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Commander Nexus
  1. Commander Nexus
  2. Commanders
  3. Cecil, Dark Knight // Cecil, Redeemed Paladin

Command zone

Cecil, Dark Knight // Cecil, Redeemed Paladin

Cecil, Dark Knight // Cecil, Redeemed Paladin

Legendary Creature — Human Knight // Legendary Creature — Human Knight

Cecil wants a deck that plays cheap creatures and attacks from the first turns. It also works in a deck built around Humans or Knights.

  • Mana costblack
  • White, Black ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 3
  • RarityRare

Deathtouch

Darkness — Whenever Cecil deals damage, you lose that much life. Then if your life total is less than or equal to half your starting life total, untap Cecil and transform it.

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Lifelink

Protect — Whenever Cecil attacks, other attacking creatures gain indestructible until end of turn.

Build a deck with Cecil Find it in the app

Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Cecil, Dark Knight

Picked for what they do in Cecil's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Cecil's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

Does what Cecil, Dark Knight does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Cecil, Dark Knight

explain how Cecil works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

A nonmodal double-faced card enters with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or allows you to cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

A token that is created as a copy of a double-faced permanent or a double-faced card in another zone is a double-faced token. It will have both the front face and back face of whatever object it's copying. If it's copying a double-faced permanent whose back face is up, the token will enter with its back face up. It can transform if instructed to do so.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

Each face of a nonmodal double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a nonmodal double-faced permanent is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

Each nonmodal double-faced card in this release is cast face up. In every zone other than the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. If it is on the battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's up; the other face's characteristics are ignored.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

If Cecil, Dark Knight is dealt lethal damage at the same time it deals damage (probably because it blocked or became blocked), its last ability will still trigger. You'll still lose life, but you won't untap or transform Cecil, Dark Knight because it won't be on the battlefield anymore.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

If you are instructed to put a card that isn't a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, it will not enter at all. In that case, it stays in the zone it was previously in. For example, if a single-faced card is a copy of Crystal Fragments, it will be exiled during the resolution of its second ability and remain in exile.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

In the Commander variant, a double-faced card's color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered. For example, Cecil, Dark Knight's color identity is black and white, since its front face is black and its back face has a white color indicator.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

The back face of a nonmodal double-faced card usually has a color indicator that defines its color.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

The mana value of a nonmodal double-faced card is the mana value of its front face, no matter which face is up.

9 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Cecil, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWBPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, B for black.AggroAggro decks play cheap creatures early and attack every turn, trying to knock opponents out before their bigger plans come together.Open the Aggro pageCombat TrickAn instant you cast during a fight to change how it ends: making a creature bigger or smaller, or keeping your creatures from dying. Boros Charm, Flawless ManeuverOpen the Combat Trick pageAttack TriggerTriggers when a creature attacks, so the reward comes from declaring the attack. You get it even if the creature is blocked. Sword of the Animist, Adeline, Resplendent CatharOpen the Attack Trigger pageProtectionA creature with protection from something, like a color, is safe from anything with that quality. It cannot be damaged, enchanted or equipped, blocked, or targeted by it, and players remember the four with the word DEBT. It does not stop effects that neither target nor damage, like a board wipe that destroys every creature. ProgenitusOpen the Protection pageLife GainGains you life, once or over and over. Soul Warden, The Great Henge. In Commander life is something to spend, not just a cushion, and many of these cards also set off others that reward gaining life.Open the Life Gain page