Build an early air force with enough ground defense, then use flyer bonuses and efficient interaction to keep dealing damage above a stalled battlefield.
Build an early air force with enough ground defense, then use flyer bonuses and efficient interaction to keep dealing damage above a stalled battlefield.
Commit when repeated useful cards and enough support make a complete deck in these colors.
Four checks while you draft
Can I affect the board before the payoff?
A one-mana flying lifelinker attacks above ground stalls and supplies separate life-gain events. Its small body needs help against larger flyers; lifelink works only when it actually deals damage.
Do my actual cards enable this plan?
Play cheap flyers before Empyrean Eagle so its bonus changes the next attack immediately. Strix Lookout can attack with vigilance and then loot if you have spare mana and do not need it untapped.
Can I stop their strongest play and finish a stalled game?
Build an early air force with enough ground defense, then use flyer bonuses and efficient interaction to keep dealing damage above a stalled battlefield.
Choose the missing job before another reward that needs it.
The key card is present but its support is thin.
Prioritize useful support such as Healer's Hawk or Strix Lookout.
Play cheap flyers before Empyrean Eagle so its bonus changes the next attack immediately. Strix Lookout can attack with vigilance and then loot if you have spare mana and do not need it untapped.
Your deck enables the plan but is losing the early turns.
Take a castable early creature or efficient answer before another expensive payoff.
A deck of small flyers still needs a way to survive larger ground attackers. Do not assume Eagle improves itself or that a low-toughness flyer survives combat after Eagle is removed.
The support is missing
Favor independently useful creatures and interaction if the narrow support does not arrive.
Repeated useful cards are clues, not proof that the colors are open.
A deck of small flyers still needs a way to survive larger ground attackers. Do not assume Eagle improves itself or that a low-toughness flyer survives combat after Eagle is removed.
Pressure on the ground while keeping an answer for the flyer lord. Removing Eagle before damage shrinks the other flyers immediately and can change which combat trades are favorable.
Mischievous Mystic61.4% GIH · 13,034 instances
Faebloom Trick60.9% GIH · 12,577 instances
Empyrean Eagle60.5% GIH · 23,758 instances
Spectral Sailor60.2% GIH · 12,214 instances
Micromancer59.3% GIH · 6,183 instances
Luminous Rebuke59.2% GIH · 24,640 instances17Lands ↗ · Nov 12–Dec 15, 2024 · at least 100 card-in-hand instances in this pair’s no-splash decks. Choose the job your deck needs first.
Celestial Armor 2WFlash it in response to targeted removal or before combat damage so its entry trigger protects a creature with hexproof and indestructible for the turn. The lasting bonus is +2/+0 and flying; later equip costs four and does not repeat that protection trigger.
Curator of Destinies 4UUThe uncounterable 5/5 flyer refills your hand on entry, but an opponent chooses which pile you keep. Divide the five cards so either choice advances your plan, including needed lands; the other pile goes to your graveyard and can support recursion.
Sire of Seven Deaths 7Seven mana buys a resilient attacker and blocker: vigilance keeps it available, first strike and trample punish blocks, and lifelink can reverse races. Ward asks an opponent to pay seven life to target it; it is a cost they may pay, and untargeted removal still works normally.17Lands Premier Draft ↗ · Nov 12–Dec 15, 2024 · 100-instance minimum
Healer's HawkA one-mana flying lifelinker attacks above ground stalls and supplies separate life-gain events. Its small body needs help against larger flyers; lifelink works only when it actually deals damage.
Strix LookoutA vigilant flyer can attack and then use its tap ability to loot if you have the mana. Looting improves card selection and the graveyard, but does not increase the number of cards in hand.
Dazzling AngelThe flying body gains a life for each other creature entering under your control. Play it before token makers when safe so those entries trigger your life-gain rewards individually.
Cat CollectorExamples apply the printed rules; judge the board, costs and timing.
| One-pick | Sealed |
|---|---|
| With one pick at a time, fill the missing early play, answer or support card before adding another narrow payoff. The plan must work without drawing its key card. | Compare complete builds from the cards you opened. Keep the castable curve and interaction even if the draft theme is only partly supported. |
