Twenty dollars fixes most of that. Here is exactly how to spend it.

Key Takeaways

  • Every precon suffers from the same three problems in different proportions: slow mana, insufficient card draw, and a missing win condition.
  • Play the precon three times before buying anything. Your losses will tell you exactly what to cut.
  • Prioritize mana first, card draw second, and win condition third. Spending in any other order wastes money.

Step One: Identify the Precon’s Weakness (5 Minutes)

Before spending a dollar, you need to know what’s actually wrong with your deck. The answer is almost always one of four things, and playing three games will reveal which one is costing you.

Every precon has the same problems in different proportions:

  • Too many bad creatures with weak ETBs, filler that does nothing on an empty board
  • No card draw, hand empties by turn 5 and the deck stalls
  • Slow mana base, enters-tapped lands in a format that punishes slowness
  • Missing the win condition, the theme is there but the payoff is missing

Before you buy a single card, play the precon three times. Note what makes you lose. Note what you never wanted to draw. That list is your cut list.

Where to Cut First

Precons routinely ship with cards in the $0.25-$0.50 range that actively hurt you. Look for:

  • Vanilla or near-vanilla creatures with no synergy, a 4/4 with no ability is a waste of a slot
  • Overcosted removal, paying five mana to destroy one thing is too slow
  • Off-theme ramp, if your precon is artifacts-matter, cut the basic forest ramp package
  • Lands that enter tapped for no payoff, Guildgate, Cinder Barrens, and similar. Replace with basics first

Cut 8-12 cards. This opens your slots for upgrades.

The Upgrade Priority Order

Priority 1: Fix the Mana Base ($6-$8)

Bad lands cost you games before you cast a spell. This matters more than any flashy new threat, because a deck that can’t make its mana on schedule loses before its strategy even comes online. Swap enters-tapped lands for these:

Command Tower, $1, every color in your commander’s identity, enters untapped. Always. Path of Ancestry, $0.50, scries when you cast your tribe if relevant Myriad Landscape, $0.50, a land that ramps by sacrificing itself Exotic Orchard, $0.75, taps for whatever your opponents’ lands produce. Usually a dual land. Arcane Signet, $1.50, turn two mana rock in your colors, untapped

That five-card package runs $4-$5 and dramatically improves your early turns. You can read more about the principles behind mana construction in How to Build a Consistent Mana Base on Any Budget.

Priority 2: Add Card Draw ($6-$8)

Most precons run 3-4 draw spells. You want 8-10. The reason card draw matters so much in Commander is that you’re facing three opponents instead of one, which means your hand runs out three times as fast against a table of threats. Fill the gap with some combination of these:

Phyrexian Arena, $2, draws an extra card every upkeep in black decks. Unstoppable value. Guardian Project, $3, draws a card for every unique creature you cast. Engine in midrange decks. Lifecrafter’s Bestiary, $1, scry every turn and draw when you cast creatures. Low cost, high return. Harmonize, $1, draw three for four mana in green. Sorcery speed but it refills you in one shot. Read the Bones, $0.50, scry two, draw two. Efficient black card advantage. Wheels, Windfall ($3), Wheel of Misfortune ($3), refill everyone’s hands. Strong in storm or chaos builds.

Pick two or three depending on your colors.

Priority 3: Add a Win Condition ($5-$8)

Precons usually have a theme but the payoff card is missing or diluted. Wizards of the Coast designs precons to be broad enough for new players, which means the most powerful pieces of a given strategy often don’t ship in the box. Find your win condition and add it.

Elfball precon? Add Ezuri, Renegade Leader ($3) or Shaman of the Pack ($1). Token precon? Add Craterhoof Behemoth if budget allows, or Pathbreaker Ibex ($1) as a budget stand-in. Spellslinger precon? Add Niv-Mizzet, Parun if your budget stretches, or Melek, Izzet Paragon ($2) for the value. Graveyard precon? Add Sheoldred, Whispering One if you can, or Gray Merchant of Asphodel ($1) for drain finishes.

One focused finisher that your whole deck supports is worth more than five midrange threats scattered across the curve. If you want to go deeper on budget-friendly options for the cards in between, check out EDH Staples Every Deck Should Run and Best Budget Mana Rocks Under $2.

Sample Upgrade for a Token Precon

Assume you open a white-black token Commander precon. Here are the exact cards to buy:

| Card | Price | |—|—| | Command Tower | $1 | | Arcane Signet | $1.50 | | Anguished Unmaking | $2 | | Phyrexian Arena | $2 | | Zulaport Cutthroat | $0.50 | | Skullclamp | $3 | | Anointed Procession | $6 | | Path of Ancestry | $0.50 | | Martial Coup | $1 | | Exotic Orchard | $0.75 |

Total: ~$18.25

Every card in this list directly powers the token strategy or fixes the mana. No fillers. No pets. Every dollar earns its place. Prices vary by retailer and over time, so check current prices before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cards should I cut from a precon before upgrading? Cut 8-12 cards before you buy anything new. Focus on vanilla creatures with no synergy, overcosted removal, and enters-tapped lands that don’t advance your strategy. Playing the precon a few times first makes the cut list obvious.

Do I need to buy singles, or can I trade for upgrades? Singles are almost always more cost-effective than cracking packs hoping to hit specific cards. Local game stores and sites like TCGPlayer let you target exactly what you need. Trades work too if you have a collection to draw from.

Should I upgrade every precon I own, or focus on one? Focus on one. A single well-upgraded deck plays better and teaches you more than four half-finished precons. Pick your favorite commander and put your full $20 there.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when upgrading precons? Adding cool cards instead of fixing the deck’s actual weaknesses. A new legendary creature is exciting. An extra land that enters untapped is not. The untapped land will win you more games.

How do I know when a precon is fully upgraded? When you stop losing to the problems you identified in your first three games. That’s the benchmark. You don’t need to hit a specific dollar amount.

The Mindset

Stop adding cards you think are cool. Start asking: “Does this card make my game plan faster, more consistent, or harder to stop?”

If the answer is no, it does not go in.

Twenty dollars spent with focus beats $50 spent without direction. Precons become real decks when you treat every card slot as a resource, not a wish list.