{"id":1987,"date":"2026-10-25T06:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T06:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krakenthemeta.com\/blog\/companion-mtg\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T06:54:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T06:54:03","slug":"companion-mtg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krakenthemeta.com\/blog\/companion-mtg\/","title":{"rendered":"Companion MTG: How It Works, All 10 Companions and a Kaheera Cats Deck (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Companion<\/strong> is a Magic: The Gathering keyword that lets one creature start the game outside your deck, ready to join you later, as long as your deck obeys that creature’s deckbuilding rule. Every companion is written as “Companion \u2014 [condition]”. If your starting deck meets the condition, you reveal the card before the game, and once per game you can pay {3} to put it into your hand<\/strong> at sorcery speed, then cast it as normal.<\/p>\n\n

There are exactly ten companions<\/strong>, all legendary creatures from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (April 2020), and Wizards hasn’t printed another since. The mechanic was strong enough that it was changed weeks after release, and companions are still banned in several formats today. In Commander, two of the ten can never be your companion at all.<\/p>\n\n

This guide covers how companion works (with the rules and rulings that matter), the 2020 rule change, all ten companions ranked by Commander play, what each condition costs a Commander deck (we counted the whole card pool), legality in every format, and a budget Arahbo Cats deck with Kaheera as its companion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

What is companion in MTG?<\/h2>\n\n

Companion is rule 702.139 of the Comprehensive Rules. Rule 702.139a: “Companion is a keyword ability that functions outside the game. It’s written as ‘Companion\u2014[Condition].’ Before the game begins, you may reveal one card you own from outside the game with a companion ability whose condition is fulfilled by your starting deck.” Once during the game, “any time you have priority and the stack is empty, but only during a main phase of your turn, you may pay {3} and put that card into your hand.”<\/p>\n\n

In practice, a companion is a free extra card you can count on. It doesn’t take a deck slot, it can’t be milled or discarded before you want it, and you always know it’s there. The price is the condition: Lurrus of the Dream-Den wants every permanent card in your deck to cost two or less, Gyruda wants only even mana values, Kaheera wants every creature to be a Cat, Elemental, Nightmare, Dinosaur or Beast, and so on. Whether a companion is worth it comes down to one question: how much does that rule weaken the rest of your deck?<\/p>\n\n

Once the companion is in your hand it’s a normal card. Rule 702.139c says it “remains in the game until the game ends”, so if it’s countered or destroyed it goes to your graveyard like anything else. You don’t get it back.<\/p>\n\n

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Yorion, Sky Nomad (Ikoria): the companion that asks for a bigger deck, which is why it can never be your companion in Commander. Art by Steven Belledin. Image via Scryfall; \u00a9 Wizards of the Coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

How companion works<\/h2>\n\n

The rules are short, but most questions about companions come from the details: when you can bring it in, what counts as your “starting deck”, and how it works in Commander. These are the situations that come up, with the source for each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Situation<\/th>What happens<\/th>Source<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Choosing a companion<\/td>Before the game, reveal one card you own from outside the game whose condition your starting deck meets. It stays revealed outside the game<\/td>CR 103.2b, 702.139a<\/td><\/tr>\n
How many companions?<\/td>One. You can’t reveal more than one<\/td>CR 103.2b<\/td><\/tr>\n
Bringing it into the game<\/td>Pay {3} to put it into your hand, once per game, on your turn, in a main phase, with the stack empty. Then cast it normally (the {3} is on top of its mana cost)<\/td>CR 116.2g, 702.139a<\/td><\/tr>\n
Can opponents respond to the {3}?<\/td>No. It’s a special action that doesn’t use the stack. You can cast the companion before anyone else gets priority<\/td>CR 116.2g; Ikoria rulings (1 June 2020)<\/td><\/tr>\n
Does the sideboard have to meet the condition?<\/td>No. Only your starting deck, after the sideboard is set aside<\/td>CR 702.139b; Ikoria rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n
Commander: does the commander count?<\/td>Yes. Your deck including your commander must meet the condition. The companion is not one of your 100 cards<\/td>CR 702.139b; Gyruda ruling<\/td><\/tr>\n
Cards with {X} in the cost<\/td>X is 0 while the card is in your deck, so a {X}{W} card has mana value 1 for Lurrus, Obosh, Gyruda and Keruga<\/td>Lurrus, Obosh, Keruga rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n
Does the companion’s text work outside the game?<\/td>No. Its other abilities only work once it’s on the battlefield<\/td>Ikoria rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n
A companion card inside your main deck<\/td>No restriction. Zirda can sit in your 60 even if your other permanents have no activated abilities<\/td>Ikoria rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n
It gets countered or destroyed<\/td>It goes to your graveyard and stays in the game. You don’t get another companion<\/td>CR 702.139c; Ikoria rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n
Both players want a companion<\/td>The starting player reveals first, then in turn order. Once you decline, you can’t change your mind<\/td>Ikoria rulings<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n\n

Rule 702.139d is a small Commander detail: cards can enter Commander games from outside the game through the companion special action. Wishes and other “outside the game” effects normally find nothing in Commander, because the format has no sideboard (rule 903.5e). Companion is the exception.<\/p>\n\n

The companion rule change<\/h2>\n\n

When Ikoria launched, companions were cast directly from outside the game for their normal cost. That turned each one into an eighth card in your opening hand, and Lurrus and Yorion decks took over competitive play almost overnight. On 1 June 2020, Wizards issued functional errata: instead of casting the companion from outside the game, you now pay {3} to put it into your hand once, at sorcery speed, and cast it from there. The Comprehensive Rules still say “This is a change from previous rules” at the end of 702.139a.<\/p>\n\n

The tax made companions slower, but not weak. Lurrus and Jegantha are still banned in Pioneer and Modern, Yorion in Modern, Lurrus and Zirda in Legacy. The MTG banned list<\/a> post counts companion as the most-banned keyword in Magic by share.<\/p>\n\n

All 10 companions, ranked<\/h2>\n\n

Ranked by the number of Commander decks on EDHREC that list each card. Most of those decks run it as the companion or in the 99; the “as commander” column counts decks that lead with it. Prices are the cheapest ordinary printing on Scryfall on 25 October 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Card<\/th>Cost<\/th>Companion condition<\/th>Colour identity<\/th>Decks (EDHREC)<\/th>As commander<\/th>Cheapest<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Lurrus of the Dream-Den<\/strong><\/td>{1}{W\/B}{W\/B}<\/td>Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less<\/td>WB<\/td>55,940<\/td>2,875<\/td>$1.76<\/td><\/tr>\n
Zirda, the Dawnwaker<\/strong><\/td>{1}{R\/W}{R\/W}<\/td>Each permanent card in your starting deck has an activated ability<\/td>RW<\/td>47,470<\/td>2,735<\/td>$1.59<\/td><\/tr>\n
Jegantha, the Wellspring<\/strong><\/td>{4}{R\/G}<\/td>No card in your starting deck has more than one of the same mana symbol in its mana cost<\/td>WUBRG<\/td>42,160<\/td>1,764<\/td>$0.29<\/td><\/tr>\n
Yorion, Sky Nomad<\/strong><\/td>{3}{W\/U}{W\/U}<\/td>Your starting deck contains at least twenty cards more than the minimum deck size<\/td>WU<\/td>32,801<\/td>2,635<\/td>$0.30<\/td><\/tr>\n
Gyruda, Doom of Depths<\/strong><\/td>{4}{U\/B}{U\/B}<\/td>Your starting deck contains only cards with even mana values<\/td>UB<\/td>32,724<\/td>3,683<\/td>$0.70<\/td><\/tr>\n
Kaheera, the Orphanguard<\/strong><\/td>{1}{G\/W}{G\/W}<\/td>Each creature card in your starting deck is a Cat, Elemental, Nightmare, Dinosaur or Beast card<\/td>GW<\/td>24,776<\/td>481<\/td>$0.88<\/td><\/tr>\n
Keruga, the Macrosage<\/strong><\/td>{3}{G\/U}{G\/U}<\/td>Your starting deck contains only cards with mana value 3 or greater and land cards<\/td>GU<\/td>15,018<\/td>206<\/td>$0.19<\/td><\/tr>\n
Obosh, the Preypiercer<\/strong><\/td>{3}{B\/R}{B\/R}<\/td>Your starting deck contains only cards with odd mana values and land cards<\/td>BR<\/td>9,996<\/td>1,848<\/td>$0.26<\/td><\/tr>\n
Umori, the Collector<\/strong><\/td>{2}{B\/G}{B\/G}<\/td>Each nonland card in your starting deck shares a card type<\/td>BG<\/td>9,912<\/td>1,386<\/td>$0.32<\/td><\/tr>\n
Lutri, the Spellchaser<\/strong><\/td>{1}{U\/R}{U\/R}<\/td>Each nonland card in your starting deck has a different name<\/td>UR<\/td>7,979<\/td>670<\/td>$0.67<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n\n

Every companion costs hybrid mana, so each one fits a two-colour deck or either of its mono-colour halves in 60-card formats. Commander is stricter, because hybrid symbols count both colours for colour identity: Kaheera ({G\/W}) needs a commander with both green and white. Jegantha is the odd one out. Its last ability, “{T}: Add {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}”, puts all five colours in its colour identity, so Jegantha can only be the companion of a five-colour commander<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The ten also give back very different amounts once they’re on the battlefield. Lurrus recasts a two-drop permanent from your graveyard every turn. Zirda makes activated abilities cost {2} less and is the engine behind several infinite combos. Gyruda mills four cards from every player and steals the best even-cost creature. Keruga draws a card for each other permanent you control with mana value 3 or more. Kaheera gives your other Cats, Elementals, Nightmares, Dinosaurs and Beasts +1\/+1 and vigilance. Obosh doubles damage from odd-costed sources. Umori makes spells of one type cost {1} less. Jegantha taps for one mana of each colour that can’t pay generic costs. Yorion flickers your nonland permanents when it enters. Lutri copies an instant or sorcery when you cast it.<\/p>\n\n

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Lutri, the Spellchaser (Ikoria): legal in Commander again since February 2026, but still banned as a companion. Art by Lie Setiawan. Image via Scryfall; \u00a9 Wizards of the Coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Companions in Commander<\/h2>\n\n

Commander is where most players meet companions today, and the format adds three rules on top of the Comprehensive Rules:<\/p>\n\n