Commander Fusion: Cao Ren + Kentaro = ?

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral, the Windcrested</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://jesperejsing.com/">Jesper Ejsing</a></h6>
<h1>Early birds and night owls</h1>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello there! Welcome once again to <em>EDHighlights</em>, the mini-series where I build decks for the year's most popular commander for each color combination. As 2024's set releases have finished, I'll take a look at the most popular releases from the past year. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I've built a deck for each monocolored commander (you can find those </span><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/cooper-gottfried/?utm_source=edhrec&amp;utm_medium=article_preview"><span style="font-weight: 400;">at this link</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">), and I'm now moving on to the two-color commanders. We'll be kicking things off this week with an Azorius deck, and our first kindred deck in the series. This deck will be led by… <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral, the Windcrested</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kastral, the Windcrested"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I love Bloomburrow, I love birds, and I love creature-heavy Azorius decks. This is the first deck in the series that I'm actually considering buying in paper. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, surprisingly, a bluejay (</span><a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Kastral#:~:text=4%20References-,Description,a%20bluejay%20birdfolk%20from%20Bloomburrow."><span style="font-weight: 400;">according to the MTGWiki</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Given her name, I would have assumed she's a kestrel, but I guess that the fine folks making cards thought that would be too easy. But, whatever type of bird she may be, she's leading this deck. Let's get brewing!</span></p>
<h2><b>It's a bird! It's a plane!</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 4/5 Bird Scout with flying for 5 mana, and she has an ability that gives us a benefit whenever a Bird bonks one of our opponents. When one of our Birds connects we get to do one of three things:</span></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Put a Bird from our hand or graveyard onto the battlefield with a finality counter on it.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Put a +1/+1 counter on each of our Birds.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Draw a card.</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All of these are great, and this deck will work best when we're able to get to make this choice more than once each turn. As for this deck's small twist, we'll be making the most of both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s text and our other typal synergies. Every creature in this deck will be a bird!</span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">A family that welcomes birds of all feathers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Birds of a feather flock together, and </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">'s Birds are no different. There are a few cards from both recent and not-so-recent </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> history that work well when we have a board full of Birds. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of the Nine Gales" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of the Nine Gales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can act as a repeatable bounce spell, for the low cost of tapping two birds. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another old one, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee, Aerie Keeper" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee, Aerie Keeper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is SLIGHTLY janky but can act as a great anthem and mana sink in the late game. And, the much newer <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knightfisher" href="#" target="_blank">Knightfisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make a ton of tokens over the course of the game (and it's name alone makes it worth a slot in this deck).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keeper of the Nine Gales"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kangee, Aerie Keeper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knightfisher"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crookclaw Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Crookclaw Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which turns each of our creatures into card draw if we'd rather hold them back in combat. We can even negate its high mana cost with our commander's ability, making this avian more advantageous. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seaside Haven" href="#" target="_blank">Seaside Haven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can sacrifice our birds for cards. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This card is particularly good with our commander in play, because we'll be able to reanimate any birds we throw into the bin. And, although five mana is admittedly a bit much for this effect, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murmuration" href="#" target="_blank">Murmuration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has found a slot too. It makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Crow" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Crow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, buffs our birds, and is just overall a really fun card to slam on the field.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crookclaw Elder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seaside Haven"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murmuration"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We've got other, non-Bird-focused flying-synergies too. There's classic anthems like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empyrean Eagle" href="#" target="_blank">Empyrean Eagle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, anthems that get even better if we can put them into the graveyard like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even the second appearance of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kangee, Sky Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Kangee</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an anthem.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empyrean Eagle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kangee, Sky Warden"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's also cost reducers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Watcher of the Spheres" href="#" target="_blank">Watcher of the Spheres</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warden of Evos Isle" href="#" target="_blank">Warden of Evos Isle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and protection for our board in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unsettled Mariner" href="#" target="_blank">Unsettled Mariner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Overall, birds (and some of their changeling friends) provide a wide array of effects for our lofty battlefield.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Watcher of the Spheres"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warden of Evos Isle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unsettled Mariner"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dazzling Denial" href="#" target="_blank">Maintaining brilliant plumage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One important thing to note about Kastral is that, while she can cheat out creatures from our hand or recur them from our graveyard, those creatures enter with finality counters on them. If they would die, instead they're just exiled. So, like any good Commander player, I'm going to do my best to get around that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First, let's talk about the deck's blink subtheme. There's a few cards that really stand out here, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gossip&#039;s Talent" href="#" target="_blank">Gossip&#039;s Talent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This card fills our graveyard, lets our smaller creatures punch through in combat to trigger our commander, and can blink our creatures to get rid of their finality counters. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just an absolute all-star in the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meneldor, Swift Savior" href="#" target="_blank">Meneldor, Swift Savior</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great too, it's a bird that can blink one of our other birds every turn. Even though it's only a 3/3 for four mana, its ability makes up for those lackluster stats. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Splash Portal" href="#" target="_blank">Splash Portal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can blink a creature and replace itself in our hand for just one mana. If it weren't a sorcery, this would be in contention as one of the best blink spells in </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Magic</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gossip&#039;s Talent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Meneldor, Swift Savior"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Splash Portal"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As an added bonus, this blink subtheme will allow our creatures to re-trigger their enters triggers, meaning that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scouting Hawk" href="#" target="_blank">Scouting Hawk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Irregular Cohort" href="#" target="_blank">Irregular Cohort</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aerial Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Aerial Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and all our other creatures with ETB effects become even better.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scouting Hawk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Irregular Cohort"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aerial Extortionist"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are two other interesting ways to get rid of finality counters: the recently-revivified <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Power Conduit" href="#" target="_blank">Power Conduit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and recently-released <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Power Conduit" href="#" target="_blank">Power Conduit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can straight up remove the finality counters while making a creature stronger, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Senu</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> actually WANTS to be exiled. Then, admittedly less interestingly, staples like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are here too,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Power Conduit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ephemerate"></div></div></span></p>
<h2><b><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Crow" href="#" target="_blank">Storm crow descending…</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like any good typal deck, Kastral and Co. will be making use of some less-type-specific typal-synergy cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kindred Discovery" href="#" target="_blank">Kindred Discovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shines here, just like it does in most kindred decks, and puts in extra work when we cheat out a feathered friend with our commander. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm also a big fan of the two <em>Bloomburrow</em> village lands that slot into the deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lilypad Village" href="#" target="_blank">Lilypad Village</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help to fill the graveyard with more targets for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kastral, the Windcrested" href="#" target="_blank">Kastral</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lupinflower Village" href="#" target="_blank">Lupinflower Village</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can put more birds directly into our hand in a pinch.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kindred Discovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lilypad Village"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lupinflower Village"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that bird's-eye view of the deck, let's take a look at the decklist…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="2024&#039;s EDHighlights - Kastral, the Windcrested" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Kastral, the Windcrested
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Extortionist
*1 Alrund, God of the Cosmos // Hakka, Whispering Raven
*1 Aven Interrupter
*1 Battlefield Raptor
*1 Bloodline Pretender
*1 Cartographer&#039;s Hawk
*1 Combat Calligrapher
*1 Crookclaw Elder
*1 Eagles of the North
*1 Empyrean Eagle
*1 Esior, Wardwing Familiar
*1 Gwaihir the Windlord
*1 Harrier Strix
*1 Irregular Cohort
*1 Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker
*1 Jackdaw Savior
*1 Judge&#039;s Familiar
*1 Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant
*1 Kangee, Aerie Keeper
*1 Kangee, Sky Warden
*1 Keeper of the Nine Gales
*1 Knightfisher
*1 Ledger Shredder
*1 Lifecreed Duo
*1 Meneldor, Swift Savior
*1 Miner&#039;s Guidewing
*1 Mirror Entity
*1 Mockingbird
*1 Nimble Obstructionist
*1 Plumecreed Escort
*1 Scouting Hawk
*1 Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector
*1 Shabraz, the Skyshark
*1 Shrike Force
*1 Stormscape Familiar
*1 Thrummingbird
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Unsettled Mariner
*1 Warden of Evos Isle
*1 Watcher of the Spheres
*1 Wingmate Roc
*1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Gossip&#039;s Talent
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Murmuration
*1 Reflections of Littjara
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Animal Sanctuary
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway
*6 Island
*1 Lilypad Village
*1 Lupinflower Village
*1 Mystic Gate
*1 Nesting Grounds
*1 Nimbus Maze
*1 Path of Ancestry
*8 Plains
*1 Restless Anchorage
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Seaside Haven
*1 Secluded Courtyard
*1 Skycloud Expanse
*1 Three Tree City
*1 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Airborne Aid
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Raise the Palisade
*1 Splash Portal
*1 Supreme Verdict
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 And They Shall Know No Fear
*1 Cloudshift
*1 Dazzling Denial
*1 Ephemerate
*1 Lae&#039;zel&#039;s Acrobatics
*1 Lofty Denial
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Strix Serenade
*1 Swan Song
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Patchwork Banner
*1 Power Conduit
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>
<h2><b>Everybody's heard about the bird!</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That's it for this week's article! As someone who does research on migratory species conservation, and as someone who just loves birds, this was such a fun deck to build. My favorite Bird in this deck is probably <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Harrier Strix" href="#" target="_blank">Harrier Strix</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a 1/1 flyer for just one mana, and it can help us filter for more cards if we have extra mana.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In real life, though, my favorite bird is the<a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Siskin/id"> Pine Siskin</a>. I research these little guys as part of my job, and I think they're just cool looking. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">What's your favorite bird (in real life or in <em>Magic</em>)? I'd love to know, so let me know in the comments below. I'll see you all next week!</span></p>


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