The Lord of the EaglesThe Lord of the Eagles | Art by Zezhou Chen

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Docent of PerfectionDocent of Perfection is the only flying creature that can make Wizards? And then make them fly?)

"Why didn't they just call up the eagles?"

I'll tell you why, you hypothetical straw-man of a Lord of the Rings critic: because giant eagles ain't nobody's Uber. And finally, we have a card that really represents that.

The Lord of the EaglesThe Lord of the Eagles is an 8/8 flier that shows up at flash speed and ruins somebody's day, on his own terms. Those terms happen to be whether or not there are a bunch of other eagles hanging around, or I guess just fliers in general and not even eagles. Look, like I said, they're his own terms, okay?

In all seriousness, there is an existing card that The Lord of the Eagles draws obvious mechanical inspiration from, and it's Ghalta, Primal HungerGhalta, Primal Hunger. Ghalta is bigger, more expensive, and cares about all creatures, not just fliers, but the parallels are still obviously there. So, how do Ghalta decks look?

Well, they love mana dorks, because they both add mana and provide a discount for Ghalta. That's not really an option for blue, however, as there are less than 10 fliers that add mana, almost all of which are expensive, tiny, and only add their mana for very specific niches. One of the better options in this category, however, is Dependable QuinjetDependable Quinjet, a 3/3 flying Vehicle for three that adds mana of any color.

That brings up another Ghalta genre: Vehicles. There's no doubt that there's some Vehicles that both fly and have more power than they cost, making them into "ramp" spells for Lord Eagle. The only issue? You still need creatures to crew your Vehicles, and we'll still want those creatures to be fliers, which are usually more expensive than the average ground pounder.

...or are they?

Top 10 Blue Fliers with Greater Power Than their Mana Value That Cost Less Than Eight Mana

Criteria: Creatures that cost seven mana or less with flying within the blue color identity that have greater power than their mana value and that keep said power on your side of the battlefield once they've entered (get outta here, Gilded DrakeGilded Drake, Volatile StormdrakeVolatile Stormdrake, and Flitterwing NuisanceFlitterwing Nuisance!). As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Stoic SphinxStoic Sphinx

(1.51k Inclusions, 0.03% of 4.64M Decks)

Like many a Sphinx, Stoic SphinxStoic Sphinx is a bit of an enigma. I went into this list expecting fliers with huge drawbacks to make up for their reduced cost, and instead, what we have here is a four-mana 5/3 with all upside. In short: we play this, it's more than we were ever hoping to find here.

9. Benevolent River SpiritBenevolent River Spirit

(2.12k Inclusions, 0.09% of 2.31M Decks)

Okay, okay, here is more what I was expecting. Technically a 4/5 flier for two mana, Benevolent River SpiritBenevolent River Spirit actually costs seven with a pseudo-convoke ability. If you do manage to get it down, however, it does reward you with some great upside in an immediate scry 2 and some ward to boot. Is that enough? Well, not if we have to pay full price, but one thing that we aren't looking at with our list today is another way you could build The Lord of the EaglesThe Lord of the Eagles: token fliers.

Top 10 Nonland Blue Flying Token-Makers

1. Talrand, Sky SummonerTalrand, Sky Summoner
2. Sai, Master ThopteristSai, Master Thopterist
3. Thopter Spy NetworkThopter Spy Network
4. Irenicus's Vile DuplicationIrenicus's Vile Duplication
5. Shark TyphoonShark Typhoon
6. Aether ChannelerAether Channeler
7. Hangarback WalkerHangarback Walker
8. Murmuring MysticMurmuring Mystic
9. Stridehangar AutomatonStridehangar Automaton
10. Whirler RogueWhirler Rogue

This list is almost enough to derail our main gameplan and start chasing Thopters, but not quite. We probably do want to grab a few token-makers along the way, but with even this list split halfway between pursuing artifacts and spellslinging, the safer bet is to just cherry-pick the best cards and move on.

So what does that mean for Benevolent River Spirit? I'm not sure it's worth it. When we get to the point where we have a bunch of fliers in play, we're going to be looking to play out our huge commander, not this minor Spirit.

8. Phantasmal DragonPhantasmal Dragon

(2.47k Inclusions, 0.05% of 4.64M Decks)

Unlike Stoic SphinxStoic Sphinx, Phantasmal DragonPhantasmal Dragon isn't all upside. It is, however, still plenty fine for what we're trying to do. A four-mana 5/5 flier will do nicely, and is likely to at least survive the single turn cycle it will take for us to untap, swing in with it, and then cast our discounted commander in response to whatever targets it.

7. Skaab RuinatorSkaab Ruinator

(3.53k Inclusions, 0.08% of 4.64M Decks)

There's no question: if we can fill our graveyard at all, Skaab RuinatorSkaab Ruinator is worth it. A three-mana 5/6 that you can repeatedly cast from the graveyard would be a heck of a threat even if it didn't make our 8/8 commander only cost four. In other words? Hopefully we run into a couple cards on this list that are both huge fliers on the cheap and care about a full graveyard. (Spoiler alert: We do.)

6. Sleep-Cursed FaerieSleep-Cursed Faerie

(5.07k Inclusions, 0.11% of 4.64M Decks)

While I'm certainly not going to turn my nose up at four mana 5/5s, what we really want if we're going to run out our commander early and often is stuff like Sleep-Cursed FaerieSleep-Cursed Faerie: one-mana investments that will pay off as three-mana discounts. Will we ever get to actually swing with our naptime friend? Who knows! Does it matter when we play down our 8/8 eagle king on turn three? Nope!

5. Faerie ImpostorFaerie Impostor

(5.21k Inclusions, 0.11% of 4.64M Decks)

All in all, however, I'm less excited about Faerie ImpostorFaerie Impostor than I am Sleep-Cursed FaerieSleep-Cursed Faerie. It's not as big to start with, and requires you to take another body off the board for it to live. It may still be worth doing, both because it can crew a Vehicle in response to its enters trigger and because our commander having haste means that we can still cast it while the Impostor is alive and giving the discount... but let's just say I'm underwhelmed. High likelihood this ends up just on the outside of the 99 looking in.

4. Eon FrolickerEon Frolicker

(6.55k Inclusions, 0.14% of 4.64M Decks)

We return now to our regularly scheduled program of four-mana 5/5 fliers, only this Otter forgot that it wasn't a Sphinx and has brought us a bit of a riddle: is giving an opponent an extra turn a downside, if they can't use it to touch us?

...Yes. Yes it is. Next!

3. Vantress GargoyleVantress Gargoyle

(8.79k Inclusions, 0.19% of 4.64M Decks)

If we were looking for the best precursor to a mid-game Skaab RuinatorSkaab Ruinator, it's an early game Vantress GargoyleVantress Gargoyle. For two mana, it discounts our commander by five and starts milling us and everyone else. Fast forward to the game's first board wipe, and it's likely that we fill our graveyard enough to turn on the surviving Gargoyle, then follow it up with a Ruinator and a second cast of our commander! Now that's what I call a plan B.

2. Kefnet the MindfulKefnet the Mindful

(Helms 492 Decks, Rank #2,082; 18.3k Inclusions, 0.39% of 4.64M Decks)

If I'm being honest, I'm not sure that I "get" Kefnet the MindfulKefnet the Mindful. I do appreciate the pun, but it just seems... bad. Three mana for a 5/5 is great, don't get me wrong, and I get what they were going for with the four mana ability that puts two more cards in your hand so that you can swing in with it. Is that really worth it, though? Seven mana and a land back to hand to draw a card and swing in for five?

Honestly, this gives a heck of a discount for our commander, and some options to boot, and I'm still skeptical about including it. Someone in those 18,300 inclusions let me know what the hype is here, because I'm not seeing it.

1. Abhorrent OculusAbhorrent Oculus

(26.2k Inclusions, 0.59% of 4.46M Decks)

In similar fashion to Benevolent River SpiritBenevolent River Spirit, Abhorrent OculusAbhorrent Oculus doesn't really cost what it says on the tin. Exiling six cards from the graveyard is not something most decks can do by turn three, and those that could probably want their graveyard full for a reason.

All that said, is Oculus worth it once you do get it down? Absolutely. A 5/5 flier that makes three 2/2s a turn is just a card that can take over a game all by itself, even if you never get to flip a card.

Honorable Mentions

First off, I'm sure that some of you noticed that I cut out the colorless options for our main list. The reason? A little card called Eater of DaysEater of Days, which would be terrible in The Lord of the EaglesThe Lord of the Eagles, and would've been only one of two options that showed up in the top ten. The other? The Warring TriadThe Warring Triad.

Now, this one wouldn't be a slam dunk either, except we already decided to lean fairly hard into mill nonsense and fill our graveyard, thanks to Abhorrent OculusAbhorrent Oculus, Skaab RuinatorSkaab Ruinator, and Vantress GargoyleVantress Gargoyle. In fact, Triad feels a lot like Vantress Gargoyle, except it adds mana while milling, and doesn't become a creature until it hits its eight-card threshold. That second part isn't so great, as it doesn't provide a discount for The Lord until it becomes a creature, but if you ask me, the first part more than makes up for it.

Speaking of (mostly) colorless options, though, what about those Vehicles we were talking about at the beginning of the article? I provided a link to the whole list, but the best options weren't necessarily at the top, so let's look at what I think those are.

As is usual in these cases, the top of the Vehicle list was Smuggler's CopterSmuggler's Copter, because of course it is. Outside of it just being the best Vehicle ever printed, however, in this case it also feeds our graveyard strategy that's become a solid part of our deck while also providing three power for Lord of the Eagles discounts at only the cost of two mana and having another creature. Speaking of other creatures, if you've got any good ones, then Mindlink MechMindlink Mech will copy them when you crew it.

Copy effects are another option here that we didn't consider, as there are several of them that copy a creature, but give it flying. Mindlink Mech doesn't do that in the same vein as Malleable ImpostorMalleable Impostor, as you can only copy your own creatures, but it will still let you double up on your PteramanderPteramander or Faerie MastermindFaerie Mastermind and also will make them a 4/3 along the way for increased discounts.

Finally, The FantasticarThe Fantasticar has already been making waves across several formats in such fashion that it might be coming for Smuggler's Copter's crown of "best Vehicle". For our purposes, however, we really just care that it's a three-mana 4/4 flier, as we're unlikely to hit the four noncreature spell threshold for it to really get going. If we do, however, then The Lord of the Eagles does get its full reduction and then some, so...

Finally, the number 11 card on our list is yet another cheap flier that puts cards into our graveyard, so I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Vexing SphinxVexing Sphinx. A three-mana 4/4 that has you discard cards to keep it alive, it then refunds those cards when it shuffles off this mortal coil. In other words? Let this thing live long enough to get The Lord down, and then you're free to draw a bunch of cards on your next upkeep. Sounds like a deal to me!

What else made the decklist, though?

It's a bit odd, playing more or less a straight aggro deck in mono-blue. Nonetheless, this comes out of the gates early and keeps on flying over the top for lethal straight through board wipes, due to the number of cards you draw and how easy it is to get your 8/8 commander back out after the fact. The average turn for said commander to come down? Usually about turn four, although I noticed that often I was so busy with playing fliers and drawing and milling cards that I often didn't find the time.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

And finally, what is your favorite aggressive flier? What does it discount The Lord of the EaglesThe Lord of the Eagles by?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that's rising above its station.