceries20
  • Artifacts & enchantments18
  • Planeswalkers1
  • Lands34
  • Tokens4

Mana Curve

20
181
212
193
44
15
06
07+

Color Split

73colored
symbols
  • White 26%
  • Blue 19%
  • Black 8%
  • Red 4%
  • Green 42%

By the Numbers

2.12avg. mana value
34lands (10 basic)
15Game Changers
4token types included

Cards by Role

Cost Reducers7
Mana29
Stax and Protection12
Card Draw and Tutors10
Interaction7

04Cost Reducers

Kenrith's abilities are expensive. These make them cheap.

Training GroundsCreature abilities cost two less, to a minimum of one mana.
Biomancer's FamiliarTraining Grounds on a creature.
Zirda, the DawnwakerNon-mana abilities cost two less.
Agatha of the Vile CauldronCreature abilities cost less equal to her power.
Seedborn MuseUntaps your permanents on every opponent's turn, so you can use Kenrith all the time.

Also in this role

Wilderness Reclamation
Gluntch, the Bestower

05Mana

Dorks, rocks and fast mana for big activation turns.

Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyEvery nonland mana source makes one extra mana.
Bloom TenderTaps for every color among your permanents.
Faeburrow ElderTaps for one mana per color among your permanents.
Mana VaultThree colorless for one.
Selvala, Explorer ReturnedMana and cards for every player.

Also in this role

Noble Hierarch
Ignoble Hierarch
Birds of Paradise
Delighted Halfling
Deathrite Shaman
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
Sol Ring
Chrome Mox
Lotus Petal
Arcane Signet
Commander's Sphere
Chromatic Lantern
Fellwar Stone
Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
Smothering Tithe
Rites of Flourishing
Tempt with Discovery
Rampant Growth
Farseek
Nature's Lore
Three Visits
Cultivate
Kodama's Reach

06Stax and Protection

Keep opponents from stopping your combo.

Drannith MagistrateOpponents can only cast spells from their hands.
Opposition AgentYou control opponents' searches and take what they find.
Teferi, Time RavelerOpponents cast only at sorcery speed.
Grand AbolisherOpponents can't respond on your turn.
Orcish BowmastersPunishes extra draws and kills small creatures.

Also in this role

Propaganda
Ghostly Prison
Esper Sentinel
Ranger-Captain of Eos
Spore Frog
Heroic Intervention
Lightning Greaves

07Card Draw and Tutors

Find the win and keep cards flowing.

Thassa's OracleWins when your library is empty.
Rhystic StudyDraws whenever opponents don't pay.
The One RingProtection and a stream of cards.
Demonic TutorAny card for two.
Mystic RemoraDraws off opponents' noncreature spells.

Also in this role

Vampiric Tutor
Enlightened Tutor
Worldly Tutor
Eternal Witness
Sevinne's Reclamation

08Interaction

Counterspells and removal across all five colors.

CounterspellTwo-mana answer to anything.
Swan SongOne-mana counter for noncreature spells.
Cyclonic RiftBounce one thing, or everything late.
Swords to PlowsharesOne-mana removal.
Beast WithinDestroys any permanent.

Also in this role

An Offer You Can't Refuse
Path to Exile

09Combos and Key Interactions

+

Kenrith, the Returned King + Thassa's Oracle

With enough mana and cost reducers, Kenrith draws your library, then Thassa's Oracle wins.

+

Training Grounds + Biomancer's Familiar

Together they cut Kenrith's costs to one mana each, so every color's ability is cheap.

+

Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Bloom Tender

Bloom Tender's mana is doubled, often making ten or more.

10How to Play

Opening hand

Keep hands with a dork or fast mana and two lands. Kenrith decks win on mana, so fast mana is more important than anything else.

1

Early gameturns 1-3

Play dorks like Noble Hierarch and fast mana like Mana Vault. Add stax like Drannith Magistrate.

2

Mid gameturns 4-7

Cast Kenrith and a cost reducer like Training Grounds. Use his abilities every turn.

3

Late gameturn 8+

On the big turn, protect with Grand Abolisher, draw out with Kenrith, and win with Thassa's Oracle.

Tips

  • Kenrith's abilities can target any player. Draw yourself cards or reanimate opponents' creatures.
  • Cost reducers can't lower an ability below one mana.
  • Kenrith's {4}{B} can reanimate Thassa's Oracle if it gets countered and dies.
  • Seedborn Muse lets you use every ability again on each opponent's turn.

Common mistakes

  • Starting the draw loop without enough mana to finish.
  • Using Kenrith's abilities into open counterspell mana.
  • Overplaying stax that also slows you down.
  • Forgetting Rites of Flourishing helps opponents too.

Watch out for

  • Counterspells on Thassa's Oracle.
  • Graveyard hate when you rely on reanimation.
  • Removal on Kenrith.
  • Stax pieces from opponents that hit activated abilities.

11Bracket and Rule 0

1Exhibition
2Core
3Upgraded
4Optimized
5cEDH
Bracket4

Our list runs 15 Game Changers (Chrome Mox, Cyclonic Rift, Demonic Tutor, Drannith Magistrate, Enlightened Tutor, Mana Vault, Opposition Agent, Orcish Bowmasters, Rhystic Study, Seedborn Muse, Smothering Tithe, Thassa's Oracle, The One Ring, Vampiric Tutor, Worldly Tutor). That is more than the Bracket 3 limit of three, so we call it Bracket 4 at the table.

Our list is a fast combo deck with stax and fast mana. Tell your table it plays at a high power level.

12Full Decklist

Every card in our Kenrith proxy deck (100 cards). Hover or tap a name to see the card.

Commander

  • 1Kenrith, the Returned King4W

Creatures (26)

  • 1Birds of ParadiseG
  • 1Deathrite ShamanB/G
  • 1Delighted HalflingG
  • 1Esper SentinelW
  • 1Ignoble HierarchG
  • 1Noble HierarchG
  • 1Spore FrogG
  • 1Agatha of the Vile CauldronRG
  • 1Biomancer's FamiliarGU
  • 1Bloom Tender1G
  • 1Drannith Magistrate1W
  • 1Grand AbolisherWW
  • 1Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyGU
  • 1Lotho, Corrupt ShirriffWB
  • 1Orcish Bowmasters1B
  • 1Sakura-Tribe Elder1G
  • 1Thassa's OracleUU
  • 1Dryad of the Ilysian Grove2G
  • 1Eternal Witness1GG
  • 1Faeburrow Elder1GW
  • 1Gluntch, the Bestower1GW
  • 1Opposition Agent2B
  • 1Ranger-Captain of Eos1WW
  • 1Selvala, Explorer Returned1GW
  • 1Zirda, the Dawnwaker1R/WR/W
  • 1Seedborn Muse3GG

Planeswalkers (1)

  • 1Teferi, Time Raveler1WU

Instants (11)

  • 1An Offer You Can't RefuseU
  • 1Enlightened TutorW
  • 1Path to ExileW
  • 1Swan SongU
  • 1Swords to PlowsharesW
  • 1Vampiric TutorB
  • 1Worldly TutorG
  • 1CounterspellUU
  • 1Cyclonic Rift1U
  • 1Heroic Intervention1G
  • 1Beast Within2G

Sorceries (9)

  • 1Demonic Tutor1B
  • 1Farseek1G
  • 1Nature's Lore1G
  • 1Rampant Growth1G
  • 1Three Visits1G
  • 1Cultivate2G
  • 1Kodama's Reach2G
  • 1Sevinne's Reclamation2W
  • 1Tempt with Discovery3G

Artifacts (10)

  • 1Chrome Mox0
  • 1Lotus Petal0
  • 1Mana Vault1
  • 1Sol Ring1
  • 1Arcane Signet2
  • 1Fellwar Stone2
  • 1Lightning Greaves2
  • 1Chromatic Lantern3
  • 1Commander's Sphere3
  • 1The One Ring4

Enchantments (8)

  • 1Mystic RemoraU
  • 1Training GroundsU
  • 1Ghostly Prison2W
  • 1Propaganda2U
  • 1Rhystic Study2U
  • 1Rites of Flourishing2G
  • 1Smothering Tithe3W
  • 1Wilderness Reclamation3G

Lands (34)

  • 1Arid Mesa
  • 1Bloodstained Mire
  • 1Breeding Pool
  • 1City of Brass
  • 1Command Tower
  • 1Exotic Orchard
  • 1Flooded Strand
  • 2Forest
  • 1Godless Shrine
  • 1Hallowed Fountain
  • 2Island
  • 1Mana Confluence
  • 1Marsh Flats
  • 1Misty Rainforest
  • 2Mountain
  • 1Overgrown Tomb
  • 1Path of Ancestry
  • 2Plains
  • 1Polluted Delta
  • 1Reliquary Tower
  • 1Sacred Foundry
  • 1Scalding Tarn
  • 1Stomping Ground
  • 2Swamp
  • 1Temple Garden
  • 1Verdant Catacombs
  • 1Watery Grave
  • 1Windswept Heath
  • 1Wooded Foothills

Get the deck

Kenrith proxy deck

Kenrith does a bit of everything for every color. Ramp, lock the table, and draw your library into Thassa's Oracle.

Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in the deck you get, sleeve-ready, with tokens.

Shop the deck · $70

Every card named in this guide is in our deck, and every image is our own proxy card, rendered from the art in this deck.