<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isperia, Supreme Judge" href="#" target="_blank">Isperia, Supreme Judge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/istrandar">Maxime Minard</a></h6>
<h1>Lift Us Up Where We Belong</h1>
<p>This is Lenny from the Scrap Trawlers, back with another precon upgrade. I did some maintenance on the <em>First Flight</em> deck from <em>Commander Starter Decks</em>. Feel free to check out the primer article if you haven't already and if you can check out the original list below.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="First Flight" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Isperia, Supreme Judge
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Absorb
*1 Aetherize
*1 Condemn
*1 Counterspell
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Disenchant
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Negate
*1 Rally of Wings
*1 Sphinx&#039;s Revelation
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Angler Turtle
*1 Archon of Redemption
*1 Aven Gagglemaster
*1 Cartographer&#039;s Hawk
*1 Cloudblazer
*1 Diluvian Primordial
*1 Emeria Angel
*1 Empyrean Eagle
*1 Faerie Formation
*1 Hanged Executioner
*1 Inspired Sphinx
*1 Jubilant Skybonder
*1 Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant
*1 Kangee, Sky Warden
*1 Pilgrim&#039;s Eye
*1 Remorseful Cleric
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Skycat Sovereign
*1 Skyscanner
*1 Sphinx of Enlightenment
*1 Steel-Plume Marshal
*1 Thunderclap Wyvern
*1 Tide Skimmer
*1 Warden of Evos Isle
*1 Windreader Sphinx
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Banishing Light
*1 Ever-Watching Threshold
*1 Favorable Winds
*1 Gravitational Shift
*1 Soul Snare
*1 Staggering Insight
*1 True Conviction
*1 Vow of Duty
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Migratory Route
*1 Storm Herd
*1 Time Wipe
*1 Winged Words
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Coastal Tower
*1 Command Tower
*15 Island
*1 Meandering River
*1 Moorland Haunt
*15 Plains
*1 Port Town
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Sejiri Refuge
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Tranquil Cove
[/Lands]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Gideon Jura
[/Planeswalkers]"></span></div>

<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isperia, Supreme Judge" href="#" target="_blank">Isperia, Supreme Judge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is at the head of this deck and while her card draw is useful, getting attacked for it is far from ideal. The deck contains a whole forced combat strategy to give some control over it as well as several cards to protect against opponents attacks. These take up a lot of space in the deck that I feel could be better utilized, so rather than try to improve how that package works, I want to rip it out entirely and change the commander while still keeping the flying aggro core of the deck. Board wipes and removal can be a big problem for this deck, so I want to improve the protection suite. I'm also hoping to lower the average mana value by removing some of the higher cost cards so when we do catch removal, we're more likely to rebuild quickly. Finally I want to add a bit of support for the new commander.</p>
<h2>Bring me a Higher Love</h2>
<p>Instead of Isperia, we'll be putting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonlord Ojutai" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonlord Ojutai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at the head of the deck. He's cheap and easier to come by thanks to a reprint in <em>New Capenna Commander</em> and while he can't draw as many cards as Isperia, we have a bit more control over drawing them and he has a bit more staying power thanks to being hexproof while untapped. Usually you see Ojutai in front of a more commander focused Voltron strategy, but he works quite well supporting the go wide fliers deck we have here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragonlord Ojutai"></div></div>
<p>We do want to show our commander some love by giving him vigilance to make sure he's hexproof as much as possible. 48% of Ojutai decks are using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sentinel&#039;s Eyes" href="#" target="_blank">Sentinel&#039;s Eyes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and 41% are using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ring of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Ring of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It makes sense as these are both cheap and reusable ways to give vigilance. We're also adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thraben Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Thraben Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> since it's also an anthem for all of our nontoken creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sentinel&#039;s Eyes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ring of Thune"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thraben Watcher"></div></div>
<p>We definitely want to add to the protection suite. Three counterspells is a good start but we really don't want our opponents clipping our wings with a board wipe. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can sacrifice themselves to give your creatures indestructible, and are fliers themselves so they'll benefit from the anthems we have. When faced with these cards, opponents are likely to try to play around them, which makes surprise effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unbreakable Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Unbreakable Formation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> backbreaking.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selfless Spirit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unbreakable Formation"></div></div>
<p>Much of the card draw in the original deck is concentrated on six mana cards, I'd prefer to have it on cheaper effects so we aren't taking a late game turn off to draw three cards. With the forced combat mechanics from the original deck, not reprinting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keep Watch" href="#" target="_blank">Keep Watch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was a missed opportunity, but even without forcing the issue, this a fantastic draw spell that you don't even have to be attacked to benefit from. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bident of Thassa" href="#" target="_blank">Bident of Thassa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so good, why not have another with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reconnaissance Mission" href="#" target="_blank">Reconnaissance Mission</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Since Ojutai is more likely to stick around with his inherent protection, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loyal Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Loyal Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap way to get some extra cards on a flying body.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keep Watch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reconnaissance Mission"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loyal Drake"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strixhaven Stadium" href="#" target="_blank">Strixhaven Stadium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will rack up points quickly and is a great way to deal with life gain or with decks that are hard to attack. Speaking of being hard to attack, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra&#039;s Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Serra&#039;s Emissary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us, along with our team, protection from creatures. <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> is easily my favorite card from 2022. Not only does it remove nonland permanents when it enters the battlefield or hits an opponent, but it can potentially draw a ton of cards and hits pretty hard with that four power</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Strixhaven Stadium"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serra&#039;s Emissary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aerial Extortionist"></div></div>
<p>At the time of writing this article, you can add all these cards to the deck for just $9.13.</p>
<h2>Fly Away</h2>
<p>Our upgraded deck isn't going to fly with more than 100 cards, so we've got some cargo we need to unload for our new stuff. Since we're swapping the commander out, we can get rid of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angler Turtle" href="#" target="_blank">Angler Turtle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gideon Jura" href="#" target="_blank">Gideon Jura</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We don't want to be sending any attacks our way if we aren't benefitting from it. We're also ditching <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ever-Watching Threshold" href="#" target="_blank">Ever-Watching Threshold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for some other card draw effects.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angler Turtle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon Jura"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ever-Watching Threshold"></div></div>
<p>I want to have a leaner deck, so I'm also cutting a few cards of the top end. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems impressive, but it's also a whopping ten mana to cast and by the time you can pull it off, you have a decent chance that your life total won't be all that high. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diluvian Primordial" href="#" target="_blank">Diluvian Primordial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an awesome card in a deck that's milling opponents, but here we're just hoping our opponents cast something cool we can use later and we can do better even by just picking a different seven mana flier. Card draw is important, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx of Enlightenment" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx of Enlightenment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just feels underwhelming outside maybe a blink or group hug strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Herd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diluvian Primordial"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphinx of Enlightenment"></div></div>
<p>Outside of specific strategies, X draw spells feel like a trap. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphinx&#039;s Revelation" href="#" target="_blank">Sphinx&#039;s Revelation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could draw a bunch of cards, but it's four mana to even draw that first one. Not exactly the kind of effect I want to take a turn off or hold up mana for. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vow of Duty" href="#" target="_blank">Vow of Duty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would work great with Ojutai as the commander, but I'd rather use the cheaper and reusable effects we added into the deck.. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hedron Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Hedron Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is fine as a mana rock, but in this deck we're only sacrificing it if we're desperate for cards, so I'd rather have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strixhaven Stadium" href="#" target="_blank">Strixhaven Stadium</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphinx&#039;s Revelation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vow of Duty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Archive"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thunderclap Wyvern" href="#" target="_blank">Thunderclap Wyvern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would be great if we were leaning more into instant speed effects, but it's an easy cut for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thraben Watcher" href="#" target="_blank">Thraben Watcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Condemn" href="#" target="_blank">Condemn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is very conditional removal and without forcing combats it's going to be a dead card much of the time. We aren't running any effects to synergize with lifegain here, so a one shot effect like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aven Gagglemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Aven Gagglemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't really belong.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderclap Wyvern"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Condemn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aven Gagglemaster"></div></div>
<h2>(Not So) Free Bird</h2>
<p>If you're looking to fly first classs with this deck, there are a ton of expensive cards to be added. For protective spells, you just can't do better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teferi&#039;s Protection" href="#" target="_blank">Teferi&#039;s Protection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is about as close to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as you can get in white and it has the added benefit of protecting your creatures if need be. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consecrated Sphinx" href="#" target="_blank">Consecrated Sphinx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful self contained draw engine on a flying beater.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teferi&#039;s Protection"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consecrated Sphinx"></div></div>
<p>The ancient dragons from <em>Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate </em> are powerful top end creatures that provide tremendous value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Gold Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Gold Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can generate a ton of fliers if it connects with an opponent and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Silver Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Silver Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw a dangerous amount of cards.<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> usually finds its way into live gain decks, but thanks to its native lifelink, it can function as a gradually increasing anthem on a flying body.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Gold Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Silver Dragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archangel of Thune"></div></div>
<h2>Leaving on a Jetplane</h2>
<p>It's about time to land this bird, so let's take a look at our final product.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="First Flight Upgrade" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Dragonlord Ojutai
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Aerial Extortionist
*1 Archon of Redemption
*1 Cartographer&#039;s Hawk
*1 Cloudblazer
*1 Emeria Angel
*1 Emeria Shepherd
*1 Empyrean Eagle
*1 Faerie Formation
*1 Hanged Executioner
*1 Inspired Sphinx
*1 Jubilant Skybonder
*1 Kangee&#039;s Lieutenant
*1 Kangee, Sky Warden
*1 Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate
*1 Loyal Drake
*1 Pilgrim&#039;s Eye
*1 Remorseful Cleric
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Serra&#039;s Emissary
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Skycat Sovereign
*1 Steel-Plume Marshal
*1 Thraben Watcher
*1 Tide Skimmer
*1 Warden of Evos Isle
*1 Windreader Sphinx
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Banishing Light
*1 Favorable Winds
*1 Gravitational Shift
*1 Reconnaissance Mission
*1 Sentinel&#039;s Eyes
*1 Soul Snare
*1 Staggering Insight
*1 True Conviction
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Bident of Thassa
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Ring of Thune
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strixhaven Stadium
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Thought Vessel
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Absorb
*1 Aetherize
*1 Counterspell
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Disenchant
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Keep Watch
*1 Negate
*1 Rally of Wings
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unbreakable Formation
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Migratory Route
*1 Time Wipe
*1 Winged Words
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Coastal Tower
*1 Command Tower
*15 Island
*1 Meandering River
*1 Moorland Haunt
*15 Plains
*1 Port Town
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Sejiri Refuge
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Tranquil Cove
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p>With the new commander, the deck should have a more consistent card draw source available. We're also going to be less likely to just get taken out by a board wipe with the improved protection suite. With a lower average mana value, and cheaper card draw effects, we'll have more to do in the earlier turns of the game. Even with these improvements there's still a lot that can be done to improve this deck and if this idea speaks to you, there are a bunch of other commanders you can use. I run a similar deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate" href="#" target="_blank">Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as the commander you can check out <a href="https://www.archidekt.com/decks/933605#Sea_Gate_Air_Force">here.</a> What did you think of the upgraded verison of the deck, would you pick a different commander? Let me know in the comments, be sure to watch this space for more as we cover other decks, and as always budget before you buy it.</p>


mtg

First Flight - Precon Upgrade Guide

Legends' Legacy - Precon Primer

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate Set Review - Artifacts and Lands