First Flight Evergreen Magic The Gathering Review

So, you’ve decided to dip your toe into the world of Magic the Gathering’s (MTG) most popular multiplayer format, Commander. First of all, welcome! We’re so glad to have you here, and you join millions of players worldwide in enjoying one of the original Trading Card Games (TCG), celebrating it’s 30th anniversary in 2023. One of the common complaints you’ve maybe heard about MTG is how it can get very expensive very fast, and while that is true at a competitive level, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), the company behind MTG, has been hard at work ensuring that with every new set of cards, there’s a selection of pre-constructed Commander decks available for you to purchase (commonly referred to as ‘precons’). With the new Starter Commander Decks, WOTC have lowered that barrier to entry even lower, giving you a complete 100 card deck for around twenty quid. Let’s have a look and see what that gets you in the First Flight deck…

Ready For Take Off

Inside you’ll find one special foil-etched commander, in this case Isperia, Supreme Judge, alongside 99 other cards which form your deck, and 10 double sided tokens that your deck may create as the game goes on. You won’t find any put-out counters or Collector Booster sample pack here like you will in the main set precons, but someone has to give in order to keep the price low.

So, you’ve got your deck, you’ve maybe sleeved your cards to protect them from the inevitable snack crumbs and ragged edges from shuffling, and you’ve sat down at the table to play with a few friends, maybe old ones at their place, maybe new ones at your local game store. How does the deck actually play? First Flight is, if you’ve not already guessed, a deck focused on creatures with flying. The overall theme of the deck is to use your commander’s ability to draw more cards, which then allows you to play more creatures with flying, which can then go over the top of your opponents’ boards and secure victory.

As far as strategy goes, this deck keeps it simple, and for a new player to MTG, this is perfect. The deck is very well balanced out of the box, giving you lots of ways to get cards into your hand and get them in play on the table, which is where the fun lies! There’s no joy to be had sitting with an empty hand waiting for the right card to come along.

Final Thoughts

Against the other Starter Commander Decks, First Flight trends quite strong. Despite being well balanced against the four other counterpart decks of this series, the fact that your creatures have flying means that your opponents will have a hard time blocking you, and so in this kind of matchup you’ll have a strong army at your disposal.

However, matched against the main set commander precons, and indeed against tailor made bespoke decks brewed by longtime fans of MTG, the deck will struggle. There are few high powered cards here to help you maintain your position once the game gets going, and being creature heavy with little in the way of protection, you’re at the mercy of any board wipe your opponent may wish to play.

If the above paragraph didn’t make much sense to you, then don’t worry! This is a Starter Commander Deck, and thus is a great place to get started. Once you’ve piloted this deck for a few games, you may find yourself itching to upgrade it with a few choice cards from Zatu, or indeed purchase a whole new deck. If so, I congratulate you again, you’re now one of us. In summary, First Flight makes for a great introduction to the fun, tactical and varied world of Commander in MTG, and is perfect for those new to the format, or indeed the game.