Sphere of Influence: June 13, 2025

Traveling Chocobo | Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

The release of Final Fantasy this week means that MTG content creators have been putting together their "Top 10 Cards for Commander" lists. There's a bit of variety between them, but one place where they seem to agree is about Traveling Chocobo, which has been deemed a new staple in the popular Landfall archetype that outshines Ancient Greenwarden. I absolutely agree, though one aspect of the card that has been overlooked is its potential in a dedicated Bird deck; and, turns out, plenty of Commander's best Bird creatures are quite cheap. Here are a few guaranteed to soar in the right Bird deck:

Aerial Extortionist - $0.50

Five mana is a steep but relatively reasonable price to pay for this self-propelled engine of disruption and card draw. Exiling an opponent's threat on your turn before a big attack is virtually the same as removing it completely; if the creature is expensive enough, they may not even cast it again. The card also has an evasive body that can retrigger itself fairly easily, and it draws cards off of commanders being cast and from keywords like flashback. It creeps up on you a bit, but Aerial Extortionist is a must-answer threat.

Ledger Shredder - $6

Speaking of must-answers… Ledger Shredder has fallen out of favor in Modern but continues to tear through Commander thanks to how effortlessly it offers card selection and a scary, growing beast at only two mana. This card was built for multiplayer: the more opponents you're facing, the more turns you'll have to grow the Shredder and sculpt your hand. This is well worth its slightly heftier price.

Mockingbird - $2

Cloning something for a single mana, in addition to giving it flying, is quite a steal and only possible with Mockingbird; not even Phantasmal Image can offer this good of a rate. Of course, bigger creatures will require a more significant mana investment, but you won't have to overpay for anything, and the evasion included in the price can prove invaluable at any stage of the game. This card is certainly going to rise as it becomes less available.

Combat Calligrapher - $3

This fantastic multiplayer card gets out of hand pretty quickly considering the tokens it creates have both flying and two power, which is significant enough to properly incentivize opponents to take advantage, but my favorite part of this card is the fact that it enables you to sometimes sail under the radar when opponents start populating their boards. Well worth the price of admission.

Breena, the Demagogue - $1.50

I've seen this card dominate from the command zone in my own Breena deck, but the fun doesn't stop there. Breena puts in work in whichever deck bold enough to run her. Opponents become distracted by the players drawing cards and tend to overlook the fact that your creatures grow larger by the minute. Plus, and I see this as a huge advantage, I've rarely sat at a pod where every opponent properly understands how Breena actually works.

(For the record, Breena wants your opponents' life totals to be equal…and low. So as long as the attacked opponent has more life than another opponent, Breena triggers. Your own life total is irrelevant. Then, the attacker draws and you put counters on something. And, yes, you can trigger Breena more than once in a single attack step, though that's easier for you to pull off than your opponents.)

Bird's the Word

Have any of Final Fantasy's Bird creature cards gotten your creative juices flowing? Any other favorites from the set for Commander? I'd love to know!