Feather, the Redeemed: The Spellsword Platoon (EDH / Commander)

"There is no time to remedy our enemies' ignorance. Blast it out of them."
—Aurelia
"Catapult" (GRV Extended RMX) by 2WEI: https://youtu.be/wGwOfrNxrbI

=== I N T R O D U C T I O N ===

Like many other people who like to play Boros in EDH despite its bad reputation, I was extremely excited when Feather, the Redeemed was spoilered. I have been tinkering around with designs for a spellslinger EDH deck anyways, but my previous brewing attempts in this matter weren't satisfying. The typical Izzet "draw your whole deck and combo off with a Counterspell in hand" playstyle isn't very appealing to me, so I got pretty hyped when Feather offered a fresh approach to the spellslinger deck archetype.

A wonderful thing about this new Boros commander is that she supports a lot of different strategies.
It's possible to stay true to the typical Boros Legion agenda and stuff the 99 with 24 to 30 creatures with Heroic, Prowess and Battalion, add roughly the same number of targeted team buffs and combat tricks (look out for spells with the Radiance or Strive keywords), complete the list with some mana rocks and enhancers (Zada, Hedron Grinder!), and you have a fun and effective budget EDH deck.
Another way to win with Feather is to cramp as many cheap cantrips (Expedite, Bandage etc.) as possible into the deck and then "storm off" with cards like Grapeshot, Guttersnipe, Aetherflux Reservoir and Sentinel Tower. If you want to be extra nasty, add 12 to 15 mana rocks and Paradox Engine (or Unwinding Clock if on a budget) to the list.
You can also buy a ticket to Value Town and cast "Flicker"-type spells on creatures that have a powerful ETB-ability. Examples are Pilgrim's Eye, Duergar Hedge-Mage, Palace Jailer and Siege-Gang Commander. It's also a good idea to run Twinflame, Mimic Vat and Flameshadow Conjuring in such a deck. Add Impact Tremors and Valor in Akros to generate extra value. Bonus style points if going Ally tribal, or exploiting the Energy resource mechanic from Kaladesh block.
Or you could simply use a Voltron strategy with Feather as your only win condition. Balduvian Rage, Psychotic Fury and Leering Emblem will have your back.

Personally, I'm having the most long-term fun in Commander if my deck is overall synergistic, but has different ways to close out a game, especially when it's something unusual that my opponents aren't anticipating. After many hours of brewing since Feather was spoiled, I came up with this list. It's all about exploiting the damage dealt to my creatures by my own burn spells and/or redirecting it to other targets, a strategy that synergizes extremely well with my new favorite Boros commander. Sorry, Basandra!

=== S T R A T E G Y ===

Game plan:
a) The opening hand is key. If it has three mana sources and a cheap protection spell for Feather, perfect. If not, I consider taking one or even two mulligans.
b) I play some lands and cheap stuff, but I won't cast Feather unless I can immediately protect her. She's that vital for my strategy.
c) The next step is to stabilize against my opponents' onslaught by preventing or redirecting damage, and by killing/burning/destroying/exiling their stuff. They have to internalize that it's futile or even self-defeating to try and deal damage to me or my creatures.
d) Meanwhile, I dish out considerable amounts of damage with attacks, triggered abilities and recurring burn spells while gaining some life.

Win conditions:

1. Beatdown. The deck has huge beaters, a few token generators and also some nifty combat tricks, so turning creatures sideways is always an option.
2. Burn. Killing all opponents at once with Comet Storm or Jaya's Immolating Inferno is definitely the most epic way to close out a game.
3. Combo. Coalhauler Swine roasted with Brightflame is delicious and will also kill everybody else but me. I love BBQ.

Mentionable cards & synergies:

• No maximum handsize is key
  Since most of my instant and sorcery spells basically have "Buyback: 0", my hand is going to overflow very soon. To avoid having to discard down to seven at end of turn I run Reliquary Tower and Thought Vessel, alongside Expedition Map and Enlightened Tutor which can fetch them. Having tons of cards in hand makes the new Heartwarming Redemption absurdly good at digging for answers or win conditions.
• The Sunforger package
  This package is good in any Boros deck that runs at least a few instants. In this deck, it can decide the game. Beside Sunforger itself, it consists of Enlightened Tutor to find it (who would've guessed), Boros Charm to protect it, Buried Ruin to recur it and Mistveil Plains to cast any instant as many times as I like. Bonkers: Use Sunforger to find and cast Enlightened Tutor to get Expedition Map, which fetches Mistveil Plains, and then tutor repeatedly for any land, artifact, enchantment or instant spell that you need.
• Mana acceleration
  This deck is quite mana hungry, so Smothering Tithe is a true boon. Everyone loves drawing extra cards in EDH, so this enchantment is able to provide a ton of mana. Again, Enlightened Tutor proves to be useful.
• Stuffy Doll plus any burn spell
  Recur Intimidation Bolt or Comet Storm over and over again while dealing damage to the chosen one. Acrobatic Maneuver can "reset" Stuffy Doll when the opponent chosen at first has lost the game. By the way, did I mention Enlightened Tutor? It can also fetch Cataclysmic Gearhulk!
• Firesong and Sunspeaker
  The deck runs 15 instant and sorcery spells that synergize with this creature, of which most can be played repeatedly thanks to Feather, making it a solid choice for the 99.
• Zada, Hedron Grinder
  While Zada shines most in a deck that really wants to "go wide" with lots of creatures and tokens, I didn't want to pass up the chance to have some fun with this card. Time will tell if she earns her spot in the 99.
• Razia, Gisela and Avacyn
  Admittedly, I make paltry excuses sometimes to put certain angels in my decks, but this time it makes perfect sense, since all three synergize extremely well with my strategy.
• Scuttlemutt plus Brightflame
  When not tapping for mana, Painter's Servant's format-legal sibling is able to turn any creature into a five-colored version of itself, so Brightflame is able to wipe the whole board and gain insane amounts of life. If Avacyn, Angel of Hope joins the party it's propably GG for my opponents.
• Arcbond and Fell the Mighty
  Chandra's Ignition has made an appearance in about every Feather list until now, but that spell just won't cut it in my meta, where it's all about huge creatures. I'm mostly up against Arahbo, Atraxa, Edgar and The Ur-Dragon, so Arcbond and Fell the Mighty are much better choices for my list. For the same reason, Deflecting Palm and Kor Chant also come in very handy.

=== E V A L U A T I O N ===

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