AriseMagic: The Gatheringplayers. Today is a sword-day, a red day, because the Riders of Rohan deck is bringing some truly powerful cards to the game. Between several high-value reprints and a bunch of brand-new cards, there are a lot of great cards to keep your Commander games in the battle.
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This Human-themed Commander deck preps you for war by crowing you as the monarch and calling your allies to the field. You’ll find plenty of ways to take over the battlefield with combat-warping enchantments, immense board wipes, and legendary creatures to rally your forces behind.
10Archivist Of Gondor
Even if there is no monarch, the Archivist of Gondor knows that one is coming. Helping to establish your rule in your games, the Archivist of Gondor has traced the ancient texts to verify your claim. If your commander deals combat damage to a player, and there isn’t a monarch yet in the game, you get to become the monarch.
The one downside to the Archivist is that it recognizes the monarch’s rule and no one else’s, even if you’re not the monarch anymore. Its second ability lets the monarch, whoever they are, to draw an extra card at the start of the end step. This effectively gives you two draw triggers when you’re the monarch, helping to keep your rule over the game.
9Gilraen, Dúnedain Protector
Aragorn’s mother from a time long before the events of the books, Gilraen, Dúnedain Protector can keep your creatures safe, and if you choose, give them a nice upgrade in exchange for holding on to them a bit longer. For just two mana you’re able to exile another creature you control.
You get to choose if you want to immediately return it to the battlefield or wait until the next end step to let it come into play with both vigilance and lifelink counters. The flavor text for Gilraen is a type of Elvish verse called a linnod, and translates to “I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself,” referring to Aragorn and the hope he brings to his people.
8Shared Animosity
In any Commander deckwith a unifying creature type, Shared Animosity is a must-include if you can access red mana. Rewarding heavy combat strategies, Shared Animosity gives your attacking creatures +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking creature with the same type as it.
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If you attack with ten Humans, you’ll be giving all those Humans +10/+0 until end of turn. You’ll have to keep track of creatures with multiple types, however, since it tracks all creature types among creatures you control to grant bonuses.
7Supreme Verdict
Easily one of the better mass removal spells in Magic, Supreme Verdict wipes the battlefield clean to let you reset and take control of the war. For just four mana, you get an uncounterable spell to destroy all creatures, not giving your opponents much room to do anything in response.
The mana value is a bit restrictive, requiring two white mana and one blue, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to hit that in Commander. If you don’t want to lose your own creatures in response to your Supreme Verdict, you’re able to throw down a Boros Charm or Flawless Maneuver to give all your creatures indestructible for the turn.
6Crown Of Gondor
Heavy is the crown that sits upon those who lead, but with the Crown of Gondor, it might sit a little lighter while you pummel your opponents with a massive creature.This equipment gives your creature+1/+1 for each creature you control, giving it at least +1/+1 if it’s the only creature in play.
More importantly, the Crown of Gondor makes you the monarch if there isn’t one currently and you have a legendary creature enter the battlefield under your control. Even better, now as the monarch, its equip cost goes from four to just one mana.
5Combat Celebrant
Taking extra combat steps is a sure-fire way close a game out and Combat Celebrant can take you there. So long as Combat Celebrant hasn’t been exerted this turn already, you can exert it, making it so it doesn’t untap during your next untap step. If you do, every other creature you control is untapped, and you get an extra combat phase after the current one.
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While this does mean you can only get an extra attack every other turn, it gives you plenty of time to build up your forces for the next major attack. If you had a way to make copies of Combat Celebrant, however, like Rionya, Fire Dancer if you want to keep the Human theme, or even a Helm of the Host, you can exert the copies you make each combat step to get infinite combat steps.
4Champions Of Minas Tirith
As monarch, you’ll want to keep your subjects safe, and with Champions of Minas Tirith, you’ll have an easier time. As Champions of Minas Tirith comes into play, you become a monarch, which is already off to a good start.
At the start of each opponent’s combat step, so long as you’re still the monarch, they must pay X mana equal to the number of cards in their hand. If they can’t, they can’t attack you this turn and must attack an opponent if they want to deal any damage. This restriction keeps the pressure off of you for a bit, since your opponents will likely want to be swinging in to steal the monarch status.
3Taunt From The Rampart
One of the best ways to protect yourself while creating problems for your opponents is through the goad mechanic. Taunt from the Ramparts is a five-mana spell that goads all your opponent’s creatures. They no longer can block until your next turn.
Goading all your opponent’s creaturesthrough this spell turns the battlefield into pure chaos, with your opponents having to throw their creatures at each other, with the very real possibility of taking at least one out of the game if there are enough creatures on board. Once it makes it back to your turn, odds are your opponents will be completely tapped out, giving you the freedom to attack through.
2Éowyn, Shieldmaiden
The main commander of the Riders of Rohan deck, Eowyn, Shieldmaiden is a powerful driving force for your Humans. So long as another Human entered the battlefield under your control, Eowyn creates two 2/2 Human Knight tokens with both trample and haste at the start of your combat phase. After you make those two tokens, you get to draw a card if you have six or more Humans.
There’s a neat combo with the enchantment Breath of Fury, which lets you take infinite combat steps. It is a bit situational, requiring you to have a completely open opponent, but each time you deal damage to a player with a creature enchanted with Breath of Fury, you get an extra combat step at the cost of sacrificing the enchanted creature, reattaching the enchantment to another creature. Since Eowyn makes two more tokens at the top of your combat phase, you’ll have a growing number of creatures to throw at your opponents for as many combat steps as you need.
1Aragorn, King Of Gondor
The alternate commander of the deck, Aragorn, King of Gondor is one of the best monarch-based commanders that Magic has ever seen. When he comes into play, Aragorn makes you the monarch, a powerful ability fit for a king. Combined with any effects that can blink Aragorn, you can always be sure to maintain your monarch status.
Attacking with Aragorn lets you prevent one creature from blocking this turn. If you’re the monarch, however, Aragorn prevents all creatures from being able to block. This gives you complete control over the battlefield, letting you swing in for an almighty attack.
