Upgrading Commander Precon: Counter Intelligence (Inspirit) + Kilo, Apogee Mind

Edge of Eternities has been out for a while, so we've already had some time to play its precons, which, by the way, I thought were spectacular. In any case, today we'll show you two ways to upgrade "Counter Intelligence", the Jeskai precon from this set.

We didn't want to change the first version we'll show you all that much. Instead, the goal was to keep it more casual, but both versions in this article were built for Bracket 2. However, we added lots of new cards to the second list and built it around an entirely different idea.

That being said, before we move on, I need to mention the elephant in the room. Cards like Rhystic Study, Esper Sentinel, and the like are not in this list because they're very obvious and homogeneous. Since my goal was preserving the idea behind the original precon, I didn't include them, even though Esper Sentinel is an artifact creature.

The first deck we'll see is the version we didn't change much. It includes Inspirit, Flagship Vessel in the command zone! Before we go any further, here's our list:

How to Play

The idea behind this deck is simple: play artifacts.

Yeah, that's all. It centers around getting the most out of the charge and +1/+1 counters our commander gives us. However, as long as you're casting artifact spells, this spacecraft will create value eventually. Put the counters on cards that matter and beat your opponents with giant artifacts.

Cards We Removed

It wouldn't be fair to just give you the list without showing what we removed, right? In total, we removed 10 cards from the original deck. Let's see a few of them:

We cut some lands because this deck has 40 of them. Cutting a few of them to open some space for more power couldn't hurt. We removed one of each basic land and a land that comes in play tapped.

We cut Phyrexian Metamorph because we don't want clones in this list.

Thrummingbird is cute, but we have better ways to proliferate and put counters on other cards.

Thirst for Knowledge doesn't fit this list all that well. We can play better card draw that doesn't force us to discard cards.

Chrome Host Seedshark seems cool on paper, but it doesn't work in practice. It didn't stick.

Experimental Augury struggles with the same issue. Proliferate isn't enough if it doesn't do anything else.

Cards We Added

These cards deserve a mention. Let's see them:

Counterspell and An Offer You Can’t Refuse because, after all, you can't pilot a spacecraft without protection, right?

Supreme Verdict is an incredibly helpful board wipe, particularly considering our commander will protect our creatures and artifacts.

We can put charge counters on Magistrate's Scepter.

The Eternity Elevator is expensive, but, if it resolves, you'll be full of mana.

Filigree Vector does everything we want.

Power Conduit is cheap, efficient, and helps with counters.

Simulacrum Synthesizer is simply insane in this list.

Dreamtide Whale is one of the best ways to proliferate in the format.

This version is so different from the original that we can barely call it an upgrade. We went with a total different direction. Hello, Jeskai Superfiends!

The Strategy

The main idea behind this list is to play the commander, our planeswalkers, and proliferate as much as we can with Kilo, Apogee Mind. Depending on your setup, you'll be able to "ult" a few planeswalkers all at once. And yes, this deck plays many board wipes, and, even if our opponents take down our little robot, the planeswalkers tend to create enough value to make up for it.

So that's that: proliferate, ult, win.

Tap and Untap

This is how the magic happens. This deck centers around tapping and untapping our commander to get as much as we can through its passive ability. The main cards we'll use to do this are:

Clock of Omens taps and untaps everything. It's a dream.

Aphetto Alchemist and Voltaic Key (besides Manifold Key) untap our Kilo.

Honor-Worn Shaku, Moonsnare Prototype, Paradise Mantle, Relic of Legends, Springleaf Drum, and even Holdout Settlement tap our robot to create value or mana.

Unwinding Clock is one of the best cards in the deck. It's as simple as that.

And, of course, this list plays enchantments like Freed from the Real, Pemmin's Aura, and Aura of Dominion. These three cards are simply ridiculous in this strategy. With any source of mana and Kilo in play, you'll have as much value as you have mana.

How to Win With It

This deck plays a combo: Paradise Mantle and a card like Freed from the Real to proliferate infinite times. This, on its own, can't win games, but, with Prologue to Phyresis, you'll easily win with poison counters.

This list also plays planeswalkers that lock down the game:

Dovin Baan and Narset Transcendent simply stop your opponents from playing altogether.

Teferi, Master of Time gives you infinite extra turns if he ults.

And, of course, sometimes winning is just a matter of playing planeswalkers with absurd ults and protection so no one can stop you.

Edge of Eternities brought us a lot of new stuff, and these two precons are full of great ideas. The lists we've included here today show that we can go in many directions with the original precon. Inspirit, Flagship Vessel is still an artifact deck that "beats" opponents to death, but, with a few touches, it already becomes more interesting. As for Kilo, Apogee Mind, it became a true commander for our Super Friends.

Whatever you like most, you can get a lot from this set. Take a look at this upgrade guide for the Jund precon as well and tell us what you think!

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!