Art by Dennis Detwiller
Commander deckW
Soraya the Falconer
Unleash magic's most obscure combat mechanic, Banding, by granting it to a flock of evasive Birds to completely dictate combat damage assignment and baffle your opponents.
Asked for“Make me a ridiculous low power deck that runs off of an obscure commander and a forgotten mechanic nobody plays”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 59 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Soraya the Falconer
1WWLegendary Creature — Human
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Oketra's Monument
3Legendary Artifact
reduces white creature costs and creates token blockers
Card Draw
10
Esper Sentinel
WArtifact Creature — Human Soldier
early game card draw on opponent noncreature spells
Mask of Memory
2Artifact — Equipment
attaches to evasive fliers for cheap card selection
Folk Hero
1WLegendary Enchantment — Background
background synergy drawing cards on casting birds
Removal
10
Dusk // Dawn
2WW // 3WWSorcery // Sorcery
sweeper that spares low-power birds and reanimates them later
Threats/Wincons
21
Aven Brigadier
3WWWCreature — Bird Soldier
tribal bird lord that boosts power and toughness
Aven Mindcensor
2WCreature — Bird Wizard
flying bird that disrupts opponent library searches
Celestial Gatekeeper
3WWCreature — Bird Cleric
reanimates dead birds when it dies
Boreas Charger
2WCreature — Pegasus
flying threat that searches lands upon leaving the battlefield
Major Teroh
3WLegendary Creature — Bird Soldier
bird threat that can exile black creatures
Courier Hawk
1WCreature — Bird
vigilant bird ideal for banding on attack and defense
Eagle of Deliverance
4WWCreature — Bird Soldier
bird creature with built-in protection potential
Aven Liberator
2WWCreature — Bird Soldier
morph bird that grants protection to the band
Utility
8
Always Watching
1WWEnchantment
gives non-token creatures vigilance to abuse banding on defense
