Introduction
This deck is part of the Two-Headed Giant Commander decks, these are designed to be played 2v2 or 3v3 in the Commander format, but can also be played 1v1.
Certain decks have certain themes, and will pair better with other decks, which decks work best have been listed below. These decks are on a higher skill level than most of the other decks in the club, with a lot of interacting mechanics. This can be overwhelming to learn and master but it is a whole lot of fun when you do.
The kingdom of Gloria stands as a beacon of hope amidst the gathering storm. King Kenrith and Queen Marchesa rule with wisdom and valor, commanding a vast army and a stalwart group of city defenders. As whispers of war reach their borders, the kingdom prepares for battle. The king’s brother, exiled for his wild ways, watches from the shadows, knowing that his time to either protect or challenge the throne is near. The fate of the kingdom rests on the decisions made by its rulers and the loyalty of its people.The theme of the For Glory box is a Kingdom and its protectors, heroes and rulers that fight to defend the people, and are united together. The main theme for the For Glory decks are +1/+1 counters, defenders and Humans.
Jirina is a slim, tall woman with smooth dark skin and long, raven hair. She uses spectacles to read. Jirina is the daughter of the stern General Kudro, the leader of the Coppercoats and the city of Drannith, and one of his many staff officers. As captain of her sanctuary's military, Jirina dedicates her life to defending the civilians in her care at all costs. Amid constant monster attacks, she and her troops rely on discipline and precise tactics to keep the danger at bay. Unlike her father, though, she seemed to take a less ruthless, less antagonistic approach when it came to bonders and their monsters, tempering duty with compassion.
When her fiancé, captain Lukka, bonded with a winged cat, he was banned from Drannith and became an outcast. He formed an army of beasts, that he proposed to use to defend the city. As Kudro refused to listen, Lukka killed him. Against his expectations, Jirina refused to join him. She attacked him and fled home to take command of Drannith's defenses.
Jirina successfully took over command of Drannith's forces from Colonel Bryd using her position as the daughter of General Kudro. When Lukka and his army attacked, Jirina planned to keep the monsters at bay until Lukka could be drawn closer. The bonders were to deal with anything that got into the city while keeping out of sight of Lukka. With the help of Vivien Reid, Jirina's strategy worked as she confronted Lukka who found himself surrounded by the bonders. Faced with defeat, Lukka attempted to use more of the Ozolith’s power, causing it to explode and resulting in his planeswalker's spark igniting.
After their victory, the rebuilding of Drannith quickly began. Jirina took on the rank of colonel, carrying on her father's legacy of defending the city while seeking to create more humane policies for dealing with bonders and monsters.
Key Strategy
Introduction: "Jirina Kudro" leads an aggressive, human tribal deck that aims to flood the battlefield with a powerful army of humans. As a Mardu (red, white, and black) commander, Jirina Kudro creates a human token for each time you’ve cast her, and she gives all humans you control a significant +2/+0 buff. The deck revolves around overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers and brute force while also taking advantage of human tribal synergies. This strategy is effective in both regular Commander games and Two-Headed Giant, where the additional bodies and buffs can quickly pressure your opponents.
Key Cards:
Jirina Kudro: The commander herself is the backbone of the deck, providing immediate board presence and a substantial power boost to all your humans. Her ability to create tokens scales with each time she’s cast, ensuring that she’s always impactful even if she’s been removed multiple times.
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar and Hero of Bladehold: Both of these creatures excel at generating additional human tokens when attacking, synergizing perfectly with Jirina’s power boost. These cards help you maintain a steady flow of attackers while keeping the pressure on your opponents.
Judith, the Scourge Diva and Zulaport Cutthroat: These cards provide a painful death trigger when your creatures die, making board wipes or trades costly for your opponents. Judith also gives a small power boost to your creatures, further enhancing your aggressive strategy.
Thalia's Lieutenant and Champion of the Parish: These cards scale with the number of humans entering the battlefield, growing into massive threats as your board presence increases. Thalia’s Lieutenant also buffs your entire board when it enters, which can be game-ending if timed correctly.
Shared Animosity and Sanctuary Lockdown: These cards amplify the combat strength of your human tokens. Shared Animosity boosts your humans based on the number of attacking creatures, while Sanctuary Lockdown not only buffs your humans but also provides a tap-down effect for defensive flexibility.
Blade of Selves and Blade Historian: The former allows you to generate additional attacking creatures with myriad, multiplying your human army in a hurry, while the latter gives all your attacking creatures double strike, making your already potent army downright lethal.
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death and Trynn, Champion of Freedom: These cards provide recursion and additional token generation, respectively. Alesha can recur low-power humans from your graveyard, while Trynn produces tokens during each end step if you’ve attacked, keeping the pressure on.
Strategy:
Early Game: The early game is all about ramping and establishing your board presence. Cards like Arcane Signet, Boros Signet, and Orzhov Signet help accelerate your mana, allowing you to cast Jirina early and start building your army. Playing early creatures like Esper Sentinel, Thalia, Heretic Cathar, and Champion of the Parish will help you set up a strong defense while also laying the groundwork for future attacks.
Mid Game: This is where you want to start applying pressure. With Jirina on the battlefield, your human army will hit much harder. Play cards like Hero of Bladehold and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar to continue generating tokens, and use Blade Historian or Shared Animosity to turn those tokens into devastating threats. Judith, the Scourge Diva and Zulaport Cutthroat can also come into play during this phase, ensuring that even if your creatures die, they’ll take a toll on your opponents.
Late Game: By the late game, your board should be overwhelming. Use Call the Coppercoats to suddenly flood the battlefield with even more human tokens, especially effective in Two-Headed Giant where there are multiple opponents. Cleansing Nova and Citywide Bust offer you the ability to clear the board if things get out of control, while Skullclamp provides you with the card draw needed to refuel. If your opponents have managed to stabilize, Blade of Selves equipped to a key creature like Hero of Bladehold can break the stalemate by generating a massive amount of tokens. Finally, Outlaws' Merriment can keep the pressure on, generating a non-stop stream of tokens.
Mulligan Guide:
Opening Hand Considerations: Look for hands that have a mix of ramp, early creatures, and at least two lands. An ideal hand includes a mana rock like Arcane Signet or Boros Signet, an early-game threat like Champion of the Parish or Esper Sentinel, and a land base that can support your mana needs. A hand with Adeline, Resplendent Cathar or Thalia, Heretic Cathar can also be very strong, as they allow you to start applying pressure quickly.
Hands to Avoid: Avoid hands that are too slow or lack early creatures, as this deck thrives on getting a board presence early and snowballing from there. Mulligan hands that have only one land or are missing crucial colors, as this can stall your game plan. Additionally, hands that rely solely on high-cost spells without ramp are risky, as you may fall behind early.
This strategy guide should give you a strong foundation to pilot "Jirina Kudro" effectively in both regular Commander and Two-Headed Giant formats. With Jirina's ability to generate and empower a human army, you can quickly overwhelm opponents and maintain a relentless assault that’s hard to overcome.
Deck Theme and Pairings
Themes:
Humans
+1 / +1 Counters
Human Cards
Buff Cards