Precon Upgrade Guide
Built From Scratch Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the mono-red artifact recursion precon from Commander 2014, commanded by Daretti, Scrap Savant.
Commander 2014
Built From Scratch
Looping artifacts out of the graveyard takes some setup to pay off. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Built From Scratch on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Built From Scratch is a mono-red artifact deck that cheats big artifacts out of the graveyard instead of casting them. Daretti, Scrap Savant discards cards to fill the graveyard and then trades a cheap artifact on the battlefield for an expensive one in the graveyard, so Wurmcoil Engine or Myr Battlesphere can arrive on turn five. The engine is good, but the deck around it is loose: card draw is slow, the removal is mostly expensive or symmetrical, and there are few ways to sacrifice artifacts for value beyond Daretti himself.
TurnZero HQ rates Built From Scratch 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 Built From Scratch decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Daretti, Scrap Savant is a four-mana planeswalker. His +2 lets you discard up to two cards and draw that many. His −2 sacrifices an artifact and, if you did, returns target artifact card from your graveyard to the battlefield. His −10 gives you an emblem that returns each artifact put into your graveyard from the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.
The pattern is to use the +2 to discard a big artifact, then on a later turn use the −2 to sacrifice a mana rock or a Myr Sire and put the big artifact onto the battlefield. Goblin Welder does the same swap every turn for no mana, and Faithless Looting puts more artifacts in the graveyard early. Death triggers on cards like Myr Retriever , Junk Diver and Ichor Wellspring mean the artifact you sacrifice often gives something back too.
Scrap Mastery is the reset button. Each player sacrifices all their artifacts and returns every artifact card from their graveyard, which in this deck is usually far better for you than anyone else.
What works out of the box
Daretti, Scrap Savant ↗
Discards and draws to fill the graveyard, then swaps a cheap artifact for an expensive one. The whole deck runs through this loop.
Goblin Welder ↗
One mana, and every turn it swaps an artifact on the battlefield for one in the graveyard. It does Daretti's −2 without spending loyalty.
Wurmcoil Engine ↗
The best thing to cheat out. A 6/6 with deathtouch and lifelink that leaves two 3/3 tokens behind when it dies.
Myr Battlesphere ↗
Makes four Myr tokens when it enters and turns them into direct damage when it attacks. A full board from one card.
Scrap Mastery ↗
Every player sacrifices their artifacts and returns all artifact cards from their graveyard. You have far more artifacts in your graveyard than anyone else.
Solemn Simulacrum ↗
Ramps a land when it enters and draws a card when it dies, so it is good to cast and good to sacrifice to Daretti.
What needs improvement
The card draw is slow. Jalum Tome needs two mana every turn for one loot, and Loreseeker's Stone costs six before it does anything. Daretti's +2 only swaps cards rather than adding them, so after the first big artifact lands the deck can run out of things to do.
Much of the removal costs five or more or hits your own board as hard as anyone else's. Incite Rebellion damages every player and creature, and Volcanic Offering lets an opponent pick half the targets. There are few cheap answers, and the lands include Temple of the False God and several that enter tapped. See how much removal a Commander deck needs for a rough 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. Add more ways to sacrifice artifacts for value
Daretti and Goblin Welder both want a cheap artifact to throw away. More outlets and tutors make every death trigger in the deck work harder and get the big artifacts into the graveyard on purpose.
What to look for Artifacts or creatures that sacrifice artifacts for mana or a reanimation effect, or that put a chosen artifact into your graveyard.
Cut, for example
Bottle Gnomes Sacrifices itself for 3 life. It feeds Daretti once, but a Myr Sire or Ichor Wellspring does that and gives you something better back.
Bitter Feud Doubles damage between two players you choose. It doesn't help your artifact plan and often helps an opponent more than you.
Add, for example
Krark-Clan Ironworks ↗
Sacrifice an artifact to add two colorless mana. It turns every death trigger into mana and feeds the graveyard at the same time.
Goblin Engineer ↗
Puts any artifact from your library into your graveyard when it enters, then trades artifacts for cheap ones from the graveyard.
Kuldotha Forgemaster ↗
Tap and sacrifice three artifacts to put any artifact from your library onto the battlefield. Myr tokens and spent rocks pay for it.
2. Draw cards while filling the graveyard
The deck wants to discard artifacts, so discard-to-draw spells give it cards and set up Daretti at once. Skullclamp turns the small artifact creatures into a draw engine.
What to look for Cheap spells that discard as a cost and draw more cards than they spend, or repeatable draw off creatures dying.
Cut, for example
Jalum Tome Two mana and a tap each turn for one loot. Daretti's +2 already does this better.
Loreseeker's Stone Six mana before it does anything, and each activation gets more expensive as your hand grows.
Add, for example
Skullclamp ↗
Equip it to a 1/1 Myr or Servo token and it dies, drawing two cards. The deck has plenty of small artifact creatures.
Cathartic Reunion ↗
Two mana: discard two cards, draw three. Discarding a big artifact sets up Daretti's −2.
Big Score ↗
An instant that discards a card, draws two and makes two Treasures. The Treasures are artifacts to sacrifice later.
3. Swap the clunky removal for cheap answers
Five- and six-mana removal that also hits your own board doesn't fit a deck that wants to spend its mana on the engine. Cheap answers let you deal with a problem and still use Daretti that turn.
What to look for Removal costing one or two mana that hits creatures or artifacts, ideally at instant speed.
Cut, for example
Volcanic Offering Five mana, and an opponent picks half of its targets, so you rarely hit both of the things you wanted gone.
Incite Rebellion Damages every player and their creatures by the number of creatures they control, including your own Myr and Construct tokens.
4. Fix the slow mana
Daretti costs four, and the deck wants to cast him early. Rocks that cost three for one mana and lands that make nothing until turn five slow that down.
What to look for Mana rocks that enter untapped and add at least one mana per mana spent, or large rocks that Daretti can bring back later.
Cut, for example
Temple of the False God Taps for nothing until you control five lands, the turns you need it least.
Pristine Talisman Three mana for a rock that adds one colorless. A two-mana rock does more.
Win conditions
The deck wins with a few large artifacts it never paid for. Get Wurmcoil Engine , Myr Battlesphere or Steel Hellkite into the graveyard, swap it onto the battlefield with Daretti or Goblin Welder , and attack. Scrap Mastery brings everything back at once after a board wipe. With Krark-Clan Ironworks and Kuldotha Forgemaster added, the deck can find and replay its best threats far more reliably.
Who should buy this precon
A good deck for a player ready to move past simple creature decks. The engine takes some planning: you have to decide which artifacts to discard, which to keep on the battlefield as sacrifice fodder, and when to use Daretti's loyalty. Someone new to Commander can still pilot it, but it rewards a bit of practice before it feels smooth.
Checked against the printed decklist on October 10, 2026.
Track how the upgrades actually perform.
TurnZero HQ keeps a win rate per deck version, so you can change a few cards, play some games, and see the difference instead of guessing.
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