Precon Upgrade Guide
Coven Counters Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the Selesnya coven and counters precon from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, commanded by Leinore, Autumn Sovereign.
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
Coven Counters
Counters go up; coven checks are easy to hit. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Coven Counters on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Coven Counters is a Selesnya creature deck that rewards a board of creatures with different power values. Leinore, Autumn Sovereign puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature at the start of each of your combats and draws you a card if you control three creatures with different powers, which is easy to set up with this many counter effects. The deck's weak spots are a pile of seven-drops, board wipes that fight against its own plan, and few cards that make each counter count for more.
TurnZero HQ rates Coven Counters a 2 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 Coven Counters decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Leinore, Autumn Sovereign is a four-mana 0/4. At the beginning of combat on your turn, you put a +1/+1 counter on up to one creature you control. Then, if you control three or more creatures with different powers, you draw a card. That second part is coven, and nearly every turn after the first few you should meet it.
The deck spreads counters around constantly. Juniper Order Ranger adds a counter to every creature that enters, Victory's Envoy adds one to every other creature each upkeep, and Verdurous Gearhulk and Biogenic Upgrade put several on at once. Since the counters land unevenly, your creatures naturally end up at different powers.
Other coven cards pay off the same condition. Stalwart Pathlighter makes your creatures indestructible during combat, Dawnhart Wardens gives the team +1/+0, and Sigarda's Vanguard gives double strike to any number of creatures with different powers when it enters or attacks.
What works out of the box
Leinore, Autumn Sovereign ↗
A +1/+1 counter every combat and a card whenever you have three different powers on the board. It feeds the plan and refills your hand at once.
Juniper Order Ranger ↗
Every creature that enters gets a +1/+1 counter and so does the Ranger. It grows the board and keeps powers uneven.
Sigarda's Vanguard ↗
A flash flier that gives double strike to any number of creatures with different powers when it enters or attacks. It can double a whole attack's damage.
Sigardian Zealot ↗
Each combat, creatures with different powers each get +X/+X and vigilance, where X is the Zealot's power. With counters on it, that is a large team pump.
Champion of Lambholt ↗
Grows with every creature you play, and creatures with less power than it can't block your team. It often makes your attack unblockable.
Inspiring Call ↗
Draws a card for each creature with a +1/+1 counter and makes them indestructible. It doubles as board-wipe protection.
What needs improvement
The top of the curve is heavy. Angel of Glory's Rise , Trostani's Summoner and Somberwald Beastmaster all cost seven, and Death's Presence costs six. A deck that wants several creatures out by turn four can't afford many turns spent casting one big spell.
Some removal works against the deck. Hour of Reckoning and Cleansing Nova destroy your own creatures, and Curse of Conformity makes an opponent's creatures all the same power, which can help them block. The deck also has no card that adds extra counters each time, which is what makes most counters decks snowball.
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 counter doublers
Leinore, Juniper Order Ranger and Victory's Envoy put counters out every turn. Anything that adds one more to each placement turns those small triggers into big ones.
What to look for Cheap permanents that add extra +1/+1 counters whenever counters are placed, or that put counters on the whole team when a creature enters.
Cut, for example
Orzhov Advokist Lets every player put two counters on a creature each upkeep. Opponents get as much from it as you do.
Riders of Gavony A four-mana 3/3 that gives Humans protection from one creature type. It only matters against a typal deck.
Add, for example
Hardened Scales ↗
One mana: every time +1/+1 counters go on your creature, one more goes on. Leinore's trigger alone doubles.
Conclave Mentor ↗
The same effect on a two-mana creature, which also counts toward coven and gains you life when it dies.
Cathars' Crusade ↗
Every creature that enters puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. With a steady stream of creatures, the board grows fast.
2. Swap board wipes for targeted removal
A deck built around a wide board loses more to its own wipe than any opponent does. Targeted answers deal with the one problem without costing you your creatures.
What to look for Removal costing three mana or less that hits creatures or any permanent. Convoke is a bonus, since your board can pay for it.
Cut, for example
Hour of Reckoning Destroys all nontoken creatures, which is most of your board. Seven mana, even if convoke helps pay.
Curse of Conformity Makes an opponent's nonlegendary creatures 3/3. It neutralizes big threats but helps small ones, and it removes nothing.
Add, for example
Path to Exile ↗
One mana at instant speed to exile any creature.
Generous Gift ↗
Three mana to destroy any permanent. The opponent gets a 3/3 Elephant, which your counters will outgrow.
Conclave Tribunal ↗
Exiles any nonland permanent an opponent controls. Convoke lets your creatures pay for most of it.
3. Lower the curve
Leinore's coven draw needs three creatures out. Cheap creatures and engines get you there by turn four instead of turn six, and replace the seven-drops that slow the deck down.
What to look for Creatures or enchantments costing two to four mana that add counters every turn on their own.
Cut, for example
Trostani's Summoner Seven mana for a 1/1 and three tokens. Good value late, but too slow for this deck.
Somberwald Beastmaster Another seven-drop that makes three tokens. One of these is plenty, and neither is needed.
Death's Presence Six mana and it does nothing until your creatures die. It is a slow way to move counters around.
4. Replace slow lands
A two-color deck should rarely have mana problems, but this one has several lands that enter tapped or make colorless. Untapped duals let you play a two-drop and Leinore on time.
What to look for Lands that enter untapped and make green or white.
Cut, for example
Temple of the False God Makes no mana until you control five lands. Early on it is a blank.
Selesnya Sanctuary Enters tapped and returns a land to your hand. It costs you a land drop's worth of tempo.
Win conditions
The deck wins by attacking with a wide board of creatures that keep growing. Champion of Lambholt stops smaller creatures from blocking, Sigarda's Vanguard gives double strike to creatures with different powers, and Sigardian Zealot pumps the attackers each combat. Counter doublers make each of those turns bigger, and Leinore keeps drawing cards so you can rebuild after a wipe.
Who should buy this precon
A friendly deck for someone new to Commander who wants a creature deck that does something every turn. The coven check (do you have three different powers?) is easy to track, and putting counters on creatures is simple to learn. It suits players who like attacking with a wide board more than those who want lots of interaction.
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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