<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tariel, Reckoner of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Tariel, Reckoner of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.waynereynolds.com/">Wayne Reynolds</a> </em></p>
<h2>A Different Precon Perspective</h2>
<p>Hello, and welcome to a special article surrounding precons! This week, we're looking at (some of) the most underrated backup commanders we find in precons. Too often, these cards get overshadowed by the main option in a given precon. That said, there have been a few that surpassed their respective face commanders (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shorikai, Genesis Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Shorikai, Genesis Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes to mind. Ever heard of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kotori, Pilot Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kotori, Pilot Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? I didn't think so). What I'll do is go through each year precons have been released, and pick the most underrated backup commanders from that year. Since there are so many out there, I figured this would be the best way to write this up.</p>
<p>Anyway, without further ado, let's get into it.</p>
<h3>Year One: The Original Precons</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tariel, Reckoner of Souls"></div></div>
<p>This is a commander that has a special place in my heart. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tariel, Reckoner of Souls" href="#" target="_blank">Tariel, Reckoner of Souls</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was my flagship commander deck for a time. My advice for building her deck is to run cards that snipe specific cards from graveyards rather than every card. That way, we can get the commander we want from Tariel's ability. Seven mana is a lot to pay, but who cares? Have fun!</p>
<h3>Year Two: <em>Commander 2013</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gahiji, Honored One"></div></div>
<p>At the time, I used this card as the de facto commander for Tokens, but a deeper dive reveals a more political game plan. The <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/cabaretti-cacophony"><em>Cabaretti Cacophony</em></a> from 2022 precisely highlights the true nature of a deck using this commander. In addition, goad is a very good mechanic to be using here, and the buff given by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gahiji, Honored One" href="#" target="_blank">Gahiji, Honored One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will add up very quickly.</p>
<h3>Year Three: <em>Commander 2014</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jazal Goldmane"></div></div>
<p>A commander that's often relegated to the 99 of go-wide decks, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jazal Goldmane" href="#" target="_blank">Jazal Goldmane</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will have a tough time activating his ability repeatedly. Not far ahead is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitcher Geralf" href="#" target="_blank">Stitcher Geralf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who's just as underrated because the token created is dictated by what we mill from his ability. Both of these commanders are best in the 99 these days, but Jazal is more likely to close out games.</p>
<h3>Year Four: <em>Commander 2015</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Anya, Merciless Angel"></div></div>
<p>I remember when I had my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas" href="#" target="_blank">Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck long ago. I had a primer for it, and it was even featured in an article back then. That said, I never included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Anya, Merciless Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Anya, Merciless Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The problem with her is that we need to get everyone below half of 40 life before she becomes effective. Worse still, she sits at five mana for a 3/3 flier. Anya's right at home in a Burn deck, but is she even feasible there? At time of writing, 279 people seem to think so.</p>
<h3>Year Five: <em>Commander 2016</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist"></div></div>
<p>Now, I know what you're thinking. The partner commanders are absolutely not underrated. Then again, they're also the backup commanders from the precons this year. So, we'll just pick the most underrated one, and move on.</p>
<p>That commander so happens to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist" href="#" target="_blank">Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He contributes nothing to a given game plan, and it will be the player whose turn it is who will draw the card at end step. Not just our turn. It'll be our opponents, too.</p>
<h3>Year Six: <em>Commander 2017</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith"></div></div>
<p>I find it kinda sad that this commander is underrated because he tried to do something that wasn't the same boring <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron">Voltron</a> strategy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith" href="#" target="_blank">Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> married <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/equipment">Equipment</a> with going wide. That being said, he does cost six mana, but being in green certainly helps his chances of being cast each game. A large army of equipped creatures can tap down enough blockers to ensure a lethal attack, if not massive damage.</p>
<h3>Year Seven: <em>Commander 2018</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tawnos, Urza&#039;s Apprentice"></div></div>
<p>I would've had this section be a rant as to why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kestia, the Cultivator" href="#" target="_blank">Kestia, the Cultivator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so underrated, but nearly 1.2k decks exist on EDHREC (again, at time of writing), so I'm just going to be grateful for that.</p>
<p>Anyway, it's always nice to copy an ability, even if it has to come from an artifact source. Even with multiple untap abilities, we're still having to contend with paying two colored mana each time. Not to mention <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos, Urza&#039;s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos, Urza&#039;s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> faces incredible competition amongst other commanders for Artifacts.</p>
<h3>Year Eight: <em>Commander 2019</em></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero"></div></div>
<p>I will give <a href="https://www.zackstella.com/">Zack Stella</a> credit: That's some breathtaking art. Wallpaper worthy, even. The card? Not so much. Most of the free sacrifice outlets are in black, so we have to rely on artifacts. We'll even want to include cards that sacrifice themselves, exemplified by a complicated deck named <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/eggs">Eggs</a>.</p>
<h3>Year Nine: 2020</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akim, the Soaring Wind"></div></div>
<p>It's quite clear why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akim, the Soaring Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Akim, the Soaring Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so underrated. Five mana to cast, one token made during each turn, and then six mana to give just the tokens double strike for the turn. There's a lot about this card that'll turn people away after some deep reading. We even get better Token commanders in these colors a few years later with <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/mom"><em>March of the Machines</em></a>, so that's saying something.</p>
<h3>Year Ten: 2021</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timothar, Baron of Bats"></div></div>
<p>As this year is the first where we have multiple precon releases with so many backup commanders, I'm going to pick just one for the year. For 2021, we're going with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timothar, Baron of Bats" href="#" target="_blank">Timothar, Baron of Bats</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He's got a ward cost that can only be laughed off with a massive hand, a solid 4/4 statline, and the ability to protect key (nontoken) Vampires with ease. The main catch is that Timothar costs six mana to cast.</p>
<h3>Year Eleven: 2022</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phabine, Boss&#039;s Confidant"></div></div>
<p>Whew! I didn't even realize how much of a banger 2022 was for commander options. Even our most underrated commander options eked out over a thousand decks each. Tawnos almost clinched a second year in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos, Solemn Survivor" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos, Solemn Survivor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (to be fair, this one was a lot more interesting), but there's another commander that got barely under him.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phabine, Boss&#039;s Confidant" href="#" target="_blank">Phabine, Boss&#039;s Confidant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does give our creature tokens haste, but there's a few things that really set her back. One, she costs six mana to cast. For that amount, we need something substantial, but Phabine doesn't really deliver because of the second reason. That being the parley ability won't always go how we need it to. Chances are, we'll always have a mix of both new tokens and a buff. Sure, we can rig the top card of our deck, but that's about all we can do.</p>
<h3>Year Twelve: 2023</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moira and Teshar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elrond of the White Council"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kate Stewart"></div></div>
<p>On the other hand, holy Urza did we have a lot of underwhelming commanders this year. A paragraph for each, then.</p>
<p>First up is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moira and Teshar" href="#" target="_blank">Moira and Teshar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seemed like they'd be a great <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator">Reanimator</a> deck, right? Well, considering that the nonland permanent we bring back will be uber-exiled once it goes away, that's not really helping our cause. That's also saying nothing about the five mana casting cost in a color not named green.</p>
<p>Next, we have a host of <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/simic">Simic</a> commanders from the notorious <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/elven-council"><em>Elven Council</em></a> precon, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elrond of the White Council" href="#" target="_blank">Elrond of the White Council</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ironically takes the cake here. Five mana for a wall of text that makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Walls of Ba Sing Se" href="#" target="_blank">The Walls of Ba Sing Se</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> look like a stepladder complicates Elrond's ability more than necessary. And, for what we're getting, there's better options out there.</p>
<p>Lastly, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kate Stewart" href="#" target="_blank">Kate Stewart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, whose underrated-ness is more related to the scant amount of cards with time counters than anything else. Oh, and eight mana for what might feel like a minimal buff doesn't help, either.</p>
<h3>Year Thirteen: 2024</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Feather, Radiant Arbiter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kianne, Corrupted Memory"></div></div>
<p>Compared to last year, there are only two commanders I'd call underrated. The first is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Feather, Radiant Arbiter" href="#" target="_blank">Feather, Radiant Arbiter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will get mana hungry fast. Paying two mana for each creature adds up, perhaps to the point of not targeting all of our creatures. But, hey, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zada, Hedron Grinder" href="#" target="_blank">Zada, Hedron Grinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets a second color, right?</p>
<p>Anyway, at the end of 2024 came <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kianne, Corrupted Memory" href="#" target="_blank">Kianne, Corrupted Memory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who's right at home with players who have math for brains. We'll need to keep readjusting Kianne's stats to ensure that we can cast our stuff at instant speed. Basically, Simic doing Simic things, but only more complex.</p>
<h3>Year Fourteen: 2025</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kotis, Sibsig Champion"></div></div>
<p>Last year, we saw a noticeable decrease in the number of precons each year. Even so, there's a couple that still stand out. One of these is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic" href="#" target="_blank">Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who wants us to combine <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/energy">Energy</a> with <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/tokens">Tokens</a> (the latter to ensure that we get lots of energy counters on each of our combats). Sure, we can pay for those Vehicles, but ask yourself: Is that a worthwhile investment on a finite resource? There's better options to be spending those energy counters. Just build her for the first ability, and treat the rest as flavor text.</p>
<p>Not long after, in <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tdm"><em>Tarkir Dragonstorm</em></a>, we got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kotis, Sibsig Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Kotis, Sibsig Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who very much got eclipsed by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teval, the Balanced Scale" href="#" target="_blank">Teval, the Balanced Scale</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Unfortunately, the payoff for casting creatures from our graveyard is simply making Kotis bigger? Players were probably expecting something better, and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. We could also not treat the first ability as flavor text, but exiling three cards can come back to bite us, especially if we do it too frequently.</p>
<h3>Arriving at the Present</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Excava, the Risen Past"></div></div>
<p>To conclude things, I'm not going to cover this year, as we got more precons on the way. That said, the forecast is that our most underrated precon backup commander so far is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excava, the Risen Past" href="#" target="_blank">Excava, the Risen Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a nice roleplayer for the <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/lorehold-spirit"><em>Lorehold Spirit</em></a> precon, or for decks using any of the Quintorious variants at the helm.</p>
<p>Beyond that, it'll be time for us to resume with both of our series, starting with <em>Commander</em> <em>Makeover</em>, so we have that to look forward to. I shall see all of you next week.</p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2x2-281-tariel-reckoner-of-souls.jpg

alternate commanders

Underrated Backup Precon Commanders