Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant | Art by Dan Scott

Entering the Junkyard

Welcome to another edition of Precon Remastered! Here, we take older precons and polish them for the modern era. This week, we're tackling what I think is the best of the Commander 2014 precons. I remember this precon well, and it's one I have some fond memories of. Without further ado, the commander for this week:

It's easy to see why Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant is popular: he's card draw, he has a powerful emblem (assuming we get there), and the minus ability is very exploitable. From netting value to bringing back big, hulking machines (even both!), there's a lot of stuff that can be done. But first, the rules.

Scrapyard Rules

As always, here are our rules for remastering precons:

1. The value of the deck cannot exceed $120. This will apply to the reprints only, which gets to my first personal quirk.
2. Every card unique to the original precon stays in the deck. All those new cards that get released with precons remain in the list.
3. The land package should closely reflect what we get in precons these days (and, in my humble opinion, they're actually pretty good).
4. At least until 2020, we're not tied to a particular set, so we're free to choose whatever we want. You can be assured I have ideas for 2020 and beyond, though.
5. Universes Beyond cards are not added. No exceptions, unless they have an in-universe variant. Granted, this will change when we get there.

With that out of the way, let's take a good look at what the precon looked like originally.

The Original List

Assessing the Scraps

The stock list is actually a good place to begin an artifact deck. While the deck does seem cohesive at first glance, there's a slight ETB (enters the battlefield) subtheme because of the precon's secondary commander, Feldon of the Third PathFeldon of the Third Path. He's useful in our 99, but he requires a more dedicated build to maximize his potential as a commander.

Speaking of new cards, they're rather all over the place here. We have a couple of gems, like the aforementioned Feldon and Scrap MasteryScrap Mastery, we also have a few duds like Warmonger HellkiteWarmonger Hellkite and Flamekin VillageFlamekin Village, which are better off elsewhere. Among these, though, is Dualcaster MageDualcaster Mage. The card's notorious for enabling infinite combos with the likes of Ghostly FlickerGhostly Flicker, but it's much more tame here. We're more likely going to copy an opponent's spell than our own.

The reprints are a mixed bag. We have some weaker cards like WhipflareWhipflare, but we also get some absolute cinema options like Wurmcoil EngineWurmcoil Engine (which, at the time, caused quite a firestorm, in a good way. It was wild). A good number of them work with the theme of the deck, but as always, there's some work to do.

As we'll see, it won't take much to remaster this precon. A significant improvement over its predecessors, be they this year (so far), or the previous years. In fact, the price of the precon is actually under $120! It's really going to be about keeping it under the limit while improving on the card quality.

Built from Scratch Remastered

To a Fine Shine

As we can see in the remastered list, it's a prime example of the "Ship of Theseus" philosophy (you replace the weak cards, and add something new. Is it still a precon?). The main difference is that we've improved the card quality, including having more ways to discard cards without relying too much on our commander. Both Demand AnswersDemand Answers and Cathartic ReunionCathartic Reunion will refill our hand for a negligible price. Meanwhile, Collector's VaultCollector's Vault does a similar thing, but gives us a Treasure token as well.

We also have new ETB effects to work with Feldon of the Third PathFeldon of the Third Path, but this time with an artificial flair. For example, Combustible GearhulkCombustible Gearhulk either draws cards or puts new targets into the graveyard, depending on the opponent's choice. On the other hand, the lowly Meteor GolemMeteor Golem destroys something upon entry, providing redundancy with Spine of Ish SahSpine of Ish Sah.

We were able to keep in all of the best cards from the precon without compromising anything. We still have our Wurmcoil EngineWurmcoil Engine and Ruby MedallionRuby Medallion, and so on. We also get Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient, which doubles up every activated ability from our artifacts (except mana abilities).

A Commanding Quintet

One of the best things about this precon is that, even with the stock list, any of the commanders actually works with the deck's game plan while providing a new experience. The remastered version is no different, except we got five options for a commander this time!

If we want a relaxed, easy-going game, I'll point you towards Bosh, Iron GolemBosh, Iron Golem. Eight mana is a lot, but a good chunk of our artifacts are expensive, and we can easily recycle them for more flinging, especially if it's doubled.

Should we decide to up the ante, both Kurkesh, Onakke AncientKurkesh, Onakke Ancient and Slobad, Iron GoblinSlobad, Iron Goblin work well here. Like I said above, Kurkesh doubles our artifacts' activated abilities, while Slobad ramps us (potentially) for a ton.

Meanwhile, Feldon of the Third PathFeldon of the Third Path would be our second-highest-powered choice. Sure, he'll need a bit more support, especially protection, but our creature lineup ensures he'll do wonders.

Lastly, for our deck to be at its most cutthroat, we have Daretti, Scrap SavantDaretti, Scrap Savant. While he is supposed to be the commander of choice this week by virtue of his precon, we could, you know, build a new deck from scratch. That way, all five of these options can be covered.

Alternatively, if you want to embrace the chaos, roll a d6 and pick the commander (Reroll on a six, mind)!

Out of the Junkyard, and Towards the Setting Sun

With that, that's another precon done. Next time, we'll cover the last of the mono-color decks (and eat our greens), but before that, we're due for a revisit to my other series, Commander Makeover, and we're going to cover a commander who's such a nasty piece of work she ended up as a Game Changer for a while. Tune in next time to see who that might be.