Overview
First Flight is a flyers deck with a defensive streak. Isperia, Supreme Judge is a six-mana Sphinx with flying, and whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, you may draw a card. The deck is built to make attacking you unattractive and to win in the air.
The 99 cards are 26 creatures, 1 planeswalker, 9 artifacts, 8 enchantments, 11 instants, 5 sorceries and 39 lands. 25 of the creatures have flying, including seven Birds, four Sphinxes and several lords for flyers such as Empyrean Eagle, Thunderclap Wyvern and Steel-Plume Marshal. The rest of the deck is built around defence and card draw: counterspells, removal for attackers, and cards that draw when opponents attack.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about cheap flyers and mana. Cartographer's Hawk, Remorseful Cleric, Hanged Executioner and Skycat Sovereign are cheap flyers, Pilgrim's Eye and Skyscanner draw or fetch, and Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Azorius Signet and Talisman of Progress ramp you. Empyrean Eagle and Favorable Winds make your other flyers bigger.
The middle of the game is about card advantage and protection. Cloudblazer and Sphinx of Enlightenment draw cards, Faerie Formation and Inspired Sphinx make more flyers, and Tide Skimmer draws when you attack with two or more flyers. Ever-Watching Threshold draws a card when an opponent attacks you, Soul Snare and Condemn remove attackers, and Gideon Jura can pull attacks onto himself.
The deck wins by attacking with a big team of flyers. Kangee, Sky Warden and Steel-Plume Marshal pump the attackers, True Conviction gives your creatures double strike and lifelink, Rally of Wings untaps and pumps your flyers, and Storm Herd makes a Pegasus for each point of life you have. Time Wipe and Cleansing Nova reset the board.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: Because almost every creature flies, the deck's lords and pump effects work on nearly everything, and its flyers are hard for most opponents to block. It also has real interaction, with Counterspell, Absorb, Negate, Swords to Plowshares and Generous Gift, and cards like Windreader Sphinx and Isperia, Supreme Judge keep its hand full.
Weaknesses: Many of the strongest cards are expensive, and several of the lords are fragile, so a sweeper or targeted removal can set the deck back. It relies on counterspells and sweepers to stop big threats, and the deck's attackers are mostly small until they are pumped.
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✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the First Flight decklist?
The First Flight precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Isperia, Supreme Judge. The full First Flight decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was First Flight released?
First Flight was released on December 2, 2022 as part of Starter Commander Decks.
Who is the commander of First Flight?
First Flight is led by Isperia, Supreme Judge, a Azorius (W/U) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in First Flight?
The 99 cards besides Isperia, Supreme Judge include 26 creatures.
How many lands does First Flight have?
First Flight has 39 lands in the 99 cards besides Isperia, Supreme Judge, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box First Flight precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.