Budget Birds by Jakeander11

Format: Commander

Commander: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 33

Deck overview

This deck is a Bant flying tribal tempo strategy helmed by Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. The primary game plan revolves around flooding the board with hyper-efficient 1-drop and 2-drop flying Birds to trigger combat-damage draw engines such as Coastal Piracy, Bident of Thassa, and Enduring Curiosity. Derevi's combat triggers untap lands, generating massive mana velocity that allows the deck to deploy threats while simultaneously holding up counterspells like Lofty Denial and Dazzling Denial. The deck transitions into a lethal win condition around Turn 6 using asymmetric anthems like Gravitational Shift, Murmuration, or Sephara, Sky's Blade, or by locking down noncreature spells with Dovescape. Derevi's activated ability allows it to bypass commander tax entirely, providing strong resilience against sweepers.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Airborne Aid
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Artificer's Assistant
  • 1 Augury Owl
  • 1 Austere Command
  • 1 Aven Interrupter
  • 1 Azorius Chancery
  • 1 Bant Panorama
  • 1 Battlefield Raptor
  • 1 Beck // Call
  • 1 Bident of Thassa
  • 1 Bower Passage
  • 1 Canopy Vista
  • 1 Cartographer's Hawk
  • 1 City Pigeon
  • 1 Cloudfin Raptor
  • 1 Coastal Piracy
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Dazzling Denial
  • 1 Demolition Field
  • 1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
  • 1 Distant Melody
  • 1 Dovescape
  • 1 Dusk // Dawn
  • 1 Elixir of Immortality
  • 1 Empyrean Eagle
  • 1 Enduring Curiosity
  • 1 Escape Tunnel
  • 1 Evolving Wilds
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Expel the Interlopers
  • 1 Explorer's Scope
  • 1 Flurry of Wings
  • 1 Fog
  • 1 Forbid
  • 5 Forest
  • 1 Generous Gift
  • 1 Gravitational Shift
  • 1 Harrier Strix
  • 1 Healer's Hawk
  • 5 Island
  • 1 Island Sanctuary
  • 1 Judge's Familiar
  • 1 Kangee, Aerie Keeper
  • 1 Kastral, the Windcrested
  • 1 Lifecreed Duo
  • 1 Llanowar Scout
  • 1 Lofty Denial
  • 1 Migratory Route
  • 1 Miner's Guidewing
  • 1 Mockingbird
  • 1 Murmuration
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Nimble Obstructionist
  • 1 Owl Familiar
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 5 Plains
  • 1 Prairie Stream
  • 1 Preposterous Proportions
  • 1 Reconnaissance Mission
  • 1 River Hoopoe
  • 1 Rustwing Falcon
  • 1 Sage Owl
  • 1 Seaside Citadel
  • 1 Selesnya Sanctuary
  • 1 Sephara, Sky's Blade
  • 1 Shifting Grift
  • 1 Silver Raven
  • 1 Simic Growth Chamber
  • 1 Soul-Guide Lantern
  • 1 Spara's Headquarters
  • 1 Spire Owl
  • 1 Stone of Erech
  • 1 Storm Crow
  • 1 Strix Lookout
  • 1 Suntail Hawk
  • 1 Swords to Plowshares
  • 1 Temple of Enlightenment
  • 1 Temple of Mystery
  • 1 Temple of Plenty
  • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
  • 1 The Indomitable
  • 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
  • 1 Tranquil Landscape
  • 1 Walking Atlas
  • 1 Watcher of the Spheres
  • 1 Winged Portent
  • 1 Yavimaya Coast