Prossh, Skyraider of KherProssh, Skyraider of Kher | Art by Todd Lockwood 

This week on Precon Remastered, where we take old precons, and give them some modern spice, we're taking on the original "King of Jund," and a commander that my heart has a bit of a soft spot for. However, that's not because of those infinite combos involving Food ChainFood Chain. It's for a much different reason.

My original takes on Prossh, Skyraider of KherProssh, Skyraider of Kher were a lot more aggressive, sacrificing creatures to pump him up enough to kill someone with commander damage very quickly. I remember pulling this off, and I had an opponent slam their fists on the table in response (It got hit with a Maze of IthMaze of Ith afterwards). But I digress.

I have said in the past that the Commander 2013 precons suffered from being very split (I have mentioned "identity crisis" as a way to describe it), but Power Hungry is actually the most cohesive of the bunch, making it perhaps the best out of the box. Both of the alternate commanders could actually fit in as commanders and do something, but Prossh does it all so much better. The difference is that, rather than being divided between themes, it's more about what kinds of creatures we're sacrificing: tokens or nontokens.

Setting Up the Feast

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. For 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 a in-universe variant.

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

The Original Power Hungry Precon List

Combo Alert

Before I get into the meat of the precon, I want to point out that this is the first one to have an infinite combo in it. These days, they're not uncommon. Back then? It's a much different story. I'll cover these as I go along, but know that I'll stop as we get to the more recent ones (at time of writing).

The combo here requires Tooth and ClawTooth and Claw, Primal VigorPrimal Vigor, and at least two creatures to begin. We activate Tooth and Claw, sacrificing two creatures to make a token. Primal Vigor will see this, and make two instead. Now, we can sac those new tokens to make two new ones. Combine with the likes of Deathbringer ThoctarDeathbringer Thoctar or Goblin SharpshooterGoblin Sharpshooter, and we automatically win. Assuming, of course, no one disrupts us.

Those familiar with this precon will see this coming, so be prepared to for removal headed our way.

Leftover Appetizers

With that combo discourse aside, the rest of the deck actually doesn't look too bad. It's a decent start to a list that utilizes both an aggressive and an Aristocrats approach. Firstly, OphiomancerOphiomancer, which was first printed here, actually nets us a Snake to sacrifice for value (or throw at some unsuspecting Indiana Jones coming our way). Both of the Thrinaxes (Scarland ThrinaxScarland Thrinax and Sprouting ThrinaxSprouting Thrinax) contribute to the theme, being a sacrifice outlet and something you want to get rid of respectively. Also, FecundityFecundity provides gas for each creature we sacrifice.

The new cards printed here work well with the precon to some extent, but we do have some dead weight. For instance, Sudden DemiseSudden Demise doesn't really belong here, and the Curses don't really mesh well. That said, I do give Curse of Shallow GravesCurse of Shallow Graves some credit because it does give us a token to use.

The card quality could also be improved on. For one, there's better ways to sacrifice than using Carnage AltarCarnage Altar. Furnace CelebrationFurnace Celebration grants a payoff, but we have to spend mana each time to get it. However, there's nothing to fear. Card quality has improved over the years, so it shouldn't take much to turn this precon into a real monster.

Power Hungry Remastered

The Main Course

To keep the cost down, we took some casualties. We no longer have the combo I described earlier (But if you're upgrading for a higher Bracket, feel free to re-add Tooth and ClawTooth and Claw), and Goblin SharpshooterGoblin Sharpshooter got too expensive to keep around. That said, we do make up for these in more streamlined ways.

Coming in are cards like Bastion of RemembranceBastion of Remembrance and Impact TremorsImpact Tremors, which will ping opponents for creatures dying or entering, respectively. With each of Prossh, Skyraider of KherProssh, Skyraider of Kher's cast triggers, that's going to add up quickly, especially since he has a built-in sacrifice ability.

Other payoffs include a favorite Golgari card of mine, Deathreap RitualDeathreap Ritual, which draws us a card each turn if we keep using creatures as fodder. Similarly, Morbid OpportunistMorbid Opportunist does this with a body attached. On the other hand, Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer nets us a Treasure token for each creature as well. In addition, Plumb the ForbiddenPlumb the Forbidden gets more powerful with each copy.

Finally, I included some better ways to make more tokens. Examples include Tendershoot DryadTendershoot Dryad and Avenger of ZendikarAvenger of Zendikar.

Delicious Snackrifices

Revisiting Prossh has been good fun, but we'll need to move on. I for one, will look forward to finishing the last of the Commander 2013 precons. However, next week is a new entry for my other series. So, tune in next time.