Welcome to the Nitpicking Nerds Precon Upgrade Guide for the Draconic Rage deck, where we showcase the full list of cuts and adds required to transform this underpowered precon into a well-oiled Dragon-making machine! 

When upgrading a preconstructed deck, it’s important to lean into the commander’s strengths and stick to a main game plan so the deck doesn’t become diluted. Cutting cards of wildly differing strategies will help keep the deck focused and increase its synergy. It’s also useful to examine the deck’s win conditions, and when possible, to include win conditions that don’t just rely on combat damage.

The main strategy this deck will employ is to assemble an unstoppable army of Dragons, enrage Vrondiss, and then utilize all of his Dragon Spirits to either attack for the win or to deal an infinite amount of noncombat damage to our opponents.

With that strategy in mind, we can start cutting cards from this precon.

The easiest cards to cut are ones that don’t align with the deck’s game plan.

• Indomitable MightIndomitable Might, Decree of SavageryDecree of Savagery, Return to NatureReturn to Nature, and Wild EndeavorWild Endeavor are honestly not very good and get cut based on sheer lack of power.
• Wulfgar of Icewind DaleWulfgar of Icewind Dale and Shamanic RevelationShamanic Revelation aren’t bad by any stretch, but they just don’t fit our game plan.

This deck does not need to lean into the die-rolling subtheme that Vrondiss offers, so let’s cut down on most of it.

• Earth-Cult ElementalEarth-Cult Elemental and Barbarian ClassBarbarian Class weren’t even good in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms draft, so we definitely don’t want them here.
• Sword of HoursSword of Hours, Maddening HexMaddening Hex, and Bag of TricksBag of Tricks may roll dice, but they take away from our Dragon tribal theme and won’t help us go infinite with Vrondiss.
• Berserker’s FrenzyBerserker’s Frenzy and Neverwinter HydraNeverwinter Hydra are cool, but seem to be much too weak for this upgrade. We’re trying to make this deck into a powerhouse!

This is a green deck, so we don’t need that silly artifact ramp! We have access to dozens of more effective cards, so Gruul SignetGruul Signet, Arcane SignetArcane Signet, Commander’s SphereCommander’s Sphere, and ExploreExplore are all getting cut.

We’re all for playing Dragons in our Dragon tribal decks, but they have to be high-impact. Shivan HellkiteShivan Hellkite, Demanding DragonDemanding Dragon, Skyship StalkerSkyship Stalker, and Chameleon ColossusChameleon Colossus have little to no power in Commander and need to go. Heirloom BladeHeirloom Blade is awesome in the right tribe, but Dragons are a little too pricey for this equipment to do good work.

Lastly, the lands need to be addressed. There were far too many basic lands, so we cut a whopping 7 ForestForests and 5 MountainMountains.

Now that all the stinkers are out of this deck, it’s time to embrace our Dragon tribal theme and power things up a bit. After all, we’re looking to trigger a lot of Enrage.

• Ulvenwald TrackerUlvenwald Tracker and Brash TaunterBrash Taunter make for repeatable enrage triggers when they involve Vrondiss in fights.
• Greater GoodGreater Good and Return of the WildspeakerReturn of the Wildspeaker can capitalize on your 5/4 tokens and net you a large amount of cards.
• PyrohemiaPyrohemia and Harbinger of the HuntHarbinger of the Hunt can wipe away small blockers and trigger Vrondiss’s Enrage ability multiple times; Fiery ConfluenceFiery Confluence is good for one trigger and is a fantastically versatile spell.

• Let’s also bolster the deck’s removal package with GlorybringerGlorybringer, Masked VandalMasked Vandal, Nature’s ClaimNature’s Claim, and Chaos WarpChaos Warp. They’re all either decent Dragons or efficient one-for-one removal spells.
• As for ramp, we have added Sakura-Tribe ElderSakura-Tribe Elder, Three VisitsThree Visits, and Skyshroud ClaimSkyshroud Claim to help us cast our expensive Dragons before it’s too late.

Now for the fun part: winning the game. If you aren’t closing things out with a lethal Overwhelming StampedeOverwhelming Stampede to buff all our Dragon Spirit tokens, then you’re going to be making Vrondiss indestructible with Anara, Wolvid FamiliarAnara, Wolvid Familiar or Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention. Once that happens, you can use any two effects like Dragon TempestDragon Tempest or Terror of the PeaksTerror of the Peaks (The deck also contains Warstorm SurgeWarstorm Surge, Scourge of ValkasScourge of Valkas, and Outpost SiegeOutpost Siege for similar effects) to create a loop. A creature enters and damages your indestructible Vrondiss, who makes a 5/4. The 5/4 enters and deals damage to Vrondiss and an opponent, since you have two payoffs, and the cycle continues until you win! In some cases, the second damage dealer can be swapped for a haste enabler, depending on if the damage dealer has the tokens dishing out damage or not.

Time to replace all those basic lands we cut.

• Kessig Wolf RunKessig Wolf Run can help dish out extra damage and is a good mana sink, and Tyrite SanctumTyrite Sanctum provides another avenue for making Vrondiss indestructible for our combo.
• Wooded FoothillsWooded Foothills, Stomping GroundStomping Ground, Sheltered ThicketSheltered Thicket, and Highland ForestHighland Forest are here to help the deck run smoothly every game.
• Shatterskull SmashingShatterskull Smashing, Khalni AmbushKhalni Ambush, and Bala Ged RecoveryBala Ged Recovery give the deck more spells to cast without losing access to too many lands.

That’s all of the adds and cuts for the Draconic Rage precon. Use these new cards to assemble a Dragon army and deal millions of damage to your opponents!