Pako, Arcane Retriever

Legendary Creature — Elemental Dog · from $0.80

Partner with Haldan, Avid Arcanist Haste Whenever Pako attacks, exile the top card of each player's library and put a fetch counter on each of them. Put a +1/+1 counter on Pako for each noncreature card exiled this way.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

61 of 100 at $5 or less · 38 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
7	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
8	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
9	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
10	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
11	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
12	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
13	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
14	Blasphemous Act	Sorcery	9	$0.72
15	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
16	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
17	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
18	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
19	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
20	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
21	Chaos Warp	Instant	3	$0.32
22	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
23	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
24	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
25	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
26	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
27	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
28	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
29	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
30	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
31	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
32	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
33	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
34	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
35	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
36	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
37	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
38	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
39	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
40	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
41	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
42	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
43	Deflecting Swat	Instant	3	$70.85
44	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
45	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
46	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
47	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
48	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
49	Cinder Glade	Land	0	$0.25
50	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
51	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
52	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
53	Faithless Looting	Sorcery	1	$0.36
54	Vandalblast	Sorcery	1	$1.74
55	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
56	Jeska's Will	Sorcery	3	$39.58
57	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
58	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
59	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
60	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
61	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
62	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
63	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
64	Rootbound Crag	Land	0	$0.23
65	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
66	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
67	Big Score	Instant	4	$0.41
68	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
69	Abrade	Instant	2	$0.17
70	Delighted Halfling	Creature	1	$25.91
71	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
72	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
73	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
74	Lightning Bolt	Instant	1	$0.75
75	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
76	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
77	Worldly Tutor	Instant	1	$26.58
78	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
79	Return of the Wildspeaker	Instant	5	$1.51
80	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
81	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
82	Hardened Scales	Enchantment	1	$1.85
83	Tireless Provisioner	Creature	3	$2.33
84	Spire Garden	Land	0	$6.11
85	Doubling Season	Enchantment	5	$29.62
86	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
87	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10
88	Buried Ruin	Land	0	$0.38
89	Thran Dynamo	Artifact	4	$1.94
90	Storm-Kiln Artist	Creature	4	$1.74
91	Mosswort Bridge	Land	0	$0.21
92	Impact Tremors	Enchantment	2	$2.52
93	Patchwork Banner	Artifact	3	$1.52
94	Mox Amber	Artifact	0	$86.45
95	Karn's Bastion	Land	0	$2.51
96	Professional Face-Breaker	Creature	3	$4.99
97	Ash Barrens	Land	0	$0.15
98	Thrill of Possibility	Instant	2	$0.17
99	Beast Whisperer	Creature	4	$4.27
100	Wild Growth	Enchantment	1	$0.40

Curve of these staples

Most played with Pako, Arcane Retriever

The 25 most-played cards in 12 settled top-16 lists running Pako, Arcane Retriever at 16+ player events since Apr 6, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Arcane Signet	100% · 12 of 12	4
2	Command Tower	100% · 12 of 12	4
3	Deflecting Swat	100% · 12 of 12	4
4	Mystic Remora	100% · 12 of 12	4
5	Rhystic Study	100% · 12 of 12	4
6	Sol Ring	100% · 12 of 12	4
7	Breeding Pool	92% · 11 of 12	4
8	Force of Negation	92% · 11 of 12	4
9	Jeska's Will	92% · 11 of 12	3
10	Stomping Ground	92% · 11 of 12	4
11	An Offer You Can't Refuse	83% · 10 of 12	3
12	Boseiju, Who Endures	83% · 10 of 12	4
13	City of Brass	83% · 10 of 12	4
14	Fierce Guardianship	83% · 10 of 12	4
15	Gemstone Caverns	83% · 10 of 12	4
16	Lotus Petal	83% · 10 of 12	4
17	Mana Drain	83% · 10 of 12	3
18	Otawara, Soaring City	83% · 10 of 12	4
19	Pact of Negation	83% · 10 of 12	4
20	Scalding Tarn	83% · 10 of 12	4
21	Steam Vents	83% · 10 of 12	3
22	Swan Song	83% · 10 of 12	3
23	Cyclonic Rift	75% · 9 of 12	3
24	Fellwar Stone	75% · 9 of 12	4
25	Flusterstorm	75% · 9 of 12	4

Combos with Pako, Arcane Retriever

One combo using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Aggravated Assault + Bear Umbra + Pako, Arcane Retriever
Infinite combat phases · Infinitely large creature
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Top finishes

The 8 most recent of 13 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

5th of 19 — Oahu Commander Invitational Qualifier Ser4S2W12 on Topdeck.ggSep 28, 2026 · 2–3–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Megan Kanakuri
3rd of 19 — Worldfire Monthly cEDH on Topdeck.ggSep 12, 2026 · 2–2–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Conner Wilbert [AH]
13th of 24 — Atlas Games September cEDH Tournament on Topdeck.ggSep 12, 2026 · 1–2–1 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Kyle Schouten
11th of 66 — Commander Wars VI on Topdeck.ggSep 5, 2026 · 2–2–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Khaleesi
1st of 24 — B3 -3 / Clasificatorio Nacional LandFall on Topdeck.ggAug 30, 2026 · 3–1–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Diego Gonzalez
14th of 52 — JANK JUGGERNAUTS #1 - OFF META CEDH (Presented by Salt Free MTG) on Topdeck.ggAug 15, 2026 · 1–4–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Cameron jones
2nd of 55 — MBG June 13th Mox Diamond Event on Topdeck.ggJun 13, 2026 · 3–2–1 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Connor Matthews
15th of 24 — Oahu Commander Invitational Qualifier Ser4S1W9 on Topdeck.ggJun 8, 2026 · 1–3–0 · with Haldan, Avid Arcanist · by Megan Kanakuri

All 13 finishes →

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders