<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winota, Joiner of Forces" href="#" target="_blank">Winota, Joiner of Forces</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | by <a href="https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TE8xi6-oyE0xYPQSzE1MT8zJVCjLzMlJzUstLUsFAL48C7Y&amp;q=magali+villeneuve&amp;oq=magal&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgBEC4YkQIYgAQYigUyBggAEEUYOTINCAEQLhiRAhiABBiKBTIMCAIQLhhDGIAEGIoFMgwIAxAAGEMYgAQYigUyCggEEC4YsQMYgAQyDAgFEAAYQxiABBiKBTINCAYQLhiDARixAxiABDIKCAcQLhixAxiABDIQCAgQLhjHARixAxjRAxiABNIBCDQ1MDRqMGo5qAIGsAIB8QWnwdKAv0ntmw&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">Magali Villeneuve</a></p>
<h2>Oh the Humanity!</h2>
<p>A month ago<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/ranking-every-merfolk-commander-on-a-tier-list"> I ranked every Merfolk commander on a tier list</a> and now I'm back to rank Humans. It's gonna be the same rules as Merfolk, only commanders who explicitly mention the Human creature type or uniquely support them.</p>
<p>I had to debate a lot with myself over whether to include the second category at all, however. Humans don't have much in the way of unique themes, except for making tokens, which Elves and plenty of other types do just as much.</p>
<p>But the second most popular Human typal commander, <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>, doesn't mention Humans at all, and he'd get excluded by that criteria. Personally I don't think he's really a Human commander, but 1,246 decks disagree with me.</p>
<p>I guess I have to accept that soldier tokens really are a uniquely Human theme. Actually, given the amount of wars that we wage, I can see how that's the case.</p>
<h2>Caesar, Legion's Emperor</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Caesar, Legion&#039;s Emperor"></div></div>
<p>Like I mentioned in the intro, I don't think Caesar is much of a Human typal commander. He counts any tokens, and the ones he makes are just soldiers, not Humans.</p>
<p>So why does he even show up on the Human typal page? Well, it's just because the majority of support for tokens, especially soldier tokens, is from Human creatures.</p>
<p>There's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar" href="#" target="_blank">Adeline, Resplendent Cathar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commissar Severina Raine" href="#" target="_blank">Commissar Severina Raine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kambal, Profiteering Mayor" href="#" target="_blank">Kambal, Profiteering Mayor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myrel, Shield of Argive" href="#" target="_blank">Myrel, Shield of Argive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All incredible token support (not to mention sacrifice support) that just happens to be on Humans.</p>
<p>I don't think Caesar supports Humans, I think that Humans support Caesar, and while that doesn't make Caesar a Humans commander, it does mean he deserves to be on this list.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commissar Severina Raine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myrel, Shield of Argive"></div></div>
<p>I definitely think the density of Humans is enough to justify running Human typal cards like <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>, especially if you make sure to focus on Human tokens with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Increasing Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Increasing Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Caesar's deck might be a little diluted if you go the Human route, but it'll still be plenty powerful, and that makes him a great commander.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Horn of Gondor"></div></div>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Éowyn, Shieldmaiden</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Éowyn, Shieldmaiden"></div></div>
<p>Now here's a commander that actually cares about Humans. Éowyn makes it as simple as it can be. If you get more of them on the battlefield, you get more rewards.</p>
<p>She makes it pretty easy too, getting you to the threshold if you can play a second Human the turn after you play her. In a Human typal deck, that should be no problem.</p>
<p>She's strong for sure, offering card advantage and a board presence, but I'm curious, what do you do other than play Humans? I mean, I guess that's the point, just play creatures until you win, but doesn't that get boring?</p>
<p>Like, is there any variation in the games? I guess Humans themselves have a lot of variety, but all they're really there for is to attack. I can't deny that this deck is strong, but I can't see myself wanting to play it for more than a few rounds.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>General Kudro of Drannith</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kudro of Drannith"></div></div>
<p>General Kudro is one of those commanders that's obviously meant to be secondary to another in the set, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kopala, Warden of Waves" href="#" target="_blank">Kopala, Warden of Waves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca" href="#" target="_blank">Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Given this, he's pretty underwhelming.</p>
<p>Sacrificing two Humans to destroy a creature is just a net negative, and while exiling cards from graveyards is always relevant, it's not much to build around. I do appreciate Kudro in the 99 of other Human decks, but as a commander he's no good.</p>
<p>Tier: C</p>
<h2>Greymond, Avacyn's Stalwart</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greymond, Avacyn&#039;s Stalwart"></div></div>
<p>Here's a card that really annoys me, but not because of its text. Because of the limited supply for Secret Lair Drops, Greymond is perpetually priced at SIXTY dollars.</p>
<p>And he's not even that good! He's basically just an anthem, but one that's more vulnerable to removal than an enchantment.</p>
<p>I think 99% of the time I'd rather play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intangible Virtue" href="#" target="_blank">Intangible Virtue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="True Conviction" href="#" target="_blank">True Conviction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, not because they're strictly better, but because they don't empty out my wallet. And as a commander, we just have better options. Decent card, absurd cost.</p>
<p>Tier: C</p>
<h2>Jirina Kudro</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jirina Kudro"></div></div>
<p>When <em>Commander 2020</em> came out I remember being surprised that a single person was playing this card. For four mana, she's a terrible anthem and she incentivizes you to sacrifice her anyways. But at no point are the tokens she creates worth the price of replaying her!</p>
<p>It's basically two mana for each token, a horrendous rate when compared to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Martial Coup" href="#" target="_blank">Martial Coup</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Secure the Wastes" href="#" target="_blank">Secure the Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sure, you can treat her like a repeatable X spell, but you'll quickly run out of mana, and that mana would be better spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>Ironically, she's better in the 99 of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silvar, Devourer of the Free" href="#" target="_blank">Silvar, Devourer of the Free</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trynn, Champion of Freedom" href="#" target="_blank">Trynn, Champion of Freedom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the secondary commanders of her precon, because they both add to Jirina's count. Somehow, she's worse than her dad.</p>
<p>Tier: D</p>
<h2>Katilda, Dawnhart Prime</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda, Dawnhart Prime"></div></div>
<p>Now we're actually going in an interesting direction. Giving creatures the ability to tap for mana is usually an Elf thing, but it works pretty well for Humans.</p>
<p>They love to make tokens, and they love to spend a lot of mana. This deck welcomes big X spells, over the top anthems and powerful Angels, and even if you can't find those Katilda has a handy dandy mana sink. I think this is a pretty great design for a Human commander.</p>
<p>Katilda is nothing too wild, but she seems like a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Tier: A</p>
<h2>Katilda and Lier</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>
<p>Ok now we're talking. I've built <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> before, and they are so much fun to play. Are they good? Not really. You need a 50/50 split between Humans and non-permanents, so the deck is quite unfocused and struggles to be consistent. But it's a great challenge to build, and it's a blast to see what happens in game.</p>
<p>Ideally you cast a bunch of spells and then Humans, and get a bunch of value out of <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>. I won't lie, that doesn't happen often, but when it does, it feels amazing.</p>
<p>I like these guys a lot, and I'd love to tackle them again to see if I can make them better. For now though, their power level is gonna leave them at B Tier.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Kyler, Sigardian Emissary</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary"></div></div>
<p>It's really surprising to me that Kyler is as popular as he is. Yes, he can grow extremely fast, and he makes your entire team huge, which is amazing for Humans, but he's a five mana commander who dies extremely easily to removal.</p>
<p>Because Kyler relies on counters, it's so, so easy for your opponents to undo all the work you've been doing, especially in the middle of combat. Playing this commander seems like such an uphill battle.</p>
<p>He does get to benefit from all the +1/+1 counter synergies, however, so it can't be too hard to make him massive.</p>
<p>But then you have to balance your deck between Humans and +1/+1 counters, and there's not a ton of overlap. I can definitely see scenarios where this deck goes crazy, but it just seems too easy to cripple when your commander costs seven on second cast.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Silvar, Devourer of the Free // Trynn, Champion of Freedom</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silvar, Devourer of the Free"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trynn, Champion of Freedom"></div></div>
<p>For whatever reason I was really excited about this pair. I thought they were like, the perfect Human commanders, but I just read their textboxes and wow, they're really underwhelming.</p>
<p>They do basically nothing? Trynn makes one token a turn, <em>if </em>you can attack, and Silvar gets big, at the cost of said Humans. Neither of them really support the creature type, and Silvar actually incentivizes you to have fewer of them.</p>
<p>This duo seems to demand a go wide strategy just to make Silvar big, and if you do all that he's just an alright Voltron commander. It's a cool design lore wise, though!</p>
<p>Tier: C</p>
<h2>Théoden, King of Rohan</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Théoden, King of Rohan"></div></div>
<p>I don't have a whole lot to say about Théoden. He's clearly not meant to be a commander, but he is decent in the 99. Pretty much any deck loves double strike, and Théoden is generous with it.</p>
<p>He's well-costed too! Definitely consider this card in any Human deck that wants to hit hard.</p>
<p>Tier: B</p>
<h2>Winota, Joiner of Forces</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winota, Joiner of Forces"></div></div>
<p>Oh man, I was worried we were gonna go this entire article without a single S Tier, but luckily Winota meets my criteria.</p>
<p>She does it quite curiously, however, demanding that you play non-Humans to cheat Humans onto the battlefield. It's a great deck building challenge, but it doesn't lead to an unfocused deck like <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>. In fact, Winota's biggest downside might be that she's too powerful.</p>
<p>I would not have expected her to lead cEDH decks, but somehow she does, and she can be an absolute powerhouse in any game.</p>
<p>Yet it's still fun! There's deckbuilding strategy, a unique gameplay experience, and just a bit of luck. In my opinion, Winota is one of the best commanders of this decade.</p>
<p>Tier: S</p>
<p><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-185105 size-medium aligncenter" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767-252x300.png" alt="" width="252" height="300" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767-252x300.png 252w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767-860x1024.png 860w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767-768x914.png 768w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-369-e1779858523767.png 1050w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px" /></a></p>
<p>So that's how I'd rank every Human commander! Do you disagree with me on any of these? Should <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> count as a Human commander?</p>
<p>More importantly, are there any secret Human commanders that I didn't cover? Let me know in the comments, because I love hearing what you guys have to say.</p>


Ranking Every Human Commander on a Tier List

<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>


Humans in Commander

EDHREC Guide to Humans in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ozai, the Phoenix King" href="#" target="_blank">Ozai, the Phoenix King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.kekaiart.com/">Kekai Kotaki</a></em></p>
<h2>Rising From the Ashes</h2>
<p>Welcome to this first deck tech of the year from Yours Truly! Hopefully, the holidays have been kind to everyone.</p>
<p>Today, we have yet another legendary creature from the <em>ATLA</em> set (spoilers: There's one more I want to cover, but that'll be later this month). This time, in true final boss fashion, we have the Big Bad himself. So, let's get on with it.</p>
<h3>Phoenix King Rising</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ozai, the Phoenix King"></div></div>
<p>Our commander for the day may not have had many appearances in the show, but he certainly left quite an impression. A descendant of Fire Lord Sozin, Ozai aimed to achieve his grandfather's wish of conquering the world.</p>
<p>Initially, he appears as this shadowed figure, but fully revealed in the later seasons. Just as Sozin destroyed the Air Nomads, Ozai attempted this with the Earth Kingdom, only to get defeated by Aang. But, hey, at least he had his pants on for that fight!</p>
<p>Our commander needs us to load up on red mana, then cast some explosive spells and go <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaboom!" href="#" target="_blank">Kaboom!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He reminds me a bit of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rowan, Scion of War" href="#" target="_blank">Rowan, Scion of War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the only difference is that we're trying not to kill ourselves while powering up our massive spells.</p>
<p>We also have mana sinks that'll let us access some other options if we don't have a x-spell handy. I should note that we shouldn't let that mana count dip below six, because we need to keep Ozai indestructible for reasons I'll explain below.</p>
<h3>Journey to Ascendancy</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braid of Fire|sld|2307"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electro, Assaulting Battery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Cube|sld|1080"></div></div>
<p>While Ozai helps with getting red mana and keeping it, we have a few options that'll help us build up even faster. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electro, Assaulting Battery" href="#" target="_blank">Electro, Assaulting Battery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> serves as a redundant effect.</p>
<p>Ozai is not easy to cast, being six mana (four of it being colored), so having something that comes down cheaper is a boon for us. In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braid of Fire|sld|2307" href="#" target="_blank">Braid of Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets us build up mana during our upkeeps, but it'll all fizzle unless Ozai or Electro are out to contain it.</p>
<p>If we do keep them around, then we can use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Cube" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Cube</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to double all that red mana, and prepare for something explosive.</p>
<p>Keeping all of that mana is a crucial part of the strategy, so we need ways to protect either of them. Ozai, fortunately, has built-in indestructible as long as we have six or more red mana floating, but a simple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares|fic|256" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will end him (until you recast him), and you'll have to store up that mana all over again.</p>
<p>The usual suspects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots|tle|317" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help with this. Though, we also have the likes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolt Bend|tle|163" href="#" target="_blank">Bolt Bend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep such spells away from our commander.</p>
<h3>The Arrival of Sozin's Comet</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aggravated Assault|sld|1026"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Nation Turret"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gogo, Mysterious Mime"></div></div>
<p>The question, at this point, is what are we going to do with all of this mana? I'll partially answer that question here, but save some of the more prominent options for a little bit. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gogo, Mysterious Mime" href="#" target="_blank">Gogo, Mysterious Mime</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make Ozai slightly bigger, but we'd now have eight mana stored in one combat step.</p>
<p>However, there is one card that could potentially push the below deck list into Bracket 3: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aggravated Assault" href="#" target="_blank">Aggravated Assault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With enough red mana in our pool, we could attack with Ozai, then use the mana we've been holding on to get a second combat step.</p>
<p>If we had something like Gogo or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avatar Roku, Firebender" href="#" target="_blank">Avatar Roku, Firebender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'd have infinite combat steps! With Ozai starting out as a hefty 7/7, this'll mean we get to bludgeon our opponents to death with commander damage.</p>
<p>Moreover, another good use of all that red mana is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Nation Turret" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Nation Turret</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It takes 50 red mana to hyper beam an opponent out of existence, and most decks wouldn't run it for that reason.</p>
<p>That said, Ozai can take advantage of this by all the mana he or Electro are storing, making the glacial climb that much easier. Beware that opponents will see this coming from miles away, and will try to remove it. If we blast them for that 50, we deserve it, no matter how salty they get.</p>
<h3>The Phoenix's Armada</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Rise of the Phoenix King" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ozai, the Phoenix King
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aggravated Assault
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Braid of Fire
*1 Fated Firepower
*1 Pyrohemia
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Bedevil
*1 Big Score
*1 Bituminous Blast
*1 Bolt Bend
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Crypt Incursion
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Heartless Act
*1 Kill! Maim! Burn!
*1 Laughing Mad
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Overkill
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Reverberate
*1 Terminate
*1 Unexpected Windfall
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Copper Dragon
*1 Avatar Roku, Firebender
*1 Chaos Terminator Lord
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Electro, Assaulting Battery
*1 Gogo, Mysterious Mime
*1 Kefka, Dancing Mad
*1 Knuckles the Echidna
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Rampaging War Mammoth
*1 Sabin, Master Monk
*1 Summon: Bahamut
*1 The Balrog of Moria
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Doubling Cube
*1 Fire Nation Turret
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 The Fire Crystal
*1 The Spear of Leonidas
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Earthquake
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Insurrection
*1 Into the Time Vortex
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Overpowering Attack
*1 Seize the Day
*1 Torment of Hailfire
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Canyon Slough
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Foreboding Ruins
*1 Geothermal Bog
*1 Graven Cairns
*1 Haunted Ridge
*10 Mountain
*1 Shadowblood Ridge
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*10 Swamp
*1 Tainted Peak
*1 Temple of Malice
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Thriving Bluff
*1 Thriving Moor
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>Go! HYPER BEAM...Wait, Wrong Franchise</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fated Firepower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Torment of Hailfire|sld|2287"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthquake|ltc|214"></div></div>
<p>Remember what I said above? Our real killing machines are the true wincons of the deck. We can't go wrong with an old-fashioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake|ltc|214" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, unless Ozai himself doesn't have flying. As long as we have six unspent red mana, Ozai won't be hit by the spell (unless, of course, he's wearing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mithril Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Mithril Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torment of Hailfire|sld|2287" href="#" target="_blank">Torment of Hailfire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another good one, though perhaps a tad more salt-inducing. Another classic is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate|fic|276" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will also help pad our life total.</p>
<p>Failing these options, Ozai comes in as a 7/7. Stats we can certainly exploit for commander damage. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Spear of Leonidas" href="#" target="_blank">The Spear of Leonidas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Terminator Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Terminator Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make our commander into a two-hit threat, making our opponents sweat.</p>
<p>Furthermore, like with Aggravated Assault, we have more ways to initiate extra combat phases to make the most of both Ozai's stats, and his firebending. Lastly, it doesn't take much for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fated Firepower" href="#" target="_blank">Fated Firepower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to be a major threat. Cast it for seven, and Ozai will be one-shotting opponents.</p>
<h3>Conquering the Multiverse</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neheb, the Eternal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crackle with Power"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline Tyrant"></div></div>
<p>When we open up our card pool to in-universe cards, our options go above and beyond (har har). Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as yet another red mana storage unit to protect. Like Electro, though, it allows you to remove something when it does.</p>
<p>It'd still be better to protect it, however. As of Ozai and all that firebending isn't enough, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neheb, the Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Neheb, the Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will dump red mana equal to the amount of life an opponent lost this turn.</p>
<p>With Aggravated Assault, this becomes a two-card infinite combo (note that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does this, too), so be wary of this. Unless, of course, we intend on playing at a higher bracket.</p>
<p>Even or x-spell options open up, plus more ritual spells to fuel them. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seething Song" href="#" target="_blank">Seething Song</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give Ozai a load of red mana to play with. Speaking of x-spells, while we do get some good ones like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Comet Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Comet Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, very few rival the powerhouse that is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackle with Power" href="#" target="_blank">Crackle with Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Just spending one mana for each of the X in the cost will deal five damage to something. The more we pump into the spell, the more lethal it becomes. This, alongside Torment of Hailfire, becomes our most powerful finisher.</p>
<h3>Phoenix Down</h3>
<p>With this first deck tech done, and since I wrote the first draft of this article (which was last year!), lots of stuff have been spoiled. One in particular has me excited, and I wasn't doing to do deck techs for the <em>Marvel</em> sets without covering perhaps my favorite character from the franchise. Tune in next week to see exactly who I'm planning to cover.</p>


Brewing an Ozai, the Phoenix King deck with Universes Beyond Cards

Singleton Shmingleton - Crusader of Odric

Commander Fusion: Mustard, Stalwart Hero

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><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> | art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/justynadura">Justyna Dura </a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combinations and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p>Today's episode is inspired by Saffron Olive over at MTGGoldfish - more specifically, inspired around a list he built for an episode of Commander Clash. The list itself seems strange, but he tried to sell it as "simic burn", and that gave me an idea.</p>
<p>Looking at the "burn" theme in EDHREC, to no one's surprise, Mono-red is the most popular color combination (with a whopping 22,000 decks!).</p>
<p>I really scraped the "bottom of the barrel" for this one because the least played color combination has 5 decks! Bant (green, white, and blue) is the least played color combination for the "burn" theme, and that makes a lot of sense. These three colors don't really care about dealing direct damage at all.</p>
<p>I'm sure you're wondering, "how can you build burn without red??"</p>
<p>Well, let me show you!</p>
<p>For our "burn without red" strategy, we will be enlisting the help of Katilda and Lier.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>
<p>Katilda and Lier is a relatively overlooked commander from <em>March of the Machine</em>, and I can see why. The card itself asks for the player to focus equally on Humans AND instant and sorcery spells, which can be kind of tricky.</p>
<p>For today's deck, our major sources of burn are cards that we can flashback with Katilda and Lier in the late game, so this seemed like the perfect choice!</p>
<p>Unlike our usual explorations into the "bottom of the barrel", today's categories start with 3 specific gameplans with their own unique finishers.</p>
<h2>Category #1: "Swamps"</h2>
<p>When searching for cards that dealt damage, I came across a ridiculous card with a great name: Karma.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karma"></div></div>
<p>Karma made me think about committing a cardinal sin in commander (in my eyes, anyway): running Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in a deck that <em>doesn't have black.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth"></div></div>
<p>Urborg turns on Karma, which is one of the funniest interactions I have ever seen. Leaning into this idea, I added cards to find Urborg in many different ways (Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying, and Pir's Whim are the main examples of this).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Expedition Map"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sylvan Scrying"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pir&#039;s Whim"></div></div>
<p>Alongside Karma, Stern Judge does something similar, but we need to be very careful that we don't accidentally die from activating its ability.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stern Judge"></div></div>
<h2>Category #2: Deserts</h2>
<p>This category is inspired by Saffron Olive, especially because we are focusing on 3 deserts in particular: Lonely Arroyo, Lush Oasis, and Creosote Heath.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lonely Arroyo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lush Oasis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Creosote Heath"></div></div>
<p>When these deserts enter, they deal 1 damage to an opponent, which is not nearly enough to win the game. This is why we are running every possible "copy land" effect that we can!</p>
<p>Doppelgang lets us pump our mana into copying any problematic permanent our opponents' may control, as well as copy our deserts; Replication Technique lets us copy any permanent we control and demonstrate it to make friends at the table.</p>
<p>Orvar, the All Form turns any "target" spells into ways to copy any of our permanents; Moritte of the Frost can copy any permanent we control.</p>
<p>For the Common Good allows to copy any tokens we already control (this is particularly great after a huge Doppelgang!); and Copy Land, well, copies a land.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doppelgang"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Replication Technique"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orvar, the All-Form"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moritte of the Frost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="For the Common Good"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Copy Land"></div></div>
<p>One of the best cards to enhance our "desert" strategy is Ancient Greenwarden, as it doubles the ETB effects of all lands we control while letting us recur any lands that go to our graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Greenwarden"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: "General" Burn</h2>
<p>In order for us to have any chance of winning outside of our first 2 gameplans, we need to deal damage in unique ways. For this reason, I am including cards like Scrawling Crawler to deal damage when our opponents draw cards; Storm Seeker to punish any greedy blue players; Ankh of Mishra to deal damage when lands enter the battlefield (be careful with this one!); and Jinxed Choker and Squallmonger to provide excellent mana sinks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrawling Crawler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Seeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ankh of Mishra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jinxed Choker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squallmonger"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: Recursion</h2>
<p>Recursion is necessary to our strategy, as our pieces are mostly single-use spells or easily-destroyed permanents. With this in mind, I included things like Skullwinder to get something back while currying favor with an opponent; The Mirari Conjecture to get back instants and sorceries while providing an amazing way to copy a haymaker; Archaeomancer to pull double duty, as it gets back a spell while triggering our commander's ability; Lier, Disciple of the Drowned to give every instant or sorcery flashback <em>and</em> turn off unwanted counterspells; and Bala Ged Recovery to recur anything while acting as a land in a pinch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skullwinder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Mirari Conjecture"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lier, Disciple of the Drowned"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bala Ged Recovery"></div></div>
<h2>Category #5: "Secret Spice" = Our Finishers</h2>
<p>If you look at my decklist below, you'll notice that I have <em>filled</em> this deck with ramp spells, as well as a staggering 40 lands. This is because of the deck's main finishers, and today's "secret spice": Hurricane, Squall Line, and Borrowing the East Wind.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hurricane"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Squall Line"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borrowing the East Wind"></div></div>
<p>These are green's version of the "X Mana Burn Spells", but they aren't nearly as good because they damage <em>each player</em>. These spells really feel like we're "playing with fire" with this deck, and if that doesn't capture the spirit of burn, what does?</p>
<h2>Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Overall, this deck was a really fun thought experiment that turned into one of my jankiest brews yet! I can't wait to see the reactions from the table when I pull out a "non-red burn deck"!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our fifth edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of burn!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Katilda and Lier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Greenwarden
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
*1 Moritte of the Frost
*1 Nyxbloom Ancient
*1 Orvar, the All-Form
*1 Scrawling Crawler
*1 Shefet Monitor
*1 Skullwinder
*1 Snapcaster Mage
*1 Spellseeker
*1 Squallmonger
*1 Stern Judge
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Wizards of Thay
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
*1 Borrowing the East Wind
*1 Dance of the Tumbleweeds
*1 Doppelgang
*1 Explore
*1 Farseek
*1 For the Common Good
*1 Hour of Promise
*1 Hurricane
*1 Map the Frontier
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Open the Way
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Replication Technique
*1 Rootcast Apprenticeship
*1 Solve the Equation
*1 Sylvan Scrying
*1 Three Visits
*1 Urban Evolution
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Beast Within
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Obscuring Haze
*1 Planar Genesis
*1 Squall Line
*1 Storm Seeker
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Amulet of Vigor
*1 Ankh of Mishra
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Jinxed Choker
*1 Shadowspear
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Copy Land
*1 Desert Warfare
*1 Karma
*1 Mirari&#039;s Wake
*1 Psychic Possession
*1 Spelunking
*1 The Mirari Conjecture
*1 Unbound Flourishing
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Archway
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Conduit Pylons
*1 Creosote Heath
*1 Desert of the Indomitable
*1 Desert of the Mindful
*1 Desert of the True
*1 Echoing Deeps
*1 Field of the Dead
*5 Forest
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Hashep Oasis
*1 Ipnu Rivulet
*3 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Littjara Mirrorlake
*1 Lonely Arroyo
*1 Lush Oasis
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Mirrorpool
*2 Plains
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Shefet Dunes
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunscorched Desert
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Thespian&#039;s Stage
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Urza&#039;s Cave
*1 Vesuva
[/Lands]"></span></div>


Bottom of the Barrel - Katilda and Lier

Under the Radar - Bruse Tarl, Roving Rancher

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://burmak.ru/">Dmitry Burmak</a></h6>
<p>Welcome back to <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! This is a series where we pick a theme from EDHREC and look at the “bottom of the barrel.” This means that we look at the least played color-combination and pick a commander in those colors to brew a spicy new deck around!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">It’s likely that this commander has not been considered for this theme before, and that’s the point! This allows us to play around with themes that we enjoy while keeping our decks unique and interesting.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">For today's edition, we're switching things up a bit. Usually we focus on a particular theme, but today we're focusing on a <em>type</em>: Zombies.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This theme is very common in Dimir (black and blue), with the most popular "Zombies" commander coming from an <em>Innistrad: Midnight Hunt</em> preconstructed Commander deck. According to EDHREC, there is one thing that Zombie commander decks have in common: the color black.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Scarab God"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Varina Lich Queen"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gisa and Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grimgrin, Corpse-Born"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghoulcaller Gisa"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">But what would happen if we replaced black with another color?</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">According to EDHREC, Azorius (white and blue) is on the "bottom of the barrel" for Zombie decks, with only 15 decks to its identity. Seeing <em>only 15 decks</em>, we have a winner! Looking into possible commanders, there was one that stood out above the rest: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" href="#" target="_blank">Tobias, Doomed Conqueror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tobias, Doomed Conqueror"></div></div></p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Now, I know what you're thinking: "Wait, isn't Tobias a human? Isn't this supposed to be a <em>Zombie</em> deck??"</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">Allow me to explain...</p>
<h2>Category #1: Death Triggers</h2>
<p>Looking at Tobias, his ability to make Zombies cares about the amount nontoken creatures that can die in one turn. With this mind, our game plan will need to revolve around 1 huge turn of sacrificing our creatures for value. That being said, Tobias is also an amazing piece of board wipe protection, and can generate huge value if we keep the mana open to flash him in during critical points in the game.</p>
<p>Since our creatures need to die, it make sense to add creatures that <em>want</em> to die: Inga, Rune-Eyes can be a great source of card draw if enough creatures die; <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Surveilling Sprite" href="#" target="_blank">Surveilling Sprite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Palace Familiar" href="#" target="_blank">Palace Familiar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outlaw Medic," href="#" target="_blank">Outlaw Medic,</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Malcator&#039;s Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Malcator&#039;s Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> generate card advantage and are the <em>perfect</em> blockers; and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ao, the Dawn Sky" href="#" target="_blank">Ao, the Dawn Sky</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant us crazy value when he dies.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inga, Rune-Eyes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Surveilling Sprite"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Palace Familiar"></div></div>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outlaw Medic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Malacator&#039;s Watcher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ao, the Dawn Sky"></div></div></p>
<h2>Category #2: Sacrifice</h2>
<p>Since we want our creatures to die, sacrifice outlets are crucial: Ravenous Amulet is a great piece of new tech that does it all; Martyr's Cause can save us against any huge attackers; and Spawning Pit can help us create more tokens outside of the Zombies that Tobias makes.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ravenous Amulet"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Martyr&#039;s Cause"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spawning Pit"></div></div>
<p>If we can't draw our sacrifice outlets, we still need ways to ensure that our creatures can die <em>on our own terms.</em> For this need, we can add creatures that sacrifice themselves to provide an effect.</p>
<p>For example: Bounty Agent can kill a commander or another "legendary" threat; Cathar Commando can remove a problem artifact or enchantment; Glen Elendra Archmage can counter any pesky noncreature spells that could put us in trouble (I'm looking at you, Expropriate!); and Benevolent Bodyguard can protect any of our creatures from any targeted action (as long as the source has a color).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bounty Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cathar Commando"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glen Elendra Archmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Benevolent Bodyguard"></div></div>
<h2>Category #3: Recursion</h2>
<p>With any strategy that relies on our own creatures dying, it's important that we have enough recursion pieces to keep our engine moving. My decklist has a whopping 12 pieces of recursion, but that is necessary for our game plan to succeed.</p>
<p>I won't list all 12 here, but here are a few of the highlights: God-Pharoah's Gift goes from former standard all star to arguably our best piece of recursion (not to mention, it turns the creatures into <em>Zombies</em>!); Enduring Renewal has a bit of a downside, but getting our creatures back to our hand when they die is incredibly powerful; and Starfall Invocation acts as both a board wipe <em>and</em> a reanimation spell - what's not to love!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enduring Renewal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfall invocation"></div></div>
<h2>Category #4: The "Secret <em>Zombie</em> Spice"</h2>
<p>I'm sure by now you may have forgotten that this deck is a Zombie deck, but have no fear! We have plenty of sneaky ways to ensure that our "Zombie plan" is fulfilled! The first, and most obvious, card is Maskwood Nexus, as it turns <em>all</em> of our creatures into Zombies, and this will allow us to copy any creature on our board with a card like Cleaver Skaab.</p>
<p>God-Eternal Oketra creates 4/4 Zombies whenever we cast a creature spell, which is amazing on its own, but can get really ridiculous with things like Aven Wind Guide.</p>
<p>Stitcher Geralf gets a nod in this deck as well, as he is able to creature a <em>huge</em> Zombie token while removing resources from our opponents. When we have our Zombies, either from Tobias or otherwise, Hordewing Skaab can help close out the game by granting our undead friends flying.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maskwood Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cleaver Skaab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Oketra"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Wind Guide"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitcher Geralf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hordewing Skaab"></div></div>
<p>For today's deck, we also have a "secret spice MVP", and that is Geralf, Visionary Stitcher.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geralf, Visionary Stitcher"></div></div>
<p>Geralf does everything this decks wants: sacrifices creatures AND makes Zombies. Turning our value creatures into <em>flying Zombies</em> can create problems our opponents will struggle to handle.</p>
<p>Overall, this deck was an absolute blast to build and playtest, and I hope you'll feel inspired to give this lesser-played commander a chance!</p>
<p data-slot-rendered-content="true">This brings us to the end of our third edition of <em>Bottom of the Barrel</em>! I hope you enjoyed exploring a lesser-played color-combination in the world of Zombies, and hope you’ll take my ideas to brew your own craziness!</p>
<p>Check out my decklist below!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bottom of the Barrel - Tobias, Doomed Conqueror" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tobias, Doomed Conqueror
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Ascend from Avernus
*1 Starfall Invocation
*1 Storm of Souls
*1 Time Wipe
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Ao, the Dawn Sky
*1 Aven Wind Guide
*1 Benevolent Bodyguard
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Bounty Agent
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Champion of Wits
*1 Cleaver Skaab
*1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Eternal of Harsh Truths
*1 Geralf, Visionary Stitcher
*1 Glen Elendra Archmage
*1 God-Eternal Oketra
*1 High Fae Trickster
*1 Hordewing Skaab
*1 Inga Rune-Eyes
*1 Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet
*1 Luminous Broodmoth
*1 Malcator&#039;s Watcher
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Nulldrifter
*1 Outlaw Medic
*1 Palace Familiar
*1 Phantasmal Image
*1 Phantasmal Shieldback
*1 Phantom Steed
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Stitched Assistant
*1 Stitcher Geralf
*1 Surveilling Sprite
*1 The Council of Four
*1 Vizier of Many Faces
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Gate to the Afterlife
*1 God-Pharaoh&#039;s Gift
*1 Hourglass of the Lost
*1 Maskwood Nexus
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Ravenous Amulet
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Spawning Pit
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Enduring Renewal
*1 Gift of Immortality
*1 Martyr&#039;s Cause
*1 Promise of Tomorrow
*1 Valkyrie&#039;s Call
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Brought Back
*1 Faith&#039;s Reward
*1 Lazotep Plating
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Rally the Ancestors
*1 Second Sunrise
*1 Startle
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Command Tower
*1 Cradle of the Accursed
*1 Demolition Field
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Field of the Dead
*1 High Market
*9 Island
*1 Lazotep Quarry
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Myriad Landscape
*10 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


humans