<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Deschamps</a></em></p>
<p>This week on <em>Precon Remastered</em>, we return to <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/c13" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Commander 2013</em></a> with the next precon to remake into something more modern. We're taking a gander at the <a href="https://edhrec.com/precon/eternal-bargain" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eternal Bargain </em>precon</a>, the Esper (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) deck that was split between <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/lifegain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lifegain</a> and <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/artifacts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artifacts</a>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sydri, Galvanic Genius"></div></div>
<p>Unlike <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/remastering-the-evasive-maneuvers-precon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Derevi deck from last time</a>, remastering this list is a lot more straightforward. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oloro, Ageless Ascetic" href="#" target="_blank">Oloro, Ageless Ascetic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> who will be our commander of choice, is dead set on a Lifegain strategy. However, we'll still have some artifacts for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sydri, Galvanic Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Sydri, Galvanic Genius</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to do her thing, but the numbers won't be so high.</p>
<p>The good news is that, to some degree, there's some overlap between the two game plans. The bad news is that it might eat up a good chunk of the budget.</p>
<p>Of, course, saying "budget" is my perfect segue to cover the rules.</p>
<h2>The Rules of <em>Precon Remastered</em></h2>
<p>Here are our rules for remastering precons:</p>
<ol>
<li>The value of the deck cannot exceed $120. This will apply to the reprints only, which gets to my first personal quirk.</li>
<li>Every card unique to the original precon stays in the deck. All those new cards that get released with precons remain in the list.</li>
<li>The land package should closely reflect what we get in precons these days (and, in my humble opinion, they're actually pretty good).</li>
<li>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.</li>
<li>Universes Beyond cards are not added. No exceptions, unless they have a in-universe variant.</li>
</ol>
<p>With that out of the way, let's take a good look at what the precon looked like originally.</p>
<h2><em>Eternal Bargain</em> Original Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eternal Bargain - Commander 2013" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ajani&#039;s Pridemate
*1 Augury Adept
*1 Azorius Herald
*1 Disciple of Griselbrand
*1 Diviner Spirit
*1 Divinity of Pride
*1 Filigree Angel
*1 Hooded Horror
*1 Kongming, &quot;Sleeping Dragon&quot;
*1 Marrow Bats
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Phyrexian Delver
*1 Phyrexian Gargantua
*1 Raven Familiar
*1 Razor Hippogriff
*1 Serene Master
*1 Serra Avatar
*1 Sharding Sphinx
*1 Sharuum the Hegemon
*1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
*1 Stormscape Battlemage
*1 Sydri, Galvanic Genius
*1 Tidal Force
*1 Tidehollow Strix
*1 Tower Gargoyle
*1 Vizkopa Guildmage
*1 Wall of Reverence
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Dromar&#039;s Charm
*1 Lim-Dûl&#039;s Vault
*1 Reckless Spite
*1 Spinal Embrace
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Brilliant Plan
*1 Death Grasp
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Famine
*1 Order of Succession
*1 Survival Cache
*1 Tempt with Immortality
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Crawlspace
*1 Nevinyrral&#039;s Disk
*1 Nihil Spellbomb
*1 Obelisk of Esper
*1 Pristine Talisman
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sun Droplet
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Thopter Foundry
*1 Well of Lost Dreams
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Act of Authority
*1 Cradle of Vitality
*1 Curse of Inertia
*1 Curse of Shallow Graves
*1 Curse of the Forsaken
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Greed
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Sanguine Bond
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Azorius Guildgate
*1 Barren Moor
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dimir Guildgate
*1 Esper Panorama
*1 Evolving Wilds
*6 Island
*1 Jwar Isle Refuge
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Opal Palace
*1 Orzhov Basilica
*1 Orzhov Guildgate
*9 Plains
*1 Rupture Spire
*1 Springjack Pasture
*9 Swamp
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Transguild Promenade
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>At First Glance</h3>
<p>Going over the list, we have a decent start, outside of the obvious things I've touched on in previous entries. That said, a good chunk of the new cards don't really serve any purpose in this list, but they still must be kept. The obvious standout is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxic Deluge" href="#" target="_blank">Toxic Deluge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has been reprinted in several precons recently.</p>
<p>That's all well and good, but it does command a considerable price tag.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Bond"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sharuum the Hegemon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toxic Deluge"></div></div>
<p>The obvious danger to upgrading this list for Bracket 2, besides the artifact/lifegain overlap, is avoiding the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanguine Bond" href="#" target="_blank">Sanguine Bond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exquisite Blood" href="#" target="_blank">Exquisite Blood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combo. Dealing just one damage or gaining one life will create a loop where we end up killing the table. We can't have that, so it's either we focus on one or the other.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the deck list decided that for us, so that's what we're going with.</p>
<p>The reprint commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sharuum the Hegemon" href="#" target="_blank">Sharuum the Hegemon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will very likely get cut, alongside a great chunk of Artifact support. While we'll have a good number of artifacts, we'll be keeping this list around Lifegain first and foremost.</p>
<h2><em>Eternal Bargain Remastered</em></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eternal Bargain Remastered" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Ajani&#039;s Pridemate
*1 Amalia Benavides Aguirre
*1 Cliffhaven Vampire
*1 Diviner Spirit
*1 Drogskol Reaver
*1 Exemplar of Light
*1 Felidar Sovereign
*1 Haliya, Guided by Light
*1 Hooded Horror
*1 Indulging Patrician
*1 Marauding Blight-Priest
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Nykthos Paragon
*1 Razor Hippogriff
*1 Rhox Faithmender
*1 Serene Master
*1 Sphinx of the Revelation
*1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
*1 Sunscorch Regent
*1 Sydri, Galvanic Genius
*1 Tidal Force
*1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
*1 Vizkopa Guildmage
*1 Wall of Reverence
*1 Witch of the Moors
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Death Grasp
*1 Debt to the Deathless
*1 Deep Analysis
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Order of Succession
*1 Space-Time Anomaly
*1 Stargaze
*1 Tempt with Immortality
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Alhammarret&#039;s Archive
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Nevinyrral&#039;s Disk
*1 Pristine Talisman
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Dominance
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Trading Post
*1 Venser&#039;s Journal
*1 Well of Lost Dreams
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Act of Authority
*1 Cradle of Vitality
*1 Curse of Inertia
*1 Curse of Shallow Graves
*1 Curse of the Forsaken
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Greed
*1 Lunar Convocation
*1 Phyrexian Reclamation
*1 Sanguine Bond
*1 Test of Endurance
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Counterspell
*1 Despark
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Void Rend
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Arcane Sanctum
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darkwater Catacombs
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Drowned Catacomb
*1 Eclipsed Steppe
*1 Fetid Pools
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*6 Island
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Opal Palace
*6 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Skycloud Expanse
*1 Sunken Hollow
*6 Swamp
*1 Temple of Enlightenment
*1 Umbral Expanse
*1 Underground River
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>The Good Things in Life(gain)</h3>
<p>Wow. I never thought I'd see Oloro getting so expensive. The good news is that, under my rules, the new cards don't impact us financially (and I kept thinking otherwise in past articles). This caveat allowed us to include cards that typically wouldn't have made it, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In addition, we added a few more effects akin to Sanguine Bond to further capitalize on them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Space-Time Anomaly"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exsanguinate"></div></div>
<p>We also have more payoffs for lifegain, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exemplar of Light" href="#" target="_blank">Exemplar of Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>However, where I decided to be a royal jerk is the inclusion of alternative win conditions. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Test of Endurance" href="#" target="_blank">Test of Endurance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Sovereign" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Sovereign</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are laughably easy to pull off.</p>
<p>If it weren't for the new card rule, I would've cut <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sydri, Galvanic Genius" href="#" target="_blank">Sydri, Galvanic Genius</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Approach of the Second Sun" href="#" target="_blank">Approach of the Second Sun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (the former I'll get to in a moment). These will seriously speed up the clock for our opponents, but might end up being unfair to everyone (and boring for you). In that case, I'd cut them for something much more harmless. It's not like we don't have other ways to win, with cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Space-Time Anomaly" href="#" target="_blank">Space-Time Anomaly</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>That said, it's the artifact lineup that takes the fall. Sydri will become a lot less effective here, and will likely be the first card cut with further upgrades. Perhaps more ramp instead if needed.</p>
<h2>Standing Up</h2>
<p>If there's anything I took away from this writeup, it's two things: I should be paying more attention to the new card price exemptions (as outlined in the rules), and I might end up making a slight adjustment to the rules, bumping the budget to $150 as opposed to $120, but only time will tell if I need to implement it. Just know that I came really close to doing that.</p>
<p>Anyway, next week lets us revisit <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/cmd" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Commander (2011)</em></a> for a different reason. Ironically, if it weren't for the shakeup earlier, a commander I would've already covered. Join me next time where we (finally!) get to take to the skies.</p>


eternal bargain

Remastering the Eternal Bargain Commander Precon