(Jirina KudroJirina Kudro | Art by Magali Villeneuve)

Greetings, Giant Bags of Mostly Water

Commander 2020 is here! Better yet, it's early! Commander fanatics like us no longer have to wait for August to enjoy their favorite time of the year. But that's not all: we're getting more Commander decks and products throughout the year! In case you missed it, you learn more about what I'm talking about here.

For this article, we'll be going into detail about the deck Ruthless Regiment. This deck is all about Humans. Humans are a heavily supported tribe in Magic's history, but haven't made a large splash in Commander. There are just shy of 2,400 creatures with the type Human. However, there are only about 900 Human tribal decks on EDHREC at time of writing. When we take a look at the Human tribal page on EDHREC, the most popular commander is Sigarda, Heron's GraceSigarda, Heron's Grace, which makes sense, as she gives Humans a lot of support. The next most popular commander is Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless, the (admittedly good) generic tribal commander that always makes me think, "Okay, this tribe doesn't have a strong dedicated general." No longer! Humans are about to get several strong options to helm their decks, and we will see the number of Human-themed decks soar in the coming months.

Jirina Kudro

Our first new general is Jirina KudroJirina Kudro. Well, I suppose I should actually call her the general's daughter, as her pops, General Kudro of DrannithGeneral Kudro of Drannith, holds that official ranking. Jirina gives our Humans a huge aggro anthem, and that's the usual plan when playing Humans: white weenie. Go wide, and pump up.

Aggro is a difficult strategy in Commander, as our opponents have a total of 120 life for us to take down, but adding in red and black to the white weenie strategy gives us lots of toys that can give this deck the power to keep up in the late game (as we've seen from Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov). Jirina also scales with the game, giving us more Humans when she enters for each time she's been cast, and allowing us to rebuild our board faster with those feisty 3/1s. Some cards I'd like to add to this deck include Harmonious ArchonHarmonious Archon, to make our Humans 5/3s and likely shrink our opponents' bigger creatures. With Jirina pumping our Humans again, they'll be much bigger than everything else. I'd also like to see Kessig MalcontentsKessig Malcontents as a way to knock out an opponent once we have a bunch of Humans on board, and Archetype of CourageArchetype of Courage to give our Humans first strike since they have high power.

I also keep thinking her last name is Konda, since that's already a thing in Magic. Lisa Kudrow, help me with a mnemonic and a segue!

Trynn & Silvar

The next new commander to gush over isn't just one, it's two! That's right, Partner with is back! Each deck has a Partner pair, and I like ours the best because one of the two is a crazy cat lady: Trynn, Champion of FreedomTrynn, Champion of Freedom rewards us for attacking by giving us a Human token at the end of our turn. Then, she murderously feeds those Humans to her beloved bonded monster-pet, Silvar, Devourer of the FreeSilvar, Devourer of the Free, who gets indestructible until end of turn and a +1/+1 counter. I can't wait to hear the lore behind this duo.

I love this flavor and design, since it allows us to change gears from having lots of little Humans to one big, menacing, often indestructible Cat to eat our opponents' faces. I don't think we need to change much in our deck to switch over to this pair, as the same go-wide strategy lets Silvar grow into a giant kitty, and right out of the box this duo should be interchangeable with Jirina KudroJirina Kudro. A few cards that I want to see in this deck include Angel of Glory's RiseAngel of Glory's Rise, to bring back all those Humans from the dead, Outlaw's MerrimentOutlaw's Merriment to give us more sacrifice fodder, and Homura, Human AscendantHomura, Human Ascendant to sacrifice to Silvar and give our commander Cat +2/+2, flying, and firebreathing! These cards would also be great additions to the deck with Jirina as the commander.

Kelsien, the Plague

Next we have Kelsien, the PlagueKelsien, the Plague. This archer really wants to dip his arrows in poison, and a deck with him at the helm is going to love some Equipment like Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar or Gorgon's HeadGorgon's Head in combination with Thornbite StaffThornbite Staff to mow down the opposing creatures. The Morph enchantment Gift of DoomGift of Doom doesn't seem half bad, either! We might want to lean into this to be an Equipment-themed deck, utilizing all of the tutors available to us, and finish the game with trample Equipment like EmbercleaveEmbercleave or ShadowspearShadowspear once Kelsien is enormous. (ShadowspearShadowspear does extra work letting Kelsien target anything, and may even want to be supplemented by Arcane LighthouseArcane Lighthouse).

As a reminder, experience counters aren't attached to the creature, they're attached to the player, so even if Kelsien is removed, he can come right out again and smash our opponents the next turn with his innate haste. Pair with Athreos, Shroud-VeiledAthreos, Shroud-Veiled for some real fun shenanigans. I would feel uneasy sitting across from this archer at the table.

Call the Coppercoats

This has the potential to end games. If we're staring down a field of many creatures on all of our opponents' battlefields, we can activate this at the end step before our turn and instantly have as many creatures as all of them combined. They'll have pseudo-haste, get pumped by a commander like Jirina KudroJirina Kudro, a creature like Elesh Norn, Grand CenobiteElesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, or set up a pretty bonkers Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth all on its own. Combine with Shared AnimosityShared Animosity, Coat of ArmsCoat of Arms, Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade, or Divine VisitationDivine Visitation for the best kinds of Commander stories, which is, after all, why we're all here.

As if that wasn't enough, we can use it defensively if we're being attacked! Secure the WastesSecure the Wastes shows up in 4,600+ decks, and this is a much better rate. It may require our opponents to have creatures, but if Deploy to the FrontDeploy to the Front can show up in over 1,000 decks, then this much-improved version can, too.

Darien, King of KjeldorDarien, King of Kjeldor decks already make Soldier tokens and will put those Soldiers to good use with cards like Captain of the WatchCaptain of the Watch, Catapult MasterCatapult Master, and Daru WarchiefDaru Warchief. Rhys, the RedeemedRhys, the Redeemed decks frequently have a go-wide tokens theme that will love Call the CoppercoatsCall the Coppercoats, which may be just as good or better than the very similar March of the MultitudesMarch of the Multitudes in 60% of Rhys token decks. Orzhov token decks such as Teysa, Orzhov ScionTeysa, Orzhov Scion and Krav, the UnredeemedKrav, the Unredeemed will love sacrificing those soldiers for value.

Fireflux Squad

While this isn't the best PolymorphPolymorph effect available, it may be a welcome addition to decks with that theme. Red has a few other Polymorph cards, such as Indomitable CreativityIndomitable Creativity (one of my pet cards), Reality ScrambleReality Scramble, and Divergent TransformationsDivergent Transformations. However, blue has quite a few more, with PolymorphPolymorph, Mass PolymorphMass Polymorph, Synthetic DestinySynthetic Destiny, Jalira, Master PolymorphistJalira, Master Polymorphist, and more.

PolymorphPolymorph decks with Kykar, Wind's FuryKykar, Wind's Fury at the helm may enjoy this addition, but then again, dedicated PolymorphPolymorph decks that want to flip into huge Void WinnowerVoid Winnowers or Ulamog, the Infinite GyreUlamog, the Infinite Gyres will be bothered by the presence of another creature that would get in the way. Fireflux SquadFireflux Squad may fly under the radar, maybe finding a home in Etali, Primal StormEtali, Primal Storm for some fun attack trigger shenanigans, or in decks that want to attack with lots of creatures, like Iroas, God of VictoryIroas, God of Victory, or Aurelia, the WarleaderAurelia, the Warleader, turning tokens into much bigger improvements. Better yet, pair with Act of AggressionAct of Aggression effects to turn other peoples' creatures into your own.

Flawless Maneuver

A sometimes-free instant that gives our team indestructible? Is this the new, fixed Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection? Even hard casting this for three mana is not bad at all. Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection is in 19,100 decks, Eerie InterludeEerie Interlude in 10,600 decks, and Unbreakable FormationUnbreakable Formation in 4,500 decks, and this is a phenomenal addition to the crowd.

Other similar effects are also highly played, such as Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention in 23,800 decks, Boros CharmBoros Charm in 20,000 decks, and Golgari CharmGolgari Charm in 7,500 decks. Many of these effects offer additional utility, but I've seen a Rootborn DefensesRootborn Defenses cast without a token to Populate and even that can be a huge blowout. Soul of New PhyrexiaSoul of New Phyrexia can fit into any deck, and is played in 7,300 despite being more expensive to cast and activate. Protecting your board during a Wrath is a powerful form of card advantage, will take many a player by complete surprise, and may even put you in a position to win outright. Like so many cards in this free-spell cycle, this is worth consideration in any deck that can play it, especially commander-centric lists that love to save a large army.

Frontier Warmonger

Frontier WarmongerFrontier Warmonger has that group slug/everybody smash each other vibe that really moves games along. It will fit well in decks like Gahiji, Honored OneGahiji, Honored One, Marisi, Breaker of the CoilMarisi, Breaker of the Coil, and Thantis, the WarweaverThantis, the Warweaver. It's inherent in these commanders' abilities that they want to encourage your opponents to attack each other, but they're also running cards to help make that happen, like Kazuul, Tyrant of the CliffsKazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, Fumiko, the LowbloodFumiko, the Lowblood, Mirri, Weatherlight DuelistMirri, Weatherlight Duelist, and Revenge of RavensRevenge of Ravens. Frontier WarmongerFrontier Warmonger not only incentivizes opponents to attack other opponents, but makes it more likely that those creatures will go unblocked and survive to whittle your opponents down again the next turn.

Molten Echoes

This is another fun addition to the Flameshadow ConjuringFlameshadow Conjuring (4,700 decks) and Mirror MarchMirror March (3,000 decks) family, but is specifically tied to tribes, limiting the number of decks that can use it. However, Molten EchoesMolten Echoes has the significant upside of being cheaper to activate than Flameshadow ConjuringFlameshadow Conjuring and cheaper to cast than Mirror MarchMirror March.

Dragon tribal decks could make use of Molten EchoesMolten Echoes to copy powerful enter-the-battlefield effects and huge creatures. The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, for example, loves big creatures. 80% of Ilharg, the Raze-BoarIlharg, the Raze-Boar Dragon tribal decks are already playing Mirror MarchMirror March. Other tribes in red that have powerful enter-the-battlefield effects might be Vampires, Elementals, and Wizards, though the smaller the creatures in the tribe, the less likely they are to cast this particular card. Perhaps tribal decks that already want to copy creatures could use this, such as Inalla, Archmage RitualistInalla, Archmage Ritualist or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror BreakerKiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker.

Oh, and did I mention it can go infinite with a Felidar GuardianFelidar Guardian by having the copy repeatedly flicker the original? Then again, what doesn't go infinite with that....

Sanctuary Blade

A lot of folks have been comparing this new Equipment to the 'Sword of' cycle, like Sword of Feast and FamineSword of Feast and Famine. Along those comparisons, it's clear that this new addition leaves something to be desired.

Still, Syr Gwyn, Hero of AshvaleSyr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale doesn't care about the Equip cost, and neither does Puresteel PaladinPuresteel Paladin. Pair with a Leonin ShikariLeonin Shikari and you're able to stifle any and all spot removal that tries to come for any of your creatures. And you know what, it's kind of cool for Diaochan, Artful BeautyDiaochan, Artful Beauty decks, too, since protection from red will prevent opponents from targeting her. Maybe you'll upgrade out of this into the bigger, badder Swords of X and Y, but as starting Equipment go, this is a pretty cool one, and it's likely to be quite a bit more budget-friendly than those other options while still packing a fun punch. I can see myself forgetting about this card for many months and then encountering it in the wild when it completely wrecks my day.

Species Specialist

The Specialist pairs especially well with Trynn and Silvar at the helm since we'll be sacrificing plenty Humans. It's great draw in most tribal decks with black, similar to a Grim HaruspexGrim Haruspex or Midnight ReaperMidnight Reaper. The improvement Species SpecialistSpecies Specialist has on these cards is that it counts tokens, like an easier-to-cast Dark ProphecyDark Prophecy, which helps it really shine in token tribal decks.

Commanders that specifically want to sacrifice one type of creature will benefit the most from this, such as Prossh, Skyraider of KherProssh, Skyraider of Kher, Teysa, Orzhov ScionTeysa, Orzhov Scion, Endrek Sahr, Master BreederEndrek Sahr, Master Breeder, and Slimefoot, the StowawaySlimefoot, the Stowaway. However, general tribal commanders in black will get phenomenal incidental value from their team dying, such as Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov or Varina, Lich QueenVarina, Lich Queen, though you will have to figure out your own level of comfort playing a card that isn't a member of that tribe in your tribal deck. Going one step further, the Specialist would also be great in Shadowborn ApostleShadowborn Apostles and Rat ColonyRat Colony brews. Oh, and to the Grismold the DreadsowerGrismold the Dreadsower players out there? The ones who love their Plague EngineerPlague Engineer effects to create and kill tons of Plant tokens every turn? Go nuts, my friends!

Titan Hunter

This card is kind of a trap. It looks good in Aristocrats decks that love to sacrifice their own creatures, but those decks already have plenty more sacrifice outlets that don't cost any mana to use. In fact, they usually provide mana to flit away their creatures. Not only that, but Aristocrats lists like sacrificing their own creatures during other players' turns, rendering this end step trigger moot. Maybe use this in a Mogis, God of SlaughterMogis, God of Slaughter or other such punisher deck to throw extra gas on the fire, but even those probably have more reliable damage sources than this.

Verge Rangers

Verge RangersVerge Rangers is a decent way to give card advantage to mono-white. About 40% of the time we will have a land on top and will be able to "draw a card" with this ability. At that rate, I'm not excited about drawing a card less than every other turn, but it's white, so I guess we'll take what we can get. That said, in combination with some topdeck manipulation like Scroll RackScroll Rack, Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top, or shuffle effects, we could get more value out of this.

Yennett, Cryptic SovereignYennett, Cryptic Sovereign and Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter may appreciate having another way to peek at the top, but I don't know if that is enough to warrant a card slot, as Future SightFuture Sight is only played in 7% of Aminatou decks and 28% of Yennett decks. This is certainly a card worth talking about, and will likely make the most impact in mono-white and Boros decks, but not everyone seems excited by this Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix knockoff. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Bonder's Ornament

I appreciate the repeatable, if expensive, card draw tacked on, and the potential for politics. If you think about this as a ManalithManalith (in 6,100 decks) with a Jayemdae TomeJayemdae Tome stapled to it, it might sound okay. If an ally has a Bonder's OrnamentBonder's Ornament, too, you can make a deal to help each other draw cards. However, that line of thinking comes with the very real downside that a player you don't want to give cards has a Bonder's OrnamentBonder's Ornament, as well. I think this will be very interesting in the environment of playing the preconstructed decks against each other. Outside of that, we won't be able to count on enough people running this to get political value out of it. If you're running a ManalithManalith, this could be a mild upgrade, but we're also getting reprints of the Signets, so consider those first.

Summary

All in all, this deck looks very fun to play. It's crafted very well and is plenty synergistic, while leaving some room for improvements. Taking a look at the stats, we have 9 ramp spells, 10-12 draw spells, 8-10 removal/interaction spells, 3 board wipes, and 36 lands. I think Wizards did a great job with their proportions here (and no, they aren't paying me to say that). Many of the new commanders and cards in the 99 are spicy enough to make an impact on the format. Reprint-wise, I'm sure we'll always want more, but there are several gems here, including Knight of the White OrchidKnight of the White Orchid, SkullclampSkullclamp, all of the Signets, and some decent dual lands, including Path of AncestryPath of Ancestry.

I'm a bit sad, for flavor and theme, that General Kudro of DrannithGeneral Kudro of Drannith was left out, since he's our main commander's father. Add him to your Jirina deck immediately!

What do you think of the Ruthless Regiment precon deck? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comics from the legendary Bill Watterson that I think embodies the bonder/companion theme of this set.

Jevin Lortie

Jevin Lortie has been playing magic on and off since Portal. He has a PhD in nutritional sciences, so he always tells people to get a healthy serving of fruits and vegetables – especially ramp-les and draw-nanas.