Can we upgrade an already fantastic precon? We’re certainly going to try! Today on EDHREC, we’re upgrading Mutant Menace, from Universes Beyond: Fallout.

In case you missed it, go check out my review of the precon here. I gave this deck one of my best precon grades yet, and was extremely happy with the blend of synergy and flavor present. I’m especially in love with the new Radiation mechanic, and how the deck utilizes it.

So let’s see how we can make this deck even more menacing.

What’s in the Original Deck?

Mutant Menace is led by The Wise Mothman, a 3/3 flying Insect Mutant that gives each player a Rad counter when it enters and attacks. And whenever nonland cards are milled, we get to put +1/+1 counters on creatures.

This deck is all about sliming our opponents, and ourselves, with enough Radiation to keep the cards flowing to the graveyard so we can keep growing our Mutant army.

Our backup commander is The Master, Transcendent, a 2/4 artifact Mutant that gives a player two Rad counters on entry and can be tapped to snatch a creature card out of a graveyard if it was milled this turn. So not only are we milling, we’re yanking good stuff out of graveyards - as a good mill deck should.

Here’s the original list:

Let’s tune up.

What Budget Cards Can We Add to Mutant Menace?

We’ll break our upgrade up into two parts: one budget ($5 or less per card) and one non-budget (>$5).

This deck was very difficult to upgrade, because I love how flavorful the precon is, and it was hard to cut anything new. But, you can't do an Upgrade Guide without making cuts. Still, I added fewer cards to the deck than usual.

We’ll start off with something the deck was lacking: removal. There were only six removal spells in the original list. While some of them are really good cards, like Nuclear Fallout and Rampaging Yao Guai, I still felt we needed more. So I’m bringing in Assassin’s Trophy (this is budget now?!?) and Cankerbloom. The Fungus is perfect here, with its option to Proliferate rather than destroy. And Trophy is just a super-efficient kill spell.

For even more Proliferate effects, we’ll add Karn’s Bastion, Ripples of Potential, and Unnatural Restoration. Bastion is only missing from the deck because of the Karn in its name, so I’m bringing it in this list where it belongs. Ripples is a very cheap spell that will do great work in protecting our important creatures. And Restoration helps us to get even more value out of our graveyard.

Speaking of which, how about we throw in Muldrotha, the Gravetide? With as many cards as we’re dumping into the yard, I’d really love to have access to a lot of them. And for this reason, I’m also adding Splendid Reclamation. When you’re milling yourself to Rad counters, you’re dumping a ton of lands into the yard. Reclamation just makes sense as a way to give yourself an extra boost in the mid- to late-game.

In playtesting, I found myself drawing an excessive amount of cards, to the point where I was occasionally having to discard. So I wanted to add a card here that could help us keep all of our cards, but also be a crazy mill engine. And that card is Folio of Fancies. Yes, you’re drawing your opponents cards, but you’re also losing them a ton of resources by dropping more of their deck into the yard.

For the last few additions, we’ve got Herald of Secret Streams, who’s gonna help us move games along with combat damage, Scavenging Ooze, which gets rid of cards in opponents’ yard that we don’t want them to have access to, while also giving us more life to counteract our Rad losses. Swiftfoot Boots to protect our most important creature. And the creme de la creme, Syr Konrad, the Grim. He’s my pick for the best uncommon legend ever printed, and he’s going to do so much damage in this deck.

Here are the outcasts: Biomass Mutation, Cathedral Acolyte, Contagion Clasp, Find // Finality, Fraying Sanity, Harold and Bob, First Numens, Nuka-Nuke Launcher, Piper Wright, Publick Reporter, Power Fist, Temple of the False God, Tireless Tracker, Young Deathclaws

And here’s our budget upgraded list:

Some other budget cards to consider: Case of the Shifting Visage, Conspiracy Unraveler, Dismiss into Dream, Praetor’s Counsel, Roalesk, Apex Hybrid, Simic Ascendancy, Thrummingbird, Wound Reflection, Zellix, Sanity Flayer

What Are Some Good Expensive Cards We Can Add to Mutant Menace?

If you’ve got some extra caps to spend, then consider these pricey beauties.

Liliana, Death Wielder is a card I’d never even seen before researching upgrades for this deck. And when you’re in a deck with so much Proliferate, planeswalkers really start to make sense. This one happens to fill so many of our needs, as both a source of creature removal, and a way to bring back all of our graveyard creatures. Along those same lines, we’ll also throw in Rise of the Dark Realms. After all, our opponents will be milling a lot of creatures away also.

Mindcrank is just on the cusp of being too expensive for the budget section, but it’s essential in this deck.

Contagion Engine is a high-powered Proliferate machine. Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider doubles all of our +1/+1 counters, as well as all the Rad counters. 

Kodama of the West Tree gives all of our creatures with counters trample, and helps us to dig all of our basic lands out to the field. And The Ozolith saves the +1/+1 counters of our fallen Mutant friends, and puts them on our living creatures.

These unbelievers will be left behind: Ash Barrens, Jason Bright, Glowing Prophet, Lily Bowen, Raging Grandma, Lumbering Megasloth, Radstorm, Recon Craft Theta, Strength Bobblehead

Here’s the non-budget upgraded list:

And some more expensive cards to consider: Court of Garenbrig, Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, Seedborn Muse, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, Doubling Season

Cult of the Mothman

That’s it for our upgrade of Mutant Menace. What do you think? Did I make this deck better? Did I miss anything? Will they bring back Radiation for the inevitable Universes Beyond: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set? (Was this already announced? I've lost track of all the UB properties coming.) Hit those comments below and let me know! And keep checking back for more precon guides, here on EDHREC.

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Hail, Caesar Fallout Precon Upgrade Guide

Scrappy Survivors Fallout Precon Upgrade Guide

Political Puppets Precon Upgrade