Precon Upgrade Guide
Mirror Mastery Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the Temur copy-and-ramp precon from Commander 2011, commanded by Riku of Two Reflections.
Commander 2011
Mirror Mastery
Two separate copy triggers to track, on creatures and on spells alike. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Mirror Mastery on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Mirror Mastery is a ramp deck whose commander doubles your best spells for two extra mana. Riku of Two Reflections copies every instant or sorcery you cast for {U}{R} and every nontoken creature that enters for {G}{U}, so a ramp spell becomes two ramp spells and an enters-the-battlefield creature does its job twice. Too many of the deck's creatures are big bodies with nothing to copy, though, and the deck has almost no way to stop an opponent's spell. Swapping those slots for value creatures, cheaper ramp and a few counterspells makes Riku's copies count.
TurnZero HQ rates Mirror Mastery 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 Mirror Mastery decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Riku of Two Reflections has two triggers. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, you may pay {U}{R} to copy it and choose new targets. Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, you may pay {G}{U} to create a token copy of it. The token has the same enters-the-battlefield ability, so it triggers again.
The deck's ramp spells come first. Cultivate , Kodama's Reach and Explosive Vegetation fetch two lands each, and with Riku out a copy fetches two more. That mana pays for the copies of creatures like Aethersnipe , which bounces a second permanent, Fierce Empath , which finds a second big creature, and Spitebellows , whose token deals 6 damage to a creature when it leaves.
The finishers are large creatures like Hydra Omnivore , Simic Sky Swallower and Intet, the Dreamer , plus Magmatic Force , which deals 3 damage at the start of every upkeep. Riku copying one of them is often enough to close the game.
What works out of the box
Riku of Two Reflections ↗
Copies your instants, sorceries and creatures for two mana each. Every value spell in the deck can happen twice.
Explosive Vegetation ↗
Puts two basic lands onto the battlefield. A Riku copy makes it four, which pays for the copy and then some.
Spitebellows ↗
Deals 6 damage to a creature when it leaves the battlefield. Evoke it for three mana and a Riku token copy stays as a 6/1 that does it again later.
Prophetic Bolt ↗
Deals 4 damage to any target and digs four cards deep for the best one. A copy doubles both halves.
Fierce Empath ↗
Searches for a creature with mana value 6 or greater. Copied, it finds two finishers for four extra mana.
Aethersnipe ↗
Returns a nonland permanent to its owner's hand when it enters. With a copy you bounce two threats, and you can evoke it early for three mana.
What needs improvement
A lot of the creature slots go to big bodies with no enters-the-battlefield effect, like Rapacious One , Baloth Woodcrasher and Valley Rannet . Riku can still copy them, but a copy of a vanilla creature is a much weaker use of two mana than a second card drawn or a second permanent removed.
The deck has only Spell Crumple to stop a spell, and its sweepers like Ruination and Death by Dragons often hurt you as much as the opponents. The mana base also has many tapped lands for a deck that wants to pay two extra colored mana on top of each spell. The land and mana base guide covers what to aim for.
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. Creatures worth copying
Riku's creature copy is only worth its two mana when the creature does something on entering. Cheap value creatures make every copy a second card, a second land or a second untap.
What to look for Creatures costing five or less with an enters-the-battlefield effect that draws, ramps, or removes something. A Riku copy should be worth at least a card.
Cut, for example
Rapacious One Six mana for a 5/4 trampler with no enters-the-battlefield effect. A Riku copy is just a second body.
Hunting Pack Seven mana for a 4/4 token, plus one more per spell cast earlier that turn. The deck rarely casts several spells in one turn, so it is usually one Beast.
Add, for example
Mulldrifter ↗
Draws two cards when it enters. A Riku copy draws two more, or evoke it for three mana and still get the copy.
Peregrine Drake ↗
Untaps up to five lands when it enters. A Riku copy untaps five more, which more than pays for the copy.
Coiling Oracle ↗
Two mana: reveals the top card and puts it onto the battlefield if it's a land, or in your hand if not. Cheap enough to copy early.
Wood Elves ↗
Puts a Forest from your library onto the battlefield untapped. A copy fetches a second Forest.
2. Cheaper ramp to cast Riku sooner
Riku costs five and every copy costs two more. The deck needs to get to seven mana quickly, and the two-mana ramp spells are the ones you can also copy cheaply later.
What to look for Two-mana ramp spells or rocks, ideally ones that put a land onto the battlefield untapped. Check how much ramp a Commander deck needs for a target count.
Cut, for example
Collective Voyage Every player can chip in mana and every player gets the same number of lands. It ramps your opponents as much as you.
Armillary Sphere Four mana over two turns to put two basic lands in your hand, not onto the battlefield.
Add, for example
Nature's Lore ↗
Two mana: puts a Forest from your library onto the battlefield untapped. A copy is another Forest.
Rampant Growth ↗
Two mana for a basic land onto the battlefield tapped. A sorcery, so Riku can copy it later in the game.
Arcane Signet ↗
Two mana, taps for any of Riku's three colors with no extra cost.
3. Stop the spells that beat you
A ramp deck that spends its early turns building mana is weak to a fast combo or an early board wipe. Blue counterspells fill that gap, and a few slots open up by cutting cards that hurt you as much as the table.
What to look for Counterspells at four mana or less, and creatures with flash that counter a spell, since Riku can copy those too.
Cut, for example
Ruination Destroys all nonbasic lands, including your own bounce lands, refuges and Vivid lands. It sets you back as far as anyone.
Death by Dragons Gives every other player a 5/5 flying Dragon. Copying it with Riku only makes it worse.
Vow of Flight Pumps a creature, gives it flying and stops it attacking you. A weak use of a slot in a deck with this many big creatures already.
Add, for example
Counterspell ↗
Two mana, counters any spell.
Mystic Snake ↗
A four-mana creature with flash that counters a spell when it enters. A Riku token copy can counter a second spell on the stack.
Negate ↗
Two mana to counter a noncreature spell, which covers board wipes, combo pieces and most removal. With Riku you can copy it to stop a second spell.
4. Lands that enter untapped
Riku wants {U}{R} or {G}{U} open on top of whatever you cast. Too many lands that enter tapped or tap only for colorless make that hard on the turn you need it.
What to look for Two-color lands in any pair of blue, red and green that usually enter untapped.
Cut, for example
Rupture Spire Enters tapped and costs a mana to keep, so it fixes your colors at the price of a turn.
Temple of the False God Taps for nothing until you control five lands, which is when you need it least.
Add, for example
Win conditions
The upgraded deck wins by turning Riku's copies into more mana and cards than anyone else at the table, then landing two copies of a finisher. Hydra Omnivore spreads its damage to every opponent, Magmatic Force hits something every upkeep, and Simic Sky Swallower is hard to answer with its shroud. Counterspells keep the table from undoing all that ramp with one spell.
Who should buy this precon
A good pick for a player who enjoys ramp and big turns and is happy to do some mana math. Each copy costs two specific colors, so you have to plan which spells to double and keep the right mana open. That makes it a moderate deck to pilot, with a clear plan that is easy to learn.
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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