Welcome to the Nitpicking Nerds Precon Upgrade Guide for the Coven Counters deck, where we cut the chaff and add synergy, power, and consistency to make a deck capable of growing a Human army at higher power levels!

When upgrading a Commander precon, it’s important to stick to this basic checklist:

• Focus on your commander’s strengths.
• Stick to a singular main strategy to avoid an unfocused final product.
• Cut cards that belong to wildly different strategies.
• Power up the deck’s win conditions beyond just combat damage when possible.

This deck, commanded by Leinore, is aiming to build a boardstate to trigger her Coven ability each turn and use the extra card advantage to deploy an army of humans, which it will then pump to massive sizes in order to overrun the defenses of its opponents in one lethal swing.

With a core strategy in mind, cutting cards becomes much easier.

The first cards to go are the ones that don’t even remotely fit this deck’s game plan.

• Kurbis, Harvest CelebrantKurbis, Harvest Celebrant is not a human or a good card, so it needs to leave.
• Curse of Clinging WebsCurse of Clinging Webs and Curse of ConformityCurse of Conformity won’t be of much help to you; they’re not good enough on their own and need support.
• Moonsilver KeyMoonsilver Key seems to be a bit overhyped and certainly won’t be making the cut in this deck.
• You really don’t need three nontoken Humans for five mana, so Bestial MenaceBestial Menace is also out.
• Return to DustReturn to Dust is getting a strict upgrade later.

This precon came with a lot of +1/+1 counter support, but a lot of it falls short, and this deck will start to lean on Humans slightly more than counters post-upgrade.

• Ainok Bond-KinAinok Bond-Kin, Enduring ScalelordEnduring Scalelord, and Elite ScaleguardElite Scaleguard simply won’t impact the board enough.
• Wild BeastmasterWild Beastmaster, Biogenic UpgradeBiogenic Upgrade, Verdurous GearhulkVerdurous Gearhulk, Citadel SiegeCitadel Siege, and Victory’s EnvoyVictory’s Envoy won’t pump your team as quickly or effectively as you’ll want them to. Dearly DepartedDearly Departed is an even sadder excuse of a Human buff.
• Death’s PresenceDeath’s Presence, Custodi SoulkeepersCustodi Soulkeepers, and Ruinous IntrusionRuinous Intrusion come at costs that are too high to pay when considering other cheaper (and better) alternatives.

The next cards that can be trimmed are the deck’s subpar token-makers and token payoffs.

• Somberwald BeastmasterSomberwald Beastmaster, along with Trostani’s SummonerTrostani’s Summoner and Growth SpasmGrowth Spasm might make tokens, but they aren’t human or efficient enough.
• Kessig CagebreakersKessig Cagebreakers is best saved for a heavy graveyard deck.
• Hour of ReckoningHour of Reckoning is decent, but this deck will be less all-in on tokens, and if this isn’t close to one-sided, it should be cut.

These may be Humans and Human payoffs, but you can do much better.

• Riders of GavonyRiders of Gavony grants a near useless ability despite being Human-centric. Don’t fall for their trap! Herald of WarHerald of War is just too expensive and slow to get going.
• Dawnhart WardensDawnhart Wardens and Yavimaya ElderYavimaya Elder are just mediocre; not much else to say about it.

The land cuts were pretty easy: Temple of the False GodTemple of the False God, which gets cut from everything ever, 5 ForestForests, and 5 PlainsPlains. They’ll make way for much better lands in the upcoming “adds” section!

Here are some of the most synergistic cards added to the deck:

• Mentor of the MeekMentor of the Meek will draw you oodles of cards, since all Humans and Human tokens start out weak before being buffed.
• Cathars’ CrusadeCathars’ Crusade has massive potential and can easily contribute heavily to a Commander victory in a weenie deck like this one. It’s definitely one of the better cards in this upgraded list.
• Saffi EriksdotterSaffi Eriksdotter and Fiend HunterFiend Hunter round out this section as very important win conditions when paired with other combo pieces showing up shortly!
• Shamanic RevelationShamanic Revelation works wonders in any deck looking to go wide! It’s definitely an all-star here.

Like I mentioned earlier, we cut back a bit on the +1/+1 counters theme, but a few solid additions keep the idea around as a subtheme.

• Basri’s LieutenantBasri’s Lieutenant is fantastic board wipe insurance, and even works as part of an infinite combo coming up.
• Luminarch AspirantLuminarch Aspirant can come down early and provides a counter immediately, allows for easy Coven triggering, and is cheap at only two mana.
• Felidar RetreatFelidar Retreat is a fantastic way to place counters on your entire team and helps wide armies smash in for massive damage.

For token-making, Reverent HopliteReverent Hoplite, Increasing DevotionIncreasing Devotion, Geist-Honored MonkGeist-Honored Monk, and especially Call the CoppercoatsCall the Coppercoats will ensure your board is always flooded with tokens, especially Humans.

Lots of Humans have been added to this deck, all with different purposes.

• Diligent FarmhandDiligent Farmhand and Knight of the ReliquaryKnight of the Reliquary make solid Human ramp spells.
• Ranger of EosRanger of Eos can find several cards already in the precon, along with new adds Thraben InspectorThraben Inspector and Giant KillerGiant Killer, which is a solid removal spell to have access to. Alongside him are Masked VandalMasked Vandal and Cathar CommandoCathar Commando, and Bounty AgentBounty Agent. It’s not a Human, but here is the best place to mention the other removal add of Heliod’s InterventionHeliod’s Intervention: that card is fantastic.
• Thalia’s LancersThalia’s Lancers is a nice bit of utility that can even tutor for added win conditions like Kamahl, Heart of KrosaKamahl, Heart of Krosa.

Now for the juicy part: adding more Human payoffs!

• RealmwalkerRealmwalker and Herald’s HornHerald’s Horn help provide additional access to Humans and reward you for packing your deck with them.
• Katilda, Dawnhart PrimeKatilda, Dawnhart Prime turns all Humans into mana dorks and even pumps your team if you have nothing better to do. This card is extremely strong as a tribal payoff.
• Vanquisher’s BannerVanquisher’s Banner is a classic tribal card that pumps your Humans and rewards you for casting a lot of them.

Before getting to the lands, it’s worth mentioning the two infinite combos in this deck that will help it cruise to victory in the mid to late game.

• Angel of Glory’s RiseAngel of Glory’s Rise (already in the deck), when paired with Fiend HunterFiend Hunter or Saffi EriksdotterSaffi Eriksdotter, let’s you go infinite with Altar of DementiaAltar of Dementia and mill everyone else out; no combat required! This adds a hugely important second layer to the deck and makes you even scarier.
• A similar combo exists with Basri’s LieutenantBasri’s Lieutenant and Cathars’ CrusadeCathars’ Crusade: Sacrifice a creature, Lieutenant makes a knight, then it gets a counter, then repeat infinitely!

Time to add some awesome lands.

• Castle ArdenvaleCastle Ardenvale provides additional board presence, and Gavony TownshipGavony Township is a land that can add counters to your team. Both can be found with Knight of the ReliquaryKnight of the Reliquary for added consistency.
• Scattered GrovesScattered Groves, Temple GardenTemple Garden, and Windswept HeathWindswept Heath help make the mana base even better.
• Bala Ged RecoveryBala Ged Recovery and Kabira TakedownKabira Takedown are two amazing MDFC’s that double as removal or recursion, and Emeria’s CallEmeria’s Call and Turntimber SymbiosisTurntimber Symbiosis also make appearances for their extreme versatility.

That concludes the Precon Upgrade Guide for Coven Counters! Sleeve up this deck, build an army of Humans, and power them up for massive attacks against your opponents!