MTG Commander Precon Upgrades: Top Precons to Upgrade

Table of Contents

TLDR

Precons are a beautiful thing. For the price of a nice dinner, you get a playable Commander deck… plus 15 cards that make you wonder if someone lost a bet in deck design.

This post helps you do commander precon upgrades the sane way: pick a precon with a strong core, then make your first 10 swaps count.

Commander Precon Upgrades: the 10-swap rule

If you only change 10 cards, you want swaps that fix one of these problems:

  1. Clunky “value” cards that cost too much for what they do
  2. Off-theme cards that don’t help your commander’s actual plan
  3. Overpriced removal (or weird removal) when you could run clean, efficient answers
  4. Redundant “win-more” pieces when you need consistency

And yes, lands matter. They’re just less exciting to talk about, like flossing, or taxes.

1) Explorers of the Deep (Hakbal)

Why it’s worth upgrading: Hakbal is already doing the thing you want a precon commander to do, turn your board into a growing threat while quietly fixing your draws. The deck’s ceiling is high. The floor is… some of the card choices.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Commit // Memory → In: Deeproot Pilgrimage
  2. Out: Coralhelm Commander → In: Vodalian Hexcatcher
  3. Out: Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood → In: Lord of Atlantis
  4. Out: Commander’s Sphere → In: Counterspell
  5. Out: Sage of Fables → In: Tishana’s Tidebinder
  6. Out: Thassa, God of the Sea → In: Merrow Commerce
  7. Out: Curse of the Swine → In: Deepfathom Echo
  8. Out: Bygone Marvels → In: Roaming Throne
  9. Out: Ruinous Intrusion → In: Harbinger of the Seas
  10. Out: Ravenform → In: Forerunner of the Heralds

Upgrade vibe: more “Merfolk machine” and less “I guess this spell exists.”

2) Veloci-Ramp-Tor (Pantlaza)

Why it’s worth upgrading: Pantlaza makes “play big dinosaurs” feel like a real strategy instead of a lifestyle choice. You already have the core. Now you cut the medium dinos that are mostly just… present.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Deathgorge Scavenger → In: Gishath, Sun’s Avatar
  2. Out: Raging Regisaur → In: Ghalta, Primal Hunger
  3. Out: Bellowing Aegisaur → In: Garruk’s Uprising
  4. Out: Thundering Spineback → In: Hulking Raptor
  5. Out: Wayta, Trainer Prodigy → In: Ghalta and Mavren
  6. Out: Shifting Ceratops → In: Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant
  7. Out: Lifecrafter’s Bestiary → In: Etali, Primal Conqueror
  8. Out: Raging Swordtooth → In: Trumpeting Carnosaur
  9. Out: Majestic Heliopterus → In: Bonehoard Dracosaur
  10. Out: Fiery Confluence → In: Monster Manual

Upgrade vibe: fewer “fine” dinos, more “this is why you brought sleeves.”

3) Enduring Enchantments (Anikthea)

Why it’s worth upgrading: Anikthea turns your graveyard into a second hand. The precon has a great enchantress skeleton, then randomly hands you a couple cards that feel like they wandered in from a different deck.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Omen of the Sun → In: Weaver of Harmony
  2. Out: Love Song of Night and Day → In: Sterling Grove
  3. Out: Dreadhorde Invasion → In: Sphere of Safety
  4. Out: Greater Tanuki → In: Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
  5. Out: Narci, Fable Singer → In: Growing Ranks
  6. Out: Cunning Rhetoric → In: Calix, Guided by Fate
  7. Out: Ghoulish Impetus → In: Grim Guardian
  8. Out: Arasta of the Endless Web → In: Song of the Worldsoul
  9. Out: Omen of the Hunt → In: Hallowed Haunting
  10. Out: Abundance → In: Swords to Plowshares

Upgrade vibe: more protection and payoff, less “why is this here.”

4) Necron Dynasties (Warhammer 40K)

Why it’s worth upgrading: This precon is already a grindy artifact recursion engine. Upgrades mostly mean trimming the slow rocks and awkward vehicles so your recursion loops start earlier and hit harder.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Unstable Obelisk → In: Foundry Inspector
  2. Out: Night Scythe → In: Scrap Trawler
  3. Out: Wayfarer’s Bauble → In: Dark Ritual
  4. Out: Skorpekh Destroyer → In: Bolas’s Citadel
  5. Out: Sautekh Immortal → In: Jet Medallion
  6. Out: Convergence of Dominion → In: Steel Overseer
  7. Out: Tomb Blade → In: Reanimate
  8. Out: Commander’s Sphere → In: Phyrexian Scriptures
  9. Out: Shard of the Nightbringer → In: Noxious Gearhulk
  10. Out: Hedron Archive → In: Solemn Simulacrum

Upgrade vibe: the deck stops “setting up” and starts doing it.

5) Cavalry Charge (Sidar Jabari)

Why it’s worth upgrading: Knights with a real plan (pressure + recursion) is great. The precon just has a handful of clunky, slow pieces that don’t pull their weight in actual games.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Ichor Elixir → In: Marshal of Zhalfir
  2. Out: Knight of the Last Breath → In: The Circle of Loyalty
  3. Out: Path of the Enigma → In: Guardian of Faith
  4. Out: Fractured Powerstone → In: Dion, Bahamut’s Dominant
  5. Out: Syr Elenora, the Discerning → In: Kinsbaile Cavalier
  6. Out: Maul of the Skyclaves → In: Cavalier of Night
  7. Out: Arvad the Cursed → In: Invasion of New Phyrexia
  8. Out: Liliana’s Standard Bearer → In: Kindred Discovery
  9. Out: Josu Vess, Lich Knight → In: Haytham Kenway
  10. Out: Sigiled Sword of Valeron → In: Skyhunter Strike Force

Upgrade vibe: more lords and engines, fewer “this seemed cool once” cards.

6) Food and Fellowship (Frodo + Sam)

Why it’s worth upgrading: The precon has real legs, food generation, life gain, and payoffs. But a few top-end creatures and trinkets are basically flavor-only, and not the delicious kind.

First 10 swaps

  1. Out: Eagles of the North → In: Peregrin Took
  2. Out: Hithlain Rope → In: Samwise Gamgee
  3. Out: Landroval, Horizon Witness → In: Meriadoc Brandybuck
  4. Out: Great Oak Guardian → In: The Battle of Bywater
  5. Out: Orchard Strider → In: Elanor Gardner
  6. Out: Woodfall Primus → In: Many Partings
  7. Out: Generous Ent → In: Academy Manufactor
  8. Out: Butterbur, Bree Innkeeper → In: Call of the Ring
  9. Out: Trading Post → In: Frodo, Sauron’s Bane
  10. Out: Call for Unity → In: Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff

Upgrade vibe: tighter food loops, cleaner payoffs, fewer “big creature, good luck.”

FAQs

Which Commander precon is easiest to upgrade?

Usually the ones with a single, obvious plan: Explorers of the Deep (Merfolk value), Veloci-Ramp-Tor (big dinos), and Enduring Enchantments (enchantress engines) all upgrade cleanly because you’re not fighting the deck’s identity.

Do I need to swap lands in my first 10 changes?

You don’t have to, but it’s the most consistent upgrade. If your commander precon deck feels slow, it’s often because you’re playing taplands like it’s a hobby. If you want a simple approach, make your first swaps mostly spells, then upgrade lands next.

How many upgrades before it stops feeling like a precon?

In my experience, around 15–25 swaps. Ten swaps makes it smoother. Twenty swaps makes it feel like “your deck,” not “Wizards’ suggestion box.”

Should I upgrade for power or for consistency?

Consistency first. Power is fun, but consistency is what stops the “I did nothing for six turns” games.

Can I do these upgrades without buying a pile of expensive singles?

Yep. The easiest way to test upgrades is to proxy the staples first, play a few nights, then lock in what actually mattered.

Upgrade staples product links (the stuff you’ll reuse forever)

If you want the practical shortcut: build a small “upgrade staples” pile and recycle it across decks as you tinker.