Welcome to the Nitpicking Nerds Precon Upgrade Guide for the Undead Unleashed deck, where we cut the chaff and add synergy, power, and consistency to make a deck capable of amassing a threatening horde of zombies!

When upgrading a Commander precon, it’s important to stick to this basic checklist:

• Focus on the strengths of your commander.
• Stick to one main strategy to avoid having an unfocused final product.
• Cut the cards that belong to other strategies altogether.
• Increase the deck’s overall power by including win conditions that don’t rely solely on combat.

Wilhelt’s Undead Unleashed precon will be looking to assemble a full board of Zombies and filter them into new Zombies with Wilhelt to gain card advantage. Once you’ve accrued enough resources, use your massive stack of zombies to attack for lethal, or assemble an infinite loop of zombies with Wilhelt to drain out every opponent!

With that strategy in mind, let’s take out the cards that won’t fit in or are just plain bad.

• Butcher of MalakirButcher of Malakir, Eater of HopeEater of Hope, Ruthless DeathfangRuthless Deathfang, and Overseer of the DamnedOverseer of the Damned are too expensive for what they do, and none of them are Zombies.
• Syphon FleshSyphon Flesh, AetherspoutsAetherspouts, and Go for the ThroatGo for the Throat are not on the level you want to be at when it comes to removal. They are all extremely lackluster and can easily be cut from this deck.
• Sky DiamondSky Diamond and Charcoal DiamondCharcoal Diamond aren’t unplayable, but we get to cut them for better mana rocks.
• Shadow KinShadow Kin, Eloise, Nephalia SleuthEloise, Nephalia Sleuth, and Curse of UnbindingCurse of Unbinding just don’t belong in a Zombie tribal deck. They were put in the precon to spark interest in other archetypes.

Here are the Zombies and Zombie makers that didn’t make the cut.

• Dark SalvationDark Salvation and Dread SummonsDread Summons are decent ways to make Zombies, but are too unreliable to make it into this higher power deck.
• Spark ReaperSpark Reaper and Forgotten CreationForgotten Creation are too expensive for the effects they provide.
• Hour of EternityHour of Eternity, Army of the DamnedArmy of the Damned, Curse of the Restless DeadCurse of the Restless Dead, Crowded CryptCrowded Crypt, Endless Ranks of the DeadEndless Ranks of the Dead, and Open the GravesOpen the Graves all qualify as token makers that are too slow, unreliable, or ineffective.

Even though this is a Zombie tribal deck, some of the weaker payoffs need to be cut.

• Gleaming OverseerGleaming Overseer and Eternal SkylordEternal Skylord provide bonuses for your tokens, but they aren’t important enough to stay in the deck.
• Undead AlchemistUndead Alchemist is basically unplayable, unless you’re in a different style of Zombie tribal.
• Merely granting +1/+1 to your creatures usually isn’t worth a card by itself, and Liliana’s DevoteeLiliana’s Devotee, Tomb TyrantTomb Tyrant, Lord of the AccursedLord of the Accursed, and Liliana’s MasteryLiliana’s Mastery don’t provide enough value beyond that to remain in the deck.

When upgrading a preconstructed deck, never forget the land base!

• Mortuary MireMortuary Mire is a slow tapped land that isn’t worth your time.
• Unclaimed TerritoryUnclaimed Territory doesn’t grant enough upside for being in a tribe and is worse than a regular dual land.
• 5 SwampSwamps and 3 IslandIslands round out the land cuts.

That’s 39 cards cut in total from the Undead Unleashed deck that are now turning into fantastic ways to advance your game plan!

Here are a few off-tribe staples that help supercharge the deck.

• SkullclampSkullclamp is one of the best cards in the entire format, and Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver can take advantage of it better than most commanders out there.
• Yawgmoth, Thran PhysicianYawgmoth, Thran Physician is definitely one of the best black cards in Commander, and will dominate boardstates nearly every time he is cast.
• Dictate of ErebosDictate of Erebos and Grave PactGrave Pact provide one-sided board wipe opportunities with all of the decayed Zombies you’ll have laying around.

Here are a few Zombies that will carry out various utility roles in the deck.

• Carrion FeederCarrion Feeder is a crucial free sacrifice outlet that has the right creature types and will enable lots of decayed Zombie production. Cards like Liliana’s Standard BearerLiliana’s Standard Bearer will gain you massive advantage from these plays.
• Stitcher’s SupplierStitcher’s Supplier supplies some nice incidental mill and is a fine one-drop.
• Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel, Mikaeus, the UnhallowedMikaeus, the Unhallowed, Sidisi, Undead VizierSidisi, Undead Vizier, and Fallen ShinobiFallen Shinobi are all individually powerful Zombies that can swing games in your favor, especially with all the decayed corpses you have access to.

These Zombie tribal payoffs really tie the deck together and crank up its power as well.

• Lich Lord of UnxLich Lord of Unx and CryptbreakerCryptbreaker become more threatening the more Zombies you put in play, and can each be activated multiple times.
• Undead WarchiefUndead Warchief and Lord of the UndeadLord of the Undead are both anthem effects worth playing; cost reduction, an extra power boost, and recursion make them well worth it over the other mediocre lords. Relentless DeadRelentless Dead also does a nice job of recurring threats when paired with a sac outlet, as does Rot HulkRot Hulk, one of the best Zombie top-end cards ever printed.
• Plague BelcherPlague Belcher and Vengeful DeadVengeful Dead punish opponents when Zombies die, which will happen about every five seconds.
• Noxious GhoulNoxious Ghoul paired with Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver and a sac outlet gives you yet another one-sided board wipe!
• Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery is one of the greatest tribal payoffs ever, and is a literal auto-include in any deck that can afford it. Play it and be happy!

These next cards have special purposes in the deck: they can all achieve combo-kills out of nowhere!

• Poppet StitcherPoppet Stitcher, once transformed, works in tandem with Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver to generate an infinite amount of non-decayed Zombies with a sacrifice outlet. Add in a Plague BelcherPlague Belcher effect for an instant win!
• GravecrawlerGravecrawler and Rooftop StormRooftop Storm (already in the deck) are classic partners in crime, enabling lots of broken shenanigans.
• With any of these engines chugging along, Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer, Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar, and Altar of DementiaAltar of Dementia will provide you with potentially endless mana or mill for opponents!

Lastly, the lands and mana rocks are getting a boost.

• Dimir SignetDimir Signet, Mind StoneMind Stone, and Wayfarer’s BaubleWayfarer’s Bauble round out the last of the ramp.
• Agadeem’s AwakeningAgadeem’s Awakening, Sea Gate RestorationSea Gate Restoration, Malakir RebirthMalakir Rebirth, Hagra MaulingHagra Mauling, and Glasspool MimicGlasspool Mimic are all fantastic MDFC’s that prevent flooding and mana screw at the same time.
• Polluted DeltaPolluted Delta, Watery GraveWatery Grave, Morphic PoolMorphic Pool, and Shipwreck MarshShipwreck Marsh will help make sure you always have access to as much blue and black mana as you could ever need.
• Phyrexian TowerPhyrexian Tower is a silly land. Any black deck with expendable creatures can take huge advantage of it.

That wraps up the Undead Unleashed Precon Upgrade Guide! Once you make these changes, you’ll be ready to continuously tear down your Zombie horde to build a stronger one in its place!