Commander Kryptonite: Feather, the Redeemed

Posted on July 30, 2025

Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and this is Commander Kryptonite, the series that digs into some of the strongest commanders in the format, how they work, their strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately how to beat them.

This week we're looking at a very unique commander, one that stands out not only among Boros legends but across the entire format. It bucks traditional Boros strategies and manages to play high-level Magic without a high price tag. The commander I'm referring to, of course, is Feather, the Redeemed.

This commander is a nightmare to deal with at the table, and we often see a resurgence of Feather decks whenever a new piece is printed that fits her gameplan. But before diving into those powerful pieces, let's look at what makes Feather tick.

The Commander: Feather, the Redeemed

In a set overflowing with planeswalkers, Feather made her debut in War of the Spark. While it wasn't a set known for legendary creatures, Feather quickly stole the spotlight, helped in no small part by being previewed by The Command Zone.

Feather's ability is deceptively powerful. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery that targets her, that spell is exiled instead of going to the graveyard. Then, at the beginning of your end step, you return it to your hand. That single line of text turns modest spells into repeatable engines.

There are two main approaches to building a Feather deck. The less common one uses cards like Eerie Interlude and Cloudshift to build a Boros blink strategy full of clever interactions and toolbox creatures. But the most popular and most explosive version is the combat trick deck. And that's where things get dangerous.

The Deck

Combat tricks are spells that boost the power or toughness of creatures, often temporarily, to swing combat in your favor. The classic example is Giant Growth, giving +3/+3 for just one mana. While that particular card is Green, Boros has its own arsenal of these tricks, along with something even better: protection spells.

Feather plays a lot like a Voltron deck. You suit her up with combat tricks and protection spells, swinging for lethal turn after turn. And because those spells come back every end step, you're building a game plan that's sustainable, repeatable, and hard to interact with.

The true trickiness of the deck, though, lies in its resilience. Protection spells like Gods Willing, Shelter, and Reckless Rage don't just keep Feather alive, they make her nearly untouchable. The longer the game goes, the better Feather's grip on the board becomes. Here is an example of a Feather deck you might see at your local game store.

Feather, the Redeemed EDH | Commander

Commander (1)
1 Feather, the Redeemed

Lands (34)
11 Mountain
10 Plains
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Boros Garrison
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Furycalm Snarl
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Spectator Seating
1 Sundown Pass
1 Temple of Triumph

Buy This Deck Export text

Strengths

The biggest strength of this deck is its resilience through protection. With so many spells that give indestructibility, hexproof, or protection from colors, Feather is one of the hardest commanders to remove once she's on the battlefield.

She also only costs three mana, meaning she can come down early and be recast without too much pain even after a few removals. This low cost, combined with a repeatable engine built into the command zone, makes Feather incredibly consistent.

And unlike some Voltron decks that run out of gas, Feather doesn't rely on equipment or enchantments. She reuses instants and sorceries, meaning your hand stays full and your resources never dry up.

Weaknesses

Feather does come with some notable drawbacks. First, she's heavily reliant on herself. If Feather gets countered or removed a few times early, the deck can flounder. There's no true backup engine unless you've built specifically with that in mind.

She's also in Boros, which traditionally struggles with ramp and card draw. While Feather does get around that with spells like Defiant Strike and Shelter, the deck still relies on having Feather on board to make those pay off.

Board wipes are another serious issue. While single-target removal can often be dodged, spells like Cyclonic Rift, Farewell, and Toxic Deluge can completely reset Feather's progress and eliminate her support spells.

Cards to Look Out For

Here are a few of the deck's most dangerous staples, cards you should keep your eye on any time you see Feather across the table.

Shelter - This is the bread and butter of the deck. Two mana for protection from a color and drawing a card, what's not to love? And since it keeps coming back, it turns into a reliable draw engine on top of protection.

Monastery Mentor - A perfect backup plan. If Feather gets removed or locked out, Mentor can churn out an army of Prowess-powered monks that quickly get out of control. The deck already runs tons of cheap spells, Mentor just converts those into lethal pressure.

Sunforger - You knew this one was coming. Sunforger gives +4/+0, but more importantly, it turns your entire deck into a toolbox. Protection? Removal? Pump? It's all accessible at instant speed once this is online.

Chandra's Ignition - This is a brutal board wipe that can be cast repeatedly. Because it targets Feather, it comes back every end step. With enough power boosts, it wipes the board while leaving Feather alive, and if she has lifelink, the game ends on the spot.

Goldspan Dragon - A strong Plan B. While it doesn't return spells like Feather does, it rewards spellcasting with treasure tokens that double as ramp. It also turns combat tricks into ramp engines and helps cast multiple spells in a turn.

How to Clip the Wings

Because Feather is such a known quantity, most players at the table will immediately recognize what's going on. Normally with Voltron decks, you might wait until they take out one player before stepping in. That's a bad idea here. The longer Feather lives, the stronger her hand becomes. Beating this deck requires teamwork and timing. One player tries to remove Feather. The Feather player will likely cast a protection spell in response. When that spell is on the stack, another player responds by removing Feather again. The protection fizzles because its target is gone, and now it's in the graveyard instead of being recycled. Do this a few times, and you can start to poke holes in their shield. Once they're out of protection spells, the game opens up. Feather can't swing through forever, especially not if the table works together to keep her in check.