Roundups
Best Commander Precons for New Players
For most new players, the best precon is one that just came out or is about to, because it sells near retail and is built with current cards. Leaving price aside, these five older precons are the strongest easy decks we've rated, and each one plays a different way.
First, check what's on shelves now
For most new players, the best precon to buy is one that just came out or is coming out soon. A new precon sells close to its suggested retail price, and it's built with current cards and current design, so it holds up against the decks at your table. Once a precon goes out of print, its price follows demand instead, and the ones that play well usually cost more than they did at launch. Buying near retail means you aren't paying that premium, which leaves the deck more room to grow in value instead of less.
Right now that means the five Foundations Commander decks, released October 2, 2026 at $29.99 each. Each one is a single color, and two of them, Calling All Angels and Tramplesaurus Rex, are rated 1 for difficulty, the lowest score we give. Wretched Ranks is the strongest of the five and carries the same power 4, difficulty 2 rating as every deck below. Next up are Star Trek's four precons on November 13, 2026; from what has been revealed, Landing Party and Klingon Fury are the two we rate easiest to play.
The five decks on the rest of this page answer a different question: leaving price aside, which precons in the directory make the best first deck? They came out between 2023 and 2025, so check the live price before you buy. Some cost more today than a brand-new precon does.
The five, side by side
| Precon | Colors | Choose it if you like | Commander |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hosts of Mordor | Building one giant army | Sauron, Lord of the Rings | |
| Squirreled Away | Filling the board with tokens | Hazel of the Rootbloom | |
| Veloci-Ramp-Tor | Huge Dinosaurs | Pantlaza, Sun-Favored | |
| Temur Roar | Casting big creatures | Eshki, Temur's Roar | |
| Most Wanted | Attacking every turn | Olivia, Opulent Outlaw |
How we picked them
Every Commander precon in the TurnZero HQ precon directory carries two ratings from 1 to 5: how strong it is out of the box, and how hard it is to play. A deck for someone new has to score well on both, so the pool here is every precon rated 4 for power and 2 for difficulty. That's 16 decks, and nothing rates better on both at once: the one precon rated 5 for power is rated 3 for difficulty, and none of the precons rated 1 for difficulty is stronger than a 3.
From that pool, these five each play a different way and use a different color combination, which is what makes the choice between them useful. Wretched Ranks is in the pool too and is covered above with the newest precons. The ratings are TurnZero HQ's own read, not an official Wizards of the Coast rating, and all five share the same scores, so the order below is not a rank.
The Hosts of Mordor
Commander Spotlight
Sauron, Lord of the Rings ↗
When you cast Sauron, you amass Orcs 5, mill five cards, then return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It has trample, and the Ring tempts you whenever an opponent's commander dies.
The whole deck grows one creature. Amass puts +1/+1 counters on an Army you control, and makes a 0/0 Orc Army token first if you don't have one, so every amass card in the deck adds to the same threat instead of spreading your attention across a board.
Sauron costs eight mana, which is the one thing to plan around. His big ability is a cast trigger, so it happens every time you cast him from the command zone, even after he dies and the tax goes up. The early turns are for ramp and smaller amass cards, and Sauron arrives as the payoff.
The other commander in the box: Saruman, the White Hand is the four-mana option. Every noncreature spell you cast amasses Orcs equal to its mana value, and your Goblins and Orcs have ward {2}. It gets the Army going far earlier, at the cost of a deck that leans on instants and sorceries.
See the full The Hosts of Mordor decklist →
Picking this precon up?
Shown here is the commander's card art, not the box.
Buy The Hosts of Mordor on TCGplayer →Squirreled Away
Commander Spotlight
Hazel of the Rootbloom ↗
At the beginning of your end step, Hazel copies a token you control, or makes two copies if it's a Squirrel. Hazel also taps for mana: tap it, pay 2 life and tap X untapped tokens to add X mana in any combination of colors.
Hazel does the same thing every turn: at your end step, you pick your best token and copy it. One Squirrel token becomes three by your next turn, and every other token maker in the deck gives Hazel more to copy.
Hazel's mana ability is where the deck gets strong. Tapping your untapped tokens for mana turns a wide board into enough mana to cast your biggest cards, so a turn spent making tokens is never wasted. The one habit to learn is holding back a few tokens when a board wipe looks likely, since a token that dies is gone for good.
The other commander in the box: The Odd Acorn Gang has reach, menace and trample, gives your Squirrels a tap ability that pumps another Squirrel by +2/+2, and draws a card whenever your Squirrels deal combat damage to a player. It plays as the attacking version of the same deck.
See the full Squirreled Away decklist →
Picking this precon up?
Shown here is the commander's card art, not the box.
Buy Squirreled Away on TCGplayer →Veloci-Ramp-Tor
Commander Spotlight
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored ↗
Whenever Pantlaza or another Dinosaur you control enters, you may discover X, where X is that creature's toughness. You can do this once each turn.
Discover is the one new keyword here, and it is simple: exile cards from the top of your library until you hit a nonland card with mana value X or less, then cast it for free or put it in your hand. With Pantlaza, every Dinosaur you play pays for a second card.
That keeps the deck's plan short. Ramp early, then play one Dinosaur a turn, and each one brings another spell with it. The once-per-turn limit means you never have to work out the order of a chain of triggers.
The other commander in the box: Wayta, Trainer Prodigy is the harder of the two to pilot. It has haste, a fight ability that costs {G} when it targets two of your own creatures, and makes damage-triggered abilities on your permanents trigger an additional time. That rewards the deck's enrage creatures, but it asks you to set up fights on purpose.
See the full Veloci-Ramp-Tor decklist →
Picking this precon up?
Shown here is the commander's card art, not the box.
Buy Veloci-Ramp-Tor on TCGplayer →Temur Roar
Commander Spotlight
Eshki, Temur's Roar ↗
Whenever you cast a creature spell, Eshki gets a +1/+1 counter. If that spell's power is 4 or greater, you draw a card. If it's 6 or greater, Eshki also deals damage equal to Eshki's power to each opponent.
Eshki costs three mana and rewards the most natural thing a new player wants to do: cast big creatures. Each one makes Eshki bigger, the 4-power ones replace themselves with a card, and the 6-power ones hit every opponent at once.
The deck plays like a ramp deck with a commander that keeps you from running out of cards, which is the usual way a big-creature deck stalls. The lesson Eshki teaches is to cast creatures while Eshki is on the battlefield, not to hold them for a better turn.
The other commander in the box: Ureni of the Unwritten is seven mana with flying and trample, and whenever it enters or attacks you look at the top eight cards of your library and may put a Dragon creature card from among them onto the battlefield. It's a slower start and a bigger finish.
See the full Temur Roar decklist →
Picking this precon up?
Shown here is the commander's card art, not the box.
Buy Temur Roar on TCGplayer →Most Wanted
Commander Spotlight
Olivia, Opulent Outlaw ↗
Olivia has flying and lifelink. Whenever one or more outlaws you control deal combat damage to a player, you create a Treasure token. For {3} and two Treasures, you put two +1/+1 counters on each creature you control.
Outlaws are a group of five creature types: Assassins, Mercenaries, Pirates, Rogues and Warlocks. Olivia is an Assassin herself, so she counts. Attack with outlaws, get Treasure when they connect, and spend that Treasure on more spells or on her counters ability.
This is the most direct deck of the five. Your turn is the same question every time: who can attack safely? Lifelink on a flying commander helps a new player recover from the hits they take while learning when to hold back.
The other commander in the box: Vihaan, Goldwaker gives your other outlaws vigilance and haste, and at the beginning of combat on your turn can turn your Treasures into 3/3 Construct Assassin artifact creatures until end of turn. It pairs well with the same Treasure the deck already makes.
See the full Most Wanted decklist →
Picking this precon up?
Shown here is the commander's card art, not the box.
Buy Most Wanted on TCGplayer →After your first few games
Play the deck as printed until you know how it wins and where it stalls. Most precons carry a handful of cards that never do much, and you'll find them faster by playing than by reading. When you're ready to change things, the guide to upgrading a precon covers what to fix first, starting with the mana. If you'd rather build your own deck next, the best commanders for beginners are a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Commander precon for a new player?
If you're buying today, start with a precon that just came out, such as the Foundations Commander decks released in October 2026, because it sells near retail and uses current cards. Leaving price aside, any of these five is a good first precon, and the right one is the one whose plan sounds fun to you. The Hosts of Mordor builds one giant army, Squirreled Away fills the board with tokens, Veloci-Ramp-Tor plays huge Dinosaurs, Temur Roar casts big creatures, and Most Wanted attacks every turn. All five are rated 4 out of 5 for power and 2 out of 5 for difficulty on TurnZero HQ's precon directory. Those ratings are our own read, not an official one.
Are these precons still in print?
They came out between 2023 and 2025, so a local store is less likely to have them on the shelf than this year's precons. Sealed copies still sell online, and the price follows demand rather than the original retail price, so one of these can cost more than a precon released this year. Each deck on this page links to a live TCGplayer search so you can check what it costs today.
Is a three-color precon too hard for a beginner?
Not when the deck is built for it. Four of these five are three-color, and each one's mana base was built by Wizards for those colors, so you can play it as printed. Squirreled Away is the two-color pick if you'd rather start with the simplest mana.
Should I upgrade my first precon right away?
Play it as it comes for several games first. Once you know which cards you never want to draw and which ones win you games, you can swap a few cards at a time and see what each change does. Our guide to upgrading a precon covers which changes to make first.
Can a precon beat decks other players built themselves?
A strong precon holds up well in a casual pod, and these five are among the precons we rate highest for power. Against tuned decks built for a high bracket they will usually be outclassed, which is why it helps to tell the table you're on a precon before the game starts.
Track how your first precon actually plays.
TurnZero HQ logs your Commander games and keeps a win-rate record for every deck, so you can see how your precon does before and after you change it.
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