Feather, the Redeemed – MTG War of the Spark Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

This card really takes me back. Feather was a character in the companion novels to the first Ravnica block, from 2005 and 2006. In fact, she actually becomes the Boros guildmaster at the end of the book trilogy, later to be succeeded by Aurelia. But since that transition occurred “off-camera”, this is her first ever appearance on a card.

I know I speculated the other day about what sort of combo cards Fblthp might be foreshadowing, but Feather has a reference to Theros that’s arguably stronger than Fblthp’s possible hint. That text is awfully similar to the stable of abilities that come under the “heroic” term, and it seems like she would get along pretty well with Anax and Cymede in Commander. The timing restrictions mean that you can’t quite machine-gun somebody to death with Giant Growth effects, but it’s hard to complain too much about that. After all, red-white decks often struggle to keep up in the attrition battle over multiple turns, and Feather can help a lot with that. The specificity means she probably won’t put you on the same level as a Rock deck or something else that’s specifically designed for attrition, but she can keep you close enough long enough to burn them to death. Try it with Titan’s Strength!

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5

After years of demands, Feather finally gets her card, and it’s an interesting and unique Boros commander. In particular, her “buyback” effect is very promising in conjunction with any sort of combat trick, especially of the cantripping variety…and I seem to recall hearing some speculation with its interaction with Aurelia’s Fury from Gatecrash. Being able to recast spells is a potent effect, and Feather even offers an efficient body with which you can swoop often and early. I don’t know if this will be the piece Boros needs; a color-intensive casting cost is a bit of a tall order to work around, but Feather definitely has a lot of promise.

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander: 4.25