Hey everyone! Are you looking for a tribe that's currently flying under the radar, yet can succeed against most of today's top decks? Do you like creatures that have all sorts of cool abilities and enable dozens of different builds and archetypes within the same tribe? If so, look no further than Humans. Humans have been a very common creature type in Magic, and because of that along with some recent printings, there is finally enough support in Modern to spawn full Human tribal decks. Even your sideboard gets to have Humans in it! So what makes the tribe tick? Lets take a look:
The Core - cards you can't play a Humans deck without
Champion of the ParishW
+Has potential to grow very large very quickly with the right draw
+In many opening hands, this provides the most aggressive start
-Most effective when played early; not a good top deck
Thalia's Lieutenant1W
+Pumps team on ETB
+Lord effect remains even after he is removed
+Has potential to grow very large
-Feels bad to play on an empty board Play Note: In some situations, it may be correct to play this card before another Human card that is less likely to attack, like a Noble Hierarch or Mayor of Avabruck. Growing Lieutenant can be more important than growing a creature that is unlikely to be an attacker.
These two cards are the common thread between all the different Human builds. It is all but mandatory to run 4 of each in any Humans deck.
The Supporting Cast - These cards are the reasons to be running their respective colors/archetype
Kytheon, Hero of AkrosW
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Mayor of Avabruck1G
+Buffs other humans played both before and after him
+An unanswered, flipped Mayor can take over grindy games with 3/3 tokens
-Best in decks that go wide but still have good card draw (Thraben Inspector, Dark Confidant, Duskwatch Recruiter)
-As a 1/1 he is very fragile and does not help against damage or toughness-based sweepers
-Can flip at inconvenient times Play Note: Sometimes it can be correct to simply not play anything on your turn, allowing Mayor to flip even if you have cards to play. Getting the token engine started can be very powerful in some situations
Anafenza, The ForemostWBG
+Her 4/4 body is above curve and she enters beyond the reach of Bolt / Anger of the Gods
+Helps the rest of your team to slowly grow
+Graveyard hate ability shuts down some graveyard-based strategies (Melira combo, Living End, Sun Titan etc), but may come in too late to stop Dredge or Grishoalbrand. Best if played on turn 2 in those matchups (and you will still need some sideboard slots for these matchups).
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Color requirements conflict with Mantis Rider unless running 5 colors Play Note: If there are no attackers to swing with Anafenza, a mana dork which has been tapped/used pre-combat can be the recipient of the attack trigger
Xathrid Necromancer2B
+Helps you grind against destruction-based point removal and sweepers
+Technically passes the "Bolt Test" as he replaces himself when bolted
-Not useful against exiling removal: Path, Anger of the Gods, Ugin/Karn
-His 2/2 grounded body exerts poor pressure Play Note: This card means that Collected Company in response to a removal spell can be a very good play, especially if you hit two of these
Kitesail Freebooter1B
+Great against a wide swath of decks, being able to pick off sweepers, combo pieces and removal
+Evasive
-Can be a very slow clock when not backed up by a lord
-Opponent gets card back when they kill it Play Note: Running a playset of this card in a list also makes Meddling Mage a worthy consideration for the main deck configuration when running in the necessary colors.
Mantis RiderURW
+Flying, Haste, Vigilance 3/3 is both a good beater and a good blocker against aggro
+Efficient stats make for an ideal topdeck that helps even when you're behind
+Great when cast on turn 2 off of a Noble Hierarch thanks to exalted
-Color intensive, likely need to shock yourself or have a Cavern of Souls to play on curve
-Typical 3-drop potential for tempo blowouts against Bolt/Push/Path, but is at least able to attack on the turn it is played
Reflector Mage1WU
+Generally good tempo vs creature-heavy decks
+Bounce effect is especially useful against large Delve or Eldrazi creatures, and bypasses "on death" triggers
+Allows for great sideboarding flexibility where there are some problematic creatures to deal with, but not enough to make dedicated Path to Exile slots worthwhile
-Gives the opponent another ETB or on-cast trigger
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-3 mana bounce effect can sometimes be too slow against hyper aggressive strategies
-A grounded 2/3 may be mediocre for more aggressive builds
Burning-Tree Emissary(R/G)(R/G)
+"Free" spell that gives you RG back
+Allows for very explosive opening hands
+Useful for dumping your hand quickly, letting you cast one more card off of Collected Company, or getting G mana through Blood Moon
-RG mana that's produced requires some building-around to be useful
-Grounded 2/2 body not a great attacker on its own
Other Notable Maindeck Cards - These cards flesh out the rest of the creature package and allow for tuning a list to do what you want it to do
Noble HierarchG
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
+The best way to attack through an Ensnaring Bridge
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Avacyn's PilgrimG
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+1 point of power occasionally relevant over Hierarch
-No exalted and only producing white means this is only copies 5-6 of Hierach if you really want the acceleration
Warden of the First TreeG
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to an 8/8 trample lifelink (13 mana total)
+Level up ability is useful for applying more board pressure without overcommitting into sweepers
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Poorly timed level ups can result in severe tempo loss, but level ups can be done at instant speed to mitigate risk
Student of WarfareW
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to a 4/4 double-strike (8 mana total)
+Level up ability is useful for applying more board pressure without overcommitting into sweepers
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Level ups can only be done at sorcery speed, making this card more vulnerable to severe tempo loss/blowout.
-Requires large amounts of W, only fits in Mono-White, or very slight splashes
Soldier of the PantheonW
+Aggressive 2/1 body with upside is above curve
+Protection is ocassionaly relevant
+Lifegain ability can be slightly helpful against burn
-Poor topdeck
Thraben InspectorW
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Provides card advantage, making this a good draw at nearly any point of the game
-Starts at 1 power, may not be your most aggressive start
Boros EliteW
+Can potentially attack as a 3/3
-"Win-more": needs two other creatures on the board attacking with it to have good stats (ok vs linear, bad vs interactive)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
Experiment OneG
+Can grow to 3/3+ without further mana investment
+Can survive sweepers and destruction-based point removal by removing 2 counters
-Requires other creatures that enter with high stats / bad with creatures that enter as 1/1
-Poor topdeck
Bloodsoaked ChampionB
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Can grind against destruction-based removal
-Cannot block
-Raid ability timing (second main phase) slightly awkward with playing humans first main phase for Champ/Lt
Grim LavamancerR
+Repeatable removal good against small creatures like Burn, Infect, Dorks, Bob, Snappy etc.
+Direct damage can help close out some locked games
-Requires graveyard fodder and open R mana, both of which can be somewhat limited in Human builds
-Non-aggressive body
Icatian JavelineersW
+One-time ping effect is good against decks with important X/1s, can also give direct damage
-1/1 body needs support to do much
Monastery SwiftspearR
+Haste and 1/2 body is already above curve
+Potentially a 2/3 if you cast a spell per turn
-May not have enough non-creature spells to support Prowess well / must build around
-Clashes with Champ/Lt/Thalia design direction
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben1W
+Forces many non-aggro decks to play 1-2 turns behind as they try to set up or stabilize
+Usually draws removal away from your other threats
-Easily answered by any removal spell
-Because tax is symmetric, can create problems casting our own spells, especially Collected Company, Path to Exile and Gather the Townsfolk
-Her 2/1 First Strike body and ability can become irrelevant / outclassed against creature-heavy matchups
-Occasional legendary awkwardness
Dark Confidant1B
+Card advantage, especially useful for grindier match-ups
-Painful, softens you to burn, requires Black and a lean curve
-2/1 body can be irrelevant and easily removed Play Note: After much testing, it is widely accepted to be a trap card; you'll often lose to your own Dark Confidant and it greatly hurts in damage races. Builds with lifegain would probably be the most suited for this card, but as of this writing, no such build has surfaced.
Metallic Mimic2
+Gives all creatures that enter after it a counter that persists even if Mimic is removed
+Colorless casting cost makes it easy to cast in any list
-Must be in your starting hand & cast Turn 2 for full value, does not give the other entering creature a counter as a CoCo hit
-2/1 body is more aggressive than Mayor but still squishy
-Softens you to artifact removal and grows Tarmogoyf
Hamlet Captain1G
+Gives all attackers or defenders +1/+1 regardless of when they entered
+Starting stats of 2/2 is as good as it gets for human lords
-Buff can be slow; must wait until he can attack the turn after playing
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Accorder Paladin1W
+Battlecry can give you lots of power on a wide field
-Squishy, you will probably only attack once without some kind of support
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy1U
+Looting effect aids deck consistency -- humans don't have many other options for filtering
+Flipped Jace can help grind against interactive matches by re-casting CoCo or other spells
-Your deck needs a minimum of 8 spells as flashback targets
-His 0/2 body is bad in matchups where you need to apply pressure rather than grind
Skyship Plunderer1U
+Evasive 2/1 flyer can be a good beater & decent topdeck
+Counter ability can buff Champ/Lt for faster clock, refresh your energy for Brawler, or otherwise help with counters
-Softens you to ping effects
Duskwatch Recruiter1G
+Mana sink for card draw on a human body -- not many mana sinks in human tribe
+Syngerizes with Mayor to still get a buff on both flip sides
+Works great when trying to find "toolbox" creatures like Reflector Mage and Izzet Staticaster
-Can flip at inopportune times
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Voltaic BrawlerRG
+Highly efficient and evasive beater, 4/3 trample for 2 mana
-Limited energy for pumps
-May be somewhat color intensive
Lightning Mauler1R
+Can give self and/or another human haste
+Alongside Burning-Tree Emissary, enables very explosive starts
-2/1 grounded body is somewhat fragile for attack
Abbot of Keral Keep1R
+Can sometimes give you a free extra card
+Can be a 3/2 if you play a spell each turn
-Must build deck with lots of non-creature spells, conflicting with Champ/Lt
-Bad play on turn 2, wait until Turn X to play, where X = your top CMC + 2
-Flipped card, even if castable, may not be useful on the turn it's flipped
Kari Zev, Skyship Raider1R
+Difficult to block
+Adds to the board when attacking
+The created token is a good revolt enabler, which may be relevant in some builds
-Only 1 base power
-Can't play too many due to legendary rule
Grand AbolisherWW
+Slows down instant speed decks, effectively turns off counterspells
-Color intensive casting cost
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Saffi EriksdotterGW
+Can act as a psuedo-spellskite to protect key cards
+Cards returned to the battlefield trigger ETB abilities again
-Cards returned to the battlefield lose any counters they had
-Only protects against non-exile death
-Legendary status can occasionally present awkwardness
Grim FlayerBG
+Could be a 4/4 trample
+Potential to "super-scry" when he connects
-Awkward in human archetype, you cannot support Champ/Lt with enough humans and also trigger delirium in a manner that's fast or reliable
Hanweir Militia Captain1W
+Can potentially be a large creature that poops out more tokens
-"Win-more" only flips if you already control four creatures
-Slow, checks for flip only on upkeep
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Knight of the Holy NimbusWW
+Hard to remove
+Difficult for the opponent to block
-In some cases/matchups, is simply a 2/2 Grizzly Bear
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner1B
+Quasi-evasive 2/1 Menace can be an ok beater
+Optional card draw at 1 life might be less painful than Dark Confidant
-Unless you have more Energy support, you won't draw a card until two turns after you've played her
Skinshifter1G
+Able to be aggressive, evasive or defensive depending on situation
+Growing to 4 or 8 toughness for 1 mana helps against burn spells
-Requires mana to activate each time
-Can only be activated once per turn
-1/1 base body is very small
Lyev Skyknight1WU
+A decent beater, 3 power with flying
+"Pithing needle" ETB ability lets you temporarily interact with non-creature permanents
-1 toughness can be problematic against X/1 flyers or ping effects
Fiend Hunter | Banisher Priest1WW
+Indefinitely exiles creature rather than bouncing, *might* keep something off the board longer than Reflector mage
-Can be instantly removed to neutralize exile effect, unreliable against decks with more than 4 removal spells
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-3 mana exile effect can sometimes be too slow against hyper aggressive strategies
-Usually won't attack at all in order to stay alive and maintain exile
Knight of the Reliquary1GW
+Can enter as a 4/4+ and grow from there
+Can alternatively be used as a dork
+Allows you to tutor specific lands (Gavony Township, Ghost Quarter, etc) if there's room in your manabase
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, Forests, and Plains
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Sometimes enters as a 2/2 for 3 mana
Tireless Tracker2G
+Can grow to 5/4+ while also generating Clue Tokens for card advantage
+Works very will in conjunction with Knight of the Reliquary
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
Eternal Witness1GG
+Re-buying Collected Company can be back-breaking in grindy matchups
+Can target any card in your graveyard
-2/1 body is not very aggressive Play Note: Don't be afraid to grab a fetchland back if you're in need of mana
Renegade Rallier1GW
+Returning a 2-drop permanent directly to the battlefield can give great tempo
+Can also ramp by returning a fetch
+3/2 body is still fairly aggressive for a grinding tool
-Requires building your list with lots of revolt enablers and high impact 2-drops
-Cannot re-buy CoCo
-Worse at grinding vs. Exile-based removal compared to Witness in CoCo builds Play Note: Don't be afraid to grab a fetchland back if you're in need of mana
Thalia, Heretic Cathar2W
+Heavily taxes greedy manabases, neutralizes haste and taps down new blockers for a turn
+3/2 First Strike body is ok in aggressive builds
-Most effective when played as early as possible, best paired with acceleration for play on Turn 2
Hanweir Garrison2R
+Produces two 1/1 human tokens each time it attacks, rapidly buffing Champ/Lt and developing your board
+Helps turn the corner when coming from behind
-Without support, the 1/1 tokens are easily chumpable
-Due to lack of evasion, may not get a chance to attack and generate tokens if outclassed by opposing midrange beaters
-Somewhat slow, no ETB / immedaite ability, haste, or on-death value for a 3-drop. Can easily be killed after providing no value.
Liliana, Heretical Healer1BB
+Lifelink helps against burn somewhat
+Slowly grinds out value against non-exile removal once she flips
-Requires double black to cast
Rogue Refiner1GU
+Draws a card on ETB
+Decently aggressive body
-Only 2 toughness
-Need cards that use energy in order to get the best value
Sideboard - One of my favorite parts about playing Humans is that it is possible to sideboard for a wide array of decks without having to stray from the core gameplan. Over-boarding can be an issue for many decks, but that's much less of a risk for us thanks to these cards:
Izzet Staticaster1UR
+Ping effect is devastating against tokens, X/1s, Affinity, Infect, etc.
+Even good against Dredge
+Haste and flash make her slightly less clunky than Reflector mage in some matchups
-0/3 body keeps this card relegated to sideboards in most cases
Kambal, Consul of Allocation1WB
+Great against burn and control decks
-Can sometimes be too slow if not accelerated into
-Irrelevancy in creature matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Orzhov Pontiff1WB
+Great against decks that rely heavily on X/1s
+Extra utility with anthem effect
-Can sometimes be too slow if not accelerated into
-Tiny 1/1 body for 3cmc means that this card is best as a toolbox creature
Sin Collector1WB
+Great against control decks, potentially good against burn
-Irrelevancy in creature matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
War Priest of Thune1W
+Great for dealing with pesky enchantments like Blood Moon and Worship
-Narrow ability keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Manic Vandal2R | Vithian Renegades1RG
+On-strategy artifact removal
-Slower and not as devastating as other artifact hate
Meddling MageWU
+Great for shutting down specific cards, especially combo pieces like Ad Nauseam
+Works great in conjunction with Reflector Mage
-Requires knowledge of opposing deck for best value and isn't good against decks with redundancy, making this card best as a sideboard piece
Magus of the Moon2R
+Can turn off Urza lands, and generally mana-screw opponents
-Easily neutralized compared to Blood Moon, especially by decks running Bolt
-Most practical in WR lists to keep mana denial asymmetric
-Not great against lists that don't run many non basics or are base red
Arashin Cleric1W
+Instant ETB lifegain is very good against burn and aggro
+1/3 body makes for one of the better 2cmc blockers against aggro decks
-1 time lifegain effect can be shut down by Atarka's Command or Skullcrack
-Irrelevant effect in many matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Auriok ChampionWW
+Lifegain over time significantly helps stabilize against Burn
+Protection from Black and Red renders her immune all common removal except Path
-Incremental lifegain can sometimes be too slow
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
-Small 1/1 body and narrow effect make this card best as a sideboard piece
Lantern Scout2W
+Giving team lifelink for a turn can put burn or damage races out of reach
-1 time lifegain effect can be shut down by Atarka's Command or Skullcrack
-Difficult to trigger more than once without other specific cards
True BelieverWW
+Great against decks that target the player (discard, burn)
-Can easily be removed
-Narrow effect keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Repel the Abominable1W
+Great combat trick, damage race tool or damage-based sweeper protection
-Narrow effect keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
There are a lot of cards to choose from...where do I start?
As you can see, you can build anything from blitz aggro Humans to midrange Collected Company Humans, each with plenty of color options to boot - they all have their pros and cons, and having so many different styles means that this is a tribe that can be cheap to get into while also providing varied and powerful upgrade paths down the road. So with that said, how does someone get into playing Humans? Lets look at some example lists - these should all be great starting points, so choose whichever one best suits your playstyle and budget and start experimenting. Also keep in mind that there are builds not covered in this post, so keep looking if you can't quite find the right build!
Note: If you have information on other versions of Humans that you think should be in the primer, let me know! Give me a full rundown of the deck (pros, cons, card choices etc) and I'll be glad to add it.
Aggro Humans - These decks are all about going wide, going fast and getting the opponent dead.
This is the place to start for anyone wanting to dip their toes into this archetype. The deck is lean, fast, and goes wide quick. It's cheap to build and has some very good upgrade paths, as we'll see in the following lists. The sideboard is also pretty good at covering the bad matchups, which can be tough with a lower powered budget list.
Pros:
- It's solid, consistent and fast.
- The mana base is as good as it gets
- Good sideboard options
- Decent card draw with Thraben Inspector
Cons:
- Weak to counter spells
- Weak to sweepers
- Weak to heavy removal decks
- Sometimes draws too many spells and not enough creatures
**Please note that this is a budget version. If budget allows, upgrading the mana base with cards like Cavern of Souls and Horizon Canopy is highly recommended and will help alleviate some of the cons.
This is where things start getting more legitimately competitive, in my opinion. We're now running Cavern of Souls, which is an absolute house against counter spell decks. The creature power level increases with additions like Warden of the First Tree and Mayor of Avabruck, both of which can both take over a game by themselves when left unchecked. Accorder Paladin has been upgraded to Hamlet Captain as well. To go along with those changes, Brave the Elements has been swapped out for Blossoming Defense in order to be able to protect our new green creatures. This can be either an upgrade or a downgrade depending on the situation, but overall the change is a wash; I consider this a flex spot that can change based on personal preference. I personally prefer Blossoming Defense in this list, but arguments can be made for Brave the Elements as well. Also, this list is quite easy to budget-ize and slowly morph into a fully fleshed out list.
Pros:
- Better creatures
- Very easy to upgrade into from the original mono white list
- Mana base is still smooth and consistent, but also more powerful with cards like Cavern of Souls and Horizon Canopy
- Not as weak to counter spells
- Slightly improved sideboard
Cons:
- More expensive
- Mostly the same matchup weaknesses as mono white
If you've gotten to the G/W list and think you need just a little more oomph while keeping the pure aggro plan, there are still options:
Splashing black opens the door for two cards that help this strategy a lot: Dark Confidant and Thoughtseize. Dark Confidant is great here because he barely slows down the beats while providing much needed fuel. Not only that, but his drawback is pretty much as low as it ever can be in a deck, considering it will never cost more than 2 life in the maindeck configuration. Thoughtseize out of the sideboard is also very key, because it helps snipe very important cards that are otherwise hard to answer - stuff like sweepers, combo pieces and big planeswalkers. These two changes improve several matchups while leaving the beatdown plan intact. Sure, it will usually be just a smidge slower than the GW build, but I find the added power level and better matchups more than worth it.
Pros:
- Improved matchups against control/Tron/combo when compared to Mono White and Green/White
- Card draw in an aggro deck - yummy
- Mana is still solid. Despite being 3 colors, it's still not pressing on any one color.
Cons:
- More expensive than Green/White
- Worse against burn
- Very slightly slower than previous builds
If you want a faster aggro deck, then Boros/Naya is a great choice. This deck utilizes Burning-Tree Emissary to enable very explosive starts and put the opponent on the back foot ASAP.
Pros:
- Very fast starts
- Plenty of burn options for closing games out without creature combat
Cons:
- Colored mana can be awkward, mostly around Burning-Tree Emissary
- No card draw, unlike other versions
If you don't like any of those options (or, conversely, you like ALL of those options) and want to just jam all the things, then grab some rainbow lands and go 5 color! This list 5-0'd a Competitive Modern MTGO league and plans to go all in with the best aggressive creatures that the Human tribe has to offer.
Pros:
- Absurdly fast & redundant
- Evasive attackers with Mantis Rider
- Consistent colored mana
- Wide open sideboard options
Cons:
- Manabase can be very painful
- Only 1 Path to Exile for large creatures in game 1
These aggro lists are great and all, but lets say you want some more mid and late game sustainability. What now? Well...we do what any other creature heavy deck does - we move to Collected Company. This is where things get even more fun because the build avenues broaden greatly, but if you're really wanting to build a proper CoCo list, you can't worry too much about budget; that's what the aggro lists are for. Luckily, if you've done the W -> GW -> Abzan upgrade path described above, there is a CoCo option for that that does not require a lot of new stuff. If you want something totally different from those lists, there are also options there as well.
Collected Company Humans - These decks look to provide more mid and lategame sustainability. Don't fret, however; these decks still get the beatdowns goin' quick!
As you can see, a lot of the characters (and most importantly, lands) from the Abzan Aggro list make a return, which makes this a very natural upgrade path. Out of all the Collected Company lists I have built, this one has by far the smoothest mana base thanks to being 3 colors. In fact, I think Abzan is the only 3 color combination that can really stand on its own without a 4th color (maybe Bant, but it's hard to justify not running Mantis Rider at that point). Aside from Collected Company being a huge upgrade in terms of power level over the aggro lists, we get some really cool 3 drops both in the main and in the side.
Pros:
- Robust, hard to deal with 3 drops
- Lots of built in card advantage
- Negates a lot of spot removal and sweepers
- Surprisingly smooth, low-pain mana. This list can usually run off of fetched basics without worry.
- Great sideboard creatures
Cons:
- Not quite as interactive or evasive as the other Company lists
- Dark Confidant hurts sometimes
If you're either burnt out or not interested in these G/W/x lists, there are STILL some options! Some of the best Humans in modern are in Blue and Red, so lets take a look!
This was my favorite list for a long time until the printing of Kitesail Freebooter, due to the sheer number of angles it attacks from. It's aggressive, but can back it up with card advantage. There's evasion and tempo. It has a sideboard that can be easily tuned for any meta. It doesn't have issues with clogged boards like the Abzan list does, and is able to better fight against the top of the opponent's deck with Negate as opposed to Thoughtseize out of the sideboard. Reflector Mage allows you to shave Path to Exile post board and still be able to deal with creatures. The 2 and 3 drops are very evasive and difficult to block, which is exacerbated when Thalia, Heretic Cathar is on the battlefield. There is a lot to like here. This list is an evolution of a similar list demonstrated by Frank Lepore and Craig Wescoe on YouTube, so feel free to check those videos out if you'd like to see it in action.
The list in the YouTube videos also went 5-0 in an MTGO Competitive Modern league, as noted in this article
Pros:
- 2 drops are aggressive and very difficult to block
- 3 drops are aggressive, evasive and provide tempo
- Access to Reflector Mage greatly improves flexibility when sideboarding
- Sideboard options galore
Cons:
- Mana can be clunky at times, but smart and calculated fetching is usually able to overcome it. Bad fetching can ruin a game, however.
- Not as good against removal and sweepers as the Abzan list
- No good disruption against sweepers
This is the current generally preferred shell for Humans, thanks to the printing of Kitesail Freebooter. The ability to maintain the typical aggressive Human beatdowns while proactively disrupting the opponent with cards like Kitesail Freebooter and Meddling Mage make this build very strong and well rounded against such a wide format like Modern. Sideboard options like Sin Collector further improve the strategy post-board.
Pros:
- Lots of built-in widely relevant disruption
- "Accidental" creature graveyard hate with Anafenza
- Further disruption available in the sideboard
Cons:
- Some of the good red sideboard cards are a little more difficult to work with
- Not as fast or evasive as Bant Red, which can lead to some struggles in creature matchups that get clogged on the ground
- Takes a lot of time and practice to get the most out of Meddling Mage
Why not play some other Collected Company Deck?
While there are other Collected Company options in modern, some even with built in combos, Humans provide some advantages. Compared to an Abzan combo list, for example, Humans get much larger and can much more easily push through damage without relying on a combo. It's not uncommon for a Human CoCo deck to simply overrun opposing CoCo decks. Depending on the particular color choice and build, some Humans lists can not only push through damage easier, but have better creature interaction thanks to cards like Reflector Mage. Reflector Mage is particularly great since his effect isn't completely undone by a removal spell, like with other cards like Fiend Hunter. Compared with a Naya Company list, Humans decks can often provide more card advantage via cards like Dark Confidant, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and Duskwatch Recruiter while stil being able to go toe to toe on the ground with lords, Champion and Reflector Mage or taking to the air with Mantis Rider. Cavern of Souls is also something that shouldn't be overlooked. Being able to play creatures into open blue mana is a huge boon over most other CoCo lists, especially when many of our creatures have great ETB effects attached. And unlike CoCo Elves, Humans don't rely so heavily on a single card like Elves does on Ezuri, Renegade Leader.
I'm not convinced with Xathrid Necromancer at the moment. It's great in theory, but with Anger of the Gods generally being favoured as a sweeper, it does lose quite a bit of its resiliency over a meta of Wraths and Pyroclasms.
I'm not convinced with Xathrid Necromancer at the moment. It's great in theory, but with Anger of the Gods generally being favoured as a sweeper, it does lose quite a bit of its resiliency over a meta of Wraths and Pyroclasms.
Unfortunately, there isn't really a great way for Humans to avoid Anger of the Gods, which is why Anafenza, the Foremost is a valuable card to run. Brave the Elements isn't used as much in multicolored lists, so you'd be looking for stuff like counter spells or protection like Heroic Intervention. Outside of Anger, though, Necromancer is fantastic, so it's hard to dismiss a card based on a single sweeper.
Not sure I will add all of these, as we only have so much room, but several of those will certainly make the cut - we should try to weed out the best ones.
EDIT: Added many of these to the primer. Will add more later.
There are also "5C Aggro" versions as well, they are actually the only versions that posted results (a couple of 5-0 leagues) as far as I've seen
I will definitely add some more color combination coverage, thanks for the ideas. I do think we need to be selective about which ones we add, however. There are so many versions of Humans that it will be next to impossible to have lists for every single possibility. Some of the lists and card suggestions in the primer right now give a pretty clear idea of what a GW Company list would look like, for example, so that may be redundant. But we can certainly add one of needed.
Just a few thoughts:
- why is this primer not linked to the other one? There were a lot of good ideas in the thread, that just disappear here. Most lists appear to be a little suboptimal to me to be honest.
Nobody is going to fully agree on what lists seem "optimal," especially since there aren't any pro-level netdecks for us to base off of. If you're really wanting to be constructive, talk about what parts of the lists are suboptimal and why. Also, my card choices are very well fleshed out and explained in the old thread if you'd like to take a look. As for the link, I did forget to add that, so that will be fixed when I get a chance.
- Mono-White: "Weak to counter spells" Cavern of Souls can also be played here; "Weak to sweepers, Weak to heavy removal decks" but Brave the Elements and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben make this version better against these; "Sometimes draws too many spells and not enough creatures" that's why I wouldn't recommend Gather the Townsfolk in a Thalia-version.
You forgot the word "budget." The list is intended to be an "intro pack" deck for people to get into for cheap. Obviously Cavern of Souls is available for any list, but it also skyrockets the price of the deck. I will add a note to that section for more clarification.
EDIT: Clarification added to primer
Brave the Elements alone is not enough to make the deck good against spot removal and sweepers.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is in almost every list, and is very important against decks that Humans are generally bad against. The rare nombo with our spells is a small price to pay compared to the upside we get in several matchups.
- versions have pros and cons, when you just say "better match-ups" in general, it's not really true for all. For example, how has the 3-color list with Confidant and painful manabase a better Burn match-up than Mono-White?
I didn't mean to imply that ALL matchups are better. The little bit you give up against burn (which still isn't a terrible matchup by any means) is more than made up for against decks that Humans legitimately struggle against, like control, Tron, combo etc. I will do better to explain this in the primer.
EDIT: Wording updated in primer to provide better specifics.
-> Sry, but I just can't agree with this part. Maybe this is your opinion, but a lot of creature decks don't play Coco. It's just another type of deck. Can't generalize that Coco creature decks are always better than non-Coco. Just like you can't say midrange is always better than aggro.
[snip]
EDIT: Wording updated in primer to not include opinion.
Also, maybe you could include some words about what makes Human Coco better than other Coco decks like Abzan Coco, Bant, Elves... (I see that it can be very aggressive as well, but the others all include more angles like combo finishes etc)
Good idea; I will add a section about that.
EDIT: Section added to primer. Can be edited if anyone has other/better reasoning.
- Personally, I'm still on Boros because I love how Bolt strengthens the superfast matchups which otherwise are just faster than humans), Moon fixes several of the other horror-matchups and Hanweir Garrison is maybe easy to remove (like all other humans) and does nothing when ETB, but just wins if it sticks in the right build (Metallic Mimic).
I do plan to add a section on Boros/Naya Humans, so I would definitely like some input there. With that said, I'm personally not sold on either Hanweir Garrison or Metallic Mimic since neither do anything on ETB and easily die to removal. Then, even if they survive, they require specific conditions in order to be good. I do think that Boros/Naya are great colors for pure blitz, though. And being able to use Blood Moon and/or Magus of the Moon seems like big game.
Welcome! I actually just added a Naya Aggro list to the Primer earlier today, so definitely take a look! Looks like you're off to a solid start with your Naya list. I really like the inclusion of Atarka's Command; that's a card I've been wanting to try in such a list, since it works very well with how wide Humans decks like to go.
I think at this point you need to make a decision - do you want your deck to have more mid/late game, or do you want to be super aggressive and go under other decks? If it's the latter, you might be better off dropping Collected Company (which already seems risky on 19 lands and doesn't have a ton of payoff cards in the main) for some more low drops, maybe even Thraben Inspector if you so choose. I also think Voltaic Brawler could be a nice addition to your list.
Otherwise, if you want more mid/late game, you're going to want to shop around and find some 3 drops so that you can maximize the value from Collected Company. Cards like Eternal Witness, Tireless Tracker and Renegade Rallier may be your best choices if you're mostly wanting to try a card advantage game, then run something like Knight of the Reliquary alongside them in order to get some staying power on the ground (and he works great with Tracker). At 2cmc, Duskwatch Recruiter can also provide solid card advantage in the mid/late game. Just throwing some ideas out there .
As for revisions I would try to present the cards and decks in a more neutral tone. Don't bother trying to convince people certain cards are objectively better or worse... each card will perform differently depending upon the shell that it's in and the local meta that it's facing. For instance, Reflector Mage could be mediocre in a control-heavy meta, and Dark Confidant could be troublesome in metas with more burn / fast aggro or too costly in decks with painful manabases. And so forth. After you share some tournament successful lists and a few representative brews I would just stick to a reference list of humans, sorted by CMC, neutrally describing what decks or strategies a card helps against, what it synergizes with, and what its limitations, drawbacks, or deckbuilding constraints are. Here are some examples:
Noble HierarchG
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Kytheon, Hero of AkrosW
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Thraben InspectorW
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Clue token is card advantage
+Clue means she can be an ok draw at nearly any point of most matches
-Starting with 1 power makes her not very aggressive
I'm happy to help with more reference notes in the future.
Great notes there; I've been spending a good part of the day today working on the overall language of the post and will continue to do so. It's my first primer, so please excuse some growing pains for the first little bit . I think the biggest challenge with this primer will be keeping the size reasonable, since there isn't just 1 or even 2 solidly "decided on" shells, so there is a ton of ground to cover for all of the options/card choices/etc.
By using "spoiler" drop-down tags (and even tags within tags, perhaps?) you can compress a *lot* of information into a reasonably sized OP. I wouldn't worry about the length too much.
EDIT: I've added notes for almost all of the relevant the humans here, feel free to copy this into to the Primer and fill in any that I've missed:
Noble HierarchG
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Kytheon, Hero of AkrosW
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Thraben InspectorW
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Clue token is card advantage
+Clue means she can be an ok draw at nearly any point of most matches
-Starting with 1 power makes her not very aggressive
Warden of the First TreeG
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to an 8/8 trample lifelink (13 mana total)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Sinking mana into a body can result in removal blowouts but at least it's instant speed
Avacyn's PilgrimG
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+1 point of power occasionally relevant over Hierarch
-No exalted and only producing white means this is only copies 5-6 of Hierach if you really want the acceleration
Student of WarfareW
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to a 4/4 double-strike (8 mana total)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Sinking mana into a body at sorcery speed is vulnerable to blowouts
-Requires large amounts of W, only fits in Mono-White, or very slight splashes
Soldier of the PantheonW
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Lifegain ability can be slightly helpful against burn
Experiment OneG
+Can grow to 3/3+ without further mana investment
+Can survive sweepers and destruction-based point removal by removing 2 counters
-Requires other creatures that enter with high stats / bad with creatures that enter as 1/1
-Poor topdeck
Boros EliteW
+Can potentially attack as a 3/3
-"Win-more": needs two other creatures on the board attacking with it to have good stats (ok vs linear, bad vs interactive)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
Icatian JavelineersW
+One-time ping effect is good against decks with important X/1s, can also give direct damage
-1/1 body needs support to do much
Bloodsoaked ChampionB
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Can grind against destruction-based removal
-Cannot block
-Raid ability timing (second main phase) slightly awkward with playing humans first main phase for Champ/Lt
Grim LavamancerR
+Repeatable removal good against small creatures like Burn, Infect, Dorks, Bob, Snappy etc.
+Direct damage can help close out some locked games
-Requires graveyard fodder and open R mana, both of which can be somewhat limited in Human builds
-Non-aggressive body
Monastery SwiftspearR
+Haste and 1/2 body is already above curve
+Potentially a 2/3 if you cast a spell per turn
-May not have enough non-creature spells to support Prowess well / must build around
-Clashes with Champ/Lt/Thalia design direction
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben1W
+Forces many non-aggro decks to play 1-2 turns behind as they try to set up or stabilize
+Usually draws removal away from your other threats
-Easily answered by any removal spell
-Because tax is symmetric, can create problems casting our own spells, especially CoCo
-Her 2/1 First Strike body and ability can become irrelevant / outclassed against creature-heavy matchups
-Occasional legendary awkwardness
Dark Confidant1B
+Card advantage, especially useful for grindier match-ups
-Painful, softens you to burn, requires Black and a lean curve
Mayor of Avabruck1G
+Buffs other humans played both before and after him
+An unanswered, flipped Mayor can take over grindy games with 3/3 tokens
-Best in decks that go wide but still have good card draw (Thraben Inspector, Dark Confidant, Duskwatch Recruiter)
-As a 1/1 he is very fragile and does not help against red sweepers
-Can flip at inconvenient times
Metallic Mimic2
+Gives all creatures that enter after it a counter that persists even if Mimic is removed
+Colorless casting cost makes it easy to cast in any list
-Must be in your starting hand & cast Turn 2 for full value, does not give the other entering creature a counter as a CoCo hit
-2/1 body is more aggressive than Mayor but still squishy
-Softens you to artifact removal / grows Tarmogoyf
Hamlet Captain1G
+Gives all attackers or defenders +1/+1 regardless of when they entered
+Starting stats of 2/2 is as good as it gets for human lords
-Buff can be slow, must wait until he can attack the turn after playing
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Accorder Paladin1W
+Battlecry can give you lots of power on a wide field
-Squishy, you will probably only attack once without some kind of support
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy1U
+Looting effect aids deck consistency -- humans don't have many other options for filtering
+Flipped Jace can help grind against interactive matches by re-casting CoCo or other spells
-Your deck needs a minimum of 8 spells as flashback targets
-His 0/2 body is bad in matchups where you need to apply pressure rather than grind
Skyship Plunderer1U
+Evasive 2/1 flyer can be a good beater & decent topdeck
+Can buff Champ/Lt for faster clock, refresh your energy for Brawler, or otherwise help with counters
-Softens you to ping effects
Duskwatch Recruiter1G
+Mana sink for card draw on a human body -- not many mana sinks in human tribe
+Syngerizes with Mayor to still get a buff on both flip sides
-It flips when you can't play a card, losing card draw ability and instead reduces the cost of playing cards (which you probably don't have)
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Burning-Tree Emissary(R/G)(R/G)
+"Free" spell that gives you RG back
+Useful for dumping your hand quickly, letting you cast one more card off of CoCo, or getting G mana through Blood Moon
-RG mana that's produced requires some building-around to be useful
-Grounded 2/2 body not a great attacker on its own
Voltaic BrawlerRG
+Highly efficient and evasive beater, 4/3 trample for 2 mana
-Limited energy for pumps
-May be somewhat color intensive
Lightning Mauler1R
+Can give self and/or another human haste
-2/1 grounded body is somewhat fragile for attack
Abbot of Keral Keep1R
+Can sometimes give you a free extra card
+Can be a 3/2 if you play a spell each turn
-Must build deck with lots of non-creature spells, conflicting with Champ/Lt
-Bad play on turn 2, wait until Turn X to play, where X = your top CMC + 2
-Flipped card, even if castable, may not be useful on the turn it's flipped
Auriok ChampionWW
+Lifegain over time significantly helps stabilize against Burn
+Protection from Black and Red renders her immune all common removal except Path
-1/1 body not very aggressive
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
Grand AbolisherWW
+Slows down instant speed decks, effectively turns off counterspells
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
Saffi EriksdotterGW
+Can act as a psuedo-spellskite to protect key cards
+Cards returned to the battlefield trigger ETB abilities again
-Cards returned to the battlefield lose any counters they had
-Only protects against non-exile death
-Legendary status can occasionally present awkwardness
Grim FlayerBG
+Could be a 4/4 trample
+Potential to "super-scry" when he connects
-Awkward in human archetype, you cannot support Champ/Lt with enough humans and also trigger delirium in a manner that's fast or reliable
Hanweir Militia Captain1W
+Can potentially be a large creature that poops out more tokens
-"Win-more" only flips if you already control four creatures
-Slow, checks for flip only on upkeep
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner1B
+Quasi-evasive 2/1 Menace can be an ok beater
+Optional card draw at 1 life might be less painful than Dark Confidant
-Unless you have more Energy support, you won't draw a card until two turns after you've played her
Mantis RiderURW
+Flying, Haste, Vigilance 3/3 is both a good beater and a good blocker against aggro
+Efficient stats make for an ideal topdeck that helps even when you're behind
-Color intensive, likely need to shock yourself to play on curve
-Typical 3-drop potential for tempo blowouts against Bolt/Push/Path
Anafenza, The ForemostWBG
+Her 4/4 body is above curve and she enters beyond the reach of Bolt / Anger of the Gods
+Helps the rest of your team to slowly grow
+Graveyard hate ability shuts down Melira combo, but may come in too late to stop Dredge (See RIP)
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Color requirements conflict with Mantis Rider unless running 5 colors
Lyev Skyknight1WU
+A decent beater, 3 power with flying
+"Pithing needle" ETB ability lets you temporarily interact with non-creature permanents
-1 toughness can be problematic against X/1 flyers or ping effects
Reflector Mage1WU
+Generally good tempo vs creature-heavy decks
+Bounce effect is especially useful against large Delve or Eldrazi creatures, and bypasses "on death" triggers
-Gives the opponent another ETB or on-cast trigger
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-Sorcery speed 3-mana interaction is too clunky to interact with some decks like Infect
-A grounded 2/3 may be mediocre for more aggressive builds
Fiend Hunter1WW
+Indefinitely exiles creature rather than bouncing, *might* keep something off the board longer than Reflector mage
-Can be instantly removed to neutralize exile effect, unreliable against decks with more than 4 removal spells
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-Sorcery speed 3-mana interaction is too clunky to interact with some decks like Infect
-Usually won't attack at all in order to stay alive and maintain exile
Knight of the Reliquary1GW
+Can enter as a 4/4+ and grow from there
+Can alternatively be used as a dork
+Allows you to tutor specific lands (Gavony Township, Ghost Quarter, etc) if there's room in your manabase
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, Forests, and Plains
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Sometimes enters as a 2/2 for 3 mana
Tireless Tracker2G
+Can grow to 5/4+ while also generating Clue Tokens for card advantage
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
Eternal Witness1GG
+Re-buying CoCo can be back-breaking in grindy matchups
+Grab a fetch back if you're stuck at 3 mana and need to cast CoCo
-1/2 body is not very aggressive
Renegade Rallier1GW
+Returning a 2-drop permanent directly to the battlefield can give great tempo
+Can also ramp by returning a fetch
+3/2 body is still fairly aggressive for a grinding tool
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, high impact 2-drops
-Must have fetches, clues, or other means of trigger Revolt late in the game
-Cannot re-buy CoCo
-Worse at grinding vs. Exile-based removal compared to Witness in CoCo builds
Thalia, Heretic Cathar2W
+Heavily taxes greedy manabases, neutralizes haste, and taps down new blockers for a turn
+3/2 First Strike body is ok in aggressive builds
-Most effective when played as early as possible, best paired with acceleration for play on Turn 2
Hanweir Garrison2R
+Produces two 1/1 human tokens each time it attacks, rapidly buffing Champ/Lt and developing your board
+Brings you back from some games you don't have business winning otherwise
-Without support the 1/1 tokens are easily chumpable
-Due to lack of evasion, may not get a chance to attack and generate tokens if outclassed by opposing midrange beaters
-Somewhat slow, no ETB / immedaite ability, haste, or on-death value for a 3-drop
Izzet Staticaster1UR
+Ping effect is devastating against tokens, X/1s, Affinity, Infect, etc.
+Haste and flash make her slightly less clunky than Reflector mage in some matchups
-0/3 body means she won't belong in the main outside of specialized metas
Magus of the Moon2R
+Can turn off Urza lands, and generally mana-screw opponents
-Easily neutralized compared to Blood Moon, especially by decks running Bolt
-Most practical in WR lists to keep mana denial asymmetric
Liliana, Heretical Healer1BB
+Lifelink helps against burn somewhat
+Slowly grinds out value against non-exile removal once she flips
-Requires double black to cast
Xathrid Necromancer 2B
+Helps you grind against destruction-based point removal and sweepers
+Technically passes the "Bolt Test" as he replaces himself when bolted
-Not useful against exiling removal: Path, Anger of the Gods, Ugin/Karn
-His 2/2 grounded body exerts poor pressure
If anyone disagrees with any notes or has points that need to be considered please let me know.
Super awesome, thank you so much for the help. I'm starting to add these to the primer with a few minor edits/extra details. I'm also adding a few "Play Notes" to cards that may have lines of play that aren't obvious to people new to the deck.
Welcome! I actually just added a Naya Aggro list to the Primer earlier today, so definitely take a look! Looks like you're off to a solid start with your Naya list. I really like the inclusion of Atarka's Command; that's a card I've been wanting to try in such a list, since it works very well with how wide Humans decks like to go.
I think at this point you need to make a decision - do you want your deck to have more mid/late game, or do you want to be super aggressive and go under other decks? If it's the latter, you might be better off dropping Collected Company (which already seems risky on 19 lands and doesn't have a ton of payoff cards in the main) for some more low drops, maybe even Thraben Inspector if you so choose. I also think Voltaic Brawler could be a nice addition to your list.
Otherwise, if you want more mid/late game, you're going to want to shop around and find some 3 drops so that you can maximize the value from Collected Company. Cards like Eternal Witness, Tireless Tracker and Renegade Rallier may be your best choices if you're mostly wanting to try a card advantage game, then run something like Knight of the Reliquary alongside them in order to get some staying power on the ground (and he works great with Tracker). At 2cmc, Duskwatch Recruiter can also provide solid card advantage in the mid/late game. Just throwing some ideas out there .
Thanks for feedback - ironically CoCo was the last set of cards I added to the deck and I was wondering whether I needed them for the play style. Although slightly higher CMC I'm quite liking the idea of tireless tracker. My deck runs a number of fetches and with the aim of flooding the board early it means I should be able to still draw as the game prolongs. I'm not entirely convinced with either thraben inspector or voltaic brawler, they seem to not have as much synergy as the rest of the cards in the deck. I'm more likely to consider Brawler for straight beat down....
Also, as my sideboard is pretty much geared up for hatebears/versatility I don't want to change my main board strategy too much.
I also noticed the change to the primer to include Naya list. It seems pretty similar to my list already.
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The curve looks a little wacky: 15x 3-drops and a fifth 4-drop. I'd guess the player must've been expecting a ton of midrange: it's packed to the gills with card draw / recursion, and removal for large creatures. Overall it seems a little clunky to me but maybe it was the right call for the tourney, who knows.
Random thought - has anyone thought about Rogue Refiner? Could there be a Humans deck with an energy sub-theme using it along with Aether Hub and Voltaic Brawler? Maybe 3 mana for a 3/2 body and drawing a card is good enough on its own in some cases? Hmmm...
I've thought about it, but eventually ended up deciding that it wasn't good enough. The problem is that the Rogue Refiner is G/U, Champion of the Parish and Thalia's Lieutenant are White, and all the other energy producing humans are red or black. Of those, the Siphoner is really the only one that benefits significantly from being fed a supply of energy from other sources.
If I was going to try an energy theme, it would be a high curving deck with Aetherworks Marvel instead of collected company, but there really just aren't enough good human energy sources to fuel it reliably, and in that case you'd probably be better off going with Emrakul or something else, and in a non-energy, collected company deck, I'd probably rather take eternal witness to retrieve Collected Company, or Mantis Rider, or Reflector Mage, or Anafenza the Foremost in the 3 mana creature slot.
One thing that I am wondering about though is a B/W hybrid with Soul Sisters.
Deck List:
1CMC Creatures
4x Champion of the Parish
4x Soul Warden
4x Soul's Attendant
Champion of the Parish and Thalia's Lieutenant replace Serra Ascendant and Honor of the Pure as major threats, each threatening to grow extremely large if not answered, with Thalia's Lieutenant buffing other creatures that you control.
With Champion of the Parish, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Ajani's Pridemate all threatening to snowball out of control, and Dark Confidant threatening to give incredible amounts of card advantage, the opponent's spot removal will probably end up quite overtaxed such that they can't answer all 16 of the major issues. Selfless Spirit is there purely for answering sweepers, a good alternative might be Return to the Ranks, which has quite a nice interaction with Thalia's Lieutenant + Humans or Ajani's Pridemate + Soul Sisters due to the simultaneous entry.
Meanwhile, Black/White gives access to both amazing sideboard options, and some versatile main board removal in Anguished Unmaking which can hit the main threats of otherwise problematic decks such as killing an Ugin, Karn, or Nahiri the moment they resolve, along with removing ensnaring bridge, bitterblossom, or just creatures in general.
Without Sera Ascendant, the deck can afford to use its extra life for either card draw on Dark Confidant (which ends up getting you even more life to fuel him since he gives you more monsters), or on Anguished Unmaking, and with nothing in the deck costing more than 2 mana, it can afford to run a low land count. There's something of a nonbo with Lifegain and Gather the Townsfolk's Fateful Hour, but on the other hand, if you do manage to trigger it, being able to heal up from it does somewhat mitigate the usual issue of resolving it, and then just dying since you'll gain 5+ life from it.
On paper it seems like it has some potential to work, but I suspect that in practice it wont. I'll give it a try this Friday regardless.
It's a fun variant and I think it has potential. Have to play much more games to adjust and say for sure though. I put Worship in the SB. Do you like the idea? Or do you think the traditional Norin-sisters deck running Genesis chamber and Ajani's Pridemate is just outright better?
Shared Animosity can be very powerful and finish things quickly. Please try it and tell me your opinion: brutal addition or win-more?
I wonder whether shared animosity could be a good addition to my Naya list - just a one-of. It's difficult to weigh up wether it is worth cutting a creature in order to slot it into the deck.... Thoughts? Could easily replace hardened scales....
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Hey everyone! Are you looking for a tribe that's currently flying under the radar, yet can succeed against most of today's top decks? Do you like creatures that have all sorts of cool abilities and enable dozens of different builds and archetypes within the same tribe? If so, look no further than Humans. Humans have been a very common creature type in Magic, and because of that along with some recent printings, there is finally enough support in Modern to spawn full Human tribal decks. Even your sideboard gets to have Humans in it! So what makes the tribe tick? Lets take a look:
The Core - cards you can't play a Humans deck without
Champion of the Parish W
+Has potential to grow very large very quickly with the right draw
+In many opening hands, this provides the most aggressive start
-Most effective when played early; not a good top deck
Thalia's Lieutenant 1W
+Pumps team on ETB
+Lord effect remains even after he is removed
+Has potential to grow very large
-Feels bad to play on an empty board
Play Note: In some situations, it may be correct to play this card before another Human card that is less likely to attack, like a Noble Hierarch or Mayor of Avabruck. Growing Lieutenant can be more important than growing a creature that is unlikely to be an attacker.
These two cards are the common thread between all the different Human builds. It is all but mandatory to run 4 of each in any Humans deck.
The Supporting Cast - These cards are the reasons to be running their respective colors/archetype
Kytheon, Hero of Akros W
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Gather the Townsfolk 1W
+2 bodies for 2 mana
+Great for pumping Champion of the Parish and Thalia's Lieutenant
+Great with lord/anthem effects
+Great for flipping Kytheon, Hero of Akros
-Does not work with Collected Company; suited for low-curve aggro builds
-Potential awkwardness if also playing Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Mayor of Avabruck 1G
+Buffs other humans played both before and after him
+An unanswered, flipped Mayor can take over grindy games with 3/3 tokens
-Best in decks that go wide but still have good card draw (Thraben Inspector, Dark Confidant, Duskwatch Recruiter)
-As a 1/1 he is very fragile and does not help against damage or toughness-based sweepers
-Can flip at inconvenient times
Play Note: Sometimes it can be correct to simply not play anything on your turn, allowing Mayor to flip even if you have cards to play. Getting the token engine started can be very powerful in some situations
Anafenza, The Foremost WBG
+Her 4/4 body is above curve and she enters beyond the reach of Bolt / Anger of the Gods
+Helps the rest of your team to slowly grow
+Graveyard hate ability shuts down some graveyard-based strategies (Melira combo, Living End, Sun Titan etc), but may come in too late to stop Dredge or Grishoalbrand. Best if played on turn 2 in those matchups (and you will still need some sideboard slots for these matchups).
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Color requirements conflict with Mantis Rider unless running 5 colors
Play Note: If there are no attackers to swing with Anafenza, a mana dork which has been tapped/used pre-combat can be the recipient of the attack trigger
Xathrid Necromancer 2B
+Helps you grind against destruction-based point removal and sweepers
+Technically passes the "Bolt Test" as he replaces himself when bolted
-Not useful against exiling removal: Path, Anger of the Gods, Ugin/Karn
-His 2/2 grounded body exerts poor pressure
Play Note: This card means that Collected Company in response to a removal spell can be a very good play, especially if you hit two of these
Kitesail Freebooter 1B
+Great against a wide swath of decks, being able to pick off sweepers, combo pieces and removal
+Evasive
-Can be a very slow clock when not backed up by a lord
-Opponent gets card back when they kill it
Play Note: Running a playset of this card in a list also makes Meddling Mage a worthy consideration for the main deck configuration when running in the necessary colors.
Mantis Rider URW
+Flying, Haste, Vigilance 3/3 is both a good beater and a good blocker against aggro
+Efficient stats make for an ideal topdeck that helps even when you're behind
+Great when cast on turn 2 off of a Noble Hierarch thanks to exalted
-Color intensive, likely need to shock yourself or have a Cavern of Souls to play on curve
-Typical 3-drop potential for tempo blowouts against Bolt/Push/Path, but is at least able to attack on the turn it is played
Reflector Mage 1WU
+Generally good tempo vs creature-heavy decks
+Bounce effect is especially useful against large Delve or Eldrazi creatures, and bypasses "on death" triggers
+Allows for great sideboarding flexibility where there are some problematic creatures to deal with, but not enough to make dedicated Path to Exile slots worthwhile
-Gives the opponent another ETB or on-cast trigger
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-3 mana bounce effect can sometimes be too slow against hyper aggressive strategies
-A grounded 2/3 may be mediocre for more aggressive builds
Burning-Tree Emissary (R/G)(R/G)
+"Free" spell that gives you RG back
+Allows for very explosive opening hands
+Useful for dumping your hand quickly, letting you cast one more card off of Collected Company, or getting G mana through Blood Moon
-RG mana that's produced requires some building-around to be useful
-Grounded 2/2 body not a great attacker on its own
Other Notable Maindeck Cards - These cards flesh out the rest of the creature package and allow for tuning a list to do what you want it to do
Noble Hierarch G
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
+The best way to attack through an Ensnaring Bridge
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Avacyn's Pilgrim G
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+1 point of power occasionally relevant over Hierarch
-No exalted and only producing white means this is only copies 5-6 of Hierach if you really want the acceleration
Warden of the First Tree G
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to an 8/8 trample lifelink (13 mana total)
+Level up ability is useful for applying more board pressure without overcommitting into sweepers
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Poorly timed level ups can result in severe tempo loss, but level ups can be done at instant speed to mitigate risk
Student of Warfare W
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to a 4/4 double-strike (8 mana total)
+Level up ability is useful for applying more board pressure without overcommitting into sweepers
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Level ups can only be done at sorcery speed, making this card more vulnerable to severe tempo loss/blowout.
-Requires large amounts of W, only fits in Mono-White, or very slight splashes
Soldier of the Pantheon W
+Aggressive 2/1 body with upside is above curve
+Protection is ocassionaly relevant
+Lifegain ability can be slightly helpful against burn
-Poor topdeck
Thraben Inspector W
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Provides card advantage, making this a good draw at nearly any point of the game
-Starts at 1 power, may not be your most aggressive start
Boros Elite W
+Can potentially attack as a 3/3
-"Win-more": needs two other creatures on the board attacking with it to have good stats (ok vs linear, bad vs interactive)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
Experiment One G
+Can grow to 3/3+ without further mana investment
+Can survive sweepers and destruction-based point removal by removing 2 counters
-Requires other creatures that enter with high stats / bad with creatures that enter as 1/1
-Poor topdeck
Bloodsoaked Champion B
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Can grind against destruction-based removal
-Cannot block
-Raid ability timing (second main phase) slightly awkward with playing humans first main phase for Champ/Lt
Grim Lavamancer R
+Repeatable removal good against small creatures like Burn, Infect, Dorks, Bob, Snappy etc.
+Direct damage can help close out some locked games
-Requires graveyard fodder and open R mana, both of which can be somewhat limited in Human builds
-Non-aggressive body
Icatian Javelineers W
+One-time ping effect is good against decks with important X/1s, can also give direct damage
-1/1 body needs support to do much
Monastery Swiftspear R
+Haste and 1/2 body is already above curve
+Potentially a 2/3 if you cast a spell per turn
-May not have enough non-creature spells to support Prowess well / must build around
-Clashes with Champ/Lt/Thalia design direction
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 1W
+Forces many non-aggro decks to play 1-2 turns behind as they try to set up or stabilize
+Usually draws removal away from your other threats
-Easily answered by any removal spell
-Because tax is symmetric, can create problems casting our own spells, especially Collected Company, Path to Exile and Gather the Townsfolk
-Her 2/1 First Strike body and ability can become irrelevant / outclassed against creature-heavy matchups
-Occasional legendary awkwardness
Dark Confidant 1B
+Card advantage, especially useful for grindier match-ups
-Painful, softens you to burn, requires Black and a lean curve
-2/1 body can be irrelevant and easily removed
Play Note: After much testing, it is widely accepted to be a trap card; you'll often lose to your own Dark Confidant and it greatly hurts in damage races. Builds with lifegain would probably be the most suited for this card, but as of this writing, no such build has surfaced.
Metallic Mimic 2
+Gives all creatures that enter after it a counter that persists even if Mimic is removed
+Colorless casting cost makes it easy to cast in any list
-Must be in your starting hand & cast Turn 2 for full value, does not give the other entering creature a counter as a CoCo hit
-2/1 body is more aggressive than Mayor but still squishy
-Softens you to artifact removal and grows Tarmogoyf
Hamlet Captain 1G
+Gives all attackers or defenders +1/+1 regardless of when they entered
+Starting stats of 2/2 is as good as it gets for human lords
-Buff can be slow; must wait until he can attack the turn after playing
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Accorder Paladin 1W
+Battlecry can give you lots of power on a wide field
-Squishy, you will probably only attack once without some kind of support
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 1U
+Looting effect aids deck consistency -- humans don't have many other options for filtering
+Flipped Jace can help grind against interactive matches by re-casting CoCo or other spells
-Your deck needs a minimum of 8 spells as flashback targets
-His 0/2 body is bad in matchups where you need to apply pressure rather than grind
Skyship Plunderer 1U
+Evasive 2/1 flyer can be a good beater & decent topdeck
+Counter ability can buff Champ/Lt for faster clock, refresh your energy for Brawler, or otherwise help with counters
-Softens you to ping effects
Duskwatch Recruiter 1G
+Mana sink for card draw on a human body -- not many mana sinks in human tribe
+Syngerizes with Mayor to still get a buff on both flip sides
+Works great when trying to find "toolbox" creatures like Reflector Mage and Izzet Staticaster
-Can flip at inopportune times
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Voltaic Brawler RG
+Highly efficient and evasive beater, 4/3 trample for 2 mana
-Limited energy for pumps
-May be somewhat color intensive
Lightning Mauler 1R
+Can give self and/or another human haste
+Alongside Burning-Tree Emissary, enables very explosive starts
-2/1 grounded body is somewhat fragile for attack
Abbot of Keral Keep 1R
+Can sometimes give you a free extra card
+Can be a 3/2 if you play a spell each turn
-Must build deck with lots of non-creature spells, conflicting with Champ/Lt
-Bad play on turn 2, wait until Turn X to play, where X = your top CMC + 2
-Flipped card, even if castable, may not be useful on the turn it's flipped
Kari Zev, Skyship Raider 1R
+Difficult to block
+Adds to the board when attacking
+The created token is a good revolt enabler, which may be relevant in some builds
-Only 1 base power
-Can't play too many due to legendary rule
Grand Abolisher WW
+Slows down instant speed decks, effectively turns off counterspells
-Color intensive casting cost
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Saffi Eriksdotter GW
+Can act as a psuedo-spellskite to protect key cards
+Cards returned to the battlefield trigger ETB abilities again
-Cards returned to the battlefield lose any counters they had
-Only protects against non-exile death
-Legendary status can occasionally present awkwardness
Grim Flayer BG
+Could be a 4/4 trample
+Potential to "super-scry" when he connects
-Awkward in human archetype, you cannot support Champ/Lt with enough humans and also trigger delirium in a manner that's fast or reliable
Hanweir Militia Captain 1W
+Can potentially be a large creature that poops out more tokens
-"Win-more" only flips if you already control four creatures
-Slow, checks for flip only on upkeep
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Knight of the Holy Nimbus WW
+Hard to remove
+Difficult for the opponent to block
-In some cases/matchups, is simply a 2/2 Grizzly Bear
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner 1B
+Quasi-evasive 2/1 Menace can be an ok beater
+Optional card draw at 1 life might be less painful than Dark Confidant
-Unless you have more Energy support, you won't draw a card until two turns after you've played her
Skinshifter 1G
+Able to be aggressive, evasive or defensive depending on situation
+Growing to 4 or 8 toughness for 1 mana helps against burn spells
-Requires mana to activate each time
-Can only be activated once per turn
-1/1 base body is very small
Lyev Skyknight 1WU
+A decent beater, 3 power with flying
+"Pithing needle" ETB ability lets you temporarily interact with non-creature permanents
-1 toughness can be problematic against X/1 flyers or ping effects
Fiend Hunter | Banisher Priest 1WW
+Indefinitely exiles creature rather than bouncing, *might* keep something off the board longer than Reflector mage
-Can be instantly removed to neutralize exile effect, unreliable against decks with more than 4 removal spells
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-3 mana exile effect can sometimes be too slow against hyper aggressive strategies
-Usually won't attack at all in order to stay alive and maintain exile
Knight of the Reliquary 1GW
+Can enter as a 4/4+ and grow from there
+Can alternatively be used as a dork
+Allows you to tutor specific lands (Gavony Township, Ghost Quarter, etc) if there's room in your manabase
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, Forests, and Plains
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Sometimes enters as a 2/2 for 3 mana
Tireless Tracker 2G
+Can grow to 5/4+ while also generating Clue Tokens for card advantage
+Works very will in conjunction with Knight of the Reliquary
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
Eternal Witness 1GG
+Re-buying Collected Company can be back-breaking in grindy matchups
+Can target any card in your graveyard
-2/1 body is not very aggressive
Play Note: Don't be afraid to grab a fetchland back if you're in need of mana
Renegade Rallier 1GW
+Returning a 2-drop permanent directly to the battlefield can give great tempo
+Can also ramp by returning a fetch
+3/2 body is still fairly aggressive for a grinding tool
-Requires building your list with lots of revolt enablers and high impact 2-drops
-Cannot re-buy CoCo
-Worse at grinding vs. Exile-based removal compared to Witness in CoCo builds
Play Note: Don't be afraid to grab a fetchland back if you're in need of mana
Thalia, Heretic Cathar 2W
+Heavily taxes greedy manabases, neutralizes haste and taps down new blockers for a turn
+3/2 First Strike body is ok in aggressive builds
-Most effective when played as early as possible, best paired with acceleration for play on Turn 2
Hanweir Garrison 2R
+Produces two 1/1 human tokens each time it attacks, rapidly buffing Champ/Lt and developing your board
+Helps turn the corner when coming from behind
-Without support, the 1/1 tokens are easily chumpable
-Due to lack of evasion, may not get a chance to attack and generate tokens if outclassed by opposing midrange beaters
-Somewhat slow, no ETB / immedaite ability, haste, or on-death value for a 3-drop. Can easily be killed after providing no value.
Liliana, Heretical Healer 1BB
+Lifelink helps against burn somewhat
+Slowly grinds out value against non-exile removal once she flips
-Requires double black to cast
Rogue Refiner 1GU
+Draws a card on ETB
+Decently aggressive body
-Only 2 toughness
-Need cards that use energy in order to get the best value
Sideboard - One of my favorite parts about playing Humans is that it is possible to sideboard for a wide array of decks without having to stray from the core gameplan. Over-boarding can be an issue for many decks, but that's much less of a risk for us thanks to these cards:
Izzet Staticaster 1UR
+Ping effect is devastating against tokens, X/1s, Affinity, Infect, etc.
+Even good against Dredge
+Haste and flash make her slightly less clunky than Reflector mage in some matchups
-0/3 body keeps this card relegated to sideboards in most cases
Kambal, Consul of Allocation 1WB
+Great against burn and control decks
-Can sometimes be too slow if not accelerated into
-Irrelevancy in creature matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Orzhov Pontiff 1WB
+Great against decks that rely heavily on X/1s
+Extra utility with anthem effect
-Can sometimes be too slow if not accelerated into
-Tiny 1/1 body for 3cmc means that this card is best as a toolbox creature
Sin Collector 1WB
+Great against control decks, potentially good against burn
-Irrelevancy in creature matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
War Priest of Thune 1W
+Great for dealing with pesky enchantments like Blood Moon and Worship
-Narrow ability keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Manic Vandal 2R | Vithian Renegades 1RG
+On-strategy artifact removal
-Slower and not as devastating as other artifact hate
Meddling Mage WU
+Great for shutting down specific cards, especially combo pieces like Ad Nauseam
+Works great in conjunction with Reflector Mage
-Requires knowledge of opposing deck for best value and isn't good against decks with redundancy, making this card best as a sideboard piece
Magus of the Moon 2R
+Can turn off Urza lands, and generally mana-screw opponents
-Easily neutralized compared to Blood Moon, especially by decks running Bolt
-Most practical in WR lists to keep mana denial asymmetric
-Not great against lists that don't run many non basics or are base red
Arashin Cleric 1W
+Instant ETB lifegain is very good against burn and aggro
+1/3 body makes for one of the better 2cmc blockers against aggro decks
-1 time lifegain effect can be shut down by Atarka's Command or Skullcrack
-Irrelevant effect in many matchups keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Auriok Champion WW
+Lifegain over time significantly helps stabilize against Burn
+Protection from Black and Red renders her immune all common removal except Path
-Incremental lifegain can sometimes be too slow
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
-Small 1/1 body and narrow effect make this card best as a sideboard piece
Lantern Scout 2W
+Giving team lifelink for a turn can put burn or damage races out of reach
-1 time lifegain effect can be shut down by Atarka's Command or Skullcrack
-Difficult to trigger more than once without other specific cards
True Believer WW
+Great against decks that target the player (discard, burn)
-Can easily be removed
-Narrow effect keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Repel the Abominable 1W
+Great combat trick, damage race tool or damage-based sweeper protection
-Narrow effect keeps this card relegated to the sideboard in most cases
Along with these, you get the usual Modern sideboard fodder like Rest in Peace, Blood Moon, Kataki, War's Wage, Stony Silence, Ancient Grudge, Negate, Mana Leak, Thoughtseize, Selfless Spirit, Heroic Intervention etc.
There are a lot of cards to choose from...where do I start?
As you can see, you can build anything from blitz aggro Humans to midrange Collected Company Humans, each with plenty of color options to boot - they all have their pros and cons, and having so many different styles means that this is a tribe that can be cheap to get into while also providing varied and powerful upgrade paths down the road. So with that said, how does someone get into playing Humans? Lets look at some example lists - these should all be great starting points, so choose whichever one best suits your playstyle and budget and start experimenting. Also keep in mind that there are builds not covered in this post, so keep looking if you can't quite find the right build!
Note: If you have information on other versions of Humans that you think should be in the primer, let me know! Give me a full rundown of the deck (pros, cons, card choices etc) and I'll be glad to add it.
Aggro Humans - These decks are all about going wide, going fast and getting the opponent dead.
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Student of Warfare
3 Boros Elite
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Accorder Paladin
4 Gather the Townsfolk
3 Brave the Elements
3 Path to Exile
3 Honor of the Pure
Lands (20)
20 Plains
1 Path to Exile
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Leonin Arbiter
2 Rest in Peace
2 Suppression Field
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Blessed Alliance
This is the place to start for anyone wanting to dip their toes into this archetype. The deck is lean, fast, and goes wide quick. It's cheap to build and has some very good upgrade paths, as we'll see in the following lists. The sideboard is also pretty good at covering the bad matchups, which can be tough with a lower powered budget list.
Pros:
- It's solid, consistent and fast.
- The mana base is as good as it gets
- Good sideboard options
- Decent card draw with Thraben Inspector
Cons:
- Weak to counter spells
- Weak to sweepers
- Weak to heavy removal decks
- Sometimes draws too many spells and not enough creatures
**Please note that this is a budget version. If budget allows, upgrading the mana base with cards like Cavern of Souls and Horizon Canopy is highly recommended and will help alleviate some of the cons.
Green/White Aggro Humans
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Warden of the First Tree
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Student of Warfare
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Hamlet Captain
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Gather the Townsfolk
4 Path to Exile
2 Blossoming Defense
Land (20)
2 Temple Garden
2 Sunpetal Grove
4 Windswept Heath
2 Forest
5 Plains
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Gaddock Teeg
2 Auriok Champion
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Rest in Peace
2 Natural State
1 Arashin Cleric
This is where things start getting more legitimately competitive, in my opinion. We're now running Cavern of Souls, which is an absolute house against counter spell decks. The creature power level increases with additions like Warden of the First Tree and Mayor of Avabruck, both of which can both take over a game by themselves when left unchecked. Accorder Paladin has been upgraded to Hamlet Captain as well. To go along with those changes, Brave the Elements has been swapped out for Blossoming Defense in order to be able to protect our new green creatures. This can be either an upgrade or a downgrade depending on the situation, but overall the change is a wash; I consider this a flex spot that can change based on personal preference. I personally prefer Blossoming Defense in this list, but arguments can be made for Brave the Elements as well. Also, this list is quite easy to budget-ize and slowly morph into a fully fleshed out list.
Pros:
- Better creatures
- Very easy to upgrade into from the original mono white list
- Mana base is still smooth and consistent, but also more powerful with cards like Cavern of Souls and Horizon Canopy
- Not as weak to counter spells
- Slightly improved sideboard
Cons:
- More expensive
- Mostly the same matchup weaknesses as mono white
Abzan Aggro Humans
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Thraben Inspector
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
1 Student of Warfare
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Dark Confidant
Spells (10)
4 Path to Exile
4 Gather the Townsfolk
2 Blossoming Defense
1 Godless Shrine
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Marsh Flats
1 Forest
2 Plains
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Auriok Champion
4 Thoughtseize
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Rest in Peace
2 Kataki, War's Wage
Splashing black opens the door for two cards that help this strategy a lot: Dark Confidant and Thoughtseize. Dark Confidant is great here because he barely slows down the beats while providing much needed fuel. Not only that, but his drawback is pretty much as low as it ever can be in a deck, considering it will never cost more than 2 life in the maindeck configuration. Thoughtseize out of the sideboard is also very key, because it helps snipe very important cards that are otherwise hard to answer - stuff like sweepers, combo pieces and big planeswalkers. These two changes improve several matchups while leaving the beatdown plan intact. Sure, it will usually be just a smidge slower than the GW build, but I find the added power level and better matchups more than worth it.
Pros:
- Improved matchups against control/Tron/combo when compared to Mono White and Green/White
- Card draw in an aggro deck - yummy
- Mana is still solid. Despite being 3 colors, it's still not pressing on any one color.
Cons:
- More expensive than Green/White
- Worse against burn
- Very slightly slower than previous builds
If you want a faster aggro deck, then Boros/Naya is a great choice. This deck utilizes Burning-Tree Emissary to enable very explosive starts and put the opponent on the back foot ASAP.
Link to original post by D90Dennis14: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/491022-modern-humans?comment=391
2 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Voltaic Brawler
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
Instant (8)
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
Sorcery (4)
4 Gather the Townsfolk
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Copperline Gorge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Repel the Abominable
4 Lightning Helix
2 Blessed Alliance
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wear // Tear
Pros:
- Very fast starts
- Plenty of burn options for closing games out without creature combat
Cons:
- Colored mana can be awkward, mostly around Burning-Tree Emissary
- No card draw, unlike other versions
If you don't like any of those options (or, conversely, you like ALL of those options) and want to just jam all the things, then grab some rainbow lands and go 5 color! This list 5-0'd a Competitive Modern MTGO league and plans to go all in with the best aggressive creatures that the Human tribe has to offer.
Link to feature article: http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/deck-of-the-day-modern-5-color-humans/
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Dark Confidant
2 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
3 Lightning Mauler
4 Mantis Rider
2 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Mutagenic Growth
1 Path to Exile
Lands (20)
1 Ancient Ziggurat
1 Battlefield Forge
4 Cavern of Souls
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine
3 Mana Confluence
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Dark Confidant
1 Mutagenic Growth
2 Path to Exile
1 Cathedral Sanctifier
3 Gut Shot
1 Hurkyl's Recall
3 Meddling Mage
2 Rest in Peace
1 Zealous Persecution
Pros:
- Absurdly fast & redundant
- Evasive attackers with Mantis Rider
- Consistent colored mana
- Wide open sideboard options
Cons:
- Manabase can be very painful
- Only 1 Path to Exile for large creatures in game 1
These aggro lists are great and all, but lets say you want some more mid and late game sustainability. What now? Well...we do what any other creature heavy deck does - we move to Collected Company. This is where things get even more fun because the build avenues broaden greatly, but if you're really wanting to build a proper CoCo list, you can't worry too much about budget; that's what the aggro lists are for. Luckily, if you've done the W -> GW -> Abzan upgrade path described above, there is a CoCo option for that that does not require a lot of new stuff. If you want something totally different from those lists, there are also options there as well.
Collected Company Humans - These decks look to provide more mid and lategame sustainability. Don't fret, however; these decks still get the beatdowns goin' quick!
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Dark Confidant
4 Xathrid Necromancer
1 Eternal Witness
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
Spells (8)
4 Collected Company
4 Path to Exile
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Windswept Heath
4 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
2 Forest
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
4 Thoughtseize
2 Rest in Peace
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Sin Collector
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
2 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Arashin Cleric
As you can see, a lot of the characters (and most importantly, lands) from the Abzan Aggro list make a return, which makes this a very natural upgrade path. Out of all the Collected Company lists I have built, this one has by far the smoothest mana base thanks to being 3 colors. In fact, I think Abzan is the only 3 color combination that can really stand on its own without a 4th color (maybe Bant, but it's hard to justify not running Mantis Rider at that point). Aside from Collected Company being a huge upgrade in terms of power level over the aggro lists, we get some really cool 3 drops both in the main and in the side.
Pros:
- Robust, hard to deal with 3 drops
- Lots of built in card advantage
- Negates a lot of spot removal and sweepers
- Surprisingly smooth, low-pain mana. This list can usually run off of fetched basics without worry.
- Great sideboard creatures
Cons:
- Not quite as interactive or evasive as the other Company lists
- Dark Confidant hurts sometimes
Bant Red Company Humans
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Voltaic Brawler
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
2 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Reflector Mage
4 Mantis Rider
Spells (8)
4 Collected Company
4 Path to Exile
1 Breeding Pool
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Unclaimed Territory
3 Windswept Heath
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
1 Island
2 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Plains
3 Arashin Cleric
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Negate
2 Rest in Peace
2 Vithian Renegades
3 Meddling Mage
This was my favorite list for a long time until the printing of Kitesail Freebooter, due to the sheer number of angles it attacks from. It's aggressive, but can back it up with card advantage. There's evasion and tempo. It has a sideboard that can be easily tuned for any meta. It doesn't have issues with clogged boards like the Abzan list does, and is able to better fight against the top of the opponent's deck with Negate as opposed to Thoughtseize out of the sideboard. Reflector Mage allows you to shave Path to Exile post board and still be able to deal with creatures. The 2 and 3 drops are very evasive and difficult to block, which is exacerbated when Thalia, Heretic Cathar is on the battlefield. There is a lot to like here. This list is an evolution of a similar list demonstrated by Frank Lepore and Craig Wescoe on YouTube, so feel free to check those videos out if you'd like to see it in action.
The list in the YouTube videos also went 5-0 in an MTGO Competitive Modern league, as noted in this article
Pros:
- 2 drops are aggressive and very difficult to block
- 3 drops are aggressive, evasive and provide tempo
- Access to Reflector Mage greatly improves flexibility when sideboarding
- Sideboard options galore
Cons:
- Mana can be clunky at times, but smart and calculated fetching is usually able to overcome it. Bad fetching can ruin a game, however.
- Not as good against removal and sweepers as the Abzan list
- No good disruption against sweepers
This is the current generally preferred shell for Humans, thanks to the printing of Kitesail Freebooter. The ability to maintain the typical aggressive Human beatdowns while proactively disrupting the opponent with cards like Kitesail Freebooter and Meddling Mage make this build very strong and well rounded against such a wide format like Modern. Sideboard options like Sin Collector further improve the strategy post-board.
Bant Black Company Humans
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Kitesail Freebooter
2 Meddling Mage
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Reflector Mage
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
Spells (8)
4 Collected Company
4 Path to Exile
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Unclaimed Territory
3 Windswept Heath
2 Flooded Strand
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Island
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
2 Vithian Renegades
2 Rest in Peace
1 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1 Izzet Staticaster
3 Arashin Cleric
3 Sin Collector
1 Sacred Foundry
Pros:
- Lots of built-in widely relevant disruption
- "Accidental" creature graveyard hate with Anafenza
- Further disruption available in the sideboard
Cons:
- Some of the good red sideboard cards are a little more difficult to work with
- Not as fast or evasive as Bant Red, which can lead to some struggles in creature matchups that get clogged on the ground
- Takes a lot of time and practice to get the most out of Meddling Mage
Why not play some other Collected Company Deck?
While there are other Collected Company options in modern, some even with built in combos, Humans provide some advantages. Compared to an Abzan combo list, for example, Humans get much larger and can much more easily push through damage without relying on a combo. It's not uncommon for a Human CoCo deck to simply overrun opposing CoCo decks. Depending on the particular color choice and build, some Humans lists can not only push through damage easier, but have better creature interaction thanks to cards like Reflector Mage. Reflector Mage is particularly great since his effect isn't completely undone by a removal spell, like with other cards like Fiend Hunter. Compared with a Naya Company list, Humans decks can often provide more card advantage via cards like Dark Confidant, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and Duskwatch Recruiter while stil being able to go toe to toe on the ground with lords, Champion and Reflector Mage or taking to the air with Mantis Rider. Cavern of Souls is also something that shouldn't be overlooked. Being able to play creatures into open blue mana is a huge boon over most other CoCo lists, especially when many of our creatures have great ETB effects attached. And unlike CoCo Elves, Humans don't rely so heavily on a single card like Elves does on Ezuri, Renegade Leader.
Do we have any tournament results to look at?
We sure do! 3-5 color Collected Company variations have been creeping into the modern metagame through several 5-0'd Competitive MTGO leagues, a 19th place finish at GP Vegas, and a 30th place finish at the SCG Charlotte Open
Most recently, a 5 color Aether Vial build dominated the SCG Open in Cincinatti. Deck Tech here
Where can I find more coverage/videos on Humans decks?
Craig Wescoe playing 5 color Humans
Pascal Maynard playing 4 color Humans
Caleb Durward playing GW Humans
Previous thread: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/491022-modern-humans
Unfortunately, there isn't really a great way for Humans to avoid Anger of the Gods, which is why Anafenza, the Foremost is a valuable card to run. Brave the Elements isn't used as much in multicolored lists, so you'd be looking for stuff like counter spells or protection like Heroic Intervention. Outside of Anger, though, Necromancer is fantastic, so it's hard to dismiss a card based on a single sweeper.
Another SB card worth mentioning is Repel the Abominable which is good against multiple strategies.
Some more random creatures I would add to the list:
Bloodsoaked Champion, Soldier of the Pantheon, Grim Lavamancer, Icatian Javelineers, Grim Flayer, Abbot of Keral Keep, Firemantle Mage, Ash Zealot, Deputy of Acquittals, Grand Abolisher, Den Protector, Hanweir Militia Captain, Consul's Lieutenant, Experiment One, Glint-Sleeve Siphoner, Stormblood Berserker, Scab-Clan Mauler, Hidden Herbalists, Honored Hierarch, Deathcap Cultivator/Steward of Valeron, Skarrgan Pit-Skulk, Mardu Skullhunter, Seeker of the Way, Soulfire Grand Master, Saffi Eriksdotter, True Believer, Boros Swiftblade, Thundersong Trumpeter, Thraben Doomsayer.
About the suggested builds I would like to add: "GW CoCo" and "BW Aggro":
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/491022-modern-humans?comment=522
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/491022-modern-humans?comment=264
There are also "5C Aggro" versions as well, they are actually the only versions that posted results (a couple of 5-0 leagues) as far as I've seen
Good call on Selfless Spirit and Repel the Abominable. I will add those.
EDIT: Added these cards to the primer
Not sure I will add all of these, as we only have so much room, but several of those will certainly make the cut - we should try to weed out the best ones.
EDIT: Added many of these to the primer. Will add more later.
I will definitely add some more color combination coverage, thanks for the ideas. I do think we need to be selective about which ones we add, however. There are so many versions of Humans that it will be next to impossible to have lists for every single possibility. Some of the lists and card suggestions in the primer right now give a pretty clear idea of what a GW Company list would look like, for example, so that may be redundant. But we can certainly add one of needed.
EDIT: Added section to primer on 5 Color Aggro.
Nobody is going to fully agree on what lists seem "optimal," especially since there aren't any pro-level netdecks for us to base off of. If you're really wanting to be constructive, talk about what parts of the lists are suboptimal and why. Also, my card choices are very well fleshed out and explained in the old thread if you'd like to take a look. As for the link, I did forget to add that, so that will be fixed when I get a chance.
EDIT: Link added
You forgot the word "budget." The list is intended to be an "intro pack" deck for people to get into for cheap. Obviously Cavern of Souls is available for any list, but it also skyrockets the price of the deck. I will add a note to that section for more clarification.
EDIT: Clarification added to primer
Brave the Elements alone is not enough to make the deck good against spot removal and sweepers.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is in almost every list, and is very important against decks that Humans are generally bad against. The rare nombo with our spells is a small price to pay compared to the upside we get in several matchups.
"Sometimes draws too many spells and not enough creatures" has nothing to do with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben or Gather the Townsfolk - it's referring to times where all you draw is Path to Exile, Honor of the Pure and Brave the Elements - an issue that is at its worst in mono white. Other versions of the deck get to replace Honor of the Pure with Mayor of Avabruck, for example, which tends to alleviate this issue quite a bit. He works far better in a deck with Champion of the Parish and Thalia's Lieutenant.
I didn't mean to imply that ALL matchups are better. The little bit you give up against burn (which still isn't a terrible matchup by any means) is more than made up for against decks that Humans legitimately struggle against, like control, Tron, combo etc. I will do better to explain this in the primer.
EDIT: Wording updated in primer to provide better specifics.
[snip]
EDIT: Wording updated in primer to not include opinion.
Good idea; I will add a section about that.
EDIT: Section added to primer. Can be edited if anyone has other/better reasoning.
I do plan to add a section on Boros/Naya Humans, so I would definitely like some input there. With that said, I'm personally not sold on either Hanweir Garrison or Metallic Mimic since neither do anything on ETB and easily die to removal. Then, even if they survive, they require specific conditions in order to be good. I do think that Boros/Naya are great colors for pure blitz, though. And being able to use Blood Moon and/or Magus of the Moon seems like big game.
3 rip-clan crashed
2 lightning berserker
2 hamlet captain
4 lightning mauler
4 mayor of avabruck
2 kytheon, hero of akros
4 Thalia's lieutenant
4 champion of the parish
4 burning-tree emissary
2 monastery swiftspear
Enchant
1 hardened scales
Spells
2 boros charm
3 atarka's command
4 collected company
4 windswept Heath
2 flooded strand
2 sacred foundry
2 temple garden
2 stomping ground
3 ancient ziggurat
1 forest
1 plains
1 mountain
1 cavern of souls
2 Melira, Sylvok outcast
2 Alesha, who smiles at death
1 skarrg guildmage
2 Dromoka's command
2 ash zealot
2 aegis of the gods
2 fiendslayer paladin
2 Thalia, heretic cathar
I haven't fully tested the deck yet, but think my main concern might be lacking a draw mechanic. Possibly considering thraben inspector?
The sideboard is pretty much based on what I have, but other possible considerations are; eternal witness, magus of the moon, Thalia, guardian of thraben.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Everyone loves an angry mob RWG
Why so Bloo? RU
I think at this point you need to make a decision - do you want your deck to have more mid/late game, or do you want to be super aggressive and go under other decks? If it's the latter, you might be better off dropping Collected Company (which already seems risky on 19 lands and doesn't have a ton of payoff cards in the main) for some more low drops, maybe even Thraben Inspector if you so choose. I also think Voltaic Brawler could be a nice addition to your list.
Otherwise, if you want more mid/late game, you're going to want to shop around and find some 3 drops so that you can maximize the value from Collected Company. Cards like Eternal Witness, Tireless Tracker and Renegade Rallier may be your best choices if you're mostly wanting to try a card advantage game, then run something like Knight of the Reliquary alongside them in order to get some staying power on the ground (and he works great with Tracker). At 2cmc, Duskwatch Recruiter can also provide solid card advantage in the mid/late game. Just throwing some ideas out there .
There is a process for taking over existing outdated primers, instructions here.
Please follow this procedure to have a revised version of your Primer applied to the existing thread and let's close this side shoot so we don't split conversation or lose old insights.
As for revisions I would try to present the cards and decks in a more neutral tone. Don't bother trying to convince people certain cards are objectively better or worse... each card will perform differently depending upon the shell that it's in and the local meta that it's facing. For instance, Reflector Mage could be mediocre in a control-heavy meta, and Dark Confidant could be troublesome in metas with more burn / fast aggro or too costly in decks with painful manabases. And so forth. After you share some tournament successful lists and a few representative brews I would just stick to a reference list of humans, sorted by CMC, neutrally describing what decks or strategies a card helps against, what it synergizes with, and what its limitations, drawbacks, or deckbuilding constraints are. Here are some examples:
Noble Hierarch G
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Kytheon, Hero of Akros W
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Thraben Inspector W
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Clue token is card advantage
+Clue means she can be an ok draw at nearly any point of most matches
-Starting with 1 power makes her not very aggressive
I'm happy to help with more reference notes in the future.
EDIT: I've added notes for almost all of the relevant the humans here, feel free to copy this into to the Primer and fill in any that I've missed:
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+Exalted lets her still contribute to combat while tapping for mana
+Eases mana pain by providing G/W/U
-Not suited for low-curve, wide aggro strategies
Kytheon, Hero of Akros W
+Aggressive 2/1 body with high reward ceiling as a potential 4/4
+Front and back side indestructible abilities give him limited, situational sweeper resistance
-Best suited to lists that can get him attacking with two other creatures ASAP, i.e. low-curves, haste etc.
-Legendary status presents very occasional awkwardness
Thraben Inspector W
+Defensive 1/2 body is above curve
+Clue token is card advantage
+Clue means she can be an ok draw at nearly any point of most matches
-Starting with 1 power makes her not very aggressive
Warden of the First Tree G
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to an 8/8 trample lifelink (13 mana total)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Sinking mana into a body can result in removal blowouts but at least it's instant speed
Avacyn's Pilgrim G
+Accelerates you into your higher curve cards
+1 point of power occasionally relevant over Hierarch
-No exalted and only producing white means this is only copies 5-6 of Hierach if you really want the acceleration
Student of Warfare W
+Mana sink for low curve builds / good top deck
+Can grow to a 4/4 double-strike (8 mana total)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
-Sinking mana into a body at sorcery speed is vulnerable to blowouts
-Requires large amounts of W, only fits in Mono-White, or very slight splashes
Soldier of the Pantheon W
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Lifegain ability can be slightly helpful against burn
Experiment One G
+Can grow to 3/3+ without further mana investment
+Can survive sweepers and destruction-based point removal by removing 2 counters
-Requires other creatures that enter with high stats / bad with creatures that enter as 1/1
-Poor topdeck
Boros Elite W
+Can potentially attack as a 3/3
-"Win-more": needs two other creatures on the board attacking with it to have good stats (ok vs linear, bad vs interactive)
-Starts as a 1/1, may not be your most aggressive start
Icatian Javelineers W
+One-time ping effect is good against decks with important X/1s, can also give direct damage
-1/1 body needs support to do much
Bloodsoaked Champion B
+Aggressive 2/1 body is above curve
+Can grind against destruction-based removal
-Cannot block
-Raid ability timing (second main phase) slightly awkward with playing humans first main phase for Champ/Lt
Grim Lavamancer R
+Repeatable removal good against small creatures like Burn, Infect, Dorks, Bob, Snappy etc.
+Direct damage can help close out some locked games
-Requires graveyard fodder and open R mana, both of which can be somewhat limited in Human builds
-Non-aggressive body
Monastery Swiftspear R
+Haste and 1/2 body is already above curve
+Potentially a 2/3 if you cast a spell per turn
-May not have enough non-creature spells to support Prowess well / must build around
-Clashes with Champ/Lt/Thalia design direction
+Forces many non-aggro decks to play 1-2 turns behind as they try to set up or stabilize
+Usually draws removal away from your other threats
-Easily answered by any removal spell
-Because tax is symmetric, can create problems casting our own spells, especially CoCo
-Her 2/1 First Strike body and ability can become irrelevant / outclassed against creature-heavy matchups
-Occasional legendary awkwardness
Dark Confidant 1B
+Card advantage, especially useful for grindier match-ups
-Painful, softens you to burn, requires Black and a lean curve
Mayor of Avabruck 1G
+Buffs other humans played both before and after him
+An unanswered, flipped Mayor can take over grindy games with 3/3 tokens
-Best in decks that go wide but still have good card draw (Thraben Inspector, Dark Confidant, Duskwatch Recruiter)
-As a 1/1 he is very fragile and does not help against red sweepers
-Can flip at inconvenient times
Metallic Mimic 2
+Gives all creatures that enter after it a counter that persists even if Mimic is removed
+Colorless casting cost makes it easy to cast in any list
-Must be in your starting hand & cast Turn 2 for full value, does not give the other entering creature a counter as a CoCo hit
-2/1 body is more aggressive than Mayor but still squishy
-Softens you to artifact removal / grows Tarmogoyf
Hamlet Captain 1G
+Gives all attackers or defenders +1/+1 regardless of when they entered
+Starting stats of 2/2 is as good as it gets for human lords
-Buff can be slow, must wait until he can attack the turn after playing
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Accorder Paladin 1W
+Battlecry can give you lots of power on a wide field
-Squishy, you will probably only attack once without some kind of support
-Buff only applies to combat / doesn't help against damage-based removal or sweepers
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 1U
+Looting effect aids deck consistency -- humans don't have many other options for filtering
+Flipped Jace can help grind against interactive matches by re-casting CoCo or other spells
-Your deck needs a minimum of 8 spells as flashback targets
-His 0/2 body is bad in matchups where you need to apply pressure rather than grind
Skyship Plunderer 1U
+Evasive 2/1 flyer can be a good beater & decent topdeck
+Can buff Champ/Lt for faster clock, refresh your energy for Brawler, or otherwise help with counters
-Softens you to ping effects
Duskwatch Recruiter 1G
+Mana sink for card draw on a human body -- not many mana sinks in human tribe
+Syngerizes with Mayor to still get a buff on both flip sides
-It flips when you can't play a card, losing card draw ability and instead reduces the cost of playing cards (which you probably don't have)
-2/2 grounded body is mediocre beater
Burning-Tree Emissary (R/G)(R/G)
+"Free" spell that gives you RG back
+Useful for dumping your hand quickly, letting you cast one more card off of CoCo, or getting G mana through Blood Moon
-RG mana that's produced requires some building-around to be useful
-Grounded 2/2 body not a great attacker on its own
Voltaic Brawler RG
+Highly efficient and evasive beater, 4/3 trample for 2 mana
-Limited energy for pumps
-May be somewhat color intensive
Lightning Mauler 1R
+Can give self and/or another human haste
-2/1 grounded body is somewhat fragile for attack
Abbot of Keral Keep 1R
+Can sometimes give you a free extra card
+Can be a 3/2 if you play a spell each turn
-Must build deck with lots of non-creature spells, conflicting with Champ/Lt
-Bad play on turn 2, wait until Turn X to play, where X = your top CMC + 2
-Flipped card, even if castable, may not be useful on the turn it's flipped
Auriok Champion WW
+Lifegain over time significantly helps stabilize against Burn
+Protection from Black and Red renders her immune all common removal except Path
-1/1 body not very aggressive
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
Grand Abolisher WW
+Slows down instant speed decks, effectively turns off counterspells
-Double white casting cost restricts manabase choices somewhat
Saffi Eriksdotter GW
+Can act as a psuedo-spellskite to protect key cards
+Cards returned to the battlefield trigger ETB abilities again
-Cards returned to the battlefield lose any counters they had
-Only protects against non-exile death
-Legendary status can occasionally present awkwardness
Grim Flayer BG
+Could be a 4/4 trample
+Potential to "super-scry" when he connects
-Awkward in human archetype, you cannot support Champ/Lt with enough humans and also trigger delirium in a manner that's fast or reliable
Hanweir Militia Captain 1W
+Can potentially be a large creature that poops out more tokens
-"Win-more" only flips if you already control four creatures
-Slow, checks for flip only on upkeep
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner 1B
+Quasi-evasive 2/1 Menace can be an ok beater
+Optional card draw at 1 life might be less painful than Dark Confidant
-Unless you have more Energy support, you won't draw a card until two turns after you've played her
+Flying, Haste, Vigilance 3/3 is both a good beater and a good blocker against aggro
+Efficient stats make for an ideal topdeck that helps even when you're behind
-Color intensive, likely need to shock yourself to play on curve
-Typical 3-drop potential for tempo blowouts against Bolt/Push/Path
Anafenza, The Foremost WBG
+Her 4/4 body is above curve and she enters beyond the reach of Bolt / Anger of the Gods
+Helps the rest of your team to slowly grow
+Graveyard hate ability shuts down Melira combo, but may come in too late to stop Dredge (See RIP)
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Color requirements conflict with Mantis Rider unless running 5 colors
Lyev Skyknight 1WU
+A decent beater, 3 power with flying
+"Pithing needle" ETB ability lets you temporarily interact with non-creature permanents
-1 toughness can be problematic against X/1 flyers or ping effects
Reflector Mage 1WU
+Generally good tempo vs creature-heavy decks
+Bounce effect is especially useful against large Delve or Eldrazi creatures, and bypasses "on death" triggers
-Gives the opponent another ETB or on-cast trigger
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-Sorcery speed 3-mana interaction is too clunky to interact with some decks like Infect
-A grounded 2/3 may be mediocre for more aggressive builds
Fiend Hunter 1WW
+Indefinitely exiles creature rather than bouncing, *might* keep something off the board longer than Reflector mage
-Can be instantly removed to neutralize exile effect, unreliable against decks with more than 4 removal spells
-Not always helpful against creature-light control decks
-Sorcery speed 3-mana interaction is too clunky to interact with some decks like Infect
-Usually won't attack at all in order to stay alive and maintain exile
Knight of the Reliquary 1GW
+Can enter as a 4/4+ and grow from there
+Can alternatively be used as a dork
+Allows you to tutor specific lands (Gavony Township, Ghost Quarter, etc) if there's room in your manabase
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, Forests, and Plains
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
-Sometimes enters as a 2/2 for 3 mana
Tireless Tracker 2G
+Can grow to 5/4+ while also generating Clue Tokens for card advantage
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches
-Lack of evasion can keep her damage from connecting
Eternal Witness 1GG
+Re-buying CoCo can be back-breaking in grindy matchups
+Grab a fetch back if you're stuck at 3 mana and need to cast CoCo
-1/2 body is not very aggressive
Renegade Rallier 1GW
+Returning a 2-drop permanent directly to the battlefield can give great tempo
+Can also ramp by returning a fetch
+3/2 body is still fairly aggressive for a grinding tool
-Requires building your list with lots of fetches, high impact 2-drops
-Must have fetches, clues, or other means of trigger Revolt late in the game
-Cannot re-buy CoCo
-Worse at grinding vs. Exile-based removal compared to Witness in CoCo builds
Thalia, Heretic Cathar 2W
+Heavily taxes greedy manabases, neutralizes haste, and taps down new blockers for a turn
+3/2 First Strike body is ok in aggressive builds
-Most effective when played as early as possible, best paired with acceleration for play on Turn 2
Hanweir Garrison 2R
+Produces two 1/1 human tokens each time it attacks, rapidly buffing Champ/Lt and developing your board
+Brings you back from some games you don't have business winning otherwise
-Without support the 1/1 tokens are easily chumpable
-Due to lack of evasion, may not get a chance to attack and generate tokens if outclassed by opposing midrange beaters
-Somewhat slow, no ETB / immedaite ability, haste, or on-death value for a 3-drop
Izzet Staticaster 1UR
+Ping effect is devastating against tokens, X/1s, Affinity, Infect, etc.
+Haste and flash make her slightly less clunky than Reflector mage in some matchups
-0/3 body means she won't belong in the main outside of specialized metas
Magus of the Moon 2R
+Can turn off Urza lands, and generally mana-screw opponents
-Easily neutralized compared to Blood Moon, especially by decks running Bolt
-Most practical in WR lists to keep mana denial asymmetric
Liliana, Heretical Healer 1BB
+Lifelink helps against burn somewhat
+Slowly grinds out value against non-exile removal once she flips
-Requires double black to cast
Xathrid Necromancer 2B
+Helps you grind against destruction-based point removal and sweepers
+Technically passes the "Bolt Test" as he replaces himself when bolted
-Not useful against exiling removal: Path, Anger of the Gods, Ugin/Karn
-His 2/2 grounded body exerts poor pressure
Thanks for feedback - ironically CoCo was the last set of cards I added to the deck and I was wondering whether I needed them for the play style. Although slightly higher CMC I'm quite liking the idea of tireless tracker. My deck runs a number of fetches and with the aim of flooding the board early it means I should be able to still draw as the game prolongs. I'm not entirely convinced with either thraben inspector or voltaic brawler, they seem to not have as much synergy as the rest of the cards in the deck. I'm more likely to consider Brawler for straight beat down....
Also, as my sideboard is pretty much geared up for hatebears/versatility I don't want to change my main board strategy too much.
I also noticed the change to the primer to include Naya list. It seems pretty similar to my list already.
Everyone loves an angry mob RWG
Why so Bloo? RU
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Reflector Mage
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Collected Company
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Windswept Heath
2 Flooded Strand
1 Gavony Township
2 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
1 Plains
1 Forest
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Avacyn's Pilgrim
2 Eternal Witness
2 Silverblade Paladin
4 Path to Exile
2 Dark Confidant
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
1 Godless Shrine
1 Watery Grave
4 Cavern of Souls
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Renegade Rallier
1 Swamp
SB: 2 Rest in Peace
SB: 2 Stony Silence
SB: 2 Engineered Explosives
SB: 2 Disdainful Stroke
SB: 1 Declaration in Stone
SB: 1 Stubborn Denial
SB: 1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
SB: 1 Orzhov Pontiff
SB: 1 Sin Collector
SB: 1 Maelstrom Pulse
SB: 1 Qasali Pridema
If I was going to try an energy theme, it would be a high curving deck with Aetherworks Marvel instead of collected company, but there really just aren't enough good human energy sources to fuel it reliably, and in that case you'd probably be better off going with Emrakul or something else, and in a non-energy, collected company deck, I'd probably rather take eternal witness to retrieve Collected Company, or Mantis Rider, or Reflector Mage, or Anafenza the Foremost in the 3 mana creature slot.
One thing that I am wondering about though is a B/W hybrid with Soul Sisters.
Deck List:
1CMC Creatures
4x Champion of the Parish
4x Soul Warden
4x Soul's Attendant
2CMC Creatures
4x Thalia's Lieutenant
4x Ajani's Pridemate
4x Dark Confidant
3x Auriok Champion
3x Selfless Spirit
Non-Creature Spells:
3x Path to Exile
3x Anguished Unmaking
4x Gather the Townsfolk
Land:
4x Marsh Flats
4x Godless Shrine
4x Windbrisk Heights
4x Plains
4x Swamp
Theory:
With Champion of the Parish, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Ajani's Pridemate all threatening to snowball out of control, and Dark Confidant threatening to give incredible amounts of card advantage, the opponent's spot removal will probably end up quite overtaxed such that they can't answer all 16 of the major issues. Selfless Spirit is there purely for answering sweepers, a good alternative might be Return to the Ranks, which has quite a nice interaction with Thalia's Lieutenant + Humans or Ajani's Pridemate + Soul Sisters due to the simultaneous entry.
Meanwhile, Black/White gives access to both amazing sideboard options, and some versatile main board removal in Anguished Unmaking which can hit the main threats of otherwise problematic decks such as killing an Ugin, Karn, or Nahiri the moment they resolve, along with removing ensnaring bridge, bitterblossom, or just creatures in general.
Without Sera Ascendant, the deck can afford to use its extra life for either card draw on Dark Confidant (which ends up getting you even more life to fuel him since he gives you more monsters), or on Anguished Unmaking, and with nothing in the deck costing more than 2 mana, it can afford to run a low land count. There's something of a nonbo with Lifegain and Gather the Townsfolk's Fateful Hour, but on the other hand, if you do manage to trigger it, being able to heal up from it does somewhat mitigate the usual issue of resolving it, and then just dying since you'll gain 5+ life from it.
On paper it seems like it has some potential to work, but I suspect that in practice it wont. I'll give it a try this Friday regardless.
I wonder whether shared animosity could be a good addition to my Naya list - just a one-of. It's difficult to weigh up wether it is worth cutting a creature in order to slot it into the deck.... Thoughts? Could easily replace hardened scales....
Everyone loves an angry mob RWG
Why so Bloo? RU
Possibly - although I already have 3 Commands in my decklist. Just considering possible alternatives
Everyone loves an angry mob RWG
Why so Bloo? RU