Under the Radar - Feather, Radiant Arbiter
July 30, 2024 by
Ben Macready 
(Feather, Radiant Arbiter| Art by Dan Dos Santos)
Welcome back to Under the Radar, the series where we take obscure commanders who lead fewer than 500 decks and show off their hidden strengths. Today we'll be talking about Feather, Radiant Arbiter, a Boros Angel who, for a small fee, duplicates any spells her controller casts that target her. Today we will compare Feather to a few other commanders to see what makes her unique, look at her average deck list and make some modifications to it.
Two Feathers in Our Cap
Just like the debut article of this series on Aragorn, Company Leader, Feather is one character depicted on multiple cards. Feather's most notable printing comes from War of the Spark in 2019. With over 9,000 decks to her name (as of 07/20/2024), Feather, the Redeemed was by far the most popular commander from that set, with Niv-Mizzet Reborn in a very distant second place commanding just over 4,000 decks.
It's not hard to see why the first printing of Feather is so popular. Feather, the Redeemed exiles any instants and sorceries you cast targeting creatures you control and then returns them to your hand during the end step. She provided Boros with reliable card draw years before it was cool by recurring cantrips like Defiant Strike and Expedite. She was also practically untouchable thanks to her ability to loop the cards Gods Willing and Sheltering Light over and over. It's clear then that Feather, Radiant Arbiter has a large legacy to live up to.
While Feather is still a flyer for , that's the only thing that's the same. In the five years since 2019, Feather's power and toughness have swapped around. She also has lifelink now and she's traded in her Boros battle armor for some flowing white robes and swanky new golden boots. While Feather, the Redeemed is focused on exiling instants and sorceries and getting them back on your next turn, Feather, Radiant Arbiter immediately copies spells that target her and duplicates them for two mana. Maybe it's best not to compare Feather 1 and Feather 2 at all. In fact, there is another commander that leaps to mind when looking at Feather, Radiant Arbiter ...
Feather Vs Zada
Zada, Hedron Grinder is the elephant (or rather the Goblin) in the room in any discussion about Feather, Radiant Arbiter. Both of these commanders duplicate spells that their controller casts where they are the only target, but Zada provides this effect at a much more efficient rate. When Feather's controller wishes to duplicate an effect that targets her, It costs two mana per copy. Zada, in contrast, immediately copies the spell and casts any new versions for free. In the eyes of some players, this immediately makes Feather, Radiant Arbiter a redundant card. Here at Under the Radar, though, we believe there are no redundant cards. Feather, Radiant Arbiter has four things which set her apart from Zada...
- Zada can only duplicate instants and sorceries, whilst Feather duplicates any noncreature spells that target her. This means that Feather possesses a utility as an enchantress commander which Zada does not.
- Feather has a Boros color identity, whilst Zada is mono-red. This gives the radiant arbiter access to an additional slice of the color pie.
- Feather has a more impressive stat line, and a lower mana value than Zada. A three-mana 4/3 flyer with lifelink beats out a four mana 3/3 with no keyword abilities any day of the week.
- The copies of spells that Feather, Radiant Arbiter makes can target opponents' creatures as well as your own. You can hit Feather with a Shiny Impetus or The Sound of Drums and then use the copies to goad creatures controlled by other players.
Does the thought of building up a giant board of creatures loaded up with powerful Auras appeal to you? Well then keep reading, and we'll dive into just what to do with Feather.
Feather's Average Deck
Feather currently (as of the 20th June 2024) commands 362 decks. The EDHREC average deck feature aggregates all of these different lists into a single usable deck. This average list gives you an idea of the kind of cards you'll be looking for when you brew something of your own. Here is what that deck looks like...
Feather, Radiant Arbiter Average Deck
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View this decklist on Archidekt
What we can see here is a Boros Auras deck, designed to make the best possible use of Feather's ability. The goal is to build up a wide board, and then cast some auras on Feather, which will then be replicated to give all of our creatures their very own shiny collection of Auras.
The deck has lots of cheap, but powerful, Auras for Feather to copy, like Daybreak Coronet and Spirit Mantle. There are also lots of creatures that either reward their controller for playing enchantments like Armory Paladin, or help them cast enchantments more easily like Starnheim Courser.
If you're looking to put together a more budget-friendly version of this list, cutting the more expensive lands like Sacred Foundry, Spectator Seating and Sundown Pass would be a good starting pint. While Sigarda's Aid provides the ability to get Auras out at instant speed, it is a $12 card, so removing it would also be understandable.
Now let's talk about which cards from this list to keep, which cards to cut, and what exciting new things we can throw into the mix. All of the usage stats provided below were gathered on 07/20/2024.
Five Cards to Keep
Ethereal Armor is currently in 73% of decks.
All That Glitters is currently in 76% of decks.
Ethereal Armor and All That Glitters are bread-and-butter cards in any Aura-based deck, but they work particularly well here. Since these cards only cost one and two mana, respectively, they leave you with lots of spare capacity to generate duplicates. The cards also both scale based on the number of enchantments that you have in play, meaning that the more copies you create the better they all become.
Currently in 71% of decks.
Kor Spiritdancer is here as a representative for all of the other cards in the deck that let you draw whenever you cast an Aura, like Sram, Senior Edificer and Mesa Enchantress. All of these cards are good, but Kor Spiritdancer sets herself apart because she has additional combat utility. The +2/+2 buff she gets for every Aura attached to her makes her a great target for Aura tokens generated by Feather. Unfortunately, since the tokens Feather makes are copies, they are never cast and you don't get to draw additional cards from them. When you're in Boros though, you should take all of the card draw options that you can get.
Currently in 42% of decks.
This obscure common from Jumpstart 2022 is the perfect removal spell to use with Feather. Chains of Custody is an Aura that goes on a creature you control. It grants your creature ward 2 and then exiles an opponent's creature until Chains of Custody leaves play. If you target Feather with this effect, you can wipe multiple creatures from your opponents' boards, while also providing some extra protection to all of your creatures.
Currently in 57% of decks.
The primary weakness of decks based around Auras is that you present your opponents with an opportunity to destroy many of your resources, at the cost of significantly fewer of theirs. If your Feather has five different cards stacked underneath her and an opponent hits her with a Doom Blade, they're destroying six of your cards at the cost of only one of theirs. A single cast of Austere Command can ruin your whole game plan in one fell swoop. Mantle of the Ancients helps you recover from scenarios like this by bringing all of the Auras in your graveyard right back into play. The Ethereal Armor-esque buff which the Mantle provides is also a pretty brilliant bonus.
Five Cards to Cut
Currently in 37% of decks.
While graveyard recursion is invaluable in a deck based around Auras, Tiana, Ship's Caretaker provides it at a very inefficient rate. Tiana's ability to return Auras that she sees go to your graveyard is ponderously slow. She only returns the cards during the end step, meaning you have to wait until your next turn to cast them. Additionally, she's not able to protect the Aura tokens that Feather generates, nor can she do anything to return any powerful Auras that are already in your graveyard when she enters play. Tiana is pretty expensive at five mana and while she does provide a useful 3/3 flying body, the fact that she's a creature makes her incredibly easy to remove.
Currently in 27% of decks.
Deflecting Palm is a card from the same Blame Game precon where Feather was printed. That precon is based on controlling the flow of combat and deterring attacks from opponents. Deflecting Palm makes a great addition to the strategy of that precon, as it punishes even those opponents who can break through your protective effects like Ghostly Prison and Windborn Muse. This card has remained a part of several Feather decks likely due to being packaged with it in the precon. While Deflecting Palm is a decent damage redirection effect, this is not something that the deck needs.
Fellwar Stone is currently in 40% of decks.
Mind Stone is currently in 36% of decks.
In the year 2024, there are far better mana rocks out there than these two. Mind Stone and Fellwar Stone, just like Deflecting Palm, are cards that likely appear on this list because they come packaged with Feather in the Blame Game precon. The average deck already runs some better options, like Boros Signet and Arcane Signet. It also contains a plethora of cards that help you cast Auras, like Danitha Capashen, Paragon and Codsworth, Handy Helper, meaning you've got lots of other ways to get ahead on mana. It's better to take these cards out and replace them with more impactful alternatives. Although Hourglass of the Lost and Cursed Mirror are both three mana, the powerful effects that they provide more than make up for their extra cost.
Currently in 40% of decks.
At first glance, Rogue's Passage seems like it should be the perfect fit for this deck. If your Feather is loaded up with powerful Auras, then paying four mana to become unblockable seems like a great plan. The issue here is that if you have four mana to spend, then you want to use it to duplicate an Aura twice, rather than to sneak into this passageway. As a flyer, Feather can already get past blockers on the ground, and cards like Demonic Ruckus and Spirit Mantle make her even more evasive. You'll never have problems getting damage through with this deck, so you should slip Rogue's Passage out in exchange for another utility land. Since the average list only has 25 sources of red mana, something like Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance would work well.
Five Cards to Add
Currently in 29% of decks
You could have a hand full of all of the best Auras in the game, but they would do you no good if you don't have any creatures to put them on. That's where Ajani's Chosen comes in. Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, Ajani's Chosen creates a 2/2 Cat token. Notably this card coughs up a Cat whenever you put an enchantment onto the battlefield, not merely whenever you cast one. This means that the Aura tokens Feather generates will all come into play accompanied by some feline friends. The card Archon of Sun's Grace is already in the deck and it performs a similar function, but this is definitely the sort of effect that you will want multiple copies of.
Currently in 25% of decks.
Tutors are some of the most powerful effects in the game, as they can provide you with just the card you want at just the right time. Heliod's Pilgrim is no exception to this. If it's the late game and all of your best Auras are in the graveyard, fetch up a Mantle of the Ancients to turn things around. If you're worried that Feather is unprotected, grab a Timely Ward to keep her safe. If you've built up a powerful board and you're looking to close things out, get yourself some Ethereal Armor. This cleric from Theros: Beyond Death provides you with whatever Aura you're looking for and makes a convenient target for duplicated Auras.
Currently in 3% of decks.
Earlier we discussed how cards like Shiny Impetus can provide a benefit to you, whilst also setting your opponents back. Dog Umbra takes this idea and runs with it. It'll grant your copy of Feather umbra armor, saving her from destruction once. You can then have Feather copy the Umbra to lock your opponents' creatures out of being able to attack and block. Also, 9/10 veterinarians would recommend adding Dog Umbra to your deck.
Currently in 15% of decks.
At five mana, Boon of the Spirit Realm is not a card that would be practical in every enchantment-themed deck, but it works wonders here. This card grants all of your creatures +1/+1 for each enchantment it sees enter play (including itself). Let's say you have a copy of this card, Feather, and three other creatures in play, and you cast Ethereal Armor, duplicating it three times. All of your creatures would get a total buff of +10/+10 (+5/+5 from each of their copies of Ethereal Armor and another +5/+5 from Boon of the Spirit Realm) and your board as a whole would be up +40/+40. These are some absolutely wacky numbers that can close out games very quickly.
Currently in 17% of decks.
Shelter is the sort of card that Feather, the Redeemed would love, but Feather, Radiant Arbiter can make great use of it as well. Cantrip effects (that's cards that draw you a card as they resolve) synergize perfectly with Feather, Radiant Arbiter since she can replicate them in order to get a whole bunch of extra drawing done. You can protect Feather, and potentially a few more creatures, with Shelter and then get some extra cards out of the deal. This is simple, but undeniably effective.
Conclusion
Feather, Radiant Arbiter may not have the same ability to repeatedly recur cantrips that Feather, the Redeemed does, or the potential to pull victories out of nowhere like Zada, Hedron Grinder, but there is something unique that she brings to the table. The typical weakness that Aura-based decks have to spot removal spells are negated by Feather, Radiant Arbiter. Feather duplicates Auras rapidly and spreads them across your board, meaning that opponents simply won't have enough removal to go around. Additionally, key Enchantress cards like Ethereal Armor become even better than usual in this deck. Their scaling strength pairs up perfectly with Feather's ability to copy them over and over again.
Much like the arbiter from the 1986 musical Chess, Feather, Radiant Arbiter is on the case and can't be fooled. Hopefully, any objections you had to brewing this deck have been overruled.
Ben Macready
Ben is a freelance writer from the UK. He's has been playing Magic since he was 8 years old, back when he thought Enormous Baloth was the best card in the game. You can find more Magic content from him on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2iSANUGoKzdK6XgLyB1qLw
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