Pinnacle EmissaryPinnacle Emissary | Art by Alejandro Pacheco 

Two-Headed Giant has been my favorite way to play Commander for a while now. My local game store has been hosting regular events for Two-Headed Giant Commander for the last several years, and in that time I've gotten to learn a lot about the format. Recently, I got to participate in one of those events, but with a catch: the only permitted commanders are ones first printed in Edge of Eternities. In this dual deck tech, I'll be taking a look at the Mm'menon, Uthros ExileMm'menon, Uthros Exile and Szarel, Genesis ShepherdSzarel, Genesis Shepherd decks I built for that event.

How Do Mm'menon and Szarel Work Together?

Mm'menon, Uthros ExileMm'menon, Uthros Exile and Szarel, Genesis ShepherdSzarel, Genesis Shepherd are two commanders that have one thing in common: they can put +1/+1 counters on creatures their owner doesn't control. In a Two-Headed Giant game, the two of them go back and forth placing counters on one another. Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield on the Mm'menon side, Mm'menon can put a counter on Szarel. Then, whenever a nontoken permanent is sacrificed on the Szarel side, he can put counters equal to his power onto Mm'menon.

Games of Two-Headed Giant are much, much faster than four-player free-for-alls. These decks, with aggressive mulligan choices, are capable of producing a commander damage win as early as turn four or five. The general gameplan for these decks is powering out the commanders as fast as possible, protecting them with free counter magic, and closing out the game with two commanders coming across for lethal damage in the air.

Key Cards for Mm'menon and Szarel

Mm'menon, Uthros Exile

The Mm'menon player's job is to put as many artifacts into play as possible as quickly as possible. Token-generators, like Pinnacle EmissaryPinnacle Emissary, Third Path IconoclastThird Path Iconoclast, and Saheeli, Sublime ArtificerSaheeli, Sublime Artificer, grant additional Mm'menon triggers by producing artifact tokens in exchange for casting either noncreature or artifact spells.

Paradoxical OutcomeParadoxical Outcome is a Vintage staple that is at its best here. With a couple of this deck's many cost-reducers in play, Paradoxical OutcomeParadoxical Outcome can return a horde of artifacts to hand and then immediately begin slamming them back onto the board.

With four opponents, narrow cards like Pithing NeedlePithing Needle or Disruptor FluteDisruptor Flute are difficult to extract value from. However, with only two opponents, it becomes much easier to name a card that disarms the opposing team. In one of our matches, a turn-one Disruptor FluteDisruptor Flute naming an opposing commander effectively ended a game before it had even started. Add on the fact that Mm'menon doesn't actually care what the artifacts entering the battlefield do, and these cards are a natural inclusion.

Szarel, Genesis Shepherd

The Szarel player's job is to leverage Szarel's Crucible of WorldsCrucible of Worlds ability to recur Strip MineStrip Mine and WastelandWasteland and keep the opposing team off balance. Well over half the time that this deck casts a tutor like Scheming SymmetryScheming Symmetry, Summer BloomSummer Bloom is the target. Playing three additional lands with Strip MineStrip Mine in circulation, particularly in the early stages of the game, can completely shut out one or both of the opposing players.

How Do These Decks Win the Game?

One of the many beauties of Two-Headed Giant is how choosing flexible spells that don't specifically target a creature its owner controls. Jeska, Thrice RebornJeska, Thrice Reborn, Temur Battle RageTemur Battle Rage, and Kessig Wolf RunKessig Wolf Run can target creatures controlled by either team member. This has come up for me in countless games in this format.

Last ChanceLast Chance, and other extra turn spells, are also unique in this format as it allows one player to spend their resources to give both team members an additional turn. Within that paradigm, Last ChanceLast Chance is effectively a Time StretchTime Stretch.

Commander damage is this deck's plan A through Y. However, making a Marit Lage token is a pretty solid plan Z. With only one opposing life total to chew through, the Dark DepthsDark Depths plan is much more realistic than in free-for-all Commander. Both decks are capable of doing so, with one copy of Thespian's StageThespian's Stage with each. Dark DepthsDark Depths is only included in Szarel, due to that deck's ability to easily find it.

Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels is a personal favorite inclusion that can be used to turn a Marit Lage token into a 40/40 with flying, indestructible, and haste the turn it comes into play. Even outside that use case, Xenagos does a perfectly serviceable job doubling Szarel's power to get over the 21 damage threshold a little faster.

Mm'menon, Uthros Exile Commander Decklist

Szarel, Genesis Shepherd Commander Decklist

Conclusion

I'm thrilled to see Wizards of the Coast put a bigger spotlight on Two-Headed Giant. In my opinion, playing Commander in teams of two creates an experience that aligns much more closely what got me hooked on 1v1 Magic way back when. This style of play has a lot of quirks in both deckbuilding and gameplay that are fascinating to me, and I'm looking forward to going more in depth about those quirks while showcasing other successful pairings in articles to come.

The "research" for articles about Two-Headed Giant require me to conscript a second head. I'd be remiss to not mention my second head for this one, Joss. His patience throughout my chaotic deckbuilding and testing process was critical. If you're interested in experiencing a trial by fire, I'd recommend attempting to pilot a Lands deck that you've played three games with through your third ever Magic event. I'm so proud.

For a Szarel, Genesis ShepherdSzarel, Genesis Shepherd deck constructed for free-for-all play, I'd recommend my article covering my new favorite Insect, and for Mm'menon, Uthros Exile, I recommend Tyler Bucks' article where he builds a Mm'menon deck for less than $20.