How to Play Kingdoms EDH
Kingdoms is a hidden-role variant of Magic: The Gathering Commander for 5 to 9 players. Everyone is secretly dealt a role with its own win condition, and you play a normal Commander game on top of it – bluffing, making deals and working out who your real allies are.
This guide covers the roles, how each one wins, the game modes and how a game runs. MTGKingdoms is a free app that deals the secret roles to everyone's phone, so you don't need printed cards or a spare deck.
How a game works
- Everyone brings a Commander deck. Kingdoms is played on top of normal Commander rules, so any Commander deck works.
- Roles are dealt in secret. The app gives each player a role on their own phone. The King is revealed to the whole table; every other role stays face down.
- The King goes first. The King starts at 50 life with the Monarchy. Everyone else starts at the table's chosen life total, 40 by default.
- Play Magic and work toward your goal. Attack, make deals, and try to work out who is on your side. Until a role is turned face up, every other player counts as an opponent – even if you privately know you both hold the same role.
- Reveal at the right time. In Advanced mode your role also has a special ability. Turning it face up (an "Announce") triggers it, often at instant speed.
- The game ends when a role's victory condition is met. Several players can win together, and cards that say "you win the game" have no effect in Kingdoms.
The roles and how they win
Every role has a single clear goal. Here are the five types:
👑 King Public
Wins: by eliminating every player who isn't a Knight.
The King starts at 50 life with the Monarchy and plays first. Be careful – if the King eliminates their own Knight, they discard their hand, sacrifice half their permanents and lose half their life, and they can't win that turn.
🛡️ Knight
Wins: when the King wins.
The Knight protects the King. A Knight whose role is still face down loses if the King is eliminated. Face-up Knights are teammates of the King.
☠️ Bandit
Wins: when every non-Bandit player is defeated.
Bandits win and lose as a team, and more than one Bandit must still be alive for a Bandit win.
🗡️ Assassin
Wins: when the King is eliminated.
There can be several Assassins, and they don't know each other until they reveal.
🌀 Renegade
Wins: depends on the character – it's the wild card of the table.
In Advanced mode the Renegades are the Strawman, Sellsword, Opportunist, Champion, Mimic, Cultist, False Prophet and Troubadour, each with a very different goal. In Classic mode the Usurper takes this slot and wins by eliminating the King and taking the throne.
Opponents and teammates
A face-down role is never a teammate. You only stop being opponents once the alliance is public – for example face-up players with the same role, face-up Knights with the King, or a role that has announced and joined a team.
Roles by player count
| Players | Advanced / Hardcore | Classic |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | King, Knight, 2 Assassins, Renegade | King, Knight, 2 Bandits, Assassin |
| 6 | King, Knight, 2 Bandits, plus 2 Assassins or an Assassin and a Renegade | King, Knight, 2 Bandits, Assassin, Usurper |
| 7 | King, Knight, 2 Bandits, 2 Assassins, Renegade | – |
| 8 | King, Knight, 2 Bandits, 2 Assassins, 2 Renegades | – |
| 9 | King, 2 Knights, 2 Bandits, 2 Assassins, 2 Renegades | – |
Game modes
Classic
The original version for 5 or 6 players. Basic roles only, with no character abilities. It's simpler and faster, so it's a good first game.
Advanced
The full game for 5 to 9 players. Every role is also dealt a random secret character with its own Announce ability – a Knight might be The Queen, a Bandit might be The Giant, an Assassin might be The Jester. Win conditions are the same as Classic, but you never know which character is in play until it is revealed.
Hardcore
A high-variance twist on Advanced for 5 to 9 players. The King keeps a normal character ability, but every other role is generic. In exchange, each non-King player gets one Hardcore Counter: spend it once per game to cast a random card from the Commander Game Changers list for free.
Two-Headed Giant life counter
The app's shared life counter also works as a normal Commander life tracker for any pod, including Two-Headed Giant with a shared team life total and separate win/loss stats.
The MTGKingdoms app
MTGKingdoms is a free companion app. It doesn't play Magic for you – it takes care of the hidden information so you can focus on the game:
- Creates a room with a 5-character code. Friends join from their own phones and get a role dealt to them privately.
- Tracks life totals, reveals, eliminations and each role's win condition.
- Shows a TV display so the whole table can follow the game.
- Keeps career stats – wins, losses and favourite commanders – plus a Commander Pool of every deck you've played.
- Works in any browser, and installs on iPhone and Android from the browser menu. No account is needed to play.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kingdoms EDH?
Kingdoms EDH is a social deduction variant of Magic: The Gathering Commander for 5 to 9 players. Every player is secretly dealt a role (King, Knight, Bandit, Assassin or Renegade) with its own win condition, and you play a normal Commander game while working toward it.
How many players do you need?
Five to nine. Classic mode supports 5 or 6 players; Advanced and Hardcore support 5 to 9.
Does the King start with more life?
Yes. The King is the only public role. They start at 50 life with the Monarchy and take the first turn. Everyone else starts at the table's chosen life total, 40 by default.
Do I need the app to play?
You need a way to deal secret roles, and the free MTGKingdoms app does that for you. It also tracks life totals, reveals, eliminations and win conditions, and keeps career stats. It runs in any browser and can be installed on iPhone or Android.
Is it free?
Yes. It is free, with no sign-up needed to play.
Ready to play?
Grab four or more friends, open the app and let the app deal the roles.