Precon Upgrade Guide
Masters of Evil Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the Grixis Dalek and villainous choice precon from Doctor Who, commanded by Davros, Dalek Creator.
Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who
Masters of Evil
Villainous choice adds a decision on the way in. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Masters of Evil on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Masters of Evil is a Grixis deck that punishes opponents for losing life. Davros, Dalek Creator makes a 3/3 menace Dalek at your end step if an opponent lost 3 or more life that turn, then makes each of those players pick between giving you a card or discarding one. The deck has good removal and strong Dalek payoffs, but it carries several six- and seven-mana cards, a mana base heavy on tapped and colorless lands, and too few ways to draw cards.
TurnZero HQ rates Masters of Evil 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 Masters of Evil decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Davros, Dalek Creator is a four-mana 3/4 with menace. At the beginning of your end step, if any opponent lost 3 or more life this turn, you create a 3/3 black Dalek artifact creature token with menace. Each opponent who lost that much then faces a villainous choice: you draw a card, or they discard one. The whole deck is built to make that condition easy to meet every turn.
Daleks are the main way to deal the damage. Exterminate! and Dalek Drone destroy a creature and make its controller lose 3 life, which turns on Davros by themselves. Genesis of the Daleks puts six Daleks on the battlefield over three turns, and The Dalek Emperor gives every other Dalek haste and makes an opponent choose between sacrificing a creature or giving you another Dalek each combat.
Villainous choice is the other theme. Cards like Great Intelligence's Plan and Sycorax Commander give opponents two bad options, and The Valeyard makes them face each choice twice. Wound Reflection doubles the life each opponent lost during the turn, which pairs well with menace attackers.
What works out of the box
Davros, Dalek Creator ↗
Makes a 3/3 menace Dalek every end step an opponent lost 3 life, plus a card or a discard. Once you meet that bar each turn, the army grows on its own.
The Dalek Emperor ↗
Costs one less for each Dalek you control, gives other Daleks haste, and makes an opponent sacrifice a creature or give you another Dalek every combat.
Genesis of the Daleks ↗
Creates one, two and then three Daleks over its first three chapters. The final chapter can turn that army into a huge life loss or a one-sided board wipe.
Exterminate! ↗
Three mana to destroy a creature and make its controller lose 3 life. Tap Daleks to copy it, and one spell can clear several blockers.
Dalek Drone ↗
A flying, menace Dalek that destroys a creature when it enters and drains its controller for 3. Removal and a Davros trigger in one card.
Wound Reflection ↗
At each end step, every opponent loses as much life again as they lost that turn. Two good attacks with menace Daleks can end the game.
What needs improvement
The deck's top end is crowded. Hunted by The Family and Cybermen Squadron cost seven, and Auton Soldier , Cybership and Blasphemous Act (before its discount) are six or more. None of them meets the Davros condition on the turn you cast them, and the deck can't afford many turns doing nothing.
Card draw is thin for a deck that spends cards on removal every turn. Davros draws only when an opponent picks that option, and Vislor Turlough costs you life for every card in hand. The lands don't help either: the deck has many lands that enter tapped and several that make only colorless mana.
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 mana with untapped duals
Davros needs blue, black and red on turn four, and a lot of the deck's best cards are two-color. Colorless utility lands and lands that always enter tapped make that harder.
What to look for Lands that enter untapped and tap for two of the deck's colors.
Cut, for example
Temple of the False God Makes no mana until you control five lands, so it is a blank in exactly the turns you need it.
Ominous Cemetery A colorless land with an ability that costs five mana and only shuffles away a creature. The deck's removal is better.
Canyon Slough Always enters tapped. The cycling helps late, but the deck has plenty of other tapped lands.
2. Make 3 life of loss easier every turn
Davros only creates a Dalek if an opponent lost 3 or more life during your turn. Cards that add damage or drain on top of your attacks make that happen more often, and replace slow seven-drops.
What to look for Creatures or effects that cause life loss on your turn, especially ones that trigger from attacking or from opponents' creatures dying.
Cut, for example
Hunted by The Family Seven mana, and the opponents choose whether their creatures turn into 1/1s or give you copies. Powerful, but it comes down too late.
Cybermen Squadron A seven-mana 5/5 that gives nonlegendary artifact creatures myriad. Strong in a big attack, but too expensive for a deck that wants to drain every turn.
3. Add steady card draw
Every removal spell trades a card for a card, and the deck plays a lot of them. Dependable draw keeps your hand stocked without relying on opponents choosing to give you cards.
What to look for Cheap black draw spells or enchantments that draw every turn. The life cost is fine in a deck that ends games quickly.
Cut, for example
Vislor Turlough Draws a card each end step but makes you lose life equal to your hand size. Giving it to an opponent is an option, but it is rarely worth a slot.
Day of the Moon Goads creatures by name over three turns. It can redirect attacks, but it doesn't remove anything or draw cards.
Add, for example
Phyrexian Arena ↗
Three mana for an extra card every upkeep at the cost of 1 life. It pays for itself within a couple of turns.
Night's Whisper ↗
Two mana for two cards. Cheap enough to cast alongside Davros or a removal spell.
Read the Bones ↗
Scry 2, then draw two. Slightly more expensive than Night's Whisper, but better at finding what you need.
4. Counter the spells that would stop you
A Dalek army is exposed to board wipes, and the deck has no way to stop one once it's cast. Blue gives you cheap answers to hold up while the Daleks attack.
What to look for Counterspells costing two mana or less, ideally with a second use when there is nothing to counter.
Cut, for example
Auton Soldier Six mana to copy a creature. It is only as good as the best creature on the table, which is often one of yours that you already have.
Don't Blink Stops creatures entering from exile for a turn. Very narrow; cycling it is usually the best use.
Zygon Infiltrator A three-mana 3/2 whose ability taps and stuns a creature at sorcery speed. Fine, but not a strong answer to anything.
Add, for example
Counterspell ↗
Two mana to counter any spell.
Drown in the Loch ↗
Counters a spell or destroys a creature, based on how many cards are in its controller's graveyard. Flexible and cheap later in the game.
Swan Song ↗
One mana to counter an instant, sorcery or enchantment, which covers most board wipes.
Win conditions
The deck wins by attacking with menace Daleks until opponents can't block them, while Davros adds one more each turn. Wound Reflection doubles the damage from a good attack, and Genesis of the Daleks can finish by draining every opponent for the total power of the Daleks that die. The upgrades make the Davros trigger more consistent and keep your hand full enough to protect the army.
Who should buy this precon
A good fit for a player who likes being the villain at the table and making opponents choose between bad options. Davros asks you to track how much life each opponent lost during your turn, and villainous choices add small decisions for everyone, so this is a moderate deck to pilot. It suits someone who enjoys removal and a steady army more than a single big combo.
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.
Create Free Account