Modern MTG has seen its fair share of Humans decks since it is considered as one of the most powerful decks in the format. Not only does it have a lot of interactions but the synergy between the Humans is top-notch. There are a lot of Humans in MTG but not all are as powerful as the cards on this list. 

20. Mantis Rider

What’s good about this card?

• Mantis Rider is a powerful card with a lot of abilities at a very cheap price
• This 3/3 creature with flying, vigilance, and haste, can immediately affect the game when you cast it
• It is a good aggressive piece that can deal massive amounts of damage if left unchecked.

19. Kitesail Freebooter

What’s good about this card?

• Kitesail Freebooter provides a 2-for-1 card advantage and it can impact the game at any stage
• For just two mana to cast, you can get a 1/2 flying creature and you also have a Duress-like effect in play
• Casting it in the early game can slow down the momentum of the opponent and can even help take away their powerful pieces

18. Auriok Champion

What’s good about this card?

• Lifegain can be an essential part of the game especially when you are up against aggressive decks where all moves are calculated
• Auriok Champion is a great card as it dodges a lot of removal spells because of its protection from red and black
• This card can also be the MVP when you are up against Burn decks or other decks where every point of damage matters

17. General Kudro of Drannith

What’s good about this card?

• General Kudro is a really powerful Human that empowers other creatures on the board
• It boosts other Humans with a +1/+1 advantage. The only downside of this is that General Kudro is a legendary creature which means you won’t be able to stack multiple +1/+1 pumps
• Aside from that, it can also deal with the opponent’s graveyard, making it a valuable card against decks that utilize the graveyard
• Finally, it can also deal with the opponent’s large creatures, providing you with an answer to almost any threat on the board

16. Kambal, Consul of Allocation

What’s good about this card?

• A good counter against noncreature-based decks, Kambal can tax the opponent to death
• Everytime the opponent casts a noncreature spell, Kambal deals 2 damage to that opponent and you gain 2 life
• This plays well against some of the top strategies in Modern like Burn and Control

15. Militia Bugler

What’s good about this card?

• Militia Bugler presents a very valuable ETB effect that can help give you a huge card advantage
• A 2-for-1 card advantage is always a good thing to have especially when you are still establishing your board state

14. Mikaeus, the Lunarch

What’s good about this card?

• Whatever stage of the game you are in, Mikaeus, the Lunarch, will always have an impact on the board
• Whether you cast this card for cheap or use it as a mana sink in the later stages of the game, it still presents a looming threat of constantly giving your other creatures +1/+1 counters

13. Soul-Scar Mage

What’s good about this card?

• Soul-Scar Mage is a great addition to Burn decks as it can help deal with larger creatures that can threaten you on board
• With its ability to dish out -1/-1 counters to the creatures, you won’t need to completely remove huge creatures off the board, you just need to make them more manageable
• Aside from that, Soul-Scar Mage also has prowess which makes it a great creature that can deal massive amounts of damage

12. Tireless Tracker

What’s good about this card?

• Card draws are scarce in Humans decks, however, Tireless Tracker is a good addition that can help bring out your pieces much faster
• Every time you hit a land drop, it gives you a source of card draw through the form of Treasure tokens
• Having multiple copies of Tireless Tracker on the field will solve all your card-draw problems in the late game

11. Thalia’s Lieutenant

What’s good about this card?

• For the low cost of two-mana, you can have a huge pump to your creatures with this card’s ETB effect
• A +1/+1 counter to all other Human creatures can accelerate the amount of damage you have on the board
• Aside from that, Thalia’s Lieutenant also gets a counter for every Human that enters your battlefield

10. Imperial Recruiter

What’s good about this card?

• Card advantage is not much talked about when playing a red deck, however, Imperial Recruiter allows you to get a 2-for-1 card advantage when you cast it
• Any type of card advantage is always welcome in red decks and Imperial Recruiter’s ETB ability is one that you would want in your deck
• Not only does it allow you to draw a card from your library, you get to choose which card you draw. And given that it is played in red decks, you will most likely have a lot of creatures with power 2 or less

9. Dark Confidant

What’s good about this card?

• Speaking of card draw, Dark Confidant also allows you to draw an additional card at the beginning of your upkeep
• However, unlike Imperial Recruiter, it is not just an ETB effect but the effect will carry on as long as Dark Confidant is on the battlefield

8. Meddling Mage

What’s good about this card?

• Meddling Mage gives a better way of countering cards by not allowing the opponent to cast them in the first place
• As this card enters the battlefield, you get to name a card that the opponent will not be able to cast as long as Meddling Mage is on the battlefield
• This is a good card especially in Bo3 games where you know what cards to name

7. Agent of Treachery

What’s good about this card?

• There’s a reason why this card was banned in Standard, Historic, and Brawl
• Agent of Treachery is a very powerful card that can literally take away your opponent’s key pieces
• If you have cards that can replicate this creature, your opponent will be in a world of trouble and they can bid all their permanents goodbye

6. Baral, Chief of Compliance 

What’s good about this card?

• Baral, Chief of Compliance is a powerful card whatever format you use it on
• A discount on your instants and sorceries can give a long-lasting impact on the game especially when you want to get ahead on your opponent
• Aside from that it also incentivizes you to counter your opponent’s spell as doing so will give you the chance to draw a card

5. Champion of the Parish

What’s good about this card?

• Champion of the Parish is a card that can snowball into a monster when not checked immediately
• Every time a Human enters the battlefield, it gets a +1/+1 counter. Imagine how many counters it would get in these types of decks.

4. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

What’s good about this card?

• Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is a decent card that can slow down a Control player
• With its noncreature spell tax of 1 mana, the opponent will need to scramble for answers and by the time they get their answers, it will already be too late

3. Reflector Mage

What’s good about this card?

• Reflector Mage is another decent card that can counter your opponent’s big threats
• Countering them not necessarily means casting a Negate or a Counterspell
• You can allow them to cast their spell then hit them with Reflector Mage so the spell bounces back to their hand essentially wasting their mana. Aside from that, any bounced card will not be allowed to be re-casted as long as this card is on the board

2. Snapcaster Mage

What’s good about this card?

• One of the ultimate Control pieces, Snapcaster Mage is a card that can give you double the number of spells you have
• Casting counterspells may all be fun and games but what happens when you no longer have counterspells available and the opponent casts their win condition? Easy answer is to cast Snapcaster Mage
• Any instant or sorcery in your graveyard can be re-casted when you cast this spell, allowing you to take whatever card you need and getting extra value from it

1. Noble Hierarch

What’s good about this card?

• One of the best mana ramp you can get in a Humans deck, Noble Hierarch allows you to cast your spells earlier than usual
• Aside from that, it also gives your creatures a decent boost when they attack alone which is a really great effect to have to deal early damage
• With the Exalted effect, you can also swing with Noble Hierarch and it can dodge some blocks with the 2 toughness it will get

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