Upgrades Unleashed is a red and green Commander deck from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty that focuses on the new mechanic, “modified”. This ability revolves around adding Equipment, Auras, or counters to your creatures to get additional benefits.
The deck introduces several exclusive cards to Magic: the Gathering, and includes multiple expensive reprints.
Many cards in Upgrades Unleashed are desired by other Commander decks. But you don’t have to buy the entire Upgrades Unleashed deck for $40.00+ to get them. You can just get single cards instead, and I’ve rounded up the best of them for you in this article.
Best New Cards to Buy From Upgrades Unleashed
While the new cards from Upgrades Unleashed play around the modified ability, many of them are useful in a variety of Commander decks.
Silkguard
Silkguard serves as protection against popular targetted removal spells in Commander like
Swords to Plowshares
Swords to Plowshares
Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.
and
Beast Within
Beast Within
Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
. But you can also pump a bunch of mana into Silkguard to spread +1/+1 counters across your whole team.
This card is a perfect inclusion for Commanders that play around with +1/+1 counters such as
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Ghave enters with five +1/+1 counters on it.
{1}, Remove a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control: Create a 1/1 green Saproling creature token.
{1}, Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
,
Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
Hamza, Guardian of Arashin
This spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it.
, and the new
Kodama of the West Tree
Kodama of the West Tree
Reach
Modified creatures you control have trample. (Equipment, Auras you control, and counters are modifications.)
Whenever a modified creature you control deals combat damage to a player, search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
.
RELATED: Kodama of the West Tree – An MTG Commander Buyer’s Guide
Collision of Realms
This is a chaotic board wipe. Collision of Realms clears the board by shuffling all creatures back into their owners’ decks. But each player can then play the top creature card of their library. This is a fun card for any player who likes a certain degree of chaos in Magic: the Gathering.
Read More: The WORST Kamigawa Commanders – They Almost Do NOTHING!
Kami of Celebration
Kami of Celebration acts as an engine of card advantage. It gives all of your modified creatures an attack trigger that allows you to play the top card of your library until the end of the turn.
This is a perfect card for Laelia, Blade Reforged. But it also plays well in
Isshin, Two Heavens as One
Isshin, Two Heavens as One
If a creature attacking causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
, which can double up Kami of Celebration’s attack trigger.
Best Reprints to Buy From Upgrades Unleashed
Even if you’re not excited for any of the new cards from Upgrades Unleashed, there are plenty of good reprints that the deck thankfully made cheaper.
Bear Umbra
Before its reprint in Upgrades Unleashed, Bear Umbra was about $15.00. But thanks to its reprint, Bear Umbra is currently available for $3.00-$4.00.
That is great news because Bear Umbra is used in a ton of Commander decks like Tatsunari, Toad Rider, Galea, Rekindler of Hope, and
Tuvasa the Sunlit
Tuvasa the Sunlit
Tuvasa gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.
Whenever you cast your first enchantment spell each turn, draw a card.
.
RELATED: Tatsunari, Toad Rider – An MTG Commander Buyer’s Guide
Rhythm of the Wild
This uncommon used to be surprisingly expensive. Before its reprint, Rhythm of the Wild was close to $5.00 because so many Commander decks use it. Now, it’s a little more than $1.00.
Read More: Best MTG SINGLES to Buy From the Lorehold Legacies Commander Deck
Ox of Agonas
Ox of Agonas is not too frequently used in Commander. It’s a good card. But it is primarily used in other formats like Modern Dredge decks and Izzet Phoenix in Pioneer. Its reprint in Upgrades Unleashed does, however, help bring its price down from $4.00 to less than $1.00.
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