Blame Game Upgrade Guide

Quick verdict

Blame Game is a political deck that wins by making the rest of the table fight. Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser goads a creature every time she attacks and draws you a card whenever an opponent's creature hits another opponent, so the deck gets value from combat it isn't even part of. The weak points are a mana base packed with colorless utility lands, too little cheap removal, and a few expensive cards that don't push the goad plan forward.

TurnZero HQ rates Blame Game a 3 out of 5 on difficulty and a 3 out of 5 on power, as it comes in the box. That is our editorial read, not an official Wizards rating. The full hundred cards are on the Blame Game decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.

How the precon plays

Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser has vigilance, so she can attack and still block. Whenever she attacks, you suspect target creature and then goad every suspected creature. A suspected creature has menace and can't block, and a goaded creature has to attack each combat and has to attack a player other than you if it can. Her second ability is the payoff: whenever creatures an opponent controls deal combat damage to another opponent, you and that creature's controller each draw a card. The opponent who gets hit draws nothing.

The deck adds more ways to point creatures elsewhere. Disrupt Decorum goads every creature you don't control at once, Shiny Impetus and Martial Impetus goad one creature and reward you when it attacks, and Vengeful Ancestor goads a creature on entering and attacking and pings the controller of every goaded attacker. Agitator Ant and Spectacular Showdown hand opponents counters or double strike in exchange for goading the creature that gets them.

Defense keeps you alive while that happens. Ghostly Prison and Windborn Muse tax attacks aimed at you, Orzhov Advokist trades counters for a promise not to attack you, and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs punishes anyone who does. Once two players have lost, Hot Pursuit lets you take every goaded and suspected creature for a turn and swing for the win.

What works out of the box

Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser ↗

Goads a creature on every attack and draws you a card each time an opponent's creature hits another opponent, which turns the rest of the table's combat into your card advantage.

Disrupt Decorum ↗

Goads every creature you don't control until your next turn. Cast it before a board of large creatures turns toward you and they have to hit each other instead.

Vengeful Ancestor ↗

A four-mana flier that goads a creature when it enters and every time it attacks, and makes each goaded creature hurt its own controller when it attacks.

Shiny Impetus ↗

Three mana to goad an opponent's best creature for good. It gets +2/+2 and you get a Treasure every time it attacks someone else.

Ghostly Prison ↗

Opponents pay two mana per creature to attack you. In a deck that wants every attack pointed elsewhere, this keeps you out of the crossfire for most of the game.

Hot Pursuit ↗

Two mana to goad and suspect a creature, and once two players are out it hands you every goaded and suspected creature for a turn to finish the last opponent.

What needs improvement

The mana base works against a two-color commander. Temple of the False God , Kher Keep , Labyrinth of Skophos , Scavenger Grounds , War Room , Throne of the High City and several tunnel lands all tap for colorless, and Nelly costs {R}{W} plus two more. On a hand with two of those lands, you can sit on a double-white card like Elspeth, Sun's Champion for turns.

Removal is thin and mostly conditional. Soul Snare and Stalking Leonin only hit attackers, Seal of Cleansing and Loran of the Third Path only hit artifacts and enchantments, and the sweepers are Winds of Rath and Mob Verdict . A deck that lets opponents keep their creatures still needs clean answers for the one creature or combo piece that has to go. See how much removal a Commander deck needs for a target.

Upgrade ideas

Each upgrade below starts from something the deck does poorly and says what a replacement card has to do. The cards named are examples, not the only answer: if you own something else that does the same job, or a newer printing does it better, it goes in the same slot. Make one change at a time and play a few games between them, so you can tell which change helped. The general method is in how to upgrade a Commander precon →

1. Fix the colors in the mana base

Too many lands here tap only for colorless, and the deck's best cards need {R}{W} or double white. Swapping a few utility lands for duals makes Nelly reliable on turn four.

What to look for Lands that tap for both red and white and enter untapped most of the time. Each one you add replaces a colorless land, not a basic.

Cut, for example

✕

Temple of the False God Taps for nothing until you control five lands, which is exactly when you no longer need help with mana.

✕

Kher Keep Taps only for colorless, and its 0/1 Kobold tokens do very little in a deck that wants opponents attacking each other.

✕

Labyrinth of Skophos A colorless land whose four-mana ability removes one creature from combat. Ghostly Prison and the deck's other defenses handle attackers better.

Add, for example

Battlefield Forge ↗

Taps for red or white right away at the cost of 1 damage. Untapped on turn one and every turn after.

Clifftop Retreat ↗

Enters untapped if you control a Mountain or Plains, which is nearly always true in a two-color deck with plenty of basics.

Sundown Pass ↗

Enters untapped once you have two other lands, so it costs you nothing from turn three on.

2. Add removal that hits anything

Goad handles most creatures by sending them at someone else, but some threats don't attack: a combo piece, a value engine, or a commander that wins from home. The deck needs a few answers that work on its own terms.

What to look for Instant-speed removal costing three mana or less that can hit a creature or, better, any permanent.

Cut, for example

✕

Vow of Duty Gives a creature +2/+2 and stops it from attacking you, but it does not goad, so the creature can just stay home and block. Shiny Impetus and Martial Impetus do this job better.

✕

Darien, King of Kjeldor Six mana for a 3/3 that only makes Soldiers when you take damage. The deck is built to avoid taking damage, so it rarely triggers.

Add, for example

Swords to Plowshares ↗

One mana at instant speed to exile any creature. The cheapest clean creature removal in white.

Chaos Warp ↗

Shuffles any permanent into its owner's library at instant speed, so it answers enchantments, planeswalkers and indestructible threats as well.

Generous Gift ↗

Destroys any permanent for three mana. The 3/3 Elephant it leaves behind is one more creature for your goad effects to send elsewhere.

3. Goad more creatures, more often

Nelly only draws when opponents hit each other. The more of their creatures you can force into those attacks each turn, the more cards she draws and the less pressure lands on you.

What to look for Creatures or enchantments that goad repeatedly or goad several creatures at once, ideally ones that also reward you when goaded creatures fight.

Cut, for example

✕

Vow of Lightning Like Vow of Duty, it keeps one creature from attacking you but doesn't force it to attack anyone, so it often ends up as a first-strike blocker for an opponent.

✕

Promise of Loyalty Makes every player sacrifice all but one creature. Clearing opponents' boards removes the very creatures Nelly wants attacking each other.

✕

Etali, Primal Storm Six mana for a creature that has to attack and survive to do anything, and none of its value pushes the goad plan.

Add, for example

Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer ↗

Goads every opponent's creature with less power than it has, and gives you a Treasure whenever a goaded creature dies in combat.

Bothersome Quasit ↗

Goads an opponent's creature whenever you cast a noncreature spell, and goaded creatures can't block, which opens the way for your own attacks.

4. Draw cards when the table turns on you

Early in the game, before the goad effects are in place, opponents will attack you. Cards that draw when that happens keep you from falling behind while the deck sets up.

What to look for Cards that draw or make mana from opponents attacking you or casting extra spells, or instant-speed draw that also ramps.

Cut, for example

✕

Comeuppance A four-mana fog that hurts attackers. Gideon's Sacrifice, Deflecting Palm and Selfless Squire already cover a big turn for less.

Add, for example

Mangara, the Diplomat ↗

Draws you a card whenever an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures and whenever an opponent casts their second spell in a turn.

Unexpected Windfall ↗

Discard a card to draw two and make two Treasures at instant speed. It refuels your hand and ramps you toward Gisela or Elspeth.

Win conditions

Most games end with opponents having worn each other down. Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser , Disrupt Decorum and the Impetus auras keep their creatures pointed at each other while you draw cards, and Vengeful Ancestor and Fiendish Duo make each of those attacks hurt more. Once two players are gone, Hot Pursuit takes every goaded creature for a turn, and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight or Anya, Merciless Angel closes out the last player. The upgrades above mostly make sure you cast Nelly on time and can answer the one threat goad can't redirect.

Who should buy this precon

A good fit for a player who enjoys table politics and reading which opponent to push. You have to track which creatures are goaded and suspected, and choose targets that keep the strongest player busy without letting anyone run away with the game, so it asks more decisions per turn than a typical attack deck. It is a poor pick for someone who wants to win by attacking with their own creatures, since this deck mostly wins by making others do the attacking.

Checked against the printed decklist on October 10, 2026.