<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.ericdeschamps.com/">Eric Deschamps</a></em></p>
<h2>Heating up the Forge</h2>
<p>Salutations, readers! This week on <em>Precon Remastered</em>, where we remake older precons, we arrive at a new set of precons. Starting this week, we're taking on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/c14"><em>Commander 2014</em></a> precons, all of which are mono-colored. See, there's a beauty to having mono-color decks, and I more or less described it in an article a few weeks back.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nahiri, the Lithomancer"></div></div>
<p>Another feature of these precons is that this is the first time we see planeswalkers as commanders. As such, we're going to be remastering the precons with them in mind. First on our list is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who is very much an <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/equipment">Equipment</a>-centric commander (hint: her +1 ability goes great with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), but is her list more coherent, or are we looking at an identity crisis like we saw in <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/c13"><em>Commander 2013</em></a>?</p>
<h3>Gathering the Tools</h3>
<p>As always, 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>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 an 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>
<h3>The Original List</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Forged in Stone - Commander 2014" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Nahiri, the Lithomancer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Adarkar Valkyrie
*1 Angel of the Dire Hour
*1 Angelic Field Marshal
*1 Celestial Crusader
*1 Containment Priest
*1 Flickerwisp
*1 Geist-Honored Monk
*1 Grand Abolisher
*1 Hallowed Spiritkeeper
*1 Jazal Goldmane
*1 Kemba, Kha Regent
*1 Kor Sanctifiers
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Requiem Angel
*1 Serra Avatar
*1 Silverblade Paladin
*1 Skyhunter Skirmisher
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Sunblast Angel
*1 Twilight Shepherd
*1 Whitemane Lion
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Afterlife
*1 Benevolent Offering
*1 Brave the Elements
*1 Comeuppance
*1 Condemn
*1 Midnight Haunting
*1 Oblation
*1 Return to Dust
*1 White Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Wing Shards
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Decree of Justice
*1 Deploy to the Front
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 Gift of Estates
*1 Martial Coup
*1 Nomads&#039; Assembly
*1 Spectral Procession
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Assault Suit
*1 Bonehoard
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Loreseeker&#039;s Stone
*1 Loxodon Warhammer
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
*1 Moonsilver Spear
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strata Scythe
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Vengeance
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Armistice
*1 Cathars&#039; Crusade
*1 Marshal&#039;s Anthem
*1 Mobilization
*1 Sacred Mesa
*1 True Conviction
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Drifting Meadow
*1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Karoo
*32 Plains
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Temple of the False God
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>An Eye for Details</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decree of Justice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Comeuppance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loxodon Warhammer"></div></div>
<p>Firstly, we can say that, while the list does suffer from a split in themes, at least they're working together...somewhat. The creature lineup isn't exactly brimming with creatures that we must equip. But hey, at least we got reprints of the Medallion cycle, so that's good, right? Yes, but there aren't many ways to buff those tokens either. It seems clear that the intent is to equip the tokens with our Equipment, then proceed to pummel our opponents. That's all well and good, but <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/equipment">Equipment decks</a> have seriously evolved these days, and most of them don't use many tokens, if at all.</p>
<p>The new cards, though, are solid. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Masterwork of Ingenuity" href="#" target="_blank">Masterwork of Ingenuity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an Equipment clone, turning it into whatever we want it to be. There's always the awesome but niche <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Comeuppance" href="#" target="_blank">Comeuppance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is bound to create stories at the table. In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell the Mighty" href="#" target="_blank">Fell the Mighty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best board wipes for a Tokens deck out there. However, most of the rest deal with making tokens in varying degrees. Also, the deck's alternate commander, <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>, is one of the only ways to pump our board of tokens into something lethal, but five mana is quite an investment to make to do so.</p>
<p>Lastly, the card quality, as always, can be so much better. That said, the best part is that we don't have to worry about mana bases for this set of precons since we're never going to get color screwed. Again, one of the great things about mono-color decks as well as being easy on our wallets.</p>
<h3>The Finished Product</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Forged in Stone Remastered" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Nahiri, the Lithomancer
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Angel of the Dire Hour
*1 Angelic Field Marshal
*1 Armored Skyhunter
*1 Balan, Wandering Knight
*1 Brass Squire
*1 Containment Priest
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Hallowed Spiritkeeper
*1 Heavenly Blademaster
*1 Indomitable Archangel
*1 Jazal Goldmane
*1 Keeper of the Accord
*1 Kemba, Kha Enduring
*1 Kor Cartographer
*1 Kor Outfitter
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Silverblade Paladin
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Welcoming Vampire
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Benevolent Offering
*1 Comeuppance
*1 Dispatch
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Reprieve
*1 Return to Dust
*1 Stroke of Midnight
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Cut a Deal
*1 Deploy to the Front
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 Gift of Estates
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 Unfinished Business
*1 Vanquish the Horde
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Argentum Armor
*1 Assault Suit
*1 Bloodforged Battle-Axe
*1 Bonehoard
*1 Colossus Hammer
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Explorer&#039;s Scope
*1 Loreseeker&#039;s Stone
*1 Loxodon Warhammer
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Masterwork of Ingenuity
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 Plate Armor
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strata Scythe
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Vengeance
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Tocasia&#039;s Welcome
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Ghost Quarter
*1 Karoo
*1 Myriad Landscape
*32 Plains
*1 Secluded Steppe
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>Top-Notch Quality</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bloodforged Battle-Axe"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossus Hammer"></div></div>
<p>The improved list still retains the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/tokens">Tokens</a> subtheme, but it's been greatly reduced, mostly relegated to the new cards. On top of that, we now have better equip targets alongside a much better Equipment lineup. Working with the tokens is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bloodforged Battle-Axe" href="#" target="_blank">Bloodforged Battle-Axe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is bound to get a ton of copies to spread around. No need to <em>axe</em> any questions about it.</p>
<p>...Are you still with me? Moving on.</p>
<p>While he didn't exist when this precon was released, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides much-needed draw card, especially in a color that's notorious for lacking it (at least that was true back in the day). The same can be said about ramp, and cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer&#039;s Map" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer&#039;s Map</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have come out since then, providing white with needed essentials.</p>
<p>In addition, we also get what could be one of the best Equipment (besides <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) for her +1 ability: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Colossus Hammer" href="#" target="_blank">Colossus Hammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Since the ability automatically attaches an Equipment to the token <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> creates, it'll bypass the whopping eight mana needed to equip the Hammer.</p>
<h3>More Thoughts</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heavenly Blademaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Welcoming Vampire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unfinished Business"></div></div>
<p>Furthermore, there are some more new additions I'd like to highlight. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Welcoming Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Welcoming Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tocasia&#039;s Welcome" href="#" target="_blank">Tocasia&#039;s Welcome</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both work with (you guessed it) <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nahiri, the Lithomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Nahiri, the Lithomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s +1 ability, letting us draw a card off the token entering. With the aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'd be drawing the equivalent of an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Recall" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Recall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Heavenly Blademaster is a nasty piece of work here. With the right Equipment attached, she's sure to menace our opponents while slashing their life totals in chunks. We can also achieve this with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balan, Wandering Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Balan, Wandering Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The only difference is that Balan doesn't fly, so we'll have to find some other form of evasion.</p>
<p>I made no changes to the mana base. Expect this to be a common trend with <em>Commander 2014</em>, as there really isn't much to upgrade. Unless someone happens to have a bunch of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>es growing on trees. Not a land, but the same can be said for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of Eldraine" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of Eldraine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which doesn't deserve the price tag it has. Here's to it being reprinted to the ground, I hope (Nykthos is a lot more unlikely).</p>
<p>Lastly, we have a few more pieces of recursion. That said, the best of these is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unfinished Business" href="#" target="_blank">Unfinished Business</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which not only revives a creature, but attaches a load of Equipment (or Auras, if we're into that) to said creature. So, picking the right creature to recur could potentially close the game from out of nowhere.</p>
<h3>Whited Out</h3>
<p>Looking at both lists side by side is a way of seeing how much white (and Commander as a whole) has changed over the last 10 years at least. Also, we're almost certainly going to see the same thing reflected in the other lists as well. With the new starter precons coming out later being mono-color, it'll be interesting to compare this list with the new mono-white deck (which is confirmed to be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giada, Font of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Giada, Font of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>In the meantime, tune in next time, where we return to our other series, <em>Commander Makeover</em>.</p>


precon remastered

Remaking 2014's Forged in Steel Precon Commander Deck