Magic: The Gathering has been around since 1993, but it wasn’t until 2011 that Wizards of the Coast debuted preconstructed decks (Precons) for the Commander format (also known as Elder Dragon Highlander).
Now, Commander is the most popular way to play Magic, and a big part of that is that Wizards of the Coast regularly releases preconstructed decks that are playable right out of the box. Still, some are drastically more expensive than others, or hard to get hold of after limited print runs.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of great preconstructed decks you can still get hold of. They’re not all cheap, but there’s a handy list of more affordable decks here.
The Criteria
To be considered for this list, a deck needs to tick a few boxes. For one, it needs to be available, and not just on the secondary market. While some of these are getting harder to find, you can still do so.
The decks also need to be fun to play, with a cohesive game plan, and some nifty reprints wouldn’t hurt, either. There’s also a hefty dose of my own opinion here, and I’ve not played with or against every deck.
With all that said, here are my picks.
Draconic Destruction
Magic: The Gathering Draconic Destruction
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Sure, it used to be much, much cheaper, but Draconic Destruction is a great precon if you’re into casting dragons and sending them at opponents.
It’s still a deck I find myself returning to because it’s remarkably easy to play, and while Atarka, World Render is hardly a pricey Commander, there are still some slightly pricier cards to be found, like Scourge of Valkas and Dragon Tempest.
The strategy is simple: Cast big dragons, and get Atarka on the board to give them double strike. That makes it perfect for newcomers.
Quick Draw
Magic: The Gathering Quick Draw
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Spellslinger decks in red and blue are nothing new, but Quick Draw has a cool Commander in Stella Lee, Wild Card, which gives you access to more spells to cast, and the ability to copy instants and sorceries.
You’ll need to keep track of what you’re casting, but it can get out of hand pretty quickly when you’re throwing Vandalblast and Windfall around. Plus, Veyran, Voice of Duality remains a few dollars, alongside Thunderclap Drake and Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
There’s a subtle amount of player manipulation here, too, with Propaganda and Niv-Mizzet incentivizing some politics around the table.
Jump Scare
Magic: The Gathering Jump Scare!
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Zimone, Mystery Unraveler helms this Duskmourn Commander Deck, and can allow you to cast big spells face-down until the moment comes for them to pop up (like a Jump Scare, get it?).
Being able to (potentially) cheat out cards like Worldspine Wurm, Shriekwood Devourer and Thunderfoot Baloth is nice, but there are some solid reprints, too.
Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait is a big beast that would cost you around $10 on its own, while Giggling Skitterspike and Ashaya, Soul of the Wild aren’t far behind.
Scrappy Survivors
Magic: The Gathering Scrappy Survivors
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Our first Universes Beyond entry (and one of two from the Fallout decks), Scrappy Survivors is a fun deck that’s helmed by a very good boy, Dogmeat, Ever Loyal.
The idea is scrapping Aura and Equipment cards through milling, and then reclaiming them onto your creatures. Given there are some high-mana cards that fit the bill like Almost Perfect and Mantle of the Agents, it’s a solid plan.
Codsworth, Handy Helper has seen its price skyrocket, too, thanks to some Final Fantasy synergies, while Silver Shroud Costume is still holding a decent value.
Mutant Menace
Magic: The Gathering Mutant Menace
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The kind of deck that elicits a collective groan at any table, Mutant Menace is another Fallout deck, but one that’s far less wholesome than the last entry on this list.
In fact, Mothman’s whole shtick is the ‘Rad Counter’ mechanic which means players mill every turn. Doing so not only burns through their deck at an alarming rate once it gets going, but also powers up The Wise Mothman himself.
Mutational Advantage and Power Fist are still pretty valuable, alongside Guardian Project, but the biggest draw is that nothing plays quite like this.
Riders of Rohan
Magic: The Gathering Riders of Rohan
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Sticking with Universes Beyond, while many of the plaudits went to other decks in the Lord of the Rings Commander lineup, Riders of Rohan is powerful and relatively simple.
Eowyn, Shieldmaiden lets you build an army of token creatures with trample and haste, and turn those into card advantage, while also being a 5/4 with first strike in her own right.
With cards like Beregond of the Guard able to pump those tokens and give them vigilance, it’s not uncommon for this deck to be the most aggressive at the table.
Door of Destinies is the priciest reprint, so you can find this precon a little cheaper than others.
Revenant Recon
Magic: The Gathering Revenant Recon
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Is this Murders at Karlov Manor deck the best around? No, but Revenant Recon is still a lot of fun to play. It uses the surveil mechanic to power up its Commander, Mirko, Obsessive Theorist, while also allowing him to resurrect cards from the graveyard.
I’ve seen this deck pop off and level entire boards by bringing Massacre Wurm back to slay a bunch of tokens, and there are some low-cost creatures to get the ball rolling pretty quickly.
Reanimate and Animate Dead are the main reprints of any note here, but the deck offers a fun way to play Dimir.
Counter Blitz
Magic: The Gathering Counter Blitz
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Tidus helms this Final Fantasy X deck, and it’s now easier than ever to get hold of (and under MSRP).
It’s perhaps not best-suited to newcomers since it requires keeping tabs on a lot of counters (often different types), but by spending some time planning, you can create Summon creatures and keep them on the board much longer than expected, while also powering up just about everything on your board.
There’s a decent amount of card removal to help enact your game plan, too, while Yuna, Grand Summoner and Walking Ballista still command a decent price.
Upgrades Unleashed
Magic: The Gathering Upgrades Unleashed
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Upgrades Unleashed is a smidge harder to find and doesn’t have a huge number of pricey reprints, but it’s a really fun deck that uses Chishiro, the Shattered Blade, to create tokens and power up ‘modified’ cards.
Its best party trick, however, is building up an army before using Akki Battle Squad to trigger a surprise combat phase, while building up modified creatures will let you drop Walking Skyscraper for nothing if you time it right.
For Bigger Budgets
These decks are still readily available, but they do have sharp markups. If you can find them at MSRP, snap them up, but you should be prepared to pay a fair amount for each.
Draconic Dissent
Magic: The Gathering Draconic Dissent
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The kind of deck that turns real-life friends to enemies, Draconic Dissent comes from the Baldur’s Gate Commander decks and is a real pain in the rear end.
That’s because it heavily leverages the goad mechanic to get your rivals fighting each other, while also using cards like Propaganda to put them off of attacking you. Add in some straight-up theft of other players’ cards and it really does have an answer for just about anything.
Astral Dragon is a pricey card these days, as is Artificer Class, while Firkraag, Cunning Instigator (the deck’s Commander), will set you back $10, too.
Veloci-Ramp-Tor
Magic: The Gathering Veloci-Ramp-Tor
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Quite frankly, this precon is by far the best out of the Lost Caverns of Ixalan set, and undoubtedly one of the most cohesive we’ve seen in the last couple of years.
The brilliantly-named Veloci-Ramp-Tor is all about getting dinosaurs on the field and using Pantlaza, Sun-Favored’s ability to then grab more dinosaurs or spells with the discover mechanic.
It doesn’t take long to build a fleet of dinosaurs John Hammond would be proud of, while Akroma’s Will, Xenagos, God of Revels and Apex Altisaur mean there are some cards going for a fair amount.
Having a one-sided board wipe in Wakening Sun’s Avatar is very welcome, too.
Hosts of Mordor
Magic: The Gathering Hosts of Mordor
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Sauron’s very own deck is still pricey, but it’s very fun to play with the caveat that Sauron is an 8-cost Commander which might make you want to swap him with another version of The Dark Lord.
In any case, there’s a sort of dual game plan here. On one hand, you can make an Orc army that’s pretty massive, able to do your defensive bidding while you attack with just about anything else, but there’s also a light reanimation theme since Sauron can bring creatures back.
It makes sense, then, that Reanimate and Living Death are in here, but there are also pretty pricey cards like Cavern-Hoard Dragon and The Black Gate to ramp up the value.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
