How to Upgrade a Precon Commander Deck: Step-by-Step

You bought a preconstructed Commander deck. You played a few games. Now you want to make it better. But with 100 cards in the deck and thousands of possible replacements, where do you start?

Upgrading a precon is not about replacing the entire deck. It is about identifying the weakest 10-20 cards and replacing them with more focused, efficient alternatives. A well-targeted $20-30 in upgrades can dramatically improve a precon's performance.

Step 1: Play the Deck First

Before changing anything, play the precon 3-5 times as-is. This is crucial for two reasons.

You learn what the deck does: Precon designers had a vision for the deck. Understanding the intended strategy helps you upgrade in the right direction rather than pulling the deck in five different directions.

You discover the weak spots naturally: After a few games, you will notice patterns. "I always have too many lands." "I never have enough removal." "This 7-mana creature sits in my hand all game." These observations are more valuable than any upgrade guide.

Take notes after each game. Write down:

• Cards you were happy to draw
• Cards you wished were something else
• Moments you did not have an answer
• Whether you felt fast enough, slow enough, or about right

Step 2: Identify Your 15 Weakest Cards

Most precons have about 15 cards that are significantly below the rest of the deck. These fall into predictable categories.

Off-Theme Cards

Precons often include cards that do not support the main strategy. A Zombie tribal deck with a random 4/4 Human that does not interact with Zombies. An artifact deck with a generic creature that has nothing to do with artifacts.

Cut criteria: Does this card synergize with my commander or my deck's theme? If the answer is no and it is not premium removal or card draw, cut it.

Overcosted Spells

Cards that cost 6-7 mana and have mediocre effects. In Commander, expensive cards need to be game-changing. A 7-mana creature that is just a big body without immediate impact is worse than a 3-mana creature that generates value over time.

Cut criteria: Would I rather draw this card or a basic land? If you would honestly rather see a land, the card is too weak.

Tapped Lands with No Upside

Most precons include several lands that enter tapped and do nothing special (gain 1 life, or just enter tapped for dual colors). These slow you down every time you draw them.

Cut criteria: If a land enters tapped and its only bonus is gaining 1 life, it is a cut candidate.

Redundant Effects

Precons sometimes include multiple cards that do the same thing at different efficiency levels. If you have three board wipes and only need two, cut the worst one.

Step 3: Choose Your Upgrades

With your 15 cut slots identified, fill them strategically.

Priority 1: Mana Base (3-5 slots)

Replace your worst tapped lands with untapped alternatives.

Budget options ($0.25-$1 each):

• Command Tower (any deck with 2+ colors)
• Exotic Orchard
• Pain lands (like Yavimaya Coast)
• Check lands (like Sunpetal Grove)

Mid-budget options ($2-5 each):

• Shock lands (like Stomping Ground)
• Fast lands (like Botanical Sanctum)
• Filter lands (like Fire-Lit Thicket)

Priority 2: Card Draw (2-3 slots)

Most precons are light on card draw. Add efficient options.

Every color has cheap card draw: Night's Whisper (black), Beast Whisperer (green), Fact or Fiction (blue), Light Up the Stage (red), Mentor of the Meek (white).

Priority 3: Removal (2-3 slots)

Replace overcosted removal with efficient alternatives.

The best cheap removal: Swords to Plowshares, Nature's Claim, Chaos Warp, Feed the Swarm, Go for the Throat, Beast Within.

Priority 4: Synergy Pieces (5-7 slots)

This is where the real upgrades happen. Add cards that specifically support your commander's strategy.

Example for Zombie tribal: Gravecrawler, Diregraf Captain, Plague Belcher, Carrion Feeder, Undead Augur.

Example for Elf tribal: Priest of Titania, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, Beastmaster Ascension, Elvish Champion.

Example for artifact deck: Darksteel Forge, Shimmer Myr, Scrap Trawler.

Step 4: Budget Allocation

If you have a set budget for upgrades, allocate it wisely.

$10 Budget

Focus entirely on the highest-impact, lowest-cost upgrades:

• 2-3 untapped dual lands ($0.50-$1 each)
• 2-3 efficient removal spells ($0.25-$0.75 each)
• 2-3 synergy pieces under $1 each
• Sol Ring if not included ($0.75)

$25 Budget

Cover all four priority areas:

• 3-4 land upgrades ($3-5 total)
• 2-3 card draw additions ($2-4 total)
• 3-4 removal upgrades ($3-5 total)
• 5-7 synergy pieces ($10-15 total)

$50 Budget

You can start including chase cards for your strategy:

• 4-5 land upgrades including one shock land ($10-15 total)
• 3-4 card draw engines ($5-8 total)
• 3-4 premium removal ($5-8 total)
• 5-8 strong synergy pieces including one or two key uncommons/rares ($15-20 total)

Step 5: Test and Iterate

After making your initial upgrades, play another 3-5 games. Some of your new cards will overperform and some will underperform. That is expected.

Common surprises: A card you thought would be amazing sits in your hand because the mana cost does not fit your curve. A cheap card you added as an afterthought turns out to be an all-star. Adjust based on experience.

Upgrade in batches: Do not try to upgrade 15 cards at once. Start with 5-8 changes, play games, then make the next round of changes based on what you learned.

Common Mistakes

Replacing the commander: Some players buy a precon and immediately swap the face commander for a "better" option. This can work, but it often means rebuilding the deck from scratch since the other 99 cards were designed for the original commander.

Adding too many expensive cards: Replacing five 3-mana cards with five 6-mana cards makes the deck slower, not better. Watch your mana curve as you upgrade.

Ignoring the mana base: Players spend their entire upgrade budget on flashy spells and ignore the mana base. A $5 shock land improves your deck more than a $5 creature in most cases.

Over-focusing on one thing: Adding eight card draw spells when you already have enough means fewer slots for threats and removal. Balance your additions across categories.

Following online lists blindly: A "top 10 upgrades" article might include $20+ cards that are not necessary. Evaluate whether each suggested card is actually better than what you are cutting, considering your specific budget and meta.

Tools for Upgrading

Upgrading a precon is a great use case for AI deckbuilding tools. Tell Manacove which precon you have, your upgrade budget, and what felt wrong in your games. The AI can suggest targeted swaps that improve the deck's weaknesses while maintaining its strengths.

For more budget deckbuilding advice, check out our guide on budget Commander deck building and our list of 50 powerful Commander cards under $1.