Life counter for CommanderEveryone starts at 40, and every commander gets its own coin.
Pick Commander when you start a game and Life Counter sets everyone to 40, puts a commander coin on every seat and lays monarch, initiative, day and night on the table. Four players is the default, and up to six fit.
How the app plays Commander
- Damage per commander
- Drag a commander coin onto the player it hits and the damage is counted against that commander. Partners each have their own coin, so their damage never adds up. From 15 the coin turns amber.
- A question at 21
- When one commander reaches 21 on a player, the app asks whether that player is out, turned towards their seat. Answer no and it waits until the number changes before it asks again.
- Commander tax
- Tap the coin each time the commander is cast from the command zone and it shows the tax, +2 and then +4. Partners keep their own count.
- Poison and the other counters
- Poison, experience, speed, the Ring's temptation and storm are ready on every seat. Poison asks at 10.
- Monarch and initiative
- Both lie on the table as tokens, with day and night beside them. Drag one to the player who takes it.
- Up to six players
- Every seat turns to its player. On iPad and the unfolded iPhone Duo each area is big enough for its commander's card art.
The Commander rules behind the numbers
What the Comprehensive Rules say about each number Life Counter keeps for Commander.
Everyone starts at 40
In Commander each player starts with 40 life instead of 20.
CR 103.4cCR 119.1c21 from one commander
A player who has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses. Damage that is not combat damage does not count.
CR 903.10aCR 704.6cCR 104.3jPartners count apart
With two partner commanders, each one is considered separately, for damage and for tax.
CR 702.124dCommander tax
Casting a commander from the command zone costs two more generic mana for each time it was cast from there earlier in the game.
CR 903.8Poison still ends it at 10
Ten poison counters lose the game in Commander as in every other format.
CR 104.3dCR 704.5cBrawl is different
Brawl starts at 25 life in a two-player game and 30 with more players. The 21 rule does not apply there, the tax does.
CR 903.12fCR 903.12hCR 903.12aSeating is up to you
The rules leave it to the players how they sit around the table.
CR 800.5
Rule numbers from the Comprehensive Rules, 25 September 2026. Comprehensive Rules (PDF)
Questions about Commander
How much life do you start with in Commander?
40, for every player. Brawl starts at 25 for two players and 30 for more.
Does damage from a commander that is not combat damage count towards 21?
No. Only combat damage dealt by the same commander counts. Life Counter adds what you drag onto a player, so drag the combat damage only.
How does Life Counter handle partner commanders?
Each partner gets its own coin, with its own damage and its own tax.
Can I play Commander with five or six players?
Yes. The app seats up to six, each area turned to its player.
For your next Commander night
Free on the App Store for iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad with iOS 26.
Life Counter 4.0
