The Commander
Flying
Whenever you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell, you may gain control of target creature with that spell's mana value until end of turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Cast cheap Spirit and Arcane spells (especially flexible-cost ones) to repeatedly steal opponents' creatures matching the spell's mana value, then use those borrowed bodies as attackers or fling/sacrifice fodder before the turn ends. You build a Spirit/Arcane shell that grinds value while Kirin chips in the air, ultimately converting stolen creatures into damage or combo pieces. Tune your spell costs so their mana values line up with the best targets on the board.
Strengths
- Repeatable, mostly free threaten effects every time you cast a Spirit/Arcane spell
- Flying evasion lets the commander pressure life totals on its own
- Mono-red gives access to strong ritual/impulse-draw support and easy sacrifice payoffs
- Steals scale with mana value, so X-cost and flexible Arcane spells can grab almost anything
Weaknesses
- Effects only last until end of turn, so you need outlets to permanently profit (sac, fling, attack)
- Narrow tribal/spell base limits raw card quality compared to generic red decks
- Heavily commander-dependent; removal on Kirin shuts off the engine
- Mono-red struggles with card advantage and lacks interaction outside burn
Key Cards
- Goblin Bombardment — Free sacrifice outlet to permanently remove stolen creatures and deal damage before end of turn.
- Fling — Throws a borrowed fatty at a player or planeswalker for a burst of guaranteed damage.
- Glint-Eye Nephilim — Not legal—ignore.
- Kodama's Reach — An Arcane spell that ramps while triggering Kirin to steal a 4-mana creature.
- Through the Breach — Big Arcane spell that triggers a high-mana-value steal while cheating in a threat.
- Soul Foundry — Repeatable token engine to build a board that backs up your stolen attackers.
Upgrade Path
Add efficient sacrifice outlets (Ashnod's Altar, Goblin Bombardment, Carrion Feeder) and fling effects to permanently capitalize on temporary steals, plus rituals and impulse draw (Wheel of Fortune, Jeska's Will) to keep casting triggers. Splice-onto-Arcane cards like Glacial Ray and flexible X/variable-cost spells let you hit any mana value you need; protect the commander with Lightning Greaves and red's blink/recursion options.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
Archetypes
- Spirits/Arcane Tribal — The commander rewards loading up on Kamigawa Spirit and Arcane spells to chain steal triggers.
- Theft/Aristocrats — Steal opposing creatures with Kirin, then sacrifice them for value before they revert.
- Combat Aggro — Flying body plus borrowed creatures and Splice-on-Arcane tricks pressure life totals.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
