Precon Upgrade Guide
Temur Roar Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the Temur Dragons and big-creatures precon from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, commanded by Eshki, Temur's Roar.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm
Temur Roar
Discounted big spells hit hard, the strongest of the five. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Temur Roar on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Temur Roar is a Dragon deck with a commander that pays you for every big creature you cast. Eshki, Temur's Roar grows with each creature spell, draws a card for any with power 4 or greater, and hits every opponent when the creature has power 6 or more. The box is packed with four-mana 4/4 fliers, so Eshki draws a card most turns. The weak spots are a handful of small creatures that don't trigger the draw, two board wipes that kill your own Dragons, and a mana base with several tapped lands.
TurnZero HQ rates Temur Roar a 2 out of 5 on difficulty and a 4 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 Temur Roar decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Eshki, Temur's Roar is a three-mana 2/2. Whenever you cast a creature spell, it gets a +1/+1 counter. If that creature has power 4 or greater you also draw a card, and if it has power 6 or greater Eshki deals damage equal to its own power to each opponent. Eshki gets bigger with each creature, so the damage from the later six-drops is much larger than the first.
The deck's middle is a long run of four- and five-mana Dragons with power 4 or more, such as Thundermane Dragon , Glorybringer , Parapet Thrasher and Stormbreath Dragon . Sarkhan, Soul Aflame , Nogi, Draco-Zealot and Dragonlord's Servant make Dragons cheaper, and Temur Ascendancy gives the team haste while drawing a card for each power 4 creature.
The top end is where Eshki's damage comes in. Ureni of the Unwritten , Lathliss, Dragon Queen , Dragonlord Atarka and Hammerhead Tyrant all have power 6 or more, so each one hits every opponent for Eshki's current power before it even attacks.
What works out of the box
Eshki, Temur's Roar ↗
Grows with every creature spell, draws for every power 4 creature, and burns each opponent for power 6 creatures. It turns the deck's normal curve of Dragons into card draw and direct damage.
Thundermane Dragon ↗
Lets you look at the top card of your library and cast power 4 or greater creatures from there with haste. It is card advantage that also triggers Eshki.
Temur Ascendancy ↗
Three mana: all your creatures have haste, and you may draw a card whenever a power 4 creature enters. Stacked with Eshki, a single Dragon draws two cards.
Ureni of the Unwritten ↗
A 7/7 flier that puts a Dragon from the top eight cards onto the battlefield when it enters or attacks. It is seven mana, but it often brings a second Dragon with it.
Lathliss, Dragon Queen ↗
Makes a 5/5 flying Dragon token whenever another nontoken Dragon enters, and pumps all your Dragons. Every Dragon after it is two.
Sarkhan, Soul Aflame ↗
Three mana, makes every Dragon cost one less, and can become a copy of each Dragon that enters until end of turn.
What needs improvement
Some creatures in the box don't do what Eshki wants. Taurean Mauler , Dragonmaster Outcast and Dragonlord's Servant all have power under 4, so they grow Eshki by one counter and draw nothing. Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge has the power, but it can't attack without four artifacts.
The removal includes Storm's Wrath and Blasphemous Act , which kill your own Dragons along with everyone else's. The deck also has no counterspells and nothing that protects its board, so an opponent's wipe resets you. See how many board wipes a Commander deck needs for how to think about that balance.
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. Untap more of your lands
Six lands enter tapped every time, and the deck wants Eshki on turn three and a four-mana Dragon right after.
What to look for Two-color lands in Temur pairs that enter untapped early: fastlands, painlands or shocklands.
Cut, for example
Temple of Abandon Always enters tapped. Scry 1 is a poor return for delaying Eshki.
Temple of Mystery The same tapped land in green-blue. The box already has Yavimaya Coast and Hinterland Harbor for that pair.
Sheltered Thicket A red-green land that always enters tapped. Its cycling rarely matters when you want every land drop.
Add, for example
2. Swap small creatures for ones that trigger the draw
Eshki's card draw only works on creatures with power 4 or greater. Every small creature is a creature spell that grows Eshki by one and gives you nothing else.
What to look for Creatures with power 4 or more at four mana or less, or cards that reward you for casting them.
Cut, for example
Taurean Mauler A three-mana 2/2 that grows when opponents cast spells. It starts too small to draw off Eshki.
Dragonmaster Outcast A 1/1 that makes a 5/5 Dragon each upkeep once you have six lands. It is easy to kill and does nothing until the late game.
Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge A three-mana 5/4 flier that can't attack unless you control four or more artifacts. This deck rarely has four.
Add, for example
Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma ↗
A four-mana 4/3 that makes your power 4 or greater creatures cost two less, and gives them +1/+1 and trample when it attacks.
Garruk's Uprising ↗
Three mana: your creatures have trample, and you draw a card whenever a power 4 or greater creature enters. It stacks with Eshki for a second card off each Dragon.
3. Protect your board instead of wiping it
A deck with this many Dragons on the battlefield loses more to a board wipe than its opponents do. Trading one of the box's own wipes for protection keeps the board you built.
What to look for Cheap instants that counter a wipe or give your permanents indestructible or hexproof.
Cut, for example
Storm's Wrath Deals 4 damage to each creature and planeswalker. It kills most of your own 4/4 Dragons, so it is rarely a good trade for you.
Leyline Tyrant A 4/4 Dragon that keeps red mana between phases and burns for the stored red mana when it dies. The mana ability rarely matters here.
Add, for example
4. Grow Eshki faster
Eshki's damage equals its power, and its power comes from +1/+1 counters. Anything that adds extra counters makes each power 6 creature hit much harder.
What to look for Cheap enchantments or creatures that increase the number of +1/+1 counters your creatures get.
Cut, for example
Selvala's Stampede A six-mana vote where opponents choose whether you get random creatures or free permanents from hand. The opponents control how good it is.
Hellkite Courser Puts your commander onto the battlefield from the command zone until end of turn. Eshki is a cheap commander you would rather keep on the battlefield, so this rarely matters.
Add, for example
Hardened Scales ↗
One mana: each time counters go on your creatures, one extra counter is added. Eshki gets two counters per creature spell instead of one.
Branching Evolution ↗
Three mana: your creatures get twice as many +1/+1 counters. Eshki gets two counters per creature spell instead of one, so its damage climbs twice as fast.
Win conditions
The deck wins with flying Dragons and Eshki's damage. By the midgame Eshki has grown from several creature spells, and each power 6 creature after that hits every opponent for Eshki's power. Atarka, World Render gives attacking Dragons double strike, and Scourge of the Throne adds an extra combat. The upgrades keep the board alive and make Eshki grow faster so those turns come sooner.
Who should buy this precon
A good pick for a newer player who likes big creatures and straightforward turns. Most of the time you cast the biggest creature you can, draw a card and attack in the air. The deck hits hard for a precon, so expect to be the player others watch, and expect to need the protection upgrades in stronger pods.
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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