# Magic: The Gathering Commander (EDH) Life Counter

> Digital life tracker for Commander (40 starting HP). Track multiplayer tables, commander damage, poison counters, and battle logs.

- Page: https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/magic-commander
- Other language: https://www.boardgamesbot.com/ferramentas/contador-de-vida/magic-commander
- All tools: https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools

## How to use

1. **Pick your game or preset** — Choose a fast preset like Magic Commander (40 life), MTG 1v1 (20 life), King of Tokyo, Catan, Star Realms, or start a custom free score tracker.
2. **Set player count** — Adjust the number of players at the table. The screen automatically reorganizes into a grid or inverted face-to-face duel layout.
3. **Adjust points with quick taps** — Tap the top half to add +1 and bottom half to subtract -1, or use quick +5 / -5 and +10 / -10 buttons.
4. **Share your victory card** — At the end of the match, instantly generate a victory card image to post on WhatsApp groups or social media.

## Reference values — Commander (EDH)

- **Starting life**: 40
- **Commander damage to eliminate**: 21 from the same commander
- **Poison counters to eliminate**: 10
- **Deck size**: 100 cards, singleton
- **Typical player count**: 3 to 6, free-for-all

## Where the count usually goes wrong

Commander runs two parallel counts at once: general life, starting at 40, and commander damage, tracked separately for each opposing commander. A player can sit at 25 life and still be eliminated for having taken 21 damage from a single commander.

The most common table mistake is adding damage from different commanders together. If two opposing commanders dealt 12 and 11, neither reached 21 — the rule looks at each commander in isolation. That is why this counter keeps one row per opponent instead of a single total.

Poison is the third count: 10 counters eliminate the player regardless of remaining life, and infect deals damage as poison counters rather than reducing life.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much life do players start with in MTG Commander?

Each player starts with exactly 40 life in Commander (EDH) games.

### How much Commander Damage causes a loss?

A player who receives 21 or more combat damage from a single Commander throughout the game loses immediately.

### Why does Commander start at 40 life instead of 20?

The format is multiplayer and games run longer, with 100-card decks and more ramp. The 40 life exists so a player is not knocked out before getting to play, since they take attacks from several opponents each round.

### Does commander damage go away when I gain life?

No. Gaining life restores the general count, but accumulated commander damage stays on record. They are independent counts: the only way to clear commander damage is an effect that explicitly says so.

### How do I track life in a 5 or 6 player pod?

Use the multiplayer mode in this tool and keep one panel per player. Each panel holds general life, poison counters and damage taken from each opposing commander, avoiding the usual mess of tracking everything on one sheet of paper.

## Dedicated per-game pages

- [Magic: Commander / EDH](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/magic-commander)
- [Magic: MTG 1v1](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/magic-the-gathering)
- [Yu-Gi-Oh!](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/yugioh)
- [Pokémon TCG](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/pokemon-tcg)
- [Disney Lorcana](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/disney-lorcana)
- [One Piece Card Game](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/one-piece-card-game)
- [Star Wars: Unlimited](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/star-wars-unlimited)
- [King of Tokyo](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/king-of-tokyo)
- [Catan](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/catan)
- [Star Realms](https://www.boardgamesbot.com/tools/life-counter/star-realms)