Feather Redeems Boros in EDH [Primer]

Commander / EDH Control_Train

SCORE: 405 | 238 COMMENTS | 87293 VIEWS | IN 179 FOLDERS


Mordern Horizons 2, Power Creep Boogaloo —June 21, 2021

Modern Horizons 2 is here! I'm currently still testing this set, but can define some definitive cuts and adds and I'll update this later as I find new changes.

IN

  • Blacksmith's Skill - this is like the dream protection spell for this deck, easily the most powerful spell at protection **any** permanent, pairs really nicely with Zada or Mirrorwing
  • Captain Ripley Vance - admittedly, this card gets about a thousand times better with either Fists of Flame or Show of Confidence, but it's not so bad if you've got enough instants and a mana engine like Storm-Kiln Artist
  • Cursed Mirror - it's a mana rock that has other utility, trying it out because I can't afford a Chrome Mox and also it seems useful
  • Shrine of Loyal Legions - this card is much better than it's red cycle counterpart, so it got the slot in first, plus it was a nice replacement for Vanguard of Brimaz since Vanguard and Akroan Crusader don't stack, whereas this and Crusader do; also, this card is bonkers in the limited testing I've done and I'm really happy with the switch

OUT

  • Mana Crypt - yea it's a strictly better Sol Ring in most cases but that damage adds up early and this doesn't make colored mana
  • Sheltering Light - the worst of a generally good selection of protection spells, but something had to go to put in Blacksmith's Skill
  • Vanguard of Brimaz - it's good, don't get me wrong, but Akroan Crusader is the better of the two, and since they don't stack, this one got the axe for Shrine of Loyal Legions since they still provide redundancy when they aren't together but perform even better when they are together
  • Venerable Warsinger - slow recursion permanent is slow recursion permanent; you should probably run this card if you play against mill a lot, but otherwise you just play through removal and boardwipes so this card really doesn't serve a purpose

Control_Train says... #1

Sorin_Markov_1947 - Favored Hoplite is definitely a good card in this deck for pushing through damage if you can get it early, but it's not a great draw late game which is why I've cut many of the creatures that just get big and don't do much else. It is definitely on theme though, and would probably fit nicely in a more aggressive shell. Thanks for the comment!

Richtspruch and vam - Mavinda seems like an amazing card in this deck as you can get back cantrips at will and things like Path or Chaos Warp can be gotten back by targeting a token and used again on an opponent's creature. In an absolute pinch if I have a million mana and need a Wrath, this can work there too, but I don't see this generally doing much outside of being a really solid recursion engine for anything that can target my own stuff. Thanks for the comments!

April 15, 2021 3:17 p.m.

carlmoores says... #2

Hey there, Long time follower of this page/ your list and was wondering if you could critique my own. After your latest update I am already considering the following changes (includes: leering emblem reckless rage winds of abandon intimidation bolt krark the thumbless (playtest at most) inventor's fair Chandra's Ignition

cuts: sword of the animist myth realized Aetherflux resvoir Volcanic Torrent )

Obviously, my list is much more budget than yours (which has more to do with concentrating my MTG $ on other, more cEDH-minded decks than anything) but just wondering where you see room for improvement? My main issues seem to be:

1: Unless I have an opening hand with two lands, rocks, a cantrip and a protection spell I am VERY slow to get rolling. Sometimes if I have a trip but no protection I'll leave a white open to bluff protection but, especially early, Feather going to the CZ can be crippling (part of reason for inclusion of Sevinne's Reclamation ).

2: Hard time closing games: I find Reservoir and Sentinel tower not to be reliable ways to close out games and Aria is also risky as often I've had it gain opponents ten life and be immediately removed. Should I consider more of a Voltron Strategy perhaps?

3: Difficulty dealing with small creature/ token swarms: I'm thinking of including one of my fave Historic cards Flame Sweep and similar cards to address this. I seem to fair better vs. Stompy type builds than go wide.

Hope you have time to check the list and offer a critique. Cheers in advance! Carl

April 16, 2021 10:17 a.m.

Richtspruch says... #3

I am thinking about swapping Hero of the Nyxborn for a Leonin Lightscribe . Furycalm Snarl or Hall of Oracles could also be included? I am thinking if Sudden Breakthrough and Beaming Defiance could be useful?

April 16, 2021 12:49 p.m.

carlmoores says... #4

@Richspruch IMO it's hard to argue that Lightscribe is not just, flat-out the better of the two cards.

April 16, 2021 2:59 p.m.

Control_Train says... #5

carlmoores - Thanks for the comment firstly, and I'm glad you like the deck/idea! I can definitely tell you have a more stax-y theme going on in yours, but the list looks good and your changes seem good too. It's harder for me to give advice on individual lists because I don't know your meta and playstyle as well, but it looks like you've got sufficient protection, ramp, and draw, which I think are the important things I would immediately look for. I'm looking at cutting Krark for one of the Strixhaven cards, but he's definitely still a strong card, I just don't think my build is quite where he belongs.

To address your questions, I find myself mulliganing a lot with Feather, because you're right in that your opening hand is ideally built a certain way, similar to what you said with protection and draw. I normally won't play Feather until I have 4 mana to prevent her from being targeted early, but sometimes you just have to hope she sticks for a while. I find that if I'm not doing anything crazy, Feather herself will stick, though I think my playgroup has almost entirely given up on trying to remove Feather because if I untap with her, I leave enough mana open for protection on each opponent's turn too, so it is -usually- moot to try and get rid of her. If you're having serious problems with Feather getting removed, my suggestion would be something like Swiftfoot Boots, Veilstone Amulet, or just adding more protection spells. Sevinne's definitely seems like a good add though, especially since it can hit more than just Feather.

I can only count on one hand the number of times I have untapped with Aria and lost, because that card alone is such a powerful closer. If you're having trouble with your win condition permanents getting removed, I have a couple of possible solutions. One would be to run more ways to protect them, even if they aren't necessarily thematic to the deck, like Cliffside Rescuer . Another option is to lean more into a token theme, as once enough tokens get into play, something like Anax and Cymede, Leonin Lightscribe , or Show of Confidence can push them through to a win where something like Aria might get shot down by one removal spell. The third option would be to save the win condition pieces like Aria until you're sure you can at least eliminate the player with the most removal, like any green or white player who's likely to have a disenchant effect. It also could just be that your meta is even more removal heavy than mine, or your playgroup is vicious about your win conditions. Let me know if/what you try and if any of it helps!

I'm personally not a fan of cards like Flame Sweep in general, especially because I'm leaning into the token theme, but those cards are definitely effective and can be a good meta pick if you're struggling against swarm decks. You could also try something like Weaver of Lightning which is a thematic way to remove creatures, and while it isn't strictly good at dealing with swarms, you can easily kill 2-3 small creatures per turn cycle, which might be just enough to save you from dying or kill off creatures that are buffing or producing the tokens to begin with. Really hope all of this helps and good luck in your games!

Richtspruch - that's definitely a swap I'm making, I just haven't had time to sit down with the list yet and make the changes. Both lands are okay, Furycalm definitely works better the more basics you have (which I have very few of), and Hall of Oracles seems effective, if slow, but it isn't bad by any means. I thought about Sudden Breakthrough, but at best it's mana neutral, and while you can save the treasures up, I never find myself banking that much mana, though this card is definitely better in more Voltron based builds for sure. Beaming Defiance is also fine at the two mana slot, though I also think this one is better in a more Voltron based build because for my build, the +2/+2 that comes with the extra 1 mana cost doesn't bring much value. Thanks for your comment!

April 21, 2021 11:19 a.m.

EVENcast says... #6

Awesome deck! I’ve been consulting this page frequently since I began building my feather deck, Feather the Storm. I appreciate how thorough and thoughtful your analysis is, and I love that you keep the list updated with each new set release.

I was curious about your inclusion of the land Needle Spires . Your mana base seems insanely efficient, but this clunky man-land caught me by surprise. Do you find that it’s a helpful option after a board wipe? Have you ever used it’s ability in a game, and if so, how frequently?

Thanks again for all the great tips and tricks for this awesome commander!

April 26, 2021 6:04 p.m.

Control_Train says... #7

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you like the list and hope you're having fun with yours!

Needle Spires is one of the only real taplands in the deck, and sometimes it is a bit of a let down to draw late game. It has come in handy a few tiems, although I do think a card like this is much better in a deck that leans more into Voltron because you can buff it better. That being said, using Scroll of the Masters or even Fists of Flame can turn it into a very powerful attacker, and I'm thinking this card is going to be really good with Show of Confidence since the counters remain even when it goes back into a land. If Needle Spires didn't have double strike though, I don't think even if it was a 4/4 it would make the cut at four mana because double strike translates into so much power when combined with other boosting effects and with trample or against deathtouch.

As a coincidental aside, I'm putting Inkmoth Nexus in as a backup win condition thanks to cards like the ones I mentioned above being able to get it to ten power pretty easily.

All that said, I wouldn't blame someone for cutting Needle Spires. It is definitely a last resort option, and an expensive one at essentially five mana since you can't use it for mana if you attack, but I like having options, and I see this as a modal card of sorts.

April 30, 2021 4:15 p.m.

depthcharge2 says... #8

this deck is awesome and effective. The primer was very detailed and thank you for putting in the time to make it. I think Firesong and Sunspeaker would be strong in this deck and I think the average CMC of our deck is low enough to put it in.

May 9, 2021 9:53 p.m.

depthcharge2 says... #9

never mind i misread the card it is not for this deck, sorry :(.

May 9, 2021 9:55 p.m.

depthcharge2 says... #10

a good card would be Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh  Flip though.

May 9, 2021 10:01 p.m.

mrchewy22 says... #11

Is Ephemerate a better option over Cloudshift? Same 1 WMana cost, but has rebound. Allowing an additional cast of the spell without Feather on the field, but still returns to hand on the second cast if Feather is on said field.

May 24, 2021 11:26 a.m.

Control_Train says... #12

Budget options section updated, with hopefully some budget decklists to come soon, if I can find the time to make them.

depthcharge2 - Unfortunately I don't think Firesong or Chandra have good places in my list, but they are definitely cards that you can put into more refined lists where they are better; thanks for the comment though!

mrchewy22 - Ephemerate probably is a strict upgrade, but I run Cloudshift for two reasons; the first being that if I somehow steal a creature (which I used to do with Akroan Conscriptor, not a bad card by the way), I can blink it and keep it forever. The second reason being that if you let Ephemerate go into rebound, it doesn't go back to your hand, and I use it like a protection spell, so I want it to go back to my hand. Now you can use Feather to replace Rebound on resolution of Ephemerate so it can go back to hand, and the option of getting a free cast is technically better, I guess, but I don't like the idea of me letting it go into Rebound and then needing it before my upkeep. It is almost certainly better if you're not running any steal cards (which I'm not, but I'm also biased because my Cloudshift is signed and Japanese) and if you've got more of an emphasis on prowess/magecraft triggers, wherein a free cast is of more value.

TLDR: if you like Ephemerate better, by all means replace it, just be wary of announcing and choosing wisely where you let Ephemerate go on each cast. Thanks for the comment!

May 26, 2021 4:13 p.m.

KayneMarco says... #13

What are your thoughts on Sudden Breakthrough ? Didn’t even know this card was a thing till I pulled one during a Strixhaven draft the other night. A reusable treasure producer is amazing for Feather me thinks. And I did rebuild my Feather deck. Makes me wonder why I retired it in the first place lol. The last few sets have been very kind to Feather.

May 27, 2021 11:34 a.m.

Nic44 says... #14

Great list! I personally think that your approach to Feather, the Redeemed is the correct one (that is, going wide and forgoing the often rotting in hand pump spells like Brute Force ). In that regard, have you ever happened to test Shrine of Loyal Legions ? I haven't had a chance to myself yet, but I happened to stumble upon this card one night rooting through my old Scars block box. It seems like it could be a spicy way to add some more tokens to the field.

June 4, 2021 8:59 p.m.

Nice decklist for Feather! Thank you for putting up this list. I'm slowly but surely trying to build a deck like this. I instantly love Feather as soon as it is released and experimenting on how to build her efficiently and effectively. And yours I think is the most efficient. And I also agree about Sunforger (although I really like this card) that it is too mana intensive. I do have Aurelia's Fury in my current decklist haha!. Keep this up and I hope you have more updates to come, with Modern Horizons 2 coming. More power!

June 5, 2021 1:15 a.m.

Control_Train says... #16

KayneMarco - at first I wasn't keen on Breakthrough because I'm not really a pump deck and when it came out I sort of dismissed it; looking at it now, however, I'm more inclined to potentially find a spot for it, because treasures can be saved up. Breakthrough is almost like a ramp spell, but I'm also hesitant because I can't really see myself casting this over a cantrip if I've got free mana, unless I'm trying to save up for a big turn. I'm going to test it though and see how it feels. You are absolutely right though, they just keep printing broken stuff for Feather, and I'm all about it :)

Nic44 - Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you like the deck idea. Shrine of Loyal Legions and Shrine of Burning Rage are both actually very good in this deck, because the red one can hit any target. I never thought about the white one though, and for my build at least it would be very good. I don't even think these cards need testing to know they're good, but I am going to try and find a slot for them now that you've brought them back to my memory. Thanks for the suggestion and the comment!

moonfletcher1983 - Thanks for the kind words! Aurelia's Fury like Sunforger has it's uses, and they can be good in this deck style, so if it's performing for you then that's great! I'm definitely not taking this deck apart any time soon, so the updates will keep rolling. Testing MH2 cards now to see which ones stick, though Blacksmith's Skill and Captain Ripley Vance are my top picks for this set for Feather so far. Definitely others I'm testing too, but none with as high hopes as these. Thanks again for the comment!

June 5, 2021 3:13 p.m.