Lab Report 05: Cracking Precons, Cracking Smiles

Something has changed in Commander, and for once, it’s a good thing.

Let me rewind. I’ve been playing this format since before precons were a regular thing, back when building a deck meant sorting through bulk bins, finding weird synergies, and slowly cobbling together a 100-card Frankenstein’s monster that only kind of worked. It was chaotic, creative, and deeply personal. But not always accessible. That has changed.

The last few years, WOTC has really stepped up their game when it comes to preconstructed Commander decks. The average precon these days? It actually plays. It has a plan, synergy, and just enough spice to make you feel clever when you win with it.

Take "Growing Threat" (Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos) from March of the Machine. It’s dripping with Phyrexian flavor, and with a little tuning, it becomes a synergistic recursion machine. Or "Grave Danger", one of the standout releases from 2022, where zombies and self-mill finally get the budget engine they deserve. Even "Ride the Rails" from Fallout brought modular jank and wild artifact loops into casual pods with style.

These decks don’t just invite you into Commander; they encourage joyful play. You’re not expected to win on Turn 4. You're invited to build stories, trade haymakers, and laugh when someone casts something completely off the wall.

And that’s the kind of Commander I want to play. That’s the kind of community I want to help foster. If you're new, pick up a recent precon and just play. If you're experienced? Challenge yourself to win with what the precon gives you before you turn it into a finely-tuned war machine.

Sometimes, you crack a precon and what comes out isn't just a pile of cards. Sometimes, you crack a smile.

— MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice

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