Modern has certainly been the belle of the ball recently, being the predominant format played across multiple events. However, Standard is still available at plenty of tournaments and I wanted to explore a deck that looks like a blast to play and is (slightly) customizable: Feather, the Redeemed.

Perhaps the biggest winner of the London Mulligan for this Standard was Feather. A voltron deck that lets you build upon flexible creatures or creatures with evasion to put your opponent to the test immediately. If your opponent misses a beat, this deck (similar to Mono-Red) is going to run them over. The other big change was the addition of Gods Willing. This singular card was the driving force behind the Heroic deck from Theros and offers much of the same here for Feather. While this variant of Heroic offers less in the way of massive cheap creatures, Feather lets you effectively draw extra cards every turn. Most removal being played doesn't touch Feather, so, set up for protecting her won't be too difficult to manage. I think the overall output of damage is a little on the lower end but the capacity to power through gained life and return through poor board states is what makes this deck a force to be reckoned with.

Most recently at SCG Philly, we saw Grand Prix Finalist Nico DelValle soar to a finals appearance with Boros Feather.

Boros Feather | Core Set 2020 Standard | Nico Delvalle

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
• 1 Tomik, Distinguished Advokist
• 2 Tajic, Legion's Edge
• 4 Adanto Vanguard
• 4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
• 4 Feather, the Redeemed
• 4 Tenth District Legionnaire

• Instants (16)
• 4 Defiant Strike
• 4 Gods Willing
• 4 Reckless Rage
• 4 Shock

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Gird for Battle

• Lands (22)
• 3 Mountain
• 7 Plains
• 4 Clifftop Retreat
• 4 Sacred Foundry
• 4 Temple of Triumph

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Legion Warboss
• 1 Baffling End
• 1 Prison Realm
• 3 Demystify
• 2 Fry
• 1 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
• 1 Gideon Blackblade
• 1 Deafening Clarion
• 3 Lava Coil

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The standouts from Nico's list here lie in Tomik, Distinguished Advokist and Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice. Evasive threats in these decks are at a premium and Tomik doubles as a hate card as well against Nissa, Who Shakes the World. Nissa's stock has always been solid, but with Bant ramp decks of different flavors starting to pick up main deck answers that shut off half of her impact, she'll take a bit of a hit. While Tajic looks nice against Mono-Red, I think we can safely say after these last few weekends that Red is on the downswing and we can relegate those Tajics to the sideboard.

The card that I feel the weirdest about is Gird for Battle. If we're really at the point where we just need to fill slots, why is this the only option? I can see how it might be nice to get some creatures out of burn range, but with Red decks on the lower end I think I'm leaning toward Sheltering Light as a way to keep our threats protected. With Dino decks becoming more of a staple I also wouldn't be surprised that Gird is better at prepping creatures for ground battles. Although, with Esper likely the most popular deck moving forward, being able to effectively counter a Kaya's Wrath is going to be important.

My main point here about Gird is if we need playables why not stretch into a third color and get some real heavy hitters?

The mana is quite fantastic for these three color decks and since the other aggressive decks are starting to fall out of favor it could be time for these decks to rise. Feather appears to already be in a solid place, so we could potentially build the deck to adapt with the changing meta of a progressing Standard. The worst case is a return to the tried and true solid Boros variant.

Let's start with the Jeskai version.

Jeskai Feather | Core Set 2020 Standard | Rudy Briksza

• Creatures (21)
• 1 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
• 2 Legion Warboss
• 2 Spectral Sailor
• 4 Adanto Vanguard
• 4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
• 4 Feather, the Redeemed
• 4 Tenth District Legionnaire

• Instants (17)
• 1 Shock
• 2 Dive Down
• 2 Sheltering Light
• 4 Defiant Strike
• 4 Gods Willing
• 4 Reckless Rage

• Lands (22)
• 2 Sulfur Falls
• 4 Clifftop Retreat
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Sacred Foundry
• 4 Steam Vents

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Dovin's Veto
• 3 Tocatli Honor Guard
• 2 Deafening Clarion
• 2 Teferi, Time Raveler
• 2 Shock
• 1 Fry
• 1 Tajic, Legion's Edge

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Dive Down really functions here as an extraneous Sheltering Light/Gods Willing which is excellent against all kinds of removal. In keeping with the rest of the idea for the deck, Spectral Sailor provides a unique way to hold up removal or draw cards in a tight mid to late game. Post board, getting access to cards like Dovin's Veto and Teferi, Time Raveler means you'll have better ways to protect yourself against heavy removal or control decks and be able to really put the screws to the new Scapeshift decks. If Nexus of Fate and Scapeshift decks start to pick up, having Veto will be a necessity. These decks generally rank amongst the worst matchups and having access to interaction can really help pull you through.

Some other cards for the short list in the sideboard are Aether Gust and Kykar, Wind's Fury. If Dinos get massive then Aether Gust functions as an impactful tempo spell. Kykar fulfills a role that Murmuring Mystic wishes it could fill. Kykar creating fliers also plays well into the strengths of the deck. This can help push through extra damage and help play around spot removal by helping you go wide.

The other color I'm interested in (and more so than Blue) is splashing Green, going Naya. While the Blue is nice it feels a little on the slow side and I kind of want to just get our opponent's dead.

Naya Feather | Core Set 2020 Standard | Amazonian

• Creatures (15)
• 3 Gruul Spellbreaker
• 4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
• 4 Feather, the Redeemed
• 4 Tenth District Legionnaire

• Instants (16)
• 2 Collision // Colossus
• 2 Samut's Sprint
• 4 Defiant Strike
• 4 Gods Willing
• 4 Reckless Rage

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Domri's Ambush

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Season of Growth

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Plains
• 3 Rootbound Crag
• 3 Sunpetal Grove
• 4 Clifftop Retreat
• 4 Sacred Foundry
• 4 Stomping Ground
• 4 Temple Garden

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Sheltering Light
• 2 Lava Coil
• 2 Adanto Vanguard
• 1 Shock
• 2 Tocatli Honor Guard
• 2 Gideon Blackblade
• 2 Veil of Summer
• 2 Flame Sweep

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Taking a look at the Feather list Amazonian has been playing for Fandom Legends tournaments. I'm a really big fan of playing Gruul Spellbreaker. Having a creature that essentially has Hexproof and comes built in with trample turns the heat up really quick. Season of Growth is the card that really helps pull it all together. Part of the concern with this deck is falling just a bit short on damage and finding a spell to push through. Being able to keep up on card advantage with any deck in the format will certainly insure consistency and give us a way to break through a mulligan. Domri's Ambush and Collision // Colossus are awesome additions to crush any chump blockers.

The card I think I'd be most excited to see would be Rienne, Angel of Rebirth. It's a little costly, but it hits hard and can help provide more protection to your creatures without a mana investment. Rienne being a 5/4 means we'll be able to end the game quickly even without having access to any pump spells. The Dinos deck has really shown that hitting hard and quickly is a great way to end the game and in many ways Feather is a build your own dinosaur.

I'm a big fan of this style of deck and I'm looking forward to my next Standard tournament so I can jam some Feather!