Éowyn, Shieldmaiden Commander Deck Guide

Last updated on February 18, 2024

Éowyn, Shieldmaiden | Illustration by Craig Elliott

Lord of the Rings has come to MTG, and today we’ll cover one of the most exciting commanders from Middle-earth to aid humanity.

I’m talking about none other than Éowyn, Shieldmaiden, a commander perfect for a human EDH deck. It enables an aggro strategy that can be paired with stax and control elements thanks to the depth of the blue, white, and red cardpools.

Let's find out how it fairs in the intricate world of Commander!

The Deck

Cathar Commando | Illustration by Evyn Fong

The Commander

Éowyn, Shieldmaiden is a captivating commander whose mechanics embody elegance and accessibility. While their gameplay may appear uncomplicated at first glance, there exists a wealth of strategic depth waiting to be explored. The potency of this legendary hinges upon the sheer number of humans on your battlefield. Not only does Éowyn fulfill the role of a proficient token generator, but it also serves as a catalyst for accruing substantial card advantage, courtesy of the many humans under your command.

It's worth noting that this deck does not strictly demand Éowyn's presence to function optimally. Rather, they’re a remarkable addition to your arsenal, imparting an extra layer of versatility that can enter the battlefield from the command zone itself when needed. By incorporating Éowyn into your plans, you fortify your position on the board, seizing opportunities to propel yourself toward victory.

Now, let's dive into the various card types within this deck and dissect their individual roles that form the backbone of this strategy.

The Mana Ramp

It's pretty standard to include a decent number of mana rocks in our deck. They help us put some sweet 2- or 3-drops onto the battlefield earlier than usual, which can be a real headache for our opponents if they pop up too soon.

Besides the trusty old Sol Ring, we've got a couple of gems in our arsenal. First up, we have Mox Diamond and Chrome Mox, which are absolute powerhouses when it comes to ramping up our mana. They can really give us that boost we need to stay ahead of the curve.

Weathered Wayfarer is a cute little addition that brings some extra spice to the mix. It's technically not a mana rock, but it does wonders for resource management. If our opponents happen to be slightly ahead of us, this clever little Wayfarer helps us catch up and ensures we don't fall behind. It's like having a secret resource stash just waiting to be tapped into.

We're primed to seize the initiative and keep the pressure on with these mana accelerators in our deck. Time to get our game on and make those big plays!

The Tax Elements

This deck loves to throw some “tax” elements into the mix, making life harder for your opponents while making yours a whole lot easier. It's all about adding that extra layer of annoyance and disruption to keep your opponents on their toes.

One prime example is Esper Sentinel. This little critter is an absolute pain to deal with when it's on your side of the table. Plus, with some help from cards like Ranger-Captain of Eos, you can effortlessly search for this pesky Sentinel and tax your opponents even more.

But that's not all! We've got Grand Abolisher, the ultimate freedom giver. This lets you cast spells on your turn without a care in the world. No interruptions, no funny business. Just pure spell-casting bliss.

And let's not forget about Drannith Magistrate. This sneaky little troublemaker has a knack for shutting down commanders.

And guess what? There's a bunch of other creatures in this deck that can bring some serious negativity to the board for your opponents. It's all about making their lives miserable while you sit back and enjoy the chaos.

The Lords

A decent amount of your creatures are human “lords.” The term refers to creatures like Erkenbrand, Lord of Westfold that have an anthem effect, whether it's for just one turn or as a part of a static ability.

The most notable ones are Rick, Steadfast Leader and Coppercoat Vanguard, as they’re the ones that give you the most valuable abilities when paired with other humans, on top of a decent attack buff.

Utility Creatures

These creatures don't fall into any particular category but accomplish a specific role in the deck.

Cathar Commando is the perfect hate card against annoying artifacts or enchantments like Rhystic Study. Lossarnach Captain can enable some attacks while being a reliable token maker as long as it remains on the battlefield.

Others are just straight up must-haves like Serra Ascendant or Adeline, Resplendent Cathar,  as they put your opponents on a clock as soon as they hit the battlefield.

Protection Cards

It’s uncommon to run counterspells in your aggressive decks, but some like Fierce Guardianship are a must just to secure your dominant board position.

Other cards like Teferi's Protection can protect all your permanents from board wipes and exile effects, and cards like Akroma's Will can set up a massive attack with indestructible creatures.

Removal Spells

Unlike other decks, this one runs mostly creature-based removal like Palace Jailer or Brutal Cathar, which deal with opposing threats when they enter the battlefield.

However, there are some must-haves that we need to run, such as Cyclonic Rift, an emblematic one-sided Commander board wipe, and the unintuitive Supreme Verdict, which can be paired up with Boros Charm to accomplish a one sided board wipe.

Card Advantage

You can’t just rely on your commander to get ahead, so we run a few ways to draw cards.

Bident of Thassa is by far your best way to accomplish this, as you’ll draw a card each time your creatures hit an opponent.

Another critical card is Imperial Recruiter, as it can tutor for other good ones like Mother of Runes or the aforementioned Esper Sentinel.

The best ones to get your hands on more humans are both of the horns, Herald's Horn and Horn of Gondor, as they can be a turn-by-turn way to fill your hand.

Last but not least, Mass Appeal is probably the best way to get multiple cards in a single turn, as it will let you draw equal to the number of humans you control.

The Mana Base

As it is, the mana base for this deck is reasonably solid but you need to address the fact that most of your cards cost double white, so make sure you’re fetching for lands like Hallowed Fountain before something like Steam Vents.

Other lands worth mentioning include Castle Ardenvale to help you create more humans and Windbrisk Heights to give you a free spell from time to time.

Honorable mention to Minas Tirith as it's been newly introduced and looks to be promising in aggressive decks like this.

The Strategy

This deck is designed to play in a way where you get to build your board first and then attack with a bunch of humans. This is also known as a go-wide strategy, as you have to amass resources first and then wait until the exact moment to deploy your win conditions.

As an example, you can start generating multiple tokens with Thraben Doomsayer and then slam a Shared Animosity to kill your opponents on the spot. If you play your win condition first chances are your opponents will have something planned once you start amassing your board. So bottom line, surprise is key and is what you need to go for with these kinds of decks.

Combos and Interactions

This deck differs from others as it doesn't have any infinite combos that win you the game on the spot, but it does include a couple of handy interactions that can be used to put yourself in a winning position.

Mondrak, Glory Dominus + Visions of Glory: Mondrak doubles any tokens you create, including the ones you get from your commander.

Boros Charm + Supreme Verdict: As I explained earlier, you can make your creatures indestructible and then wipe the board. Since the Supreme Verdict can’t get countered, chances are that you will be the only one left with a field after the smoke dissipates.

Mondrak, Glory Dominus + Kessig Malcontents + Marshal's Anthem: The line with this one is to play the Kessig Malcontents and target your opponent, sacrifice it with Mondrak’s ability, then return it with Anthem and deal damage a second time. This can be applied to any ETB effect that you may want to double.

Budget Options

The card quality of the deck is somewhat cheap, as humans are not one of the best-supported archetypes yet. Here are some slight modifications you might consider since the mana base is on the relatively expensive side.

Duals are expensive cards to get your hands on, and Path of Ancestry does a slightly better job than most while smoothing out your draws for the mere cost of entering the battlefield tapped.

Along with the Theros Temples, Pathways are the cheapest way to fix your mana, as they’re only being used in some Pioneer decks. It's that exact reason that you need to get your hands on them ASAP before they rise in price.

The mana rocks of this deck are also expensive, and the on-color talismans like Talisman of Conviction are acceptable replacements.

Most of the token makers of the deck are cheap, but try Visions of Glory if you’re looking to swap one for an even cheaper option that costs literal pennies.

You can get your hands on Lost to Legend for almost free since it was just recently introduced.

Last but not least, Earthquake is a good and inexpensive way to clean the board, but be aware that it only works against creatures without flying.

Other Builds

Of course, there are other versions that rely on infinite combos to win on the spot, and although they are probably not the most fun, they are worth taking into consideration if your table is ok allowing them.

Pairing Helm of the Host along with Combat Celebrant gives you access to infinite combat phases. Godo, Bandit Warlord also has infinite potential with Helm of the Host, so if you’re planning on running one, it's worth having both either way.

It may not be a human, but Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker can be added to any deck that runs red and white, mainly because then you can run other creatures like Restoration Angel and Zealous Conscripts and go infinite on the spot to win the game. Splinter Twin is another card you can add for a similar effect.

Wrap Up

Thraben Doomsayer | Illustration by John Stanko

As you see, Éowyn, the Shieldmaden is an excellent addition that lets human strategies rise outside of Orhzov colors (). From generating an army of tokens to leveraging the power of human synergies, each card has been carefully selected to maximize the potential of your humans. The versatility of the deck allows for multiple paths to victory, whether through overwhelming aggression, careful control, or resource management.

This is a significantly better version than its Commander precon, but are there any cards you think this deck could also incorporate? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading and remember to follow us on Twitter or Facebook and stay tuned for daily articles and news.

Take care, and we’ll meet again for my next article.