MTG Salvation

Hey all! I recently got into EDH and have a Norin deck, thanks to Gaka's primer, but have played it a little too much. I'm looking to make my own deck based around wizards and birds. I've never delved into the colors of bant and am looking for some pointers for a Derevi, Empyrial Tactian deck. Anything is appreciated

These are some of the cards I've been considering. I don't have much under anything except creatures because, like I said, bant is not what I usually play in. Wizards and birds are not the only creatures I HAVE to have though, so if you have something, let me know.

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

Creatures:

Wizards:

• Aerie Mystics
  
• Aether Adept
  
• Aphetto Alchemist
  
• Apprentice Wizard
  
• Arbiter of Knollridge
  
• Arcanis the Omnipotent
  
• Augur of Bolas
  
• Augury Adept
  
• Auramancer
  
• Aven Fateshaper

Aven Mimeomancer - **
Aven Mindcensor - **

• Azami, Lady of Scrolls
  
• Azorius Guildmage
  
• Bant Battlemage
  
• Beguiler of Wills

Brine Seer - This guy is kind of cool

• Cosi's Trickster
  
• Crookclaw Elder
  
• Crookclaw Transmuter
  
• Descendant of Soramaro

Echo Mage - He's pretty interesting
Elite Arcanist - Also pretty interesting

• Ghosthelm Courier
  
• Hisoka's Guard
  
• Information Dealer

Jace's Archivist - Hand cycling
Kangee, Aerie Keeper
Lighthouse Chronologist - Pretty fun sounding
Lunar Mystic
Meddling Mage - Is this too douchey?
Prophet of Kruphix - Basically a Seedborn Muse that is a wizard
Qasali Pridemage
Skill Borrower - Could cause some cool interactions
Skyward Eye Prophets
Snapcaster Mage - Seems like an obvious choice
Sower of Temptation
Stream of Unconsciousness - Cheap draw for wizards

• Thalakos Deciever
  
• Treasure Mage
  
• Trinket Mage
  
• Venser, Shaper Savant

Warden of Evos Isle - Good for my birds
Willbender - Could be used as a surprise tactic

Birds:

• Apex Hawks
  
• Arctic Aven
  
• Augury Owl
  
• Aven Brigadier

- This guy is the definition of "swag"
Aven Cloudchaser - Enchantment destruction
Aven Mimeomancer - Posted in wizards as well
Aven Mindcensor - Posted in wizards as well
Aven Squire - Good for aggro

• Battlewise Aven
  
• Bay Falcon
  
• Birds of Paradise

- Buy a box promo for the pimpness
Celestial Gatekeeper - Recursion in bant?
Cloudchaser Eagle - More enchantment destruction
Cloudfin Raptor - Cheap evolving bird

• Courier Hawk
  
• Commander Eesha
  
• Impaler Shrike
  
• Kangee, Aerie Keeper
  
• Murder of Crows

- Draw
Soulcatcher - Can become big pretty fast I think
Storm Crow - Clearly the greatest card in all of history. Has to have one.
Stormscape Familiar
Swans of Bryn Argoll
Warden of Evos Isle - Also under wizards
Waveskimmer Aven - Good for aggro
Windbrisk Raptor - For aggro

Enchantments:
Arcane Laboratory

Artifacts:
Crystal Ball

Sorcery:
[CARD]Bribery
Ponder[/CARD]

Instant:
None so far

Lands (listed are the ones that I have):

• Misty Rainforest
  
• Glacial Fortress
  
• Minamo, School At Water's Edge

Lastly, I can't decide if I want to go for an aggro route or if I want to play more of a control style.

Windreader Sphinx, Bident of Thassa, and Seaside Haven all seem solid with all the fliers/Birds you've got in here.

Some good basic staples in these colors:

Sorcery:

Regrowth (staple recursion)
Wargate (awesome bant tutor)
Skyshroud Claim (best ramp card in green)
Supreme Verdict (Excellent Creature Wipe)
Austere Command (Possibly Best Sweeper in Commander)
Life from the Loam (Land Abuse)
Time Warp (Extra Turns are Great)
Time Stretch (More Extra Turns)

Instant:

Hinder (One of the best Counters in Commander)
Spell Crumple (Hinder 2)
Voidslime (Excellent if you're playing the colors)
Bant Charm (Best Charm in Commander)
Oblation (amazing removal)
Beast Within (ditto)
Swords to Plowshares (Ditto)
Tithe (Great Land Fetch)
Eladamri's Call (Best Creature Tutor)
Enlightened Tutor (Great Tutor)
Sphinx's Revelation (Great Card Draw)
Cyclonic Rift (Amazing Removal)
Fact or Fiction (Possibly Best Card Draw in Blue, Especially if you have GY recursion)
Mystical Tutor (Another Tutor)

Enchantment:

Sylvan Library (Staple in Green)
Future Sight (One of Best Enchantments in Commander)
Mirari's Wake (Awesome Doubler)
Mana Reflection (Awesome Doubler)
Rhystic Study (Great Card Draw)
Leyline of Anticipation (Cast Creatures and Sorceries whenever you want)

Other Creatures (non-bird):

Wood Elves (Best Creature Ramp)
Eternal Witness (Best Creature Recursion)


That's off the top of my head. You get the idea though. These are all great support cards and should be at the top of any bant list for cards to build around.

Quote from TerminusEdge

Windreader Sphinx, Bident of Thassa, and Seaside Haven all seem solid with all the fliers/Birds you've got in here.

Bident is a great choice. Coastal Piracy has a similar effect if you want to double up.

Riptide Laboratory seems important with wizard tribal.

Door of destinies
Coat of arms.

I avoided most of the bird soldiers and only focused on the bird wizards and Birds.

Bird tokens!
Flurry of wings
Beck//Call
Emeria angel
Pride of the clouds

Personally I feel you have to pick.. birds or wizards. Then focus on one then have a "splash" of the other.

I went with birds with some wizards, but I could see the wizards build being more powerful.

I am running Reveilliak + karmic guide combo.. because they are really useful on thier own.. I need to recur my Keeper over and over since its so powerful in my deck.

Soulcatchers' Aerie should be pretty good here; one board wipe and all your birds become monsters. I'm supprised noone's mentioned it yet . . . . Soraya the Falconer is another crusade for your birds (check the oracle wording) and it's old-school jank on top of that (Banding can be pretty busted if you use it correctly).

But yeah, I'm sure there are a bunch of different ways you could go with this. So it's really a matter of deciding what you want to do with the deck. You can try to go ttribal, there some support for birds, and a ton of support for wizards, I'm sure there are a few different decks you could build if you went down that rabbit hole. If you're just looking to build a deck with some bird wizards because they're cool, then you have even more options. So what do you want to do? Or what are the top 5-10 cards you want to run in the deck, and how do they work together?

Just don't run Swans of Bryn Argoll if you have no way to abuse it. Sure, its a mana efficient beater, but too easy for opponents to draw from your own card, which is a no no.

Edit: With green's ramp Emeria Angel becomes even better.

Edit 2: Gravitational Shift is really good if you have a lot more fliers than non.

wait you are trying to make a blue deck with no budget? Generally that sentence is unable to be said.

Look, other Birds lovers!

If you're interested, check my sig for a tribal Derevi decklist.