Welcome to the Nitpicking Nerds Precon Upgrade Guide for the Aura of Courage deck, where we deliver the full list of cuts and adds needed to power up this deck! 

When upgrading a precon, it’s important to build towards the commander’s strengths and stick to a main theme so the deck doesn’t become unfocused. Cutting cards of wildly differing strategies will help keep the deck focused and increase its synergy. It’s also useful to address the deck’s win conditions, and for this deck specifically, to speed up the clock and eliminate players as quickly as possible in combat.

Aura of Courage’s main strategy is to combine Equipment and Auras to suit up your creatures and swing in for big damage, and it’s going to win by assembling a one-shot kill on each of your opponents while protecting the attacking creature!

With that key strategy in mind, it’s time to start cutting cards that won’t be pulling their weight.

• Catti-brie of Mithral HallCatti-brie of Mithral Hall and Storvald, Frost Giant JarlStorvald, Frost Giant Jarl are better off commanding their own decks and won’t work well in this deck.
• Clay GolemClay Golem’s ability is far too expensive to keep in the deck, and does nothing for our Voltron plan.
• Fey SteedFey Steed could work well, but its stats and abilities don’t quite make the cut for the power level this deck ended up at.
• Ride the AvalancheRide the Avalanche is one of the worst cards in the precon and probably won’t find a home in many decks going forward.
• Song of InspirationSong of Inspiration is a disappointing die-roll card that doesn’t deliver, and Angel of FinalityAngel of Finality is a bit expensive for graveyard hate.
• Realm-Cloaked GiantRealm-Cloaked Giant is a big head-scratcher, since this isn’t a giant deck and we don’t need a 7 mana 7/7.

Now we can cut the subpar Equipment. Most of these are okay, but we can do better. We need to hit as hard as possible, or protect our creatures.

• Argentum ArmorArgentum Armor, Sword of HoursSword of Hours, Belt of Giant StrengthBelt of Giant Strength, and Behemoth SledgeBehemoth Sledge come in the precon and are meant to power up the deck’s creatures, but we can do so much better. These are better left on the sidelines.
• No Voltron deck has any time for Viridian LongbowViridian Longbow!
• Moonsilver SpearMoonsilver Spear spits out 4/4’s, but is too slow of an engine, especially when you can’t score a free Equip.
• Winged BootsWinged Boots will provide some level of protection, but we can do so much better.
• Masterwork of IngenuityMasterwork of Ingenuity works very well if you build this deck around Equipment alone, but we are leaning into both Auras and Equipment, so there just isn’t space for a card so heavily reliant on Equipment.

It’s time to trim some Auras, too.

• Curse of VerbosityCurse of Verbosity and Psychic ImpetusPsychic Impetus are not cards you have time for when playing Voltron.
• Verdant EmbraceVerdant Embrace is nice, but this deck is going tall, not wide.
• Abundant GrowthAbundant Growth, Angelic GiftAngelic Gift, and Gryff’s BoonGryff’s Boon are a little too low impact to justify keeping.
• Lastly for Auras comes Eel UmbraEel Umbra and Shielding PlaxShielding Plax, which can’t protect our key creatures nearly as well as the cards that are being added.

This section represents various cuts in other categories that help focus the deck more around its Voltron strategy,

• Valorous StanceValorous Stance and Bant CharmBant Charm are subpar removal spells that are instant cuts.
• Ebony FlyEbony Fly, Arcane SignetArcane Signet, and Paradise DruidParadise Druid work well in the precon, but this is a green deck that doesn’t need mana rocks and has access to better dorks.
• As soon as you leave the precon meta, we recommend cutting Acidic SlimeAcidic Slime from any deck.
• Diviner’s PortentDiviner’s Portent, Riverwise AugurRiverwise Augur, Serum VisionsSerum Visions, and Netherese Puzzle-WardNetherese Puzzle-Ward aren’t unplayable, but again, Galea doesn’t want this much fluff.
• Prognostic SphinxPrognostic Sphinx and Cold-Eyed SelkieCold-Eyed Selkie can’t cut it as Equipment and Aura wearers.
• Valiant EndeavorValiant Endeavor is a cool board wipe, but one we’re looking to avoid for this particular deck.

Lastly, the land cuts: Azorius ChanceryAzorius Chancery, Simic Growth ChamberSimic Growth Chamber, Halimar DepthsHalimar Depths, Lumbering FallsLumbering Falls, Thriving GroveThriving Grove, Thriving HeathThriving Heath, Thriving IsleThriving Isle, Mishra’s FactoryMishra’s Factory, two ForestsForests, and an IslandIsland.

Now that we’ve gutted the deck, it’s time to put in better, harder-hitting cards that will score you more wins.

Let’s first upgrade the equipment suite.

• ShadowspearShadowspear and Sword of Feast and FamineSword of Feast and Famine offer nice evasion and increase the damage output of the creature they’re equipped to, which is a nice combination.
• Stoneforge MysticStoneforge Mystic and Stonehewer GiantStonehewer Giant can tutor out whichever equipment we need most and are generally awesome.
• FireshriekerFireshrieker, NettlecystNettlecyst, and Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged are your damage dealers. These are the main equipment that add enough power to end games.
• Hammer of NazahnHammer of Nazahn grants indestructibility and cheats Equip costs, and Nazahn, Revered BladesmithNazahn, Revered Bladesmith himself is just an additional copy of his hammer, with a small bonus.

Now, it’s time to enhance the Aura side of the deck.

• Wolfwillow HavenWolfwillow Haven is solid ramp that fits the theme of the deck, and even works well with Arbor ElfArbor Elf, which we also added.
• Rune of SustenanceRune of Sustenance works well on your creatures and on equipment, so it’s a really cool addition.
• Unquestioned AuthorityUnquestioned Authority and Aqueous FormAqueous Form provide the ultimate evasion, letting your suited up creatures smash in unopposed. All That GlittersAll That Glitters is a perfect fit for a deck riding the line between both strategies, and will add significant power.
• Kestia the CultivatorKestia the Cultivator and Sovereigns of Lost AlaraSovereigns of Lost Alara pack a lot of punch and help further enhance our creatures. Siona, Captain of the PyleasSiona, Captain of the Pyleas helps find Auras and even goes infinite with another card we added, Shielded by FaithShielded by Faith. Use them together to create infinite 1/1 Soldier creature tokens!
• Lastly are a handful of enchantments that help tie everything together: Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix (for topdeck manipulation), Sanctum WeaverSanctum Weaver, Eidolon of BlossomsEidolon of Blossoms, Setessan ChampionSetessan Champion, and Sythis, Harvest’s HandSythis, Harvest’s Hand.

There are just a few more boxes to check before we have a fully-functional upgraded precon.

• BrainstoneBrainstone and Garruk, Primal HunterGarruk, Primal Hunter add some card selection and card draw to the deck.
• Armored SkyhunterArmored Skyhunter, Heavenly BlademasterHeavenly Blademaster, and Ardenn, Intrepid ArchaeologistArdenn, Intrepid Archaeologist let us fiddle around with our Auras and Equipment and really tie this deck together, allowing us to focus on both card types.
• Sun TitanSun Titan and Open the ArmoryOpen the Armory are nice ways to find or recur important pieces.
• In terms of powerful removal, here’s what we decided to add: Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares, Kabira TakedownKabira Takedown, Qasali PridemageQasali Pridemage, Dismantling WaveDismantling Wave, Arcane DenialArcane Denial, and Stubborn DenialStubborn Denial. Notably, this precon lacked any true counterspells, so we’ve remedied that problem.
• Finally, we get to add more creatures that wear Auras and Equipment well: Invisible StalkerInvisible Stalker, Slippery ScoundrelSlippery Scoundrel, Slippery BogbonderSlippery Bogbonder, and Sigarda, Host of HeronsSigarda, Host of Herons. These are our main game-enders that stick around to dish out massive damage while being immune to spot-removal.

• To improve the manabase, we added Irrigated FarmlandIrrigated Farmland, Scattered GrovesScattered Groves, Hallowed FountainHallowed Fountain, Breeding PoolBreeding Pool, Temple GardenTemple Garden, and Krosan VergeKrosan Verge. The deck also began to skew more heavily towards white, so one PlainsPlains was added.

That concludes the Aura of Courage Upgrade Guide! Whether you’re building Galea towards Equipment, Auras, or both, you now have everything you need to build an unstoppable creature capable of knocking everyone else out of the game!