Fire and Ice: Éowyn, Shieldmaiden

<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/burmak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dmitry Burmak</a></em></span></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/humans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Humans</a>. They're just like us. And they're one of the staple creature types in Commander! But how do you play them? What are the best cards and commanders for Humans? And how do Humans win in Commander?</p>
<p>This EDHREC Guide is here to answer all of these questions.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Humans-textless.png

<p>Humans are one of the most numerous creature types in <em>Magic,</em> both from a mechanical count of creatures with the Human type as well as narratively in terms of population.</p>
<p>However, up until the <em>Mirrodin</em> set, Humans didn't exist! At least, not mechanically. Up until that point, every creature that featured humans in its art was denoted as their class, such as Knights and Scouts and Wizards. That changed with the introduction of the race/class model, which overhauled most creatures to include both a race (or species) as well as their class (their job or role).</p>
<p>This led to an incredible influx of Human creatures being grandfathered into the game, though it wasn't until later sets such as the <em>Innistrad</em> block that they started to be supported as a creature type.</p>
<p>Since then, Humans have featured prominently in nearly every set and are the characteristic creature type for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. This has been pushed even further with the implementation of Universes Beyond content, where non-<em>Magic</em> intellectual properties feature Humans prominently.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Advance Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonds of Faith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aang, at the Crossroads"></div></div>


<h2>You Have No Color Restrictions</h2>
<p>Despite being characteristic of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Humans are numerous throughout every color. The most common Human-oriented support tends towards <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, but very powerful Humans can be found in any color. Certain colors have different preferences in how they interface with Humans, though this tends towards reinforcing the strengths and weaknesses of each color independent of the Human involvement.</p>
<p><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> favors sacrificing your Humans, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> favors Humans that give you effects such as card draw, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> loves its mana production, while <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> enjoys some powerful Humans with combat abilities.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dakmor Sorceress"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avalanche of Sector 7"></div></div>
<p>There is no single defining stereotype that Humans fall into, even if their color associations follow archetypes quite closely. This means Humans, moreso than any other creature type, can simply be slotted into another deck without much disruption.</p>
<h2>Powerful Effects</h2>
<p>Humans in <em>Magic</em> play host to a number of extremely powerful effects that justify their inclusion in a deck, even without high stats. From incredible mana production to preventing you from losing the game via conventional means, Humans run the gambit of utility!</p>
<p>Many Humans "only" support the statlines of your other creatures, but even that adds up quite quickly. There are simply so many Humans that there are some with incredibly powerful abilities, others whose value is incremental and intended to be stacked, and others reliant on niche edge cases.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, King of Gondor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ali from Cairo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div></div>
<p>When constructing your deck, you have more than enough options and many of them will be fine choices indeed.</p>
<h2>There Are Always More</h2>
<p>Due to the sheer number of Human cards, there's a great deal of flexibility you can have in your deckbuilding. But aside from that, there's also many cards that simply create more Humans!</p>
<p>Human token generation is quite common even from non-Human creatures, which means you can invest in both quantity and quality quite easily. These Humans usually are 1/1 tokens, but there's enough in-type support that they'll be able to more than compensate for their weak base stats.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General&#039;s Enforcer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jirina Kudro"></div></div>
<p>On top of this, the sheer variety of Humans you can cast will allow for many cheaply-costed creatures. Paired with your token generation, you won't be hurting for blockers.</p>


<h2>They're Only Human</h2>
<p>Humans, by and large, don't have fantastic stats. Exceptional creatures might have a 4/4 or higher, but even then they tend to be significantly more expensive than they're worth.</p>
<p>As a result, many Humans fail the <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/Vanilla#Vanilla_Test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vanilla test</a>, a quick assessment to test a creature's value in a deck. If their converted mana cost is equal to or greater than their stat line, it's generally considered too expensive to justify including. Though this can always be offset by abilities.</p>
<p>Which, luckily, Humans have plenty of! And given their numbers, plenty of Humans such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pass the test just fine. On average, though, not every Human does.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, the Uniter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pitiless Plunderer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Éomer, King of Rohan"></div></div>
<h2>Anti-Human Sentiments</h2>
<p>There are quite a few cards that specifically target Humans, such as the aptly named <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Human Frailty" href="#" target="_blank">Human Frailty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The cards are mostly <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, with less-specific anthrophobic cards providing protection against or destroying <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>Humans are common enough it's reasonable to prepare countermeasures against such cards, but outside of specific Human-oriented sets they aren't enough of a concern as to avoid running Humans entirely.</p>
<p>In most cases, such cards will involve destroying one or two of your important Humans that you can reclaim later.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Human Frailty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mikaeus, the Unhallowed"></div></div>


<p>Some of the most popular Human commanders don't actually care that much about Humans! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, is a Human who supports Angels, Demons, and Dragons. As a result, this guide will be focusing on Human commanders that have synergy with Humans or are otherwise not specific to supporting a non-Human archetype.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kenrith, the Returned King"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kenrith, the Returned King" href="#" target="_blank">Kenrith, the Returned King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14th most played commander</a> at the time of this guide's writing. And that's because he does it all!</p>
<p>At a quite reasonable five-mana 5/5 stat line, Kenrith allows you to spend your mana on any of the different colors' archetypal functions:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives a creature haste and trample, a fantastically cheap way of ensuring value the same turn you play heavy hitters.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature, which is comparatively poor value but still has its place.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> allows a player to gain five life, which is just a large enough value it can reasonably save you in a pinch.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> allows a player to draw a card, which while quite expensive, is always useful.</li>
<li><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> returns a creature to the battlefield from a graveyard, doubling or tripling the value of your creatures.</li>
</ul>
<p>Kenrith's core competency is flexibility, leaning into the archetype of every color and granting you access to almost every playstyle.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jodah, the Unifier"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jodah, the Unifier" href="#" target="_blank">Jodah, the Unifier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> loves legendary creatures, of which Humans number many. All of them gain +X/+X where X is the number of legendary creatures you control. This means that, baseline, your other legendary creatures will receive +2/+2 from Jodah as well as themselves.</p>
<p>But that isn't even the most powerful effect of Jodah. What people play Jodah for is the fact it effectively gives your legendary spells cascade, granting the ability to cast further legendary cards from the top of your deck for free. Not only is this free value, getting to cheat out another creature while rushing through your deck, but it also feeds into the first ability.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isshin, Two Heavens as One" href="#" target="_blank">Isshin, Two Heavens as One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isshin, Two Heavens as One"></div></div>
<p>Triggering abilities more than once is a reliable strategy, only dependent on including worthwhile triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isshin, Two Heavens as One" href="#" target="_blank">Isshin, Two Heavens as One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> simply existing on the board doubles your effectiveness as a result. This can then be paired with creatures that provide multiple combat phases in a turn in order to quadruple on-attack abilities.</p>
<p>Notably, this doubles the triggering of abilities from permanents you control, independent of who controls the attacking creatures.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor" href="#" target="_blank">Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor" href="#" target="_blank">Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> continues the trend many Human commanders have of granting fantastic flexibility across multiple colors.</p>
<p>Whenever you attack, you can sacrifice a creature - with Human token generation, this will be easy. This allows you to choose two options from: creating two 1/1 Soldiers with haste that are attacking, drawing a card and losing a life, and dealing damage equal to the number of creature tokens you control.</p>
<p>Creating more tokens feeds the sacrifice cost while playing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> means you should be able to draw without fearing for your life.</p>
<p>This ability also procs every time you attack, meaning getting multiple combat phases allows for additional choices.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aragorn, the Uniter"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another iteration of "playing each color in accordance with its archetype." Playing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells makes tokens, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells let you scry, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> spells deal damage, and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives a creature +4/+4 until end of turn.</p>
<p>While this unfortunately leaves out <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, none of these are once per turn. You will therefore get massive value from playing multiple cheap, multicolored spells in order to maximize your commander's abilities.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden"></div></div>
<p>At its face, 5/4 with first strike is not a bad stat array for five mana. Access to <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> gives some powerful Human support, most notably in <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> utility effects and <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-rw" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> duelists.</p>
<p>But the star is the ability to create two 2/2 Humans with trample and haste at the beginning of your combat each turn. Given how numerous and generally low-costed Humans are, you should have no problem triggering this each turn.</p>
<p>Then on top of that, you can draw a card if you control six or more Humans! The order here is important, given this triggers after creating the two tokens. This means you only need three Humans in addition to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for this to trigger!</p>
<p>Further, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden" href="#" target="_blank">Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does not trigger her own ability but it can be triggered the same turn she enters the battlefield.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fun inversion on a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> build, where you put all of your power onto a single creature. Kylar gains +1/+1 counters based on how many Humans enter the battlefield under your control, but then also shares that with the rest of your Humans. The more Humans you have, the stronger Kylar gets which in turn makes your Humans stronger.</p>
<p>This +1/+1 also extends to other counters, so if you have a method of providing things such as oil counters to Kylar that will also count!</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coppercoat Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Coppercoat Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coppercoat Vanguard"></div></div>
<p>For only two mana, giving all of your Humans +1/+0 and ward <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is a good value! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coppercoat Vanguard" href="#" target="_blank">Coppercoat Vanguard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't a powerhouse, but Humans are designed to be played en masse. This means a tide of 1/1 Human tokens become 2/1 Human tokens and your more valuable utility Humans gain some light protection.</p>
<p>This is a cheap, early-game buff that will keep you protected from anything but focused retaliation.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lossarnach Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Lossarnach Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lossarnach Captain"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lossarnach Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Lossarnach Captain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> offsets its low toughness with first strike and gives some temporary control by tapping your opponents' creatures every time a Human enters the battlefield under your control. Then, it creates a 1/1 Human token.</p>
<p>At minimum, when played it taps a creature and if it survives a turn it taps another creature. That can put a blocker out of commission or prevent a creature from activating an ability. Then add on the utility of creature generation with a mid-range blocker and this card works for you quite nicely.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kudro of Drannith" href="#" target="_blank">General Kudro of Drannith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kudro of Drannith"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="General Kudro of Drannith" href="#" target="_blank">General Kudro of Drannith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes your Humans slightly more powerful, which is a running theme with the creature type, and can sacrifice your Humans to destroy large creatures. In supporting a token-generation Human deck, this allows you to effectively deal with creatures that would otherwise be a wall.</p>
<p>Then on top of this, Kudro allows you to exile cards from an opponent's graveyard which can be devastating to certain archetypes. And given that this triggers whenever a Human enters the battlefield under your control, it can burst through a number of key cards an opponent was hoping to reclaim.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Gondor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is all about spamming out Human creature tokens. When you play it, you get a 1/1. Then you can spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to gain as many 1/1 Human Soldier tokens as you have Humans. This stacks, this is repeatable, and this can overwhelm a board if not taken care of soon.</p>
<p>Played with no other Humans on the field, it will only give you one token with its activation. It is therefore at its most powerful supporting an already existing force that it can double in size.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows at Willow Hill" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows at Willow Hill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gallows at Willow Hill"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gallows at Willow Hill" href="#" target="_blank">Gallows at Willow Hill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to take tokens that struggle to make an impact and have them indirectly destroy problematic creatures. This is fairly expensive for removal, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to play the artifact then another <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and three tapped Humans to activate it, but destruction is destruction.</p>
<p>You're going to have the Humans to spare, and giving the opponent a 1/1 flying Spirit is not the worst trade. It's just a matter of ensuring you have a means of dealing with that new flier.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick"></div></div>
<p>Given the reliance Humans have on numbers, a single board wipe can disrupt their entire strategy. That's why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick" href="#" target="_blank">Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s value comes not from being a 3/3 with vigilance and lifelink, but rather from its ability to make all of your Humans indestructible for a turn.</p>
<p>This involves exiling Paladin Danse, meaning timing is key, but it is a free counter to anyone attempting to remove your board.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oath of Eorl" href="#" target="_blank">Oath of Eorl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oath of Eorl"></div></div>
<p>Humans don't hurt for token generation, but staggered generation is a useful means of getting around explosive reprisals. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oath of Eorl" href="#" target="_blank">Oath of Eorl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> leans into this, giving a respectable force of weak Human tokens that nonetheless add up over time. Then, it both makes you the monarch, affording you card draw at the end of your turn, and makes one of your Humans indestructible.</p>
<p>This would ideally be applied to your commander or another high-value card, though if you have no other options an indestructible 2/2 with trample and haste isn't the worst choice. So long as you have some other Human support, be it a +1/+0 or +2/+2, that will be a fine enough option.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaws&#039; Merriment" href="#" target="_blank">Outlaws&#039; Merriment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outlaws&#039; Merriment"></div></div>
<p>As a randomly-selected effect, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaws&#039; Merriment" href="#" target="_blank">Outlaws&#039; Merriment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> relies on the consistency of Human-centric enter the battlefield (ETB) effects to have value. All of the options are fine individually, but getting a free Human with haste on your upkeep is what matters.</p>
<p>The chance to gain life or the chance to deal damage on ETB are both useful, but ultimately secondary to token generation.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Lockdown" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Lockdown</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanctuary Lockdown"></div></div>
<p>The incremental buffs to Humans keep coming with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctuary Lockdown" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctuary Lockdown</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> granting a flat +1/+1 to them. But then, it allows you to spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and tap two Humans to tap an opponent's creature. This doesn't have a per-turn limit, so as long as you have the mana and the creatures, you can shut down an opponent's entire force!</p>
<p>This doesn't even need a full token board state, as simply tapping the key defenders an opponent controls can allow the rest of your force to advance without major resistance. You may lose a few tokens, but that's a sacrifice you should be willing to make.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Coppercoats" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Coppercoats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Call the Coppercoats"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Coppercoats" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Coppercoats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to respond perfectly to the threats you find yourself facing. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you can gain a number of 1/1 Humans equal to the number of creatures that opponent has. And you can choose additional opponents for only <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> each! So it's actually cheaper for every opponent past the first while allowing you to choose which are the most valuable targets.</p>
<p>As mentioned multiple times previously, Human token generation is a beautiful thing. But as an instant, this is a perfect response to an incoming attack or a supplement to ETB triggers.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass Appeal" href="#" target="_blank">Mass Appeal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mass Appeal"></div></div>
<p>Card draw is one of the most powerful force multipliers in <em>Magic,</em> so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass Appeal" href="#" target="_blank">Mass Appeal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give great returns. It requires at least two Humans to give positive card advantage, as with a single Human it will draw only a single card and "pay for itself."</p>
<p>At three mana it isn't the best value, given you'll likely be drawing more cards than you can keep in your hand at the end of the turn. This pairs best with decks that can produce a large quantity of mana to get one monstrous turn.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forth Eorlingas!" href="#" target="_blank">Forth Eorlingas!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forth Eorlingas!"></div></div>
<p>After a fixed cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you can pay any amount of mana to gain that many 2/2 Human Knights. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forth Eorlingas!" href="#" target="_blank">Forth Eorlingas!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is fantastic value, swarming the board with creatures that can attack this turn and trample past 1/1 blockers.</p>
<p>With any amount of power supplements, you can very reasonably get a mid-range trample board that can rush past most defenses.</p>
<p>The ability to become the monarch upon dealing combat damage is a nice addition, as that will give you an extra card draw at the end of the turn without any real chance of it being taken.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis" href="#" target="_blank">Elspeth, Sun&#039;s Nemesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is most valuable as a recursive token generator, spending her final loyalty counter to boost two of your creatures attacking before escaping back onto the field. Life gain is nice and boosting your creatures' stats is useful, but her ability to trigger ETB effects and enhance your board is what matters.</p>
<p>Her escape cost allows her to be used more than once, though with how expensive it is, this is more of a "nice to have" than a core to her utility. In the late game it can allow you to get a small push, but won't be the primary focus of your strategy.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon, Ally of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon, Ally of Zendikar" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon, Ally of Zendikar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> unfortunately doesn't create Human tokens, he only creates Knight Ally tokens. However, he can become a Human which will gain the benefits of existing Human enhancements. This doesn't count as entering the battlefield, but it does mean you get an indestructible 5/5 that gains any number of benefits from your field.</p>
<p>A +1/+1 emblem is nice, but Gideon is at his most valuable acting as a creature and supporting your field.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon Jura" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon Jura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon Jura"></div></div>
<p>A slightly more expensive planeswalker, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon Jura" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon Jura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a similar strategy of becoming an indestructible 6/6 Human. His ability to destroy tapped creature synergizes nicely with many Humans' abilities, though his ability to force opponents to attack him is his standout feature.</p>
<p>If you target an opponent with any untapped utility creatures, you can easily destroy them. This puts pressure on opponents to spend resources immediately as opposed to planning for the future. Further, it's easier for you to thin out an opponent's board when you can choose which defenders block what attackers, giving you the tactical advantage.</p>


<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Castle Ardenvale" href="#" target="_blank">Castle Ardenvale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Castle Ardenvale"></div></div>
<p>As a nonbasic land, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Castle Ardenvale" href="#" target="_blank">Castle Ardenvale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ability to enter untapped so long as you control a Plains is so easy it almost won't come up. Giving <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is fine, and creating a 1/1 Human for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is simply not that worth it most times. However, it might be!</p>
<p>It's a good backup, for when you're lacking cards to play or have an excess of mana. Don't expect to use it regularly, but this is purely a potential benefit atop what is almost a basic Plains.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Westvale Abbey" href="#" target="_blank">Westvale Abbey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Westvale Abbey"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Westvale Abbey" href="#" target="_blank">Westvale Abbey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit of a different story. Adding a colorless mana is fine, nothing wrong with that. <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and a life for a 1/1 Human Cleric falls into the same category as previously mentioned of "useful if you have nothing else to do." It won't come up often, but a land being able to produce creature tokens ensures you won't be hurting for them.</p>
<p>If you want to play a Human/Demon cross-typal deck, this is for you. A corruption theme works perfectly with many Orzhov (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) Humans, and even without that there's nothing stopping you from fielding a Demon in your Human deck.</p>


<p>Humans support Humans, much like other "quantity over quality" creature types.  That being said, there's quite a few powerhouses among their number.</p>
<p>The biggest thing with Humans is incremental and cumulative stat boosts. A +1/+1 here, a +1/+0 there. Pair this when the generation of many 1/1 or a handful of 2/2 creature tokens, and suddenly you can get a very large board.</p>
<p>While Humans can certainly be explosive in their generation, they generally require some setup in their growth. You'll need time for the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Horn of Gondor" href="#" target="_blank">Horn of Gondor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to grow. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart" href="#" target="_blank">Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> needs an existing force to support. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda and Lier" href="#" target="_blank">Katilda and Lier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> need a backlog of instants and sorceries.</p>
<p>While they can certainly surprise your opponents, they'll need a turn to convert that potential energy into kinetic energy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Gondor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>


<p>Due to being so incredibly numerous, Humans have quite a few synergies with other creature types!</p>
<p>Just about every class has a major Human subtheme, with Clerics, Knights, and Warriors being some of the most prominent. Clerics tends towards <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Knights being <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-wu" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, and Warriors sticking to <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-rw" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. But <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-ub" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Ninjas and Rogues have plenty of Humans just as <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Wizards do.</p>
<p>But Humans also support the dominant supernatural species across the various planes they inhabit, from Angels to Demons to Dragons. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaalia of the Vast" href="#" target="_blank">Kaalia of the Vast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the sixth most played commander at the time of this guide's writing, and that's a Human that doesn't even support other Humans!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaalia of the Vast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bishop of Wings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toph, the First Metalbender"></div></div>
<p>They're at their strongest choosing a creature type to support, which may or not be Human. No matter the choice, Humans can find their way to support just about any style of play.</p>


human typal

Fire and Ice: Éowyn, Shieldmaiden

EDHREC Guide to Humans in Commander

Digital Deckbuilding - EDHREC Themes and Tags

Mechanical Memories - Companions, Dungeons, and Monarchs